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Business News/ Mint-lounge / Features/  Sony gets serious with Android TV
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Sony gets serious with Android TV

Redefining smart TVs, and all you need to know about Android TVs

The W950C is currently the best Full HD TV you can buy.Premium
The W950C is currently the best Full HD TV you can buy.

If you have ever dealt with smart TVs over the past couple of years, you are likely to have been frustrated and bewildered by the experience. Google Search and YouTube apps felt out of place and difficult to use.

Google wants Android on televisions, and that is how the idea of Android TV came about. The concept is not just to replicate the phone’s functionality on the bigger screen, but to work in a more customized and harmonious fashion with the primary function—watching TV.

Sony is the first manufacturer in India to deliver a television based on Android TV—the Bravia 2015 range.

Sony Bravia W950C

82,900 (43 inches);

1.3 lakh (50 inches)

The first thing that catches your attention is the rather unique design of the W950C series. These TVs are extremely thin, 12.6mm, which isn’t much more than a typical smartphone. The very narrow bezel around the screen has a black matte finish, which means it does not attract fingerprints and dust. When placed on a table, the screen is essentially at an angle, looking slightly upwards. While this isn’t very common, it is actually extremely comfortable for viewing. But you have to ensure that the table on which the TV is placed is not too high.

The Bravia W950C series of TVs have 1,920x1,080-pixel (Full HD) panels using Sony’s X-Reality Pro picture engine and the Triluminous display technology as well as a Motionflow XR rating of 800 Hz.

The viewing angles are much better than what most other Full HD televisions can manage—the main reason for this is the lack of any reflective glass over the screen. Second, there is no motion blur in fast-moving visuals. The black levels of this panel are excellent, which benefits contrast. Most edge-lit LED panels tend to have uneven lighting (visible when looking at a dark visual)—the 43-inch panel doesn’t suffer from that problem, while the 50-inch panel’s lighting evened out after a few hours of running.

All things considered, these TVs reproduce much more detail and richer colours than any other LED TV we have tested this year—be it Game Of Thrones, The Musketeers or a Formula One race, the entire experience makes you feel that this is money well spent.

The dual 10-watt speakers and dual subwoofers are placed in a soundbar, which is attached to the base of the TV. The audio quality is extremely good, simply because separating the audio system allows for bigger speakers and enables the bass to sound more powerful. The quality of vocals is excellent, and there is absolutely no loss of clarity at higher volume levels. For a typical-size bedroom, volume levels of 20-30 suffice; 50-60 is loud enough for a big living room. The bass is subdued, but it’s still more than most TVs.

Sony has taken the Android TV OS and integrated it with its existing Bravia smart TV interface, seen on other non-Android Bravia smart TVs. On the home screen, large tiles are stacked as cards—watch TV, watch a movie, access a YouTube video, etc. Below it is the audio-video source and the apps listing. The layout is easy on the eye, doesn’t overwhelm, and remains intuitive. The apps open quickly and run smoothly on the TV; we did not find any app closing forcibly.

Sony has added a Bravia Notify feature that displays a paired smartphone’s notifications on the TV screen. Their app, Serial AbTak, compiles the episodes of various TV shows across multiple Hindi and regional language entertainment channels, and allows you to watch them at any time. The Google Cast wireless feature is very convenient if you want to stream movies from your phone or tablet to the TV without connecting any wires.

There are only two niggles. First, you only get around 8 GB storage space to install apps and games (it has a total of 16 GB). Second, the touch-pad remote control is an accessory that is not bundled with the TV.

All in all, however, Sony has delivered an Android TV experience that is nearly flawless. The software is backed by a very high-quality display panel and excellent audio capabilities. Among all the Full HD televisions you can buy at the moment, the Bravia W950C would be our pick for the best video and audio experience, and the vast range of usable Android apps.

A guide to Android TVs

Android TV is Google’s smart TV platform-based on the Android Lollipop operating system. It is meant for Full HD and ultra HD TVs, and will be implemented under strict guidelines from Google on usability, visual appearance and feature integration. As with any Android device, the TV will also offer access to the Google Play Store.

How can I get Android TV?

Globally Philips, Sony and Sharp are manufacturing Android TVs. In India, only Sony has launched its new TVs—the 2015 Bravia range.

But I just bought a TV that also has Android.

Chances are, you bought a TV that runs the older Android 4.4 KitKat. Panasonic, Micromax, VU are some manufacturers who run Android on their TVs. But since they are not based on the Android TV software, the apps may not perform as smoothly.

What is Google Cast?

Cast is a technology that allows you to stream media from your phone, tablet or laptop to the TV over the wireless network at home.

How many apps are available for Android TV?

Google is customizing more and more apps for the TV, rather than simply stretching smartphone apps. There are more than 500 apps designed to work on the TV screen, and more are being added. So much so that Android TV devices have their own dedicated Play Store.

The popular apps currently available include the VLC player, PLEX Media Server, even the likes of Netflix and Spuul. However, not all the apps are available in every country—for example, Netflix and Hulu Plus aren’t officially available in India owing to geographical licensing restrictions. Google Play Games and Play Movies & TV apps are available in India.

What about games?

Google is making it easier to play games on the big screen. And the entire experience isn’t a force-fit, because these games are designed to run on a TV. Some can be played with the TV remote, but for most others you will need a dedicated game controller.

Some fantastic games are available, for example Asphalt 8: Airborne, Beach Buggy Racing and Badland.

Google Play Games saves the gameplay progress from your phone, and allows you to continue on the TV later.

Can I search for my favourite videos?

Yes. Just like your Android smartphone, Android TV also has a voice-search feature. You just need to press a button on the remote and ask about the “weather in Delhi tomorrow" or the “Top 10 action movies of 2015"—and it’ll search the World Wide Web to get you the answer.

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Published: 21 Aug 2015, 10:28 PM IST
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