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Sony Z4500 Motionflow 200Hz HDTV Gives Ultra-Smooth Video Action
Posted by Jesus Diaz at 10:47 PM on August 28, 2008
Another First today has been the Sony Z4500 with 200Hz Motionflow technology, which uses a special processor to interpolate frames from the original source, delivering 200 frames per second for ultra-smooth, I-wanna-rub-my-butt-against-a-giant-english-pudding smooth video action. I saw the demo, right next to a normal 100Hz TV and the difference was extreme, even for a half-blind bat like me.
Another
The good: Ultra-smooth video action, with no apparent loss of quality and artifacts.
The bad: While the effect is great and obvious when compared side-by-side to the 100Hz alternative, I don't know if it's worth it. I may not care about this frame-per-second overload.
Bottom line: Good news for the obsessed with video ultra-smoothness and tech specs.
Best-ever Full HD motion clarity with the world's first Motionflow 200Hz BRAVIA - the Z4500
Using sophisticated algorithms, the Motionflow 200Hz system employed by the Z4500 calculates three additional frames for every original, upping the frame rate from 50 to 200 per second. The result is smoothest and clearest motion reproduction to be achieved by an LCD TV. A complementary image enhancement technology called IB Reduction (Image Blur Reduction) boosts the sharpness of the final picture by improving the original, frame by frame, before it is processed by Motionflow 200Hz. Whether allowing you to see the detail of a panning shot exactly as the Director intended or viewing the ultimate in smooth motion clarity for sports like football, the 200Hz Motionflow BRAVIA sets new standards in image quality and enjoyment.
The underlying superiority of the BRAVIA Z4500's picture is attributable to the centrepiece of BRAVIA quality: the BRAVIA Engine 2. This new version of the acclaimed Sony signal processor uses proprietary technology to improve every aspect of the image, frame by frame, in real time. BRAVIA Engine 2 is even better at reproducing realistic black, depicting objects with impressively lifelike depth and detail, removing blemishes or 'noise' from the picture, and delivering that trademark vibrant BRAVIA colour. Contrast is also essential to a quality picture, and a very high screen dynamic contrast ratio of 80,000:1 leverages the work of the BRAVIA Engine 2 to the full.
BRAVIA is a brand with its eyes firmly on the future, and it creates products that are ready to take advantage of emerging trends. This is why the BRAVIA Z4500 is DLNA™ Certified (Digital Living Network Alliance), allowing it to be seamlessly networked with other DLNA™ Certified devices within the home, such as VAIO® PCs and the Giga Juke™ music server. Once connected in this way the BRAVIA Z4500 can be used to enjoy digital pictures and music stored on a PC somewhere else in the house.
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
frigg
Posted 11:39 PM 28/8/08
I find a lot of hi def sets look... choppy and pixelated. Whether this is the fix or not, this at least acknowledges there's a problem that needs to be fixed.
frigg
Shawnladd
Posted 11:16 PM 28/8/08
@xaksei: Agreed.
Shawnladd
xaksei
Posted 11:14 PM 28/8/08
@Erwos: I believe that the pal system's standard is 50hz, which would make 100hz just like our 120hz, and 200hz being 240hz for us.
xaksei
NNTPgrip
Posted 11:12 PM 28/8/08
Is that 240 dollars worth of pudding?
@anatak: Agreed
NNTPgrip
scarbrtj
Posted 11:12 PM 28/8/08
Oy vey. My head Hertz.
And Jesus... keep up the English butt-rubbing.
scarbrtj
anatak
Posted 11:07 PM 28/8/08
yeah, 200Hrz doesn't make much sense as it wouldn't be able to do a true 24p mode. Not to mention 60 doesn't divide in nicely. What is this 50 Hrz they are talking about? 120Hrz is great, but 200Hrz seems to be reducing the whole HDTV thing into a pissing contest....
wha? It is already? K, as you were, Sony.
anatak
beardedkid
Posted 11:06 PM 28/8/08
Yay! More awkward talks with tv salesmen trying to explain how higher refresh rates remove film quality!
beardedkid
General Halfshaftery
Posted 10:58 PM 28/8/08
Are you saying "ya" three or four times near the end? It's very fast and hard to tell.
General Halfshaftery
spock11384
Posted 10:56 PM 28/8/08
So when your xbox stutters because the processor can't handle everything on screen you get to watch that at 200 fps? whoopie.
spock11384
Erwos
Posted 10:56 PM 28/8/08
A normal TV is 60hz, not 100hz. Or are you talking 120hz? Because that's not really normal.
Erwos
THLinTX
Posted 12:04 AM 29/8/08
Because there is interpolation involved, the processor must know the "current" frame and also the "next" frame. To me, by necessity this actually induces extra lag in the time from receiving the signal to displaying it. I would guess the magnitude of the lag is dependent upon how fast the video processor can perform these calculations.
Probably not a problem for ordinary TV watching, but sync issues come up when audio is connected directly from source (Blu-ray player, etc.) to receiver - but I would imagine passing the optical signal through the LCD probably automatically compensates for this. But for the videogamers it has to be a potential concern regarding reaction times.
THLinTX
DelSource
Posted 11:55 PM 28/8/08
I don't understand Sony with their MotionFlow. If it is so good, why is it available on fewer Bravias this year than it was last year? In Europe, most of their new TVs launched in August/September don't have it!
DelSource
scarbrtj
Posted 11:50 PM 28/8/08
@frigg:
Getting a more pristine source (usu. less compressed and/or 1080i/p versus 480i source) is a better fix for that than upping the Hz.
scarbrtj
daftrok
Posted 12:34 AM 29/8/08
He said other TV companies won't have it for another three years, so they are obviously NOT talking about 120 Hz. Also 100 Hz is a European standard.
daftrok
wolfenstein-3d
Posted 12:24 AM 29/8/08
Maybe it's just me, but i think watching a video of a tv doing 200hz, on a monitor doing 30hz is funny. It's like looking at a HDTV screen via an SDTV screen.
I for one think the idea of a 200hz refresh rate is overkill/stupid.
wolfenstein-3d
MastaFalse
Posted 12:21 AM 29/8/08
:O
Pacific Rift! I want to play. On that TV >.>
MastaFalse
lilaliendog
Posted 12:48 AM 29/8/08
I think sharp did this recently and a good chunk of people diskliked it because they said it wasn't 'real' and that it detracted from the 'film' experience. In the case of gaming this would probably cause response lag which is why some tv's like samsung have a game mode that disables a lot of the pretty processing the tv normally does. for normal tv viewing it would be fine but I want each specific frame right now unprocessed NOW cus that head shot aint gonna happen itself and missing the shot but looking pretty while it happens is not a good mix.
lilaliendog
Parkington
Posted 1:21 AM 29/8/08
There's no point watching that video since we all have to watch it on our ancient non-200hz monitors.
Parkington
Kharnellius
Posted 1:06 AM 29/8/08
ugh, typos...second line down should be: "we are not used to"
Kharnellius
Kharnellius
Posted 1:05 AM 29/8/08
To further expand, he said it made the video look fake though I strongly beleive this is only because it is something we are not useful. We have seen video on TV at 60 frames since the beginning of time. Of course it's going to look weird. (Probably as weird as the first motion pictures looked after watching slide shows your entire life.)
Oh and the argument that the eye can't see more than 60 fps is bull. I can most definitely tell if I am getting 40, 60, or 90. Each definitely is different and it is NOT a placebo effect. (I would not be spending $300 on graphics cards for a stupid placebo effect).
Kharnellius
Kharnellius
Posted 1:01 AM 29/8/08
@lilaliendog:
Yeah one of the guys I work with has the same issue with it. What I don't understand is he was trying to argue that the movie was magically moving faster than normal without actually making the movie shorter. It made no sense.
I'm not so sure gaming would benefit too much from this as even Sony has been saying it's made to improve "filmed" based content (i.e. video that has predetermined frames which are very different from the dynamic frames games produce).
Kharnellius
Kharnellius
Posted 1:46 AM 29/8/08
@Parkington: Yeah, I found that to be a head scratcher too.
Kharnellius
Justifan
Posted 1:32 AM 29/8/08
so basically its interpolating 8 frames for every film from a 24fps film source? i find that hard to buy.... interpolating a single good frame from between two is hard enough. im guessing its just doing a lot of repeating.
Justifan
disgruntleddesigner
Posted 2:10 AM 29/8/08
Let's not forget the world doesn't revolve around North America. NTSC is 60hz, and also a multiplier of 120hz. PAL is 50hz which is also a multiplier of 100hz, and 200hz. It all makes plenty of sense.
disgruntleddesigner
raygamma
Posted 3:30 AM 29/8/08
most displays at current technology show a certain level of artifacts in 'blocks'. Fast motion images/objects have this tendency. I didn't see any of that in the video so I would say that whatever technology they are using......works. what i would have liked to have seen was a fast motion football/sporting video.
raygamma
ripfire
Posted 3:18 AM 29/8/08
... Or you can just get a Pioneer Kuro Plasma.
ripfire
efenili
Posted 3:09 AM 29/8/08
The games looked good though :)
efenili
ripfire
Posted 3:41 AM 29/8/08
"200Hz"? This is just another stupid marketing gimmick. Why not just call it 5ms response time?
ripfire
El Guano
Posted 6:36 AM 29/8/08
@ripfire:
"Why not just call it 5ms response time?"
Because it's not the same thing at all.
El Guano
ab3
Posted 7:10 AM 29/8/08
@THLinTX: Most decent receivers have an audio delay that allows you to compensate for video processing lag, I know my Sony does.
And 200 Hz would look bad here in America, stupid PAL, we need some 240 Hz err o what the hell lets just make it 960 so our eyes explode at the sheer number of frames.
ab3
hotmeatinjections
Posted 10:37 AM 29/8/08
@ripfire:
Chevy Exec: We now produce a Chevy Volt with a turbocharger.
Ripfire: Why not just say that we put more treads on the tires?
Chevy Exec: ...
I'm sorry, I had to, its all in good fun,
hotmeatinjections
elislider
Posted 3:45 PM 29/8/08
sounds like a great IDEA but interpolation is NEVER a substitute for QUALITY
elislider
havok2022
Posted 5:35 PM 2/9/08
@ripfire:
x2
Buy a plasma.
havok2022