Sony Bravia 9 II adopts RGB mini-LED

In a bright living room, less light should bounce back from the screen: Sony has equipped the Bravia 9 II with a matte surface. At the same time, the manufacturer is introducing new backlighting in its current flagship model: The TV is Sony’s first device with RGB mini-LED backlighting.

RGB mini-LEDs combine red, green and blue light sources behind the LCD panel, the liquid-crystal display. Sony wants to achieve picture quality that comes as close as possible to that of professional mastering monitors – devices used to process films for their final presentation. This is a considerably higher ambition than the usual role of a TV in the living room.

Despite the new technology, the Bravia 9 II remains an LCD TV and does not use OLED. Sony is also sticking with Google TV as its smart-TV platform. The innovation is therefore found primarily where the picture is created: in the panel’s lighting and in the way reflections are handled.

For viewers, this could mean that the matte surface reduces distracting reflections in bright rooms, while the RGB mini-LED backlight is intended to bring the TV closer to professional picture quality. Eric Beeckmans examines in his test for heise online whether this advantage is visible and significant enough.

The limits of the report lie in the available test results: The published excerpt provides no measurements and no final verdict. What is therefore established is the technical premiere and Sony’s goal – not that the Bravia 9 II has already reached reference quality.