By Diego Marcano & Connor Malbeuf
BU News Service
LAS VEGAS – Sony presented 360 Reality Audio, a home sound system that aims to immerse listeners in sound from all directions, and a new series of massive 8k TVs, the Bravia Master Series Z9G, ranging from 98 inches to 55 inches at its CES 2019 keynote, on Jan. 7.
Sony Corporation President and CEO Kenichiro Yoshida said that in a changing entertainment media landscape it is important to deliver high-quality entertainment experiences for the home.
“We at Sony partner with content creators who make music, the movies, the television shows and the games that engage billions of eyes and ears and minds around the world,” Yoshida said. “The quality of our tech is central to delivering high quality content as the creators intended it to be experienced.”
The 360 Reality Audio integrates object-based audio technology, which gives a sensation of distance, angle and other positional information to a sound source, to emulate the sensation of being at a live concert.
Musician and producer Pharrell Williams got on stage during Sony’s keynote to talk about how the company was contributing to improving music consumption for users.
“It’s super impressive. I’ve been talking to people for years trying to tell people how important this thing is. This has to happen. You gotta do it,” Williams said. “I was looking at future solutions and answers at Sony. Sony technology can inspire and lead the connection between the consumer and the creators.”
Sony said that content specifically crafted for the 360 Reality Audio will be created in collaboration with major music labels that would be available via different distribution services. Sony did not specify which services will be included.
The company also introduced their first 8K LCD TVs series. The Bravia Master Series with screens sized at 98 and 85 inches. The high-resolution TVs are powered by their signature X1 processor. According to Yoshida, this new 8k resolution TV will “faithfully deliver creators’ intent directly to users.”
During the presentation, the company showed a video of filmmaker James Cameron talking about how Sony’s products have enabled him to craft the movies as he desired.
“If they say they can do it, they would do it,” said Cameron about Sony’s cameras.
The company did not disclose the expected retail price of the products or when they expect to release them to the market.
Sony Corporation’s booth at CES 2019 will feature four of the company’s divisions: visual entertainment with their new TV series, photo and video cameras, music entertainment with the new 360 Reality Audio and gaming with their PS4 VR gadgets.
Sony announced a new home audio system and an 8k TV during its keynote at CES2019 on Jan 7, 2019. Photo by Connor Malbeuf / BU News Service.
