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[CES 2021] Sony Unveiled Its Latest Initiatives Surpassing “Limits of Creativity” at CES 2021

  • Wednesday, January 13, 2021, 7:00 pm
  • ACROFAN=Seunghee Shin
  • seunghee.shin@acrofan.com
 At CES 2021, Sony unveiled its latest strategy utilizing its 3R technology under the theme of "Redefining Our Future with Tomorrow's Technologies." CES 2021, an international electronic show on January 11-14, 2021 (PST), is held entirely digitally this year due to COVID-19.

Sony is leveraging its "3R Technology" - Reality, Real-time, and Remote - to inspire emotion through the power of entertainment. Sony's presence at CES 2021 showcased 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.

▲ Kenichiro Yoshida, Chairman, President and CEO of Sony Corporation, is introducing "Airpeak." (Sony Square)

▲ Sony's electric car "Vision-S" is currently in the test-drive stage. (Sony Square)

First, Kenichiro Yoshida, Chairman, President and CEO of Sony Corporation, unveiled Sony's Airpeak aircraft. Equipped with Sony's Alpha™ full-frame mirrorless camera, Airpeak enables dynamic filming with a precise, stable flight that inspires creativity in video production creators and explores new possibilities for expression.

"Airpeak transforms the sky into an infinite creative playground. Through this initiative, Sony aims to contribute to the evolution of drones and generate value within this growth market at the highest level," Yoshida said. "Beyond the sky as a future initiative, we are also exploring new forms of entertainment by capturing real-time images of Space and Earth. With Sony's technology, creativity has no limits. Please join us in looking forward as we continue to evolve as a creative entertainment company."

He then mentioned the updates about Sony's electric car VISION-S, which was unveiled at CES 2020. VISION-S processes information from the surrounding environment in real-time, utilizing Sony's advanced sensing technologies. 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.

▲ At Sony Innovation Studios, the development of a virtual production technology using "Volumetric Real-World Capture" is working on. (Sony Square)

▲ The lineup of "BRAVIA XR" TV models: 8K LED 'Z9J', 4K OLED 'A90J', 'A80J' and 4K LED TV 'X95J', 'X90J' (Sony Korea)

Next, Bill Baggelaar, EVP & CTO, Technology Development, Sony Pictures Entertainment ("SPE"), introduced the latest advancements in Sony Innovation Studios as well as Sony's new lineup of BRAVIA XR TV models.

Sony Innovation Studio, which opened in 2018, is developing a virtual production technology utilizing Volumemetric 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.

The Crystal LED Display can present a highly realistic image in a range of layouts and sizes for various applications such as corporate showrooms, lobbies, and virtual productions, delivering overwhelming immersive images that stimulate creators' creativity. Sony's 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.

In addition, Bill introduced a new lineup of Sony's BRAVIA TV - 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 actually feel.

▲ "PlayStation® 5" realizes an innovative next-generation gaming experience. (Sony Square)

▲ Sony's CES 2021 video showed the demonstration of Madison Beer's immersive reality concert. (Sony Square)

Jim Ryan, President and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment ("SIE") showcased PlayStation® 5, launched in November 2020. It is equipped with an ultra-high-speed SSD, integrated custom I/O, DualSense™ Wireless Controller, and 3D audio technology to realize revolutionary next-generation gaming experiences and deliver a new feeling of immersion to players.

"PlayStation community is networked like never before and is more diverse than they have ever been. We celebrate and embrace the differing viewpoints and tastes that make up our community," Jim highlighted the evolution of the PlayStation® community. Also, he stated, "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 in the future. We have the best partnerships, such as Call of Duty and Bugsnax, in the business. We're also really thrilled to bring some of the best PS IP to new media like film and television."

Finally, Dennis Kooker, President, Global Digital Business and US Sales, Sony Music Entertainment ("SMEI") demonstrated many unique collaboration forms underway involving artists and new technology. In the conference video, some of the immersive reality concerts implemented by singer-songwriter Madison Beer of Epic Records, SMEI, and Verizon, a US mobile telecommunication company, were revealed. Using the latest innovations in real-time 3D creation technology, she has been transformed into a highly realistic avatar. She will perform a medley of her latest songs in a virtual recreation of Sony Hall.

Moreover, Dennis highlighted the expansions of 360 Reality Audio, Sony's music production tool. Sony and Virtual Sonics Inc., 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 express their music in a 360 spherical field using their existing production platforms. On top of that, Sony will launch a live performance video content streaming service, combining the spatial sound field and 360 Reality Audio images, in cooperation with major music labels and streaming services by the end of this year.

▲ Sony's flagship 5G smartphone, "Experia 5 II" expands the range of expressions for video creators. (Sony Korea)

▲ Sony's "Spatial Reality Display" conveys the feeling of real existence. (Sony Korea)

Besides, some of the 3R technology-based initiatives unveiled in the second half of last year include the following services and products.

Sony's 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." It allows users to enjoy similar parameters and color settings to enhance their cinematographic shooting experiences. A color setting inspired by Master Monitor color reproduction from Sony's professional technology delivers unprecedented color accuracy to the display as envisioned by the creators. 5G allows data transmission and reception to be carried out in real-time.

Sony's Spatial Reality Display 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 to 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.

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. In the future, Sony aims to provide new forms of entertainment that visualize play content and sports data.

Sony claimed, "As a creative entertainment company with a solid foundation of technology, Sony will continue to deliver emotion and assurance through the 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)."