At CES 2019, Sony has unveiled a full line-up of new 4K OLED and LCD TV ranges. This year, Sony is adding Dolby Atmos, Airplay 2, ’IMAX Enhanced’, a new remote control, and other new features.

Sony 2019 4K OLED TVs

This year, Sony will launch A9G (AG9 in Europe) and A8G (AG8) 4K OLED TVs. The former will be part of the company’s Master series that ”represents the pinnacle of picture quality available to home viewers”.

The new A9G flagship OLED TV will return in a 77-inch size and also come in 65 and 55-inch sizes. It offers some of the features first introduced in last year’s A9F plus new features and a new design that is easier to wall mount via a slim wall bracket (SU-WL850) solution that also has swivel function, the company said.

- ”The AG9 is Sony’s new flagship 4K HDR OLED TV available as 77”, 65”, and 55” models, in a very slim form factor. Image comes to life with the super-wide viewing angle, precise contrast and absolute blacks of OLED technology. Over 8 million self-illuminating pixels are precisely and individually controlled by Picture Processor X1 Ultimate,” said Sony.

One of the new features is support for Dolby Atmos. In addition, it supports Dolby Vision, Netflix Calibrated Mode, and IMAX Enhanced. The TVs are also compatible with the HDR10 and HLG formats but Sony continues to disregard Samsung’s HDR10+ format, arguing that it can achieve the same result with HDR tone-mapping.

The first IMAX Enhanced content from Sony Pictures will be Venom, Spider-Man: Homecoming and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle. In Europe, it will be made available via the RakutenTV streaming service in 5 countries (UK, Spain, Germany, France, and Italy), with ”more to follow in the future”.

Sony will also launch more affordable A8G (AG8 in Europe) 4K OLED TVs in 55 and 65-inch sizes. The company says that this design is ideal for a soundbar and adds that users can ”rotate the stand 180° and it will rise up so you can easily place the soundbar by the TV”.

Sony A8G offers most of the same features as the flagship A9G but lacks Dolby Atmos support. More specifications can be found in the table at the bottom.

The new OLED TVs also feature Sony’s ’Acoustic Surface’ speaker technology that uses actuators to turn the actual OLED panel into a speaker membrane. Sony likes to highlight how one of the advantages is that ”sound emanates directly from the screen itself”. The 9 series has a more powerful implementation with two actuators and two subwoofers. It can also be used as a center speaker in a surround setup.

There is no mention of HDMI 2.1 but it is not unusual for Sony to be coy about technical features. We suppose that the TVs support at least HDMI eARC – since some existing Sony TVs already do – but we are chasing confirmation and more details.

Sony 2019 4K LCD TVs

Besides the new 8K Z9G TVs, Sony will introduce X950G (XG95), XG90, and X850G (XG85) 4K LCD TVs.

X950G will supplant last year’s X90F (XF90) and be available in 85, 75, 65, 55, and 49-inch (49” is X90G with less capable hardware) sizes. These are full array local dimming LCD TVs with support for three HDR formats (HDR10, HLG and Dolby Vision). They also offer Netflix Calibrated Mode and IMAX Enhanced support.

X950G comes with ’X-Motion Clarity’ that was first introduced last year. The system is applying black frame insertion on a zone basis to improve motion. When we tested last year’s model we found it to be very effective so it is great to see it return this year. The technology has also been implemented in the new Sony 8K TVs.

Some of the new features include Dolby Atmos support and ‘X-Wide Angle’ that uses a special combination of filter and optics to improve viewing angles.

Sony also announced the X850G (XG85) 4K LCD range. It no longer features full array local dimming but still comes with support for Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. It will be available in 85, 75, 75, and 55-inch models.

Android TV, Airplay 2 & new remote control

All of Sony’s 2019 4K TV will come pre-loaded with version 8 (Oreo) of the Android TV operating system. It offers access to popular apps such as HBO, Netflix, and YouTube.

Android 8 has a revamped home screen based on the concept of ”channels” and with addition user customization features. When placing on of your favorite streaming apps on the home screen it can highlight what you are currently watching or recommend new content directly on the home screen.

Some of the TVs include hands-free voice commands via Google Assistant and built-in microphones while other models require you to press a button on the remote control. Chromecast is built-in, too.

Like new TVs from Samsung and LG, select Sony 2019 models will support Apple Airplay 2 and HomeKit. This will be supported in the 2019 Z9G, A9G, X950G, and X850G. Sony has not announced plans to update previous TV models.

- ”Sony Android TVs will be compatible with Apple AirPlay 2 and HomeKit. AirPlay 2 lets you effortlessly stream content from your iPhone, iPad and Mac right to your Sony TV,” the company said. ”TVs can be added to the Home app and included in scenes or automations with other HomeKit accessories. For example, users can create a “Movie Night” scene in the Home app to easily turn on their smart TV and dim the lights, and simply ask Siri to launch the scene.”

Lastly, Sony is highlighting a new ”smart remote” and a new processor that decreases power on and app loading times. However, it is unclear if this is the same processor introduced with the late 2018 models or a new hardware platform.

- ”A new easy to control smart remote enables viewers to control their connected devices such as cable/satellite boxes, Blu-ray Disc players, game consoles (supported devices vary by region) without switching remote controllers. Also added to the smart remote is an RF so the TV can be controlled without pointing the remote. And a newly developed user interface brings seamless and quick access to favourite apps and settings.”

Sony’s 2019 4K OLED and LCD TVs will be available sometime in 2019. Exact retail availability and pricing will be announced later. The TVs will be on display at CES 2019 this week and FlatpanelsHD will bring you our hands-on impressions later.