If you're researching and shopping around for the best home theatre solution for your living room. There's a lot of options. When it comes to pro cinema, there aren't many TV manufacturers who also make pro cinema cameras & pro-cinema lenses & pro cinema reference monitors. There's only one. And that is Sony…the one and only. With that in mind, you might be curious about the unique features that Sony's Bravia product line offers, features that you can't find anywhere else. This is my first encounter with these products, and I'll share my honest first impressions, the things I like, and areas that could be improved

So here's what Sony has hooked me up this time. This is the Sony Bravia 9 flagship Mini LED TV. Some say it is the best Mini LED 4K TV ever made to date. It's the 65" model, and there are 75" and 85" models out there. This one is £2799, but check the links because prices change quickly. Sony says this is their brightest 4K TV ever. And it has some very clever hidden features that separate it from the competition that I think you'll want to see.

Sony has also kindly sent over their flagship soundbar at the time of this video. It is a Dolby Atmos soundbar with Sony's 360 spatial audio sound mapping feature. This feature is designed to create a more immersive audio experience by simulating a 360-degree sound field, making you feel like you're in the middle of the action.

They call it the Bravia Theatre Bar 9. Price: £1399…it has 13 speakers, which fire in all directions. And some good news for gamers: This Soundbar has some next-level optional upgrades. And last but not least, the Bravia Theatre U. I'm told this is the perfect device for watching movies and gaming late at night or pretty much anytime when you don't want to piss off the neighbours or other people in your house.

The setup process for the Bravia 9 TV is remarkably straightforward, making it a breeze for anyone to get started. Now, one I like and one thing I don't like here is that I seem to remember Sony in the past making more effort on the stand designs to allow their TVs to sit much further back on a TV stand, the gap at the back on this one is pretty big. So you can't get it that close to a wall. Of course, the simple solution is to put it on the wall. I really like the number of back panel attachments hiding all the ports, cables, and even leg fixings around the back. On the first boot-up of the TV, it's just a case of scanning a QR code with your phone. Linking or creating a Google account, and that's it? With the Bravia Theatre Bar 9. It's also super simple. Just plug in the power lead and connect the provided HDMI cable to the ARC port on the Soundbar and the arc port on the TV. That's it.

Again, here's something I like and something I don't know if I like here. So compared to Sony's previous flagship Atmos soundbar. I like how they managed to slim its depth right down & I also like how it's much more low-key and less reflective the finish is, with most of it wrapped in this acoustic fabric. I'm not sure if I like that Sony has opted not to put a display on the Bar 9. The previous Sony sound bars did have that. But the reality is this, you can't miss what you never had. So, if you've never had a display on a soundbar or even never had a soundbar at all. It won't matter much to you at all.

And if you connect the Bravia bar 9 before setting up the TV for the first. It will automatically walk you through the setup, making it a seamless and stress-free experience. What surprised me was that I fully expected an on-screen setup page for the 360 spatial sound mapping. Because that's how it used to be. Now, the setup and sound calibration must be done via the app. This is pretty smart because the software gets you to sit in your normal viewing position, and then it uses your phone's mics to measure the sound distances and dial in the correct levels, ultimately creating the perfect sweet spot. The theatre Bar U is also straightforward to set up. In the TV settings, you just go to audio and Bluetooth accessories and pair the U the same way you can with any headphones. But these are unlike any headphones I've seen before. You'll see why.

I've been an OLED purist since I bought the Bravia AF8 in 2018. Going into this, I wasn't expecting the Bravia 9 to be able to compete with my current OLED. But it does, and it actually has some significant advantages. The peak brightness on the Bravia 9 obliterates most OLED TVs. It can reach up to 3000nitts in specific modes, so this is an excellent option if you need a TV for a bright room. One area where OLEDs shine is the black levels. Because individual pixels can be off. This is the most significant OLED advantage. The Bravia 9, on the other hand, has over 1500 local dimming zones. Shout out to Vincent from the HDTV test channel for that bit of intel.

And 1500 zones is good for a TV this size, but the most impressive aspect of the Bravia 9 is Sony's exclusive and class-leading local dimming algorithms. This is the reason why many believe this TV is the pinnacle of MiniLED TVs right now. Because yes, the control of the brightness and darkness is so good on this TV that it's very close to OLED.

Here are two OLED killer aspects to consider on Bravia 9. Did you know that cinema screens actually have speakers behind them? Well, I didn't know, now you know, & just like a proper cinema screen, the Bravia 9 has speakers behind the screen. They call it the acoustic surface. And just like other TVs, it also has speakers around the edges. Most OLEDs are typically too slim for powerful speakers. The built-in audio here is the best I've heard on TV recently.

The second OLED killer feature is peace of mind, knowing you don't need to worry about screen burn-in. This is a weakness for OLEDs when static images are on the screen for a long time. Which is most likely to occur when watching sports or gaming. Most newer OLEDs can avoid this, but usually by dimming the display. This TV is a gamer's dream, especially when paired with the PS5. The TV auto-detects the PlayStation and dials in all the optimal settings. It supports 4K 120, VRR, ALLM and a ton of gaming-specific settings unlock when the TV recognises a console input, ensuring you get the best gaming experience possible.

If you're a more competitive online gamer, some more good news is that the 80% response time is just 3.8ms. Which is very good as far as big-screen TVs go. It looks fantastic, sounds awesome, and the software is on point. One big bonus is that Sony's professional picture mode is preset and dialled in. And it's very colour-accurate and colour-graded to be as close to a Sony Pro cinema reference monitor as possible. So, no colour calibration is required. So, I think it's fair to say that if there was ever a MiniLED TV that deserves the title of OLED killer, it's this one.

So, let's talk about the Bravia Theatre Bar 9. I love the thinness of the design. I really like how Sony throws in the wall bracket, and remember how I said there's a feature here that gamers will love. It's the HDMI passthrough input that supports 8k and 4K 120Hz. This is important because the Bravia 9 only has two HDMIs that support 4K 120hz, one of which is the ARC port. Which, of course, is the port you need to use for the Soundbar. In terms of Bar 9's audio quality, it sounds good, & It sounds really lovely when paired with this Bravia TV.

You get great sound separation and a nice wide sound stage. The spatial audio really works. It's not the most bass-heavy Soundbar I've heard from Sony, but the clarity is phenomenal. Now, here is another one of Sony Bravia's unique ecosystem features. It's the option to use the TV's acoustic surface speaker at the central channel, with the sound bar handling everything else. Now, I mentioned the optional upgrades for Bar 9. Let's say you need more bass. You can add this later, and there are a couple of options. SW3 or SW5. And adding just this significantly improves the sound quality. In fact, for me, it's a must.

However, the Sony RS5's rear channel speakers change the game to truly level up this sound system. Because you get an upwards-firing driver in the Bar 9 in front of you. These rear speakers are another 2 upwards Atmos drivers behind you and the inwards firing drivers. But here's the catch, they're not cheap, but they're a solid sound investment, and you have the budget to add them; on day one, I'd say yeh get them. What are you waiting for? And the great news is you can always add them later.

Now let's talk about the Theatre U. These have surprised me. They're much smaller and more comfortable than I expected, and the emulated surround sound quality really shocked me. Of course, they won't sound as good as the Bar 9 and RS5s, but you know what?

The Dolby Atmos quality is really nice, and the great thing about the Theatre U is you can wire it via the provided USB C to analogue cable. There are mics built in if you're using it over BT. So, it is a versatile bit of kit. If you need to avoid disturbing people while watching movies or gaming late at night, this is a good solution. And it seamlessly fits into the Bravia ecosystem.

What are my thoughts on this Bravia setup? The Bravia 9 is a phenomenal TV. It looks and sounds good, and the UI is clean and intuitive. You get that pro calibration straight out of the box and the unique and exclusive acoustic surface audio really makes it unique. For a few good reasons, the Bar 9 is the perfect match for Bravia 9. It's one of the few that can work with the Sony centre sync audio channel, which syncs up the in-display drivers with the bar.

The spatial audio works well; it's a nice and discrete sound bar. And something that is a stand-out feature with the TV's built-in audio and here on the bar 9 is Sony's voice zoom feature. That boosts up the vocals in your content really well. The Bravia's are the best I've heard at doing this. The passthrough port is super high-speed, so if you have two 120hz devices, you can plug one into the TV and one into bar 9, so you won't be sacrificing that arc port just for audio. I love Sony's modular approach to their audio solutions. It's nice because you can add a sub or rear speaker whenever possible. If Sony releases new components, there's a good chance you won't need to change all the elements to match…hopefully.