Sony's new lineup of 65-inch Bravia XR Master Series televisions has begun rolling out to retailers following a preview in January. These premium displays feature Cognitive Processor XR, a new image processor that works to bring "cognitive intelligence" to Sony's products.

Rather than relying solely on artificial intelligence, as Sony's previous TVs have, displays with the Cognitive Processor XR monitor what is in the frame in real time in a way that mimics how the human brain breaks down images.

Essentially, the Bravia XR's processor divides the scene into various zones and cross analyzes them at once, rather than detecting one element at a time as traditional TV processors do. In effect, the chip can focus on anything from a brightly lit billboard to highlight neon colors, to a talking subject to make sure skin tones are realistic. The result is a less artificial look that draws the viewer more into the experience.

According to Kazuo Kii, Sony's global display processor expert, the chip also focuses on performance in 8K. Both the 75-inch and 85-inch versions of Sony's 8K Master Series Z9J TVs use the XR chip to enhance and optimize 8K performance.

The new TVs also include HDMI 2.1 capability, but despite other advanced options, they do not yet feature variable refresh rates.VRR reduces screen tearing and ensures that the display is in sync with what the system is outputting helps to reduce tearing and ensure that the display is in sync with what the system is outputting. It is compatible with Xbox consoles as well as PCs, but is not currently available to PS5 owners. Sony has stated that VRR will be available, but there is no timetable for its arrival.

Models like the 55- or 65-inch Bravia XR Master Series A90J OLED TV offer deep blacks and bright colors and advanced processing tasks for $2,999 or more. These TVs are much more modest, ranging from $850 for a 55-inch display to $1,149 for a 65-inch set.