CES 2019: Sony's Upcoming 4K and 8K TVs to Support AirPlay 2 and HomeKit

by

Starting later this year, Sony's new 2019 Z9G Series 8K LCDs, A9G Series OLED 4K TVs, and X950G 4K LCD TVs will support Airplay 2 and HomeKit protocols from Apple.

Other TV manufacturers, including Samsung, Vizio, and LG have also announced support for HomeKit and AirPlay 2 for their 2019 smart TV lineups. All of the major TV brands will support both, with the exception of Samsung. Samsung TVs support AirPlay 2 and will have an exclusive app for accessing iTunes content, but won't work with HomeKit.

sony4koldtv
With AirPlay 2 support, compatible Sony television sets will be able to stream videos, music, photos, and more right from an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, and multi-room audio across multiple AirPlay 2 devices will also be available.

Content AirPlayed on Sony television sets will be able to be controlled using the Lock screen widget or the Control Center of an iOS device. Users will be able to play, pause, fast-forward, rewind, and adjust volume on the TV when AirPlaying TVs, movies, and music.

With HomeKit and Siri integration, users will be able to control their TVs via Siri voice commands, using voice requests to do things like play specific TV shows on a specific television. The TVs will be present in the Home app, so Siri controls will also be available for doing things like turning on the TV or including the TV in a HomeKit scene.

Sony's television sets run an Android-based operating system with built-in Cast support from Google, which means users will be able to choose between using Google and Apple services.

AirPlay-compatible Sony television sets include the newly announced Z9G 8K TVs available in 98 and 85 inch sizes, the new A9G 4K OLED TVs available in 77, 65, and 55 inch options, and the new X950G 4K LCD TVs available in 55, 65, 75 and 85 inch sizes, all of which are set to launch in spring 2019. Sony says that AirPlay 2 and HomeKit support will launch for these TV sets "later this year."

Apple has added new details about the upcoming smart television integrations on its AirPlay website for those who want more information about its upcoming partnerships with TV manufacturers.

Tags: AirPlay, CES 2019, HomeKit Guide, Sony

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Available Next Month With These 8 New Features

Tuesday November 11, 2025 9:48 am PST by
Apple released the first iOS 26.2 beta last week. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics in Apple Music, and more. In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date....
Read Full Article • 68 comments
m1 chip slide

Five Years of Apple Silicon: M1 to M5 Performance Comparison

Monday November 10, 2025 1:08 pm PST by
Today marks the fifth anniversary of the Apple silicon chip that replaced Intel chips in Apple's Mac lineup. The first Apple silicon chip, the M1, was unveiled on November 10, 2020. The M1 debuted in the MacBook Air, Mac mini, and 13-inch MacBook Pro. The M1 chip was impressive when it launched, featuring the "world's fastest CPU core" and industry-leading performance per watt, and it's only ...
Read Full Article • 175 comments
AirPods Pro Firmware Feature

Apple Releases New Firmware for AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3, and AirPods 4

Thursday November 13, 2025 11:35 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware designed for the AirPods Pro 3, the AirPods 4, and the prior-generation AirPods Pro 2. The AirPods Pro 3 firmware is 8B25, while the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 firmware is 8B21, all up from the prior 8A358 firmware released in October. There's no word on what's include in the updated firmware, but the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods 4 with ANC, and AirPods Pro 3...
Read Full Article • 44 comments
iphone pocket%402x

Apple Debuts iPhone Pocket, a Limited Edition iPod Sock-Style Accessory

Tuesday November 11, 2025 1:23 am PST by
Apple has teamed up with Japanese fashion house ISSEY MIYAKE to launch iPhone Pocket, a 3D-knitted limited edition accessory designed to carry an iPhone, AirPods, and other everyday items. The accessory is like a stretchy pocket, not unlike an iPod Sock, but elongated to form a strap made of a ribbed, elastic textile that fully encloses an iPhone yet allows you to glimpse the display...
Read Full Article • 289 comments
homepod mini colors

New HomePod Mini Coming Soon With These Features

Tuesday November 11, 2025 7:30 am PST by
Apple is expected to announce a new HomePod mini imminently, headlining with new chips. Here are all of the new features we're expecting. The second-generation HomePod mini is highly likely to contain a more up-to-date chip for more advanced computational audio and improved responsiveness. The current HomePod mini is equipped with the Apple Watch Series 5's S5 chip from 2019. Apple is likely ...
Read Full Article • 119 comments
ios 26 digital id passport wallet

Apple Announces Launch of U.S. Passport Feature in iPhone's Wallet App

Wednesday November 12, 2025 9:15 am PST by
Apple today announced that iPhone users can now create a Digital ID in the Apple Wallet app based on information from their U.S. passport. To create and present a Digital ID based on a U.S. passport, you need: An iPhone 11 or later running iOS 26.1 or later, or an Apple Watch Series 6 or later running watchOS 26.1 or later Face ID or Touch ID and Bluetooth turned on An Apple Account ...
Read Full Article • 277 comments
homepod mini thumb feature

New HomePod Mini, Apple TV, and AirTag Were Expected This Year — Where Are They?

Wednesday November 12, 2025 11:42 am PST by
While it was rumored that Apple planned to release new versions of the HomePod mini, Apple TV, and AirTag this year, it is no longer clear if that will still happen. Back in January, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple planned to release new HomePod mini and Apple TV models "toward the end of the year," while he at one point expected a new AirTag to launch "around the middle of 2025." Yet,...
Read Full Article • 110 comments
Tesla Charging

Tesla Working to Add Apple CarPlay Support to Vehicles

Thursday November 13, 2025 8:31 am PST by
Tesla is working to add support for Apple CarPlay in its vehicles, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports. Tesla vehicles rely on its own infotainment software system, which integrates vehicle functions, navigation, music, web browsing, and more. The automaker has been an outlier in foregoing support for Apple CarPlay, which has otherwise become an industry standard feature, allowing users to...
Read Full Article • 269 comments
CarPlay Pinned Messages

iOS 26.2 Adds New CarPlay Setting

Thursday November 13, 2025 6:48 am PST by
iOS 26 extended pinned conversations in the Messages app to CarPlay, for quick access to your most frequent chats. However, some drivers may prefer the classic view with a list of individual conversations only, and Apple now lets users choose. Apple released the second beta of iOS 26.2 this week, and it introduces a new CarPlay setting for turning off pinned conversations in the Messages...
Read Full Article • 23 comments
iphone air thinness

iPhone Air Sales Are So Bad That Apple's Delaying the Next-Generation Version

Monday November 10, 2025 11:41 am PST by
The thin, light iPhone Air sold so poorly that Apple has decided to delay the launch of the next-generation iPhone Air that was scheduled to come out alongside the iPhone 18 Pro, reports The Information. Apple initially planned to release a new iPhone Air in fall 2026, but now that's not going to happen. Since the iPhone Air launched in September, there have been reports of poor sales...
Read Full Article • 579 comments

Top Rated Comments

x-evil-x Avatar
x-evil-x
90 months ago
Home kit and Siri are so far behind Amazon Alexa it’s a joke. So far, that I feel like Tony Stark walking around my Malibu mansion. Apple completely dropped the ball on both. Sincerely, an Apple fanboy.
But why? Homekit is instant. All my hue lights and lifx lights turn on instantly and remember the correct colors. My Alexa sucks. It’s slow as hell. The hue stuff should be instant but compared to homekit Alexa lags. You can’t create quick scenes with colors that are currently in use for Alexa either. The amazon integration isn’t that great. I barely use my Alexa spot anymore. Sometimes for alarms and other things homekit doesn’t do through my wink hub.
What does the Alexa do better honestly? Because with my setup it’s laggy and the app sucks ass compared to homekit
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
philmore13 Avatar
philmore13
90 months ago
Home kit and Siri are so far behind Amazon Alexa it’s a joke. So far, that I feel like Tony Stark walking around my Malibu mansion. Apple completely dropped the ball on both. Sincerely, an Apple fanboy.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Kaibelf Avatar
Kaibelf
90 months ago
Is Apple not concerned about these new features cannibalizing Apple TV sales? I am all for these additions and I know the Apple TV offers a different experience but for most people having air play streaming from their iPhone to their tv would be enough to pass on buying the Apple TV instead. I’m sure Apple isn’t making these TV manufacturers pay licensing fees equivalent to the price of an Apple TV.
Would you prefer a 15% slice of a huge watermelon or 100% of a grape?
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Donar Avatar
Donar
90 months ago
Ok SONY, now please ditch AndroidTV software on your TV sets and bring out an updated AV Receiver with Airplay 2 support.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
iSayuSay Avatar
iSayuSay
90 months ago
Even better, Apple could've just licensed tvOS to everyone LOL. I mean make a stripped down version of it for everyone else just so anyone can enjoy Apple TV interface. That'd be a great idea to throw TV market in Apple's ecosystem
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cuencap Avatar
cuencap
90 months ago
Home kit and Siri are so far behind Amazon Alexa it’s a joke. So far, that I feel like Tony Stark walking around my Malibu mansion. Apple completely dropped the ball on both. Sincerely, an Apple fanboy.
I spent the last week in a house with an Alexa. I was somewhat impressed with its ability to play music from different sources for the most part. However, it still screwed up a number of playlists and albums with multiple discs. Didn't use it for anything other than easy questions that Siri always gets right though.

On a sidenote, you gotta admit this Airplay 2 + Homekit rollout to top TV manufacturers caught everyone by surprise. Haven't had a true Apple surprise in a while!
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments