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Sony Begins Rollout of VRR & ALLM Firmware Update for the X900H HDMI 2.1 TV

R

Reizo Ryuu

Member
DeepEnigma said:
Sony commented and said this is only a test and an early revision, that if people don't want this one with bugs, to wait until their second revision is out later this year. I assume with the HDMI council certs the 2.1 spec revision.
Click to expand...
It's going to be utterly pointless without local dimming support, so they better figure this shit out.
 
Lone Wolf

Lone Wolf

Member
DeepEnigma said:
Sony commented and said this is only a test and an early revision, that if people don't want this one with bugs, to wait until their second revision is out later this year. I assume with the HDMI council certs the 2.1 spec revision.
Click to expand...
I can’t seem to find any 2.1 spec revision. Everything I see says the 2.1 spec is finalized. You have any links?
 
Riky

Riky

$MSFT
No excuse now not to get this on PS5 so I can enjoy some smooth 120fps games, sooner the better.
 
Zathalus

Zathalus

Member
Lone Wolf said:
I can’t seem to find any 2.1 spec revision. Everything I see says the 2.1 spec is finalized. You have any links?
Click to expand...
Basically a Sony rep marketing stated they are waiting on the HDMI 2.1 VRR spec to be finalised, despite the HDMI Forum doing that years ago. When asked for proof of it not being finalised everyone just points back to the Sony marketing rep stating that, despite the fact that a marketing rep of all people is not going to admit that the TVs he are trying to sell have issues with VRR. Every single authoritative statement of the HDMI 2.1 VRR spec states that it is final.

The issue is quite plainly a problem with the SOC as this beta firmware as well as other vendors (Hisense) using the same SOC are having problems with VRR and local dimming as well.

Some people just feel the need to defend Sony on everything they do.
 
DeepEnigma

DeepEnigma

Gold Member
Lone Wolf said:
I can’t seem to find any 2.1 spec revision. Everything I see says the 2.1 spec is finalized. You have any links?
Click to expand...
Going by HDTV Test and Stop the FOMO (when he has reps from manufacturers on roundtables), there is a tweak to the revision including the VRR/ALLM, etc., and that full certification is by December of this year. 2.1 still has tons of handshake issues (especially with audio), and I hope that is worked out, if true about tweaks to it.

This limited release for VRR now is a preliminary test, and there is a second official version update to VRR (according to Sony and others) later this year (lining up with the Dec date TV reps were told).

Update: In statements made to FlatpanelsHD Sony warns that the first VRR firmware is not final: "VRR has not been officially released for BRAVIA TVs. You can choose the VRR mode in the TV menu, but you may experience bugs. For the smoothest experience, we recommend waiting until VRR is officially released on BRAVIA TVs later this year," said Sony. The first update will be pushed out between October 6 and 13, and the second update for VRR will arrive later this year.

As for VRR on other models, Sony said: "The timing is still under consideration, but we can assure you that the update will arrive later this year."
Click to expand...
www.flatpanelshd.com

Sony starts rolling out HDMI 2.1 VRR, ALLM update for X900H / XH90 – updated

Here are download links for Europe, North America & other regions
www.flatpanelshd.com www.flatpanelshd.com

Kuranghi said:
I can't wait to have working VRR in the Sony TV I buy in 2025.
Click to expand...
About the time a lot of us can finally grab a PS5, so there's that.
 
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HeisenbergFX4

HeisenbergFX4

Gold Member
Zathalus said:
Basically a Sony rep marketing stated they are waiting on the HDMI 2.1 VRR spec to be finalised, despite the HDMI Forum doing that years ago. When asked for proof of it not being finalised everyone just points back to the Sony marketing rep stating that, despite the fact that a marketing rep of all people is not going to admit that the TVs he are trying to sell have issues with VRR. Every single authoritative statement of the HDMI 2.1 VRR spec states that it is final.

The issue is quite plainly a problem with the SOC as this beta firmware as well as other vendors (Hisense) using the same SOC are having problems with VRR and local dimming as well.

Some people just feel the need to defend Sony on everything they do.
Click to expand...
Its pretty aggravating in all honesty as HDMI 2.1 is the reason I picked this TV as my main gaming TV outside of the OLED as burn in seriously concerns me.

I bought my 900H through Best Buy and got the 5 year Geek squad plan for free and have spoken with them and they have told me they would 100% refund this TV for another but still in a wait and see period how this shakes out

And I totally feel there is no good excuse from Sony not to have this up and running in some form long before this including on the PS5

Edit - Terrible spelling error :p
 
Last edited:
Lognor

Lognor

Banned
Welp. It's a shame to hear that the implementation is subpar. I've been trying to decide between the A80J and the C1 for the past month, and both are on sale at the moment. But with this implementation I think I gotta go with the LG. The LG may have slightly worse picture quality (still excellent, just not as good as the Sony), but I feel like you're giving up too much on the gaming side with the A80J.
 
DeepEnigma

DeepEnigma

Gold Member
HeisenbergFX4 said:
Its pretty aggravating in all honesty as HDMI 2.1 is the reason I picked this TV as my main gaming TV outside of the OLED as burn in seriously concerns me.

I bought my 900H through Best Buy and got the 5 year Gook squad plan for free and have spoken with them and they have told me they would 100% refund this TV for another but still in a wait and see period how this shakes out

And I totally feel there is no good excuse from Sony not to have this up and running in some form long before this including on the PS5
Click to expand...
Bruce Lee GIF
 
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RaZoR No1

RaZoR No1

Member
Soodanim said:
Only a beta version after all this time is hardly ideal. I hope for owners' sakes that for all intents and purposes it works just fine
Click to expand...
So far no issues were reported and some claim that the local dimming bug is gone and Atmos through EARC works.
Nobody knows which FW will be released in 1-2 weeks (probably the same one).
IMO the next bigger update will already be the jump to Android 11, because the lower end X750H just got an Android 11 update.
 
Kuranghi

Kuranghi

Gold Member
I've just turned off auto update on my ZD9 because I don't think I'll get anymore benefits from firmware upgrades, if anything the last few have just given me a new interface for Android thats no faster due to the old SoC in exchange for bugs that are pretty annoying.

I get this issue now where I have to factory reset my soundbar to get HDR passthrough working properly again maybe once every couple of months, its some sort of HDR flag issue because the signal is being passed in HDR fine just the TV doesn't know that and I'd have to force it manually via the video settings menu if I don't do this "fix".

I thought it was my HDMI splitter but if I remove it from the chain when this happens it doesn't fix it. Its not the TV because going straight into the TVs HDMI ports fixes it but its definitely not just the soundbar either because some devices still pass HDR when it happens, like a 4K fire stick.

Fuck knows, I gave up trying to fix it since I can just reset the soundbar in 30 seconds.
 
Klayzer

Klayzer

Member
Waiting for the a80j update. Awesome picture, but missing a few notable features, compared to the premium LG set. Sony is so slow with the updates, that its makes you want to punch a kitten.
 
Urban

Urban

Member
rofif said:
People are hyping this up way too much... It has barely any use on current console.
Day of the update comes - ok, it's here. Now what
Click to expand...
Well for me as a x900h owner it’s the feature which was promised to me. So I’m happy to finally have the complete product.
 
StateofMajora

StateofMajora

Banned
Kuranghi said:
I've just turned off auto update on my ZD9 because I don't think I'll get anymore benefits from firmware upgrades, if anything the last few have just given me a new interface for Android thats no faster due to the old SoC in exchange for bugs that are pretty annoying.

I get this issue now where I have to factory reset my soundbar to get HDR passthrough working properly again maybe once every couple of months, its some sort of HDR flag issue because the signal is being passed in HDR fine just the TV doesn't know that and I'd have to force it manually via the video settings menu if I don't do this "fix".

I thought it was my HDMI splitter but if I remove it from the chain when this happens it doesn't fix it. Its not the TV because going straight into the TVs HDMI ports fixes it but its definitely not just the soundbar either because some devices still pass HDR when it happens, like a 4K fire stick.

Fuck knows, I gave up trying to fix it since I can just reset the soundbar in 30 seconds.
Click to expand...
Good idea bro. I hope your issue wasn't caused by a firmware update.

I straight up unbox a TV and never update it unless i'm aware of a picture quality fix. X900e is on the factory firmware.

Best method is plug in ethernet for the important update, then unplug afterwards lol.
 
S0ULZB0URNE

S0ULZB0URNE

Gold Member
Kuranghi said:
I've just turned off auto update on my ZD9 because I don't think I'll get anymore benefits from firmware upgrades, if anything the last few have just given me a new interface for Android thats no faster due to the old SoC in exchange for bugs that are pretty annoying.

I get this issue now where I have to factory reset my soundbar to get HDR passthrough working properly again maybe once every couple of months, its some sort of HDR flag issue because the signal is being passed in HDR fine just the TV doesn't know that and I'd have to force it manually via the video settings menu if I don't do this "fix".

I thought it was my HDMI splitter but if I remove it from the chain when this happens it doesn't fix it. Its not the TV because going straight into the TVs HDMI ports fixes it but its definitely not just the soundbar either because some devices still pass HDR when it happens, like a 4K fire stick.

Fuck knows, I gave up trying to fix it since I can just reset the soundbar in 30 seconds.
Click to expand...
That SOC isn't powerful enough to run the newer updates.
I disabled the wifi/updates after the 2nd Dolby Vision update and haven't updated since.

In your situation maybe try a simple new HDMI cord?
 
S0ULZB0URNE

S0ULZB0URNE

Gold Member
Hoddi said:
Yer, even my shitty PC monitor supports local dimming with VRR. I can understand why BFI and VRR aren't really compatible but local dimming has nothing to do with that.
Click to expand...
Most monitors don't support Local Dimming and most are IPS.
 
StateofMajora

StateofMajora

Banned
Hoddi said:
Yer, even my shitty PC monitor supports local dimming with VRR. I can understand why BFI and VRR aren't really compatible but local dimming has nothing to do with that.
Click to expand...
What monitor do you have? I've been waiting for 2.1 monitors to get cheaper.

But yeah, bfi is more important than VRR if we are talking about a few fps drops here and there. If it's constant 40 to 60fps or like 80 to 120 i'd probably choose vrr. It depends on the display though. Bfi on my x900e makes a massive difference, (might not want to give bfi there up under any circumstance lol) much more than i've seen on my sony oled.
 
rofif

rofif

Can’t Git Gud
Hoddi said:
Yer, even my shitty PC monitor supports local dimming with VRR. I can understand why BFI and VRR aren't really compatible but local dimming has nothing to do with that.
Click to expand...
It depends on type of local dimming.

On OLED, pixels are tuned for 120hz. Any other range and the voltages change which affects gamma or can even look like flicker if fps change is fast.
LCDs do not suffer this but backlights might. I've seen user reports that backlight can behave similarly wrong.

You have maybe 8 dimming zones on your monitor so it's not really representable
 
Bo_Hazem

Bo_Hazem

Banned
Lunatic_Gamer said:
Sony has started rolling out a new firmware update to enable ALLM & VRR support on 2020's BRAVIA X900H, in the first instance for Chinese models.




Sony has started rolling out a new firmware update to enable ALLM & VRR support on 2020's BRAVIA X900H, in the first instance for Chinese models.

Advantages of the new version​

This software upgrade will update all previous software versions to
" PKG6.1288.****CNA "

And provide the following advantages:
l Improvement:

-Upgrade the Android system version to Android 10

-Adopt the new version of the main user interface

-Support VRR function

-Support ALLM function

-Added "Mobile Link" application function:
It can be realized by installing the corresponding APP on the mobile phone.
For specific operations, please refer to the instructions in the "Mobile Link" application on the TV side

-Update of privacy policy content:
From April 1, 2021, the name of "Sony Vision Products Company" has been changed, so the information of the information manager in these terms will be updated simultaneously.
With immediate effect, the information collection manager will be changed from "Sony Vision Products" to "Sony Corporation"

SONY China Service

索尼ä¸å½å¨çº¿åå,å¨çº¿è´ä¹°ç´¢å°¼ææº,索尼çµè§,ç¸æº,家åºé³å产åçæ¶è´¹ç±»çµå产å,å°½å¨ç´¢å°¼å®æ¹æè°åº.å¨Sonyå®ç½è½»æ¾å®æ产å注å,å³å»å å¥My Sony Clubï¼
service.sony.com.cn
Click to expand...


5ozzv9.jpg
 
Bo_Hazem

Bo_Hazem

Banned
Spukc said:
People like this youtuber don’t actually enjoy anything in life .

they just complain that tech y or x is not doing a or b correctly.

it’s like me trying to mod a game i will never ever play
Click to expand...

Bro he's a professional calibrator, this is his profession. Also he's one of us.

Football Soccer GIF by Manchester United
 
Last edited:
U

Unknown Soldier

Member
Sony likes to stay 2 Android versions behind I guess. Android 10 rolling out to TV's just as Google is about to ship Android 12 in the Pixel 6 with other Android device manufacturers to follow this year. Great job keeping up there, Sony.

The Samsung QLED and Neo QLED TVs have always supported local dimming in Game Mode, although with fewer effective zones than in the various Cinema modes. But fewer zones is better than no local dimming. They also have superior input lag in all resolutions, not just native 4K.
 
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Hoddi

Hoddi

Member
StateofMajora said:
What monitor do you have? I've been waiting for 2.1 monitors to get cheaper.

But yeah, bfi is more important than VRR if we are talking about a few fps drops here and there. If it's constant 40 to 60fps or like 80 to 120 i'd probably choose vrr. It depends on the display though. Bfi on my x900e makes a massive difference, (might not want to give bfi there up under any circumstance lol) much more than i've seen on my sony oled.
Click to expand...
It's an LG 27GN950. It's pretty decent as far as monitors go and was definitely worth it in that regard. It doesn't support BFI though which I agree is a far better feature.

The newer 27GP950 is worth a look if you're in the market. It's basically the same monitor but with 2.1 support.
 
Hoddi

Hoddi

Member
rofif said:
It depends on type of local dimming.

On OLED, pixels are tuned for 120hz. Any other range and the voltages change which affects gamma or can even look like flicker if fps change is fast.
LCDs do not suffer this but backlights might. I've seen user reports that backlight can behave similarly wrong.

You have maybe 8 dimming zones on your monitor so it's not really representable
Click to expand...
I'm not really sure if this is comparable with the gamma shift on OLED TVs.
 
LiquidMetal14

LiquidMetal14

hide your water-based mammals
VRR IS GREAT NOW

And overrated on optimized platforms.

But those who want to antagonize and drive by can continue their adolescence while most of us appreciate additional features.

I do hope they do continue to improve it as even on my CX it was a little bit of a transition coming from the 3080/90 launch and having a new HDMI 2.1 tv. We had to endure all the patches and fixes. Thank God it's mostly right now but the annoying things are you couldn't have all the HDMI 2.1 features all at once so be thankful these steps are being taken. It's only going to get better.
 
Esppiral

Esppiral

Member
Been testing VRR, best thing this gen, better than HDR, 4K etc, it's just like black magic your choppy frame rate becomes silky smooth.
Anyone downplaying VRR hasn't tried it, it is transformative.

Edit: is there a way to make the TV show the VRR stats?
 
Last edited:
Riky

Riky

$MSFT
Esppiral said:
Been testing VRR, best thing this gen, better than HDR, 4K etc, it's just like black magic your choppy frame rate becomes silky smooth.
Anyone downplaying VRR hasn't tried it, it is transformative.

Edit: is there a way to make the TV show the VRR stats?
Click to expand...

Don't know about Sony but LG a few presses of the green button give you a framerate counter.
 
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