Sony‘s new line of Smart TVs are coming and, as previously leaked, they do come with Android TV in tow. Here at CES 2015, the Japanese manufacturer is revealing its 2015 TV line and it’s kicking it off with the gigantic XBR-75X940C, a 75 incher with an equally gigantic Ultra HD resolution. And with Android TV nested within, owners are promised the best of all worlds of live TV broadcast, streaming content, and the Android platform all in one not so small package.
UHD TVs are the fad now, though UHD content still has catching up to do. Of course, not all TVs are created equal in size, and the 75-inch clearly lies on the larger side of things. But with big sizes come big responsibilities, and the XBR-75X940C definitely tries to do its job well, especially with Sony’s new X1 4K processor which pushes 3840×2160 pixels around. Sony touts this processor as capable of upscaling content to 4K, so that even non-4K content can be enjoyed in their best quality. Aside from high-resolution video, the TV is also described to be “High-Resolution Audio Compatible”.
As to the software, Sony is one of the first to publicly commit itself to Google’s still rather new Smart TV platform. Android TV so far only officially exists inside the Nexus Player and still hasn’t had enough time to cook in the market, so this will be an interesting space to watch. Google is said to be holding a tighter rein on Android TV, though we are most likely to see some OEM customizations here and there, like Sony’s “One-Flick Entertainment” made possible with a brand new, rather odd looking remote control.
NOTE: We’ll have more details and photos of this Sony XBR-70X490C 75-inch UHD Android TV as Sony’s CES 2015 live event continues to unfold, so watch this space!
[UPDATE] The XBR-75X940C, or the KD-75X9405C to be exact, is finally official and it indeed boasts of everything we’ve heard so far. But it certainly isn’t the only 4K Android TV in Sony’s 2015 lineup, nor is it the only notable one. Sony is flaunting the X90C series, particularly the KD-65X9005C and the KD-55X9005C models, as having an ultra slim body of 4.9 mm. That’s almost as thin as the thinnest smartphone! These Smart TVs, which will launch in Europe starting February, run on MediaTek’s chip, undoubtedly to be seen as an odd choice by some.
X94C [KD-75X9405C]
X93C [KD-65X9305C, KD-55X9305C]
Ultra Slim X90C [KD-65X9005C, KD-55X9005C]
X85C [KD-75X8505C, KD-65X8505C, KD-55X8505C]
X83C [KD-49X8305C, KD-43X8305C]
Is it root able, can it run linux…. well a distro besides android
I hope there is a way to reboot the Android TV part without turning the whole tv off everytime. I have the Nexus Player and OMG it’s really freaking buggy, starved for apps, and leaks memory like a sieve. I can only pray to Jebus that there is a significant update coming now that the tv’s are incoming because this is Alpha code.