At the all-digital CES 2021 event, Sony has showcased its latest initiatives based on the theme of “Redefining Our Future with Tomorrow’s Technologies”.
Sony is leveraging its “3R Technology” – Reality, Real-time, and Remote – to inspire Kando (emotion) through the power of entertainment, and also provide the assurance that supports these experiences. Sony’s presence at CES 2021 is structured around 12 topics showcasing how these 3R technologies are contributing to the latest developments in areas such as Tools and Solutions designed to empower content creation; Immersive Entertainment Experiences; Technology for a Better Future.
In dedicated online content released for this year’s CES, Kenichiro Yoshida, Chairman, President and CEO of Sony Corporation, presented Sony exhibits including PlayStation®5, VISION-S and Airpeak, underlining that, “With Sony’s technology, ‘Creativity Has No Limits.’” He was followed by Bill Baggelaar, EVP & CTO, Technology Development, Sony Pictures Entertainment (“SPE”), who introduced the latest advancements in virtual production technology and volumetric image acquisition, as well as collaboration initiatives with Sony’s new lineup of BRAVIA XR TV models. Following, Jim Ryan, President and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment (“SIE”) highlighted the evolution of the PlayStation® community, stating, “Our community are networked like never before and are more diverse than they have ever been. And we celebrate and embrace the differing viewpoints and tastes that make up our community.” Finally, Dennis Kooker, President, Global Digital Business and U.S. Sales, Sony Music Entertainment (“SMEI”) demonstrated the many forms of unique collaboration under way involving artists and new technology. All Sony content relating to CES 2021 will be accessible via Sony’s new digital event platform “Sony Square.” Following its launch at CES 2021, Sony Square will continue to provide digital event information relating to products, content, and technologies from across the Sony Group.
◆For Creators
Empowering Tools and Solutions
Discover Remote Technologies and Solutions That Enhance and Enrich Content Creation
Virtual Production with Volumetric Real-World Capture
Sets and locations for film/TV production are captured as 3D volumetric point cloud data, then processed and rendered by Sony Innovation Studios’ “Atom View” software and displayed as a background image on a Crystal LED display for real time virtual production.
Madison Beer Immersive Reality Concert Experience with Real-time 3D Creation Technology
Epic Records singer songwriter Madison Beer is collaborating with Sony Music Entertainment (SMEI) and Verizon to create an immersive reality music showcase that reimagines the concert performance experience for viewing across digital platforms. Using the latest innovations in real-time 3D creation technology, she has been transformed into a highly realistic avatar and will perform a medley of her latest songs in a virtual recreation of Sony Hall.
360 Reality Audio Music Production Tools
Sony and Virtual Sonics, a music software development company, have developed the 360 Reality Audio Creative Suite, a tool for creating 360 Reality Audio-compatible music that realizes a spatial sound field.
It enables creators and artists to easily express their music in a 360 spherical field using their existing production platforms.
For details, please refer to the press release at the following URL.
https://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/News/Press/202101/21-001E/
Airpeak
First unveiling of “Airpeak” aircraft design. Equipped with Sony’s Alpha™ full-frame mirrorless camera, Airpeak enables dynamic filming together with precise, stable flight that inspires creativity in video production creators, and explores new possibilities for expression. Through this initiative, Sony aims to contribute to the evolution of drones and generate value within this growth market at the highest level.
Video Production Support with Xperia 5 II
Xperia 5 II 5G-enabled smartphone in the flagship range, captures reality and expands the scope of creators’ expression through the Photography Pro full-scale camera feature and Cinematography Pro “powered by CineAlta,” which allows you to enjoy similar parameters and color settings to enhance your cinematographic shooting experiences. A color setting which was inspired by Master Monitor color reproduction from Sony’s professional technology delivers unprecedented color accuracy to the display as it was envisioned by the creators. 5G allows data transmission and reception to be carried out in real time.
Spatial Reality Display
A display that reproduces spatial images in three-dimensions as if they were real, allowing creators to fully express their vision when sharing product designs or showing variations in color or shape, and deliver their intent to the viewer. With its extraordinary realism and level of detail, it expands the scope of video expression, for instance in displays and three-dimensional signage in stores, while allowing the viewer to see the depth, texture, and appearance of the object with a real sense of presence.
Crystal LED Display
The new Crystal LED series are equipped with the high-performance image quality processor “X1™ for Crystal LED,” which incorporates the LED control technology developed for Sony’s pioneering Crystal LED and the signal processing technology praised in Sony’s BRAVIA TV series. Highly realistic images can be expressed in a range of layouts and size for various applications such as corporate showrooms, lobbies, and virtual productions, delivering overwhelming immersive images that stimulate the creativity of creators.
Hawk-Eye Innovations and Pulselive Challenging Sports Conventions
Hawk-Eye, a Sony company that provides sports officiating solutions and play analytics services, and Hawk-Eye’s digital division Pulselive, which delivers digital solutions that enhance the experience for sports fans, are committed to innovation across the sports industry – from officiating to fan engagement – by utilizing video and data. Going forward, Sony aims to provide new forms of entertainment that visualizes play content and sports data.
◆For Enthusiasts
Immersive Entertainment Experiences
Entertainment Products and Services that Amplify Reality, Happen in Real-time and Are Delivered Remotely
BRAVIA XR
The new BRAVIA XR is equipped with Cognitive Processor XR, delivering intelligence that reflects human cognitive characteristics. It detects the viewer’s focal points, and cross-analyzes numerous image quality elements to produce a picture that is more natural and closer to human memory. It also upscales sound to 5.1.2 channels to encapsulate the viewer in surround sound from top to bottom, and left to right, to deliver a realistic and immersive experience, close to the sensation of images and sound that people feel in real life.
Video streaming of 360 Reality Audio with Spatial Sound Technology
Sony will launch a live performance video content streaming, combining the spatial sound field and images of 360 Reality Audio, in cooperation with major music labels and streaming services by the end of this year. The listener will experience a sense of presence and immersion as if they were in the same space as the artist. Before the service is launched, a performance by Zara Larsson will be available as the first video content of 360 Reality Audio.
For details, please refer to the press release at the following URL.
https://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/News/Press/202101/21-001E/
PlayStation®5
PlayStation®5, which launched in November 2020, is equipped with an ultra-high speed SSD, integrated custom I/O, DualSense™ Wireless Controller and 3D audio technology that enable it to realize revolutionary next-generation gaming experiences and deliver a new feeling of immersion to players. In addition to the wide range of titles already available at launch, Sony Interactive Entertainment and developers around the world will continue to deliver an array of stunning and ground-breaking new titles going forward.
◆For Global Citizens
Technology for a Better Future
Better Living Through Innovation Focused on Safety and Security
VISION-S
With the goal of contributing to the evolution of mobility, VISION-S development activity has reached the next stage. While continuing to advance vehicle development for safety and security, entertainment and adaptability, public road testing commenced in Austria in December 2020 for technical evaluation.
As a “creative entertainment company with a solid foundation of technology,” Sony will continue to deliver Kando and assurance through its 3R technologies that allow content to be shared irrespective of location (Remote), free from latency (Real-time), and with an indistinguishable sense of reality (Reality).
