Sony seeks 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.”

Sony Corporation President & CEO Kenichiro Yoshida spoke at the Sony press conference held ahead of the exhibition’s public opening, stating that “Creativity is a powerful driving force that moves Sony forward. When it is combined with our technology, it is unstoppable.” He then proceeded to introduce Sony’s latest offerings and new developments from our electronics and entertainment businesses.

Sony Corporation President & CEO Kenichiro Yoshida

Sony Corporation President & CEO Kenichiro Yoshida

Next to take the stage was Jim Ryan (President and CEO, Sony Interactive Entertainment), who announced that PlayStation 4 has now cumulatively sold through more than 106 million units worldwide, and that PlayStation Network had reached 103 million monthly active users. He then discussed 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. “Our promise to the 100 million strong PlayStation community is to offer the biggest and best in content, and to deliver unique experiences to gamers with unprecedented speed.”

In live sports production, Sony presented the recent achievement of a joint proof of concept trial with NBC Sports and Verizon at an American football game. David Mazza (CTO, NBC Sports Group), took the stage and noted the expectations for Sony’s technologies on media production for the broadcasts and wireless communication technology, which brings new possibilities to the live sports production workflow.

Jim Ryan (President and CEO, Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Jim Ryan (President and CEO, Sony Interactive Entertainment)

Furthermore, Yoshida stated that, “It’s not an exaggeration to say that Mobile has been the mega-trend of the last decade. I believe the next mega-trend will be mobility,” as he 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. He concluded his presentation by stating that in addition to striving to contribute to society, “Sony will continue to evolve as a creative entertainment company with a solid foundation of technology.”

The Sony booth at CES 2020 introduces a range of initiatives which 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.

Sony will demonstrate the contribution it intends to make to realising a highly advanced autonomous driving society, and the new emotional experiences it aims to deliver in the world of mobility.

Xperia 5G mmWave

Xperia 5G mmWave

Sony is bringing about a technological revolution at every stage of the creative process, from production to when content reaches audiences, in order to further inspire creators and help them deliver their work to viewers and listeners.

Advances in 5G and AI technologies are bringing new artistic and video production workflow possibilities to creators.

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.

Sony’s HDC-P50 POV

Sony’s HDC-P50 POV

Sony is also proposing new video experiences that further enhance the excitement of sports through our AI-based real-time video analytics technology. The booth will feature a table tennis demonstration by athletes, and the game will be captured on multiple devices including Sony’s HDC-P50 POV system camera and the cameras with Sony’s unique high-speed vision sensors. From the image, the athletes’ postures and the flight path of the ball are instantly analyzed, and CG characters will mimic the movements based on estimations of the athletes’ postures by deep learning technology. The booth will also exhibit a demo video showing the number of times the ball rotated by analysing super-slow-motion video.

Sony’s unique Eye-sensing Light Field Display uses high-speed vision sensors and face recognition algorithms to enable super high precision spatial reality experience not found in conventional naked-eye 3D displays. It can be easily applied to VR (virtual reality) and AR (augmented reality) content, providing a versatile volumetric content creation environment to creators in various fields such as entertainment and product design.

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. Virtual production empowers the creator’s imagination by allowing directors, cinematographers, and actors to experience the scene as if they are really there, and provides creative flexibility where film production can take place at any time.

Additionally, Sony 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. At the Sony booth, visitors can experience 360 Reality Audio by combining headphones and smartphones with participating streaming services, while a reference exhibit demonstrates how 360 Reality Audio can be enjoyed through a sound bar and a wireless speaker for an experience that feels just like being in a space with artists.

More info on all the above is expected to come through the course of this year – including the PlayStation 5.

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