Group items tagged

"Sony has announced that it will be launching the first 4K video distribution service for consumers, giving 4K TV buyers their first real source of content. We don't have much information about the service, but it will be launching in the US this summer, both potentially creating a 4K market and giving Sony an edge. It's something Sony originally tried with 3D, trying to handle all facets of the feature from content creation to distribution and playback. "We intend to expand the world of 4K content from beyond the cinema to TV dramas and commercials," Sony's Kaz Hirai said during the conference at CES. Sony has already announced a series of remastered 4K Blu-rays, and as with 3D, the company is trying to sell studios on the benefits of 4K. Meanwhile, it's announced the first-ever 4K OLED prototype TV and new models of its consumer-ready 4K TVs. In the US, though, super high-def digital distribution could be hampered by ISPs, which aren't likely to look kindly on the stress this will cause their pipes."

"Sony's new high-end televisions have a neat trick, enabled by Miracast and NFC, that allows users to simply tap their Xperia device with the TV's remote control to mirror the smartphone display on the big screen. Sony says all of its new high-end televisions (W800 or better) will have Miracast and an NFC-enabled remote control. We got a chance to check out the technology in action on the show floor, and to put it simply, it's really cool; it takes a few seconds of holding the remote to the back of the Xperia Z to connect the smartphone to the television, at which point the TV displays whatever you've got open on the phone. It's one of the best television screen-sharing implementations we've seen, as it makes screen sharing nearly effortless. To disable the mirroring, users just need to re-tap their phone to the remote control."

Sony updated its smart watch Tuesday, introducing the Sony SmartWatch 2 at Shanghai's Mobile Asia Expo. Designed to be used as a second screen for your Android smartphone, the water-resistant smart watch has NFC (near-field communication) connectivity, and can be personalized with apps based on how you want to use it.

Both Sony and Disney are among the first studios testing this new service, which makes its debut in South Korea, reports the Wall Street Journal. The move is being done to help curb piracy overseas by allowing people to rent movies a few weeks after they're released in theaters. For example, Django Unchained was released just three weeks after its debut in theaters across the country. Disney's Wreck-it Ralph, and Brave are also part of this new trial service.

daily 7.15 online store just for classical and jazz, from sony

Sony liked the original, longer piece of web video, which portrays the hazards of running out of "skips" on your music subscription service, and asked Break for a 30-second cut. But it didn't say it was going to swap it in as a TV spot during the finale of "Jersey Shore," seen by an average of 6.6 million viewers a few weeks ago, and save itself at least a couple hundred grand in agency fees in the process.

Sony's PlayStation 3 virtual world, Home, has 14 million registered users, and now the company is teaming with social games company, Codename, to produce social games within the virtual world.

Sony is offering streaming music at the same pricepoint as its competitors- $10 per month- but isnt offering mobile capabilities on iPods or phones. they wont say why but they say that functionality is coming soon.

Sony is bringing ad-supported movies from Crackle (its online video venture) to its set top TV/Blu-Ray Players and Roku, the only non-Sony product it will be available on.

"Target's private marketplace operates similarly to others that retailers like Best Buy and Amazon have developed recently. For example, a user may visit Target.com and check out its high-def TVs. As that user navigates to other parts of Target's site, a brand like Sony or Samsung could run ads aimed at that user promoting their TVs-provided they are sold by Target. But the ads don't have to pertain so closely to a specific product category. Adweek encountered a Subaru ad running on Target's DVD and Blu-ray players page; a peek at the page's site code revealed that the ad was sourced through PubMatic."