Skip to main content

Zoom calls are coming to Sony TVs

A Sony Bravia Cam being installed on the Sony A95K
Dan Baker/Digital Trends

Sony and Zoom Video Communications — the company behind the popular video calling platform — have announced a partnership that will bring the Google TV version of the Zoom app to select Sony Bravia TVs. Owners of these TVs will also need Sony’s Bravia Cam accessory to take advantage of the feature.

This isn’t the first time that we’ve been able to do Zoom calls from a TV. In 2021, Amazon was the first company to provide a way to Zoom on the big screen, using its Fire TV Cube and a compatible Logitech webcam. Later that same year, Amazon added the feature to its newly-released Omni TVs.

Recommended Videos

However, Sony says the collaboration makes Sony’s Bravia the first TV brand to support the Zoom for TV app from the Google Play Store — effectively making this the first Zoom instance on a Google TV.

Zoom on Bravia TVs includes video communication, screen sharing, and collaboration tools. To get going, you’ll need a $198 Sony Bravia Cam Cam and a compatible Sony Bravia TV. These include the following 2023 models:

  • X95L
  • X93L
  • A80L
  • X90L
  • X85L
  • X80L
  • X75L

And these 2022 models:

  • Z9K
  • A95K
  • X95K
  • A90K
  • A80K
  • A75K
  • X90K
  • X90S
  • X85K
  • X80K

Some of these models, like QD-OLED A95K, come with a Bravia Cam from the factory. Once the cam is connected to your TV, you’ll be able to download and install the Zoom app from the Google Play store with your remote. However, you’ll need to wait — Sony says the app will be available “by early summer,” but it did not say exactly when that will be.

If you don’t already own a Bravia Cam, it’s a pricey upgrade compared to many webcams on the market, but Sony promises you’ll be able to do more than just Zoom calls once it’s installed.

Features like Ambient Optimization Pro can recognize where you are in the room and how far you are from the TV and adjust sound and picture settings accordingly. Gesture Control lets you perform certain functions without the remote just by using your arms. Proximity Alert detects when kids sit too close, and Auto Power Saving Mode dims the screen when nobody is watching.

Simon Cohen
Contributing Editor, A/V
Simon Cohen is a contributing editor to Digital Trends' Audio/Video section, where he obsesses over the latest wireless…
Sony’s new flagship headphones promise best-in-class noise canceling and calling
Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones seen in silver.

As expected, Sony has taken the wraps off the fifth generation of its flagship line of active noise cancellation (ANC) wireless headphones. The
Buy at Amazon
 have been priced at $400 -- $50 more than their predecessors, the WH-1000XM4 -- and they sport a new, lighter-weight design, dual noise-canceling processors, eight microphones, and hi-res audio capability. The XM5 can be
Buy at Amazon
in both black and silver (a sort of sand color), and general retail availability begins May 20.

Sony plans to keep selling the older XM4 model alongside the new XM5, at least for the foreseeable future. The biggest change to Sony's design for the WH-1000 series is a move away from the traditional flat-headband plus earcup forks design to an integrated approach. The headband sliders are now tubular and connect to a hidden pivot inside the tops of the earcups, creating a similar profile to both the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 and the Apple AirPods Max. The new design means that, unlike the XM4, which can fold flat, then fold again to take up less room, the WH-1000XM5 can only fold flat.

Read more
Sony is updating 2021 Bravia TVs with variable refresh rate
Sony Bravia XR A90J 4K OLED TV

According to reports from owners of 2021 Sony Bravia XR TVs -- and verified by HDTVTest's Vincent Teoh -- Sony has started to update the firmware on these models to enable variable refresh rate (VRR). Digital Trends reached out to Sony for an official confirmation and a company spokesperson provided this response:
Starting March 1, 2022, the following 2021 Bravia XR TVs (X90J, X95J, A80J, A90J, and Z9J) will be receiving a firmware update v6.5660 to support VRR. This is in addition to the X85J and X91J, which were updated November 2021. As with all firmware updates, it will be pushed out to the market in waves, finishing on March 15th. This update will be distributed over-the-air (OTA).
In recent years, pretty much every major TV maker has added variable refresh rate (VRR) functionality to its premium models -- a feature that is especially appealing to gamers as it prevents an unpleasant screen-tearing effect when some game titles shift their frame rates during the course of play. Every major TV maker that is, except Sony. Despite its support of most other HDMI 2.1 features like HDMI eARC, 4K at 120Hz, and auto low-latency mode, VRR never made the cut.

When Sony announced its 2021 lineup, it acknowledged that VRR would not ship with the new TVs, but promised that a firmware update would follow and that all of the TVs would have VRR enabled by the end of the year. Save for a few LED-based models, that didn't really happen.

Read more
Sony’s new $300 soundbar connects wirelessly to Bravia TVs
Sony HT-S400 2.1 channel soundbar.

Sony has just released its latest soundbar, the $300 HT-S400, a 2.1-channel unit that comes with a wireless subwoofer and a dedicated remote control. It can also connect wirelessly to select Sony Bravia TVs, giving buyers the ability to eliminate the HDMI or optical cable they would otherwise need. The HT-S400 will be available to order in April from Sony retailers and on Sony's website.

Wireless soundbar connections are becoming more popular, especially with soundbars that aren't aimed at advanced surround formats like Dolby Atmos or DTS:X. TCL introduced its wirelessly-connecting Roku TV Alto R1 in 2021, and our reviewer concluded that it makes set up and use much easier. When connected to a Bravia TV, the HT-S400's controls are available on-screen and can be accessed by the TV's remote.

Read more