The new Mobile BRAVIA® Engine 2 takes your viewing experience to the next level [video]

Remember when we explained Mobile BRAVIA® Engine earlier this year? Now we’ve deployed an improved version, Mobile BRAVIA® Engine 2, which is a key part of the great viewing experience of the recently announced Xperia Z. It is also included on Xperia ZL and Xperia V. Mobile BRAVIA® Engine 2 has an updated contrast enhancement algorithm and a more advanced sharpness filter, to further improve viewing experience. Continue reading as we will tell you all about what’s new, and how Mobile BRAVIA® Engine 2 works!

The Mobile BRAVIA® engine and Mobile BRAVIA® engine 2 are subsets of the advanced image engine present on Sony BRAVIA® TVs, and it’s optimised for mobile displays. Like the previous version, Mobile BRAVIA® Engine 2 applies a software layer to the decoding step for video and for images in the Sony Album app, where the processing is done in real-time. This means that it does not alter the image or video file, but only the way it is represented on the screen.  And just like the first version of the Mobile BRAVIA® Engine, Mobile BRAVIA® Engine 2 enhances the viewing experience in several steps.

First, contrast enhancement brings out the details in the picture and videos. This is done by making the darkest parts slightly darker, which results in a perceived higher contrast. The contrast enhancement is adapted to each individual image to avoid further reduction of brightness on images that are already dark. Next, colour management gives deep and vivid colours by increasing the colour saturation for specified colour ranges. Then a noise reduction filter reduces common noise artefacts such as block noise and mosquito noise, for clear video viewing. This is especially useful when streaming low quality video from online sources. Finally, a sharpness filter increases the detail level by enhancing the edges in the image.

And now let’s look into what’s new in Mobile BRAVIA® Engine 2 – a more advanced contrast enhancer and a content-type classification engine.

The advanced contrast enhancer brings out the details in your videos and picturesIn Mobile BRAVIA® Engine 2, the contrast enhancement algorithm has been updated compared to the previous version, to optimise the contrast of every scene by analysing the distribution of luminance in each frame. It reproduces true blacks while faithfully recreating all the subtle gradations. This will give your images and videos more dynamics and better perceived details, which make the scenes come alive.

Illustration showing the contrast enhancement effect of Mobile BRAVIA® Engine 2.

The content-type classification engine for an optimised sharpness filterAnother nice feature of Mobile BRAVIA® Engine 2 is the sharpness filter, which is equipped with a content-type classification engine. This engine intelligently chooses the most suitable set of filter parameters depending on properties of the video source, such as resolution and frame type. This makes it possible to increase the overall detail level in the image without adding noise, in the best possible way for any type of content.

Illustration showing the effect of the sharpness filter in Mobile BRAVIA® engine 2.

So now, to experience the effects of Mobile BRAVIA® Engine 2 for yourself, try watching a video or some photos in the Sony Album app on the Xperia™ Z and Xperia™ ZL, or on the Xperia™ V. Drop us a comment below and let us know what you think!