On today ’s episode of You Asked : Should you care that a mini - LED TV is going to be too lustrous ? Should you waitress until 2025 to corrupt your dream idiot box ? What ’s up with Netflix Calibrated Mode and Amazon Prime Video Calibrated Mode ? And just how circumscribed is the digital visual audio output on TVs these day ?
From plasma to mini-LED
Rick write : I watch my plasma TV in a morose elbow room . I love it , but just require it bigger . Should I be interested that mini - LED would be too bright for my way ? I do n’t want to keep adjusting the brightness level options to keep from having to wear dark glasses to watch football game secret plan . My elbow room is all dark in the evening and only a dyad small window permit in ignitor during the Clarence Day .
The short answer is no . Just because a mini - lead TV can get super bright does n’t mean that it has to . It ’s nice to have the dynamic headroom in some situations . But for SDR message , you may reduce the brightness to whatever level feel comfortable . And for HDR content , you’re able to tame down the brightness highlights if you find them to be too much . But I think most kinfolk really enjoy the glitter you get when petite little elements are intensively bright .
Buy in early 2025? Or wait longer?
Wade writes : I currently have an 85 - inch Sony Bravia X900H and have sleep together it from Day 1 . But now I am looking to upgrade to my ambition television set — a flagship OLED . It would have been the Sony A95L , but due to being spoiled by the 85 inches I have now , I ca n’t go down in sizing . So , now I am looking at the 83 - in LG G4 alternatively . I am not looking to buy until soon after the new yr . So do I go ahead and bribe in early 2025 ? Or waitress for patrician PHOLED to come out ? Is it that close to commercial release , and will there be a immense difference between the two ? I really do n’t want buyer ’s remorse !
If you ’re not looking to get your dreaming boob tube until after the new year , all you need to do is hold off for CES to happen . At CES — the Consumer Electronics Show held in Las Vegas each year — we ’ll be showing you all about what sort of progress are coming in the 2025 telly . If BluePHOLEDmakes it to a television , we ’ll screw . But I intend there ’s a very potent possibleness that there will be an 83 - inch QD - OLED option from Samsung . And if Samsung does it , that mean that Sony wo n’t be far behind . So I know it can be heavy to wait , but I think once we see all the young TVs coming out in 2025 , you ’ll know what to do . That LG 83 - inch G4 will still be available , and the toll will be hail down then , too .
Just be sure to say ourfull LG G4 reviewfirst .
Why so many studio calibrations?
Cell Tech writes : Sony Bravia televisions provide studio apartment - calibrate fashion for Netflix , Amazon Prime Video , and Bravia core apps . Do they really work ? And there are so many PlayStation features included on Sony TV ’s — can you explain that ?
I got a briefing on this when I chat Sony in Tokyo earlier this year and I call back I can best sum up studio apartment - calibrate modes this way :
These pic modes most of the time act a raft like theFilmmaker Modeon TVs , but are controlled by the streaming companies that present the content . They are problematic to test because they are triggered by the content on those stream apps . At least , if there ’s a means to run test patterns on a goggle box that ’s been forced into one of these modes , I ’ve not figured it out .
I believe most of the time these picture mood will target a D65 white point — a slightly warm overall color temperature — and they will target a chosen color space , be that Rec . 709 , P3 , or BT.2020 . And most of the prison term , motion smoothing will be disabled .
The aim of these picture modes is to reproduce the content creator ’s intended look , whatever that may be . Are they excess when something like Filmmaker mode exist ? I think for most of the content on these streaming platform , the answer end up being yes . But I can see there being times when the contentedness calls for something other than D65 white point , for lesson . Or , if a brilliant mediocre picture grade is called for .
But there are deeper reasons . One of which is that its hard to get citizenry to transfer the motion-picture show musical mode at all — every single TV brand tells me that its information shows the Brobdingnagian absolute majority of family never change the impression configurations . And since these picture modes can be made to turn on mechanically when you ’re using a specific Robert William Service , that ’s a way to control what the user experience will be like .
Some may believe that ’s a bit controversial , that it ’s something you should choose in to , and not be forced to opt out from . But here we are .
The other reasonableness I cerebrate they be ? It ’s yet another feature to list on the side of a boxful . If they can make you think you require it , then they can market it on the box as a benefit . merchandising always get along into gambol with this variety of thing .
As for your PlayStation question , Sony get the PlayStation and Sony make TVs . It ’s in a unique berth to offer some particular automate features on Sony TVs that take advantage of the PlayStation ’s ability . Makes sense to me .
Like soundbars and TVs , you ’ll be able to get baseline compatibility for some features like varying refresh rate and HDR performance . But for more ripe poppycock , Sony is in a position to offer some premium features between the two devices it throw .
Simpler than stereo separates
Anders has a great home field of operations system with A / V separates and speakers and subwoofer . And while they have no problem powering it all on and relish it , their wife and child just are n’t up to dealing with the complication . So , Anders figures a soundbar organization added into the room would be the adept idea . But they are implicated about the limitations of the digital optical yield and wanted to get proposition on a soundbar that had serious surroundings virtualization , in case the signal hold out to that soundbar is n’t up to snuff .
I get it . I ’ve suffered this issue myself . I was able to relieve it some by dress up the TV to power on my preamp / C.P.U. , which was localize up to expend a lowly - emf initiation to turn on the A . This means , when the tv set came on , so did everything else . And since it ran off of HDMI - ARC , there was no want to worry about getting the preamp or A / V receiver tuned into the correct input .
But even with this automation in place , sometimes the big organization was just too much . So I get the appeal of using a soundbar system alternatively .
I must acknowledge that I ’m a minuscule unsure about the digital opthalmic audio output signal restriction that you are relate to . It ’s true that digital visual can only pass lossy multi - channel audio data format , but Dolby Digital Plus is still middling good . And it ’s true that you ca n’t get Dolby Atmos via optical , but most soundbars that offer Atmos backup extend upsampling that fakes Atmos — or at least fill up out the strait a act more .
With all of that say , I believe the Samsung Q990C or Q990D would be a big option for an impressive soundbar surround system that can take whatever you thrash about at it via TOSLINK and make it voice great . Samsung also has step - down options , like the Q910 and Q800 that could be worth take a flavor at .
But perhaps you ’re not interested in having another solidification of surround speakers in the room . Or perhaps you just want to skip possess a subwoofer ?
If that ’s the case , consider theSonos Arc . It does n’t have an visual input , but it does come with an optical to HDMI adapter so you could still apply the optic output on your goggle box . And Sonos does a great job of make just about any signal you send it sound great on the ARC . Just be aware of theSonos software problemsthis year .
And for anyone want to get the good sound they can using the ocular outturn of the HDMI - ARC or eARC port on their television , I think the thing to look for is signal upmixing so that it can take a non - Atmos sign and still make beneficial use of all the speakers in the soundbar and , if applicable , surround verbalizer . The presence of upmixing or “ practical atmos ” should be mentioned in the production characteristic or specs section .
