Sony debuts wireless Direct Connect for TVs and Bravia Theatre Trio

Sony's Bravia Theatre Trio speaker system supports Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, while Direct Connect lets you wirelessly connect additional speakers to compatible Sony TVs. There is also a new 'My Cinema' interface.

The new audio products and technologies were unveiled alongside Sony's first LCD TVs with 'True RGB', and FlatpanelsHD had a chance to see and hear them all in action.

Bravia Theatre Trio joins Sony's existing lineup of soundbars and audio solutions, and supports optional Sony subwoofers (up to two) and rear speakers (up to two) if you want to expand the surround experience – much like Sonos.

 Also read: Review: Sony Theatre Quad


Sony's Bravia Theatre Trio
Bravia Theatre Trio consists of a compact soundbar that acts as the center channel and two satellite speakers serving as front left and front right channels. The soundbar connects to the TV via HDMI eARC, while the satellites connect wirelessly to the soundbar.

It supports Dolby Atmos, DTS:X and IMAX Enhanced – the TV must also supports these formats – and can use Sony's 360 Spatial Sound Mapping technology to create up to 24 phantom speakers in the room through sound virtualization, according to Sony. A USB-C microphone for setup and calibration is included in the box.

Sony Electronics said that Bravia Theatre Trio was developed and tuned in partnership with film studio Sony Pictures and sound designer Andrew DeCristofaro.


In a short demo, we listened to Bravia Theatre Trio together with two Sony Rear 9 speakers and two Sub 9 subwoofers connected wirelessly – a quite expensive setup. It sounded good, delivering an immersive soundscape with convincing overhead effects (two up-firing units in Trio and two in the Rear 9s) during the famous No Time to Die car chase scene where James Bond's car comes under heavy fire.

The Trio's front speakers are largely identical to the Rear 9 units, so the setup itself is not particularly bulky, although each speaker obviously requires its own power cable. Sony's 360 Spatial Sound Mapping technology managed to create a convincing sensation of side speakers. Still, the relatively compact speakers naturally have some limitations compared to larger HiFi setups, despite Trio's premium price.

Sony Bravia Theatre Trio is available for pre-order today starting at £2000 or €2339.


Direct Connect for TVs
Sony also introduced a new Direct Connect system for TVs. It is built into Bravia 9 II and Bravia 7 II at launch, and will arrive later via firmware update on Bravia 8 II, Bravia 8, Bravia 5, Bravia 9, Bravia 7 and A95L.

Direct Connect lets you wirelessly connect up to two Sony Rear 9 or Rear 8 speakers as well as one Sub 9, Sub 8 or Sub 7 to the TV. In other words, the TV acts as the center and front channels while the rear speakers and subwoofer handle bass and surround duties.


It is not Dolby Atmos FlexConnect, but Sony's own proprietary solution. Sony told FlatpanelsHD that it is currently not interested in FlexConnect, as it sees limitations related to some of Sony's unique audio features.

We heard the system demonstrated using a Bravia 7 II together with two Rear 7 speakers. The surround effect was decent, but it was clear that the TV itself was the weakest link by far. Overall, it was not a particularly convincing demonstration.

The system could probably help improve surround sound in some living rooms, but for it to truly elevate home audio it would also need support for wireless front speakers. In our view, Sony customers would be better served by a FlexConnect-based solution, as FlexConnect also supports front speakers and virtualization similar to 360 Spatial Sound Mapping.


A new 'My Cinema' interface
Lastly, Sony introduced a new 'My Cinema' interface for its TVs. The interface brings together picture and audio settings in a more visually appealing and user-friendly layout. It also lets you customize picture and audio settings individually for each separate streaming apps, which is very cool and useful.

In addition, users can create presets for different times of day or viewing scenarios. These can then be accessed quickly instead of having to dive into the settings menu to change both picture and audio modes manually each time.

It sounds like a more user-friendly approach overall, although we will need to spend more time with it before drawing conclusions. Enthusiasts can still dive into the advanced menus if they prefer.