Releases from Sony, Samsung, HP, and Portrait Display

WE’RE HALFWAY through the year and the roll-out of gadgets from consumer electronics giants shows no sign of letting up. Sony Philippines have introduced in the Philippines its latest OLED 4K TV — a comeback for Sony in the OLED category after abandoning it 10 years ago. Samsung Electronics Philippines unveiled a mid-market smartphone that comes with a camera that performs well at capturing in low-light conditions. The company also announced a calibration software for its QLED TVs. And HP launched a pocket-friendly printer that instantly prints photos from smartphones. Read on for more details about each product.

SONY BRAVIA 4K A1E SERIES
Sony has reentered the OLED TV category with the roll-out of its Sony Bravia A1E series (XBR-A1E BRAVIA). These 4K high dynamic range (HDR) models pack high-end technology that result in superior picture quality and an immersive viewing experience made possible by its innovative in-screen speakers.

This model’s screen features over 8 million self-illuminating pixels controlled by Sony’s 4K HDR Processor X1 Extreme, which delivers 40% more real-time image processing than Sony’s renowned 4K Processor X1. This extends the capability of OLED to deliver a richer 4K HDR picture. In a demo during Sony’s launch in Manila, the TV was displayed next to a high-end TV from another brand it was clear that Sony’s OLED TV rendered motion pictures in more crisp colors, with richer blacks and brighter whites.

The A1E series also uses what Sony claims to be the first of its kind audio technology that lets the TV emits sound from the screen itself. Sony calls this unconventional sound technology “Acoustic Surface” and it works by making the TV screen vibrate back and forth, thereby producing wide sound and image synchronization from all angles, even off to the sides, according to Sony. Since this feature removed the need to add conventional speakers usually located around the screen, Sony was able to design a unique form factor for the A1E series with no distraction from the picture.

Sony Bravia A1E series comes in two screen variants: 55-inch model (SRP P188,999) and 65-inch model (SRP 299,999).

SAMSUNG J7
Here’s yet another addition to the increasingly competitive mid-market smartphone segment as Samsung Electronics Philippines has launched the Galaxy J7 Pro touting a “great night camera” and comes with Android Nougat out-of-box.

The J7 Pro, which follows last year’s J7 (2016) model, features the same 5.5” touchscreen form factor but unlike its predecessor, Samsung opted to make the J7 Pro unibody for a more luxe feel.

The screen is FHD Super AMOLED with a 2.5D scratch-resistant glass on top while the rear camera is at 13MP with F/1.7 aperture and LED Flash, the bigger aperture is said to allow the rear camera to take more detailed night or low-light shots. The front-facing camera meanwhile, has an equal 13-MP shooter and LED flash but operates on a F/1.9 aperture.

But considering the current trends, Samsung also put a “wide selfie” feature to the front camera.

The P16,990 device (up from the P11,990 of the J7 2016), also comes with a 1.6-GHz Samsung Exynos 7870 octa-core CPU, a 3-GB RAM, a built-in 32-GB storage expandable to 256GB and a 3,600-mAH battery. It also comes with a fingerprint scanner.

The Samsung Galaxy J7 Pro will retail at P16,990 and will be available nationwide starting July 15.

HP SPROCKET
HP, Inc. has unveiled its newest, smallest, and hippest lifestyle printer yet: the Sprocket.

The Sprocket is a portable and pocket-sized printer that users can bring wherever, whenever. At only 0.17 kg and 4.53 x 2.95 inches, the Sprocket is as compact as a regular smartphone, and is one of HP’s most lightweight devices.

The Sprocket’s paper tray can carry 10 pieces of photo paper at one go and is rechargeable through a micro-USB that requires 90 minutes to fill up its battery. Charge and status light indicators are also visible at the left side portion of the device, alongside the reset and power button.

Aside from printing photos, this device also lets the users tweak photos through the HP Sprocket app. It is compatible with both Android (v4.4 and later) and iOS (iOS v8.0 and later) smartphones, and is downloadable through the Google and App stores. It also supports a variety of formats including BMP, GIF, and JPEG, as well as TIFF for iOS devices which means any photo can be printed out with ease, whether grabbed online or taken straight from a phone camera.

In just 40 seconds, users can print quality colorful photos with the use of the HP ZINK technology 2 x 3” photo papers that are smudge-proof and water and tear-resistant. The ZINK Technology feature uses zero ink and has crystals stored on each paper which can produce colors once heated. The photo papers also come with a peel-and-stick back, perfect for crafting personalized items, gifts, or souvenirs.

The Sprocket, which comes in black and white, retails for P7,290 via online shopping site, Lazada, and may be purchased directly at www.lazada.com.ph/hp-sprocket-official-store.

CALMAN WITH AUTOCAL
Samsung Electronics Philippines announced the availability of Portrait Displays’ new autocalibration software, CalMAN with AutoCal, on its 2017 QLED TVs. This software is said to be used by professional video calibrators within the display industry, and most end users in the broadcast, production and post-production industries.

Calibration is the process of gradually adjusting the color of a TV display. This process is especially important to designers, photographers and video professionals, who aim to match colors perfectly between input devices, such as monitors, and output devices, such as printers. Calibration provides users the ability to optimize their desired viewing experience based on their viewing environments.

Samsung QLED TV users can also measure the color volume of their TV using the CalMAN with AutoCal software. Color volume is the latest standard of picture quality that indicates how displays express color accurately, regardless of its brightness level. Samsung QLED TVs are the world’s first and only lineup that can express 100% color volume. — with a report from Zsarlene B. Chua