Bravia bonanza: Sony triples TV range

Buying a Bravia in 2007 is going to take a lot more deliberation, as Sony has bolstered its Australian range to include 26 TVs under the Bravia banner.

Unveiling the new line-up at its "Experience More" showcase at Sydney's Darling Harbour Convention Centre last Friday, it's clear Sony is betting heavily on the take-up of high definition displays, offering models across a range of sizes and price points.

The flagship models are found in the Bravia XBR and X Series. All are full 1080 high definition panels that incorporate what Sony calls Motionflow, which touts an improvement in fast moving action through the use of 100Hz high frame rate technology. The X and XBR Series are available in 40-, 46- and 52-inch screen sizes, with the XBR also available in a whopping 70-inch model.

Stepping down from the top of the range, the W Series offers full 1080 compatibility, the D Series sports Motionflow technology, and the Bravia V and S Series now contain the entry level models of Bravia LCD TVs.

On the audio front, Sony unveiled new systems in its home theatre range that are designed to match its Bravia TVs. One of the most unusual is the DAV-IS10 DVD Lifestyle system, which produces 5.1 channel surround sound from tiny 50 watt satellite speakers that are roughly the size of golf balls.

The show-stoppers of the Experience More exhibition, however, were the prototype OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) display screens. First revealed at the CES Show in Las Vegas in January, the bright panels claim a contrast ratio of 1,000,000 to one, all from a screen that's a mere five millimetres thick. Commercial availability of the OLED units is planned for Japan only in 2008. It is expected that once the technology is adapted for larger screen sizes -- they currently max out at just 11 inches -- that OLED could succeed LCD as the dominant flat panel television technology.