Sony Highlights its Evolution as a “Creative Entertainment” at CES 2020

With the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) currently underway in Las Vegas, Sony says it’s seeking to deliver products, content, and services that resonate with people and affect a positive impact on society, based on its Purpose to “fill the world with emotion, through the power of creativity and technology.”

The company featured some renowned products at CES announcing the cutting-edge technology and features of PlayStation 5, slated to launch this holiday season, and unveiled the new logo design for the first time ever

Jim Ryan, President and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment announced that PlayStation 4 has now cumulatively sold through more than 106 million units worldwide, and that PlayStation Network had reached 103 million active users.

Sony Corporation’s President & CEO Kenichiro Yoshida unveiled a prototype vehicle incorporating imaging and sensing technologies that contribute to safer and more reliable autonomous driving, and an array of highly-advanced electronics technologies that together deliver an unprecedented in-car entertainment experience.

Sony’s efforts in the area of mobility – such as pursuing safety, reliability, comfort and entertainment – are being positioned as a new initiative, named “VISION-S.”

This prototype incorporates Sony’s imaging and sensing technologies, as well as on-board software regulated using Sony’s AI, telecommunication and cloud technologies, in order to continuously update and evolve its features.

A total of 33 sensors including CMOS image sensors and ToF sensors are embedded within the vehicle, in order to detect and recognize people and objects inside and outside the car, and provide highly advanced driving support.

Sony’s “360 Reality Audio” provides a deep and immersive audio experience through speakers built into each seat to encapsulate passengers in sound. The front seats face a panoramic screen on which rich and diverse content can be enjoyed through an intuitive user interface.

Sony says it will continue to combine its advanced technologies to deliver greater safety and reliability, while also striving to inspire new emotion through revolutionary in-car entertainment experiences.

The Sony booth at CES introduced a range of initiatives that harness the power of creativity and technology, under the theme of sustainable value creation that all of Sony’s diverse businesses strive to achieve as part of its corporate direction of “getting closer to people.”

Exhibits range from technologies Sony is pursuing in order to get closer to creators and users by enabling them to deliver ‘reality,’ such as high resolution video and sound in three dimensional space, in addition to ‘real-time’ technologies that support every stage of the production process through to the viewing experience, as well as various combinations of these technologies. 

While 5G technology will get a much attention at CES, Sony conducted a proof of concept trial in December 2019, by capturing video of a live American football game with a 5G-connected camera, showing how 5G can allow for more creative and untethered camerawork while also reducing set-up time and costs.

Visitors to the Sony booth will be able to see a video introducing this initiative, and also the equipment used during the trial including Sony’s PXW-Z450 shoulder camcorder, Xperia 5G mmWave device that enables high-speed data uplink, and a prototype transmitter box that encodes and transmits high-quality video in real-time.

The Sony booth also features a virtual production set which transforms the way motion pictures and TV shows are made. The set has been captured from the Sony Pictures studio lot as photo-realistic volumetric data, and is shown as a background image on a Crystal LED display.

The background changes in real time with the movement of the camera, ensuring the final image has the proper perspective and depth.

Sony is also showcasing new products featuring the proprietary technologies previously found in its Bravia flagship Master Series. The 8K LED TV “Z8H” series brings the stunning picture quality delivered by its best-in-class Picture Processor X1 Ultimate as well as Sony’s unique new “Frame Tweeter,” which delivers a Sound-from-Picture Reality™ experience while maintaining a slim design.

Sony has also announced the expansion of devices compatible with 360 Reality Audio, the immersive audio experience that became initially available in North America and Europe in fall 2019.