I frequent from time to time AVS Forum and enjoy reading discussions on the latest Sony TVs and other AV gear and I noticed a number of members are still not sure about different Bravia Engine versions Sony markets with their TVs. As some of us know BRAVIA Engine™ is a fully digital video processing system, sort of a brain of BRAVIA TVs designed to reduce noise and produce sharp, vibrant, life-like images. Here is a simple breakdown and explanation between the versions:
The BRAVIA Engine 2 is a display engine that controls the turning on and off of the individual detail points – the pixels. It is the brain of the display controlling the basics of contrast, color, brightness and motion, which are actually more important to the performance of the panel than its resolution.
There are three versions of BRAVIA Engine 2:
- BRAVIA Engine 2 (52XBR7)
- BRAVIA Engine 2 EX (40XBR7)
- BRAVIA Engine 2 PRO (70XBR7)
But don’t let that confuse you – the video processing functions and the benefits remain the same. The big difference between each of them is the addition of an exclusive Sony technology called Digital Reality Creation Multi-function (DRC-MF).
Digital Reality Creation technology essentially enhances video signals making them sharper and clearer. There are two variations of DRC-MF technology. In the BRAVIA Engine EX circuit (in the 40XBR7), DRC-MFv1 works with 480i (standard definition) video sources.
In the BRAVIA Engine PRO circuit (70XBR7), DRC-MFv3 goes a few steps further by processing ALL video signals. That’s right – 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i and 1080p! Details in images, textures in plants and fabrics, and computer graphics all benefit from DRC-MFv3 technology.
And here is some info on the new 240Hz technology Sony introduced earlier this fall.
Motionflow™ 240Hz technology takes a BIG evolutionary step upward in motion enhancement over 120Hz frame rate technologies. MotionFlow 240Hz is the world’s first quadruple speed 240 Hz frame rate conversion in the U.S. market and is designed specifically to improve the clarity of fast-moving objects on screen. The system creates three new intermediate images for 60fps video (such as DVDs and some TV broadcasts) and inserts them between the 60 original frames. This method creates a total of 240 frames-per-second (fps). It also improves the display of movies and cartoons shot at 24 fps by inserting nine new frames between the existing 24 frames. And, just like Sony’s exclusive Motionflow 120Hz technology, Motionflow 240Hz technology applies Image Blur Reduction technology BEFORE it creates new frames to reduce blur artifacts that can be introduced by the camera. The benefits are sharper picture quality with smooth, more natural motion.
Hope this helps some of you trying to decide whether to go with Sony or some other brand out there…
