Today Sony Middle East & Africa (MEA) has launched the Bravia XR range of TVs with the selling point of high resolution, high refresh rates and, most importantly, “cognitive intelligence”.

This cognitive intelligence is claimed to be a step above traditional AI which is trained to mimic human vision using a special processor and replicate that with a better picture.

“…the all-new Cognitive Processor XR, which uses a new processing method that goes beyond conventional AI by replicating the way humans see and hear. The new processor divides the screen into numerous zones and can detect where the ‘focal point’ is in the picture,” reads a press release sent to us by Sony MEA.

“Cognitive Processor XR can also analyse sound position in the picture, ensuring the sound matches precisely with what’s on the screen and upconverts any audio to 3D surround sound that delivers exceptional realism with an immersive soundscape. It learns, analyses, and understands unprecedented amounts of data and intelligently optimises every pixel, frame, and scene for the most lifelike picture and sound Sony has ever delivered,” the press release continues.

We got to see this in person at an event earlier today in Joburg with music, videos and videogames on show and, well, everything looks great but we think that has more to do with the fact that most 4K content simply looks good on a quality 4K screen, especially when it’s an OLED panel underneath.

We’d need a review sample in to properly asses the cognitive intelligence tech, but what also impressed us was the sound quality. We experienced some content with the built-in speakers as well as extra sound bars and other audio equipment and the built-on solution was able to hold its own.

Other highlights here include Google TV as standard, a remote with dedicated buttons for services like Netflix and some rather a impressive microphone which managed to pick up the familiar “hey, Google” even in a hall space with several loud sources of audio going on at the same time.

We also spoke to representatives from Sony MEA about what aftersales support customers can expect. They are pointed to the 21 services centres across all nine provinces which will take care of them.

There’s also support offered on the Sony South Africa website and the associated Facebook page. On top of that retailers carrying Sony products will also have their own customer support through their respective websites.

So what will all of this cost you? This launch encompasses ten new models, including Bravia XR, that will be made available to South Africans with their details and prices available in the table below:

[Image – Provided by Sony MEA]