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LG TVs have the monopoly on Dolby Vision 4K 120Hz gaming support and VRR. But not for much longer, it seems (via flatpanelshd).
Taiwanese chip giant MediaTek has announced that its upcoming Pentonic series chips for 8K and 4K TVs will support Dolby Vision's most advanced gaming tech, including 4K@120Hz, ALLM, VRR and reduced latency (Dolby Vision Game mode).
"The Pentonic series will enable TV manufacturers to support features designed for gaming in Dolby Vision along with other advanced capabilities", claims MediaTek. "These technologies... will be available starting in 2H [second half] 2022."
Apparently, "more than 60% of all TVs worldwide" are powered by MediaTek, including many of the best TV sets from Samsung, Sony, Panasonic and Philips. Philips's top sets already feature a Dolby Vision game mode that works up to 60Hz, but Sony TVs currently have no Dolby Vision game mode at all, so gaming in Dolby Vision incurs a lot of input lag. Samsung, of course, refuses to support Dolby Vision altogether, and we'd be very surprised if the new MediaTek chips prompted a change of heart.
Samsung aside, though, the arrival of the Pentonic chip could bring more advanced Dolby Vision gaming to many more gamers.
Well, Xbox gamers at least. Earlier this year, the Xbox Series X and S became the first consoles to support Dolby Vision for gaming. Sony has yet to reveal whether the PS5 will join the party.
MediaTek's Pentonic chip also supports Dolby Vision IQ with Precision Detail, too. The tech promises to get even closer to the image quality seen in a mastering suite, although we've yet to see how it measures up.
The new wave of Pentonic-powered TVs with Dolby Vision 4K 120Hz gaming support are due to hit shelves in late 2022 or early 2023.
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Tom is a journalist, copywriter and content designer based in the UK. He has written articles for T3, ShortList, The Sun, The Mail on Sunday, The Daily Telegraph, Elle Deco, The Sunday Times, Men's Health, Mr Porter, Oracle and many more (including What Hi-Fi?). His specialities include mobile technology, electric vehicles and video streaming.
In January, Sony unveiled its 2022 TV models, and the company surprised audiences by showcasing a QD-OLED TV before Samsung—the company whose display arm developed that technology—got a chance to.
Now, Sony has announced pricing and availability for that TV and others in its lineup for the year. The QD-OLED TVs are officially known as the Bravia XR Master Series A95K OLED TVs. They come in fifty-five- and sixty-five-inch sizes, which are priced at $2,999.99 and $3,999.99, respectively. Both will be available to pre-order in June. Sony is also offering the A80K and X90K products.
They are joined in the lineup by the Bravia XR Master Series Z9K 8K Mini LED TVs ($6,999.99 and $9,999.99, for the seventy-five- and eighty-five-inch sizes.) There are also the Bravia XR X95K 4K Mini LED TVs ($2,799.99, $3,799.99, and $5,499.99, for sixty-five-, seventy-five- and eighty-five-inch sizes, respectively) and the Bravia XR Master Series A90K 4K OLED TVs, which are available in smaller sizes (the forty-two- and forty-eight-inch TVs are going for $1,399.99 and $1,499.99.)
“The highly anticipated TV lineup will be powered by Sony's best-in-class processors, including Cognitive Processor XR, the brain of Sony's new BRAVIA XR televisions. Designed to replicate the way humans think and respond, this revolutionary TV processing technology delivers stunning contrast and vibrant colors, bringing astounding realism to anything onscreen,” the company said in their release.
The Sony TVs will be available at Amazon, Best Buy, and other stores.
Samsung’s first QD-OLED TV, the S95B, is available on the market now. Meanwhile, reports over the weekend stated that new sizes for Samsung’s models will arrive next year.
“Samsung Display's current monthly production capacity is 30,000 substrates that can be cut into about 1.8 million 55- and 65-inch QD-OLED TV panels annually at 100% yield, meaning that 100% of the panels can be sold – and that costs can be reduced,” Flat Panels HD reported. “Samsung Display recently said that it has exceeded 75% yield. It is targeting 80% yield this quarter and 90% in the second half of the year.”
TechRadar recently reported that costs are expected to drop for QD-OLED TVs in the near future. That’s because Samsung Display’s production yield for the TVs has improved dramatically.
“If true, and if Samsung Display can continue to improve its efficiency even further, then we might see QD-OLED displays drop in price significantly come 2023. We could even see some amazing Black Friday deals announced later this year,” the report said.
Stephen Silver, a technology writer for The National Interest, is a journalist, essayist and film critic, who is also a contributor to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philly Voice, Philadelphia Weekly, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Living Life Fearless, Backstage magazine, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. Follow him on Twitter at @StephenSilver.
Image: Reuters.