Sony Bravia XBR8, 4K projector and OLEDs

One of our US colleagues, Kevin Miller, was recently invited to Japan by Sony for a weeklong trip to show off some of the company's new HDTV technology. Among the highlights were Sony's new 4K by 2K projector, the SRX-R220, its new line of Bravia TVs, and the XBR flat-panel LCD HDTVs, a new proprietary wireless HDMI technology, called Bravia Wireless Link, and some updates on its new OLED displays.

Sony demonstrated its new Bravia XBR8 series televisions, due this autumn. Kevin said that "the blacks on the new XBR8 series look to be the best of any LCD that I have seen to date by a good margin". Sony chalks up those deep blacks to its Triluminous technology, which utilises LEDs that can be dimmed independently across the screen, instead of the standard fluorescent backlight that remains constantly turned on. Sony also exhibited what the company calls MotionFlow Pro, a step up from its standard MotionFlow technology available on current models. We expect to review the XBR8 models as soon as they're available.

Coming closer to reducing the tangle of cords often associated with modern home entertainment systems, Sony also showed off its wireless HDMI technology. This will allow users to house their components in a closed cabinet, eliminating the need to run several wires through the wall to the television. The specification currently only supports 1080i though, although Sony is working on a 1080p version.

Lastly and probably the coolest item on Kevin's itinerary was all the OLED goodness. While Sony has an 11-inch model on the market, the XEL-1, priced at a whopping $2,500 (£1,250), it plans to invest $220m in 2009 to further bring down the price and to develop larger screen sizes. Eventually the company wants to integrate the displays into "rolled goods, like window shades that drop down, covering your window to turn it into a TV."

We could see ultrathin OLED displays used in a number of applications. How about animated advertising on the side of skyscrapers, sans the low-res neon light bulbs, like in the movie Bladerunner? Or what about digital, animated clothing, a built-in monitor for your office desk, or a flexible video-esque newspaper that can be folded and snugged into your pocket?

Clearly the possibilities are endless -- but what do you think? Will this technology catch on (if the price comes down) and really revolutionise our lives, or is this just more hype from Sony? -Matthew Panton