Sony unveils BDP-A6000 Blu-ray Disc Player

[psurquhart]

Does anyone actually know of this un-veiling ?

This is suppose to be their new flagship model and yet I have not seen it advertised or reviewed anywhere ?

Richer Sounds already stocks it (I have seen it in Maidstone) and yet no one seems to know anything about it ? Very strange.

WHF - any review imminent ? Is it the 790 replacement ?

Why would Sony not want to shout about it ? Must say after picking one up in RS - it is still very plasticky for a premium disc spinner.

Apologies for my grammer !

 

[bigboss]

Finally! I refused to believe that the S790 will remain Sony's flagship for too long, which doesn't even support Sony's Triluminos technology.

Yes, it is 790's replacement, according to this French news (translated):

http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=fr&u=http://www.hdfever.fr/2013/08/29/sony-bdp-a6000/&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dsony%2Bbdp-a6000%26safe%3Doff%26client%3Dsafari%26hl%3Den-gb

Good spot!

 

[strapped for cash]

Is it just me, or does the £349 price tag seem steep?

More expensive BDP purchases are typically justified through extensive connectivity, audio-video format compatibility, and superior build quality.

This looks like a relatively flimsy player with only two HDMI outputs to distinguish it from budget machines. It'll probably do 4k upscaling and, as you say, supports Sony's "triluminous" technology, for what that's worth, but for the price I feel there are more appealing options.

 

[bigboss]

Well, compared to similarly priced competitors, Sony gets discounted very soon. It'll fall to less than £200 by Christmas.

 

[bigboss]

Also, this player will be positioned to complement Sony 4K TVs. Will 4K TV owners really be bothered about price? The early birds will pay full price.

 

[Paul.]

I don't understand what a Triluminous bluray is? Triluminous is a backlight technology and provided a wide colour gamut. The only source available with a wider colour is sony's Mastered in 4k bluray disks with the extended colour gamut, but any player that supports xvYCC and you will be all set for triluminous anyway? I think it's just a branding excercise unless anyone can explain a diference?

 

[strapped for cash]

I don't understand what a Triluminous bluray is? Triluminous is a backlight technology and provided a wide colour gamut. The only source available with a wider colour is sony's Mastered in 4k bluray disks with the extended colour gamut, but any player that supports xvYCC and you will be all set for triluminous anyway? I think it's just a branding excercise unless anyone can explain a diference?

Having read around a bit I'm no wiser as to how a BDP could be "triluminous ready," Are we talking about manufacturer specific colour spacing? As you say, this would need to match the source in some way, or would involve a form of processing contrary to most videophiles' aesthetic principles.

 

[bigboss]

From what I understand, Triluminos is a wider colour gamut, enabling more accurate rendition of colours.

 

[strapped for cash]

From what I understand, Triluminos is a wider colour gamut, enabling more accurate rendition of colours.

But if this wider colour doesn't marry with the content/source, what's the advantage? In this regard the idea of "more accurate" colour rendition makes no sense.

 

[bigboss]

How do we know that the source doesn't have the wider colour gamut?

 

[strapped for cash]

BD content and HD broadcasting use 4:2:0 chroma subsampling, which is already narrower than BDPs, 1080p TVs, and HDMI cables are capable of transporting/decoding/displaying. Data compression requirements mean this is the current limit of the technology, rendering a wider colour gamut superfluous.

Perhaps the wider colour gamut has some utility when it comes to 4k compression and decoding, but such a gamut would present no obvious advantage in a BDP.

 

[bigboss]

Ok, so how many of the wider public know this, especially current 4K TV buyers?

 

[strapped for cash]

Very few, I'd imagine, which is probably why Sony is able to push the tech.

I'm happy to be corrected on any of the above by those with more extensive knowledge of chroma subsampling, compression, and decoding processes

 

[bigboss]

This is an interesting read:

http://www.technologyreview.com/news/509801/quantum-dots-get-commercial-debut-in-more-colorful-sony-tvs/

 

[strapped for cash]

To add to the above, if what I say is accurate (it is to the best of my knowledge), triluminous technology in a BDP would involve greater manipulation of colour spacing, which would be contrary to a videophile ideal of minimal processing.

Perhaps Sony has implemented an algorithm in BD mastering/compression (maybe on their "mastered in 4k" releases) that accommodates this colour spacing variation? Maybe the WHF team could contact Sony requesting more detailed explication of what triluminous technology does and how it works.

 

[bigboss]

Check the link above strapped. That's the technology Sony has named "Triluminos".

 

[bigboss]

From what I read, it attempts to overcome a technology limitation LCD had over CRT. There's no suggestion of "algorithm" or "manipulation".

 

[strapped for cash]

I just had a read. The article makes reference to putative advantages when reproducing 4k content. Again, I'm no clearer as to how triluminous technology offers any advantage in a BDP. (Perhaps when upscaling to 4k?)

To me, triluminous technology sounds like a form of colour upscaling. In other words, the process involves guesswork using a predictive algorithm.

I'm making certain assumptions, however, and could well be talking rubbish, which is why I'd like more information.

 

[strapped for cash]

From what I read, it attempts to overcome a technology limitation LCD had over CRT. There's no suggestion of "algorithm" or "manipulation".

So the difference is singularly in the panel/display technology, rather than the way content is stored, processed, and delivered? If so, I still don't understand how a BDP could be "triluminous ready."

 

[strapped for cash]

[UNPUBLISHED DUPLICATE]

Put another way, if there's a discrepancy between the colour gamut displayed and the colour spacing system used to encode content, processing must occur somewhere, whether that's in the TV, BDP, or both. If processing is taking place, presumably an algorithm is used.

 

[strapped for cash]

Put another way again, if there's no manipulation by way of an algorithm occuring in the BDP, then all BDPs are "triluminous ready," just as all BDPs are "plasma and LED ready." The idea of a "triluminous ready" BDP therefore becomes an entirely empty branding exercise. (Which is really the point Paul was making.)

 

[bigboss]

Put another way again, if there's no manipulation by way of an algorithm occuring in the BDP, then all BDPs are "triluminous ready," just as all BDPs are "plasma and LED ready." The idea of a "triluminous ready" BDP therefore becomes an entirely empty branding exercise. (Which is really the point Paul was making.)

I too suspect that's the case. Triluminos technology may offer benefits over LCD / LED but I'm not sure if the Sony blu ray player offers any benefits over others. Obviously, Sony wants to ensure that their Triluminos TV buyers buy their blu ray player as well.

 

[strapped for cash]

So to conclude, electronics manufacturers rely on a lack of technical knowledge to promote products offering no discernable advantage. Who'd have thunk it. :O

 

[BenLaw]

So to conclude, electronics manufacturers rely on a lack of technical knowledge to promote products offering no discernable advantage. Who'd have thunk it. :O

Yeah, but, triluminous, there's like three of them and everything.

 

[strapped for cash]

And all three are presumably, like, you know, luminous.

This thread has forced me to recalibrate my thinking about "scientific" marketing claims. I can no longer accept things at face value. Maybe the Pro-vitamin B5 in my shampoo isn't helping at all?