CES 2013: Live from Sony's press event

The sun isn’t up yet at home, but it’s the middle of the afternoon in Vegas and Sony’s about to begin its own press briefing. TVs and phones are for certain, but what else do they have to show off?

Sony products getting ready for the exhibition

6:40am

Kaz Hirai is on stage, and we’re about to begin. Talking LCD panels.

Digital imaging, games, mobile - three main categories. Continuing to reevaluate business portfolio and partnerships. Focus on emerging markets. RX100 is the best palm sized camera ever made.

Continue to focus on expanding PlayStation. Sony Ericsson became part of the Sony family. Single brand experience. Today’s another milestone, new flagship, the Xperia Z.

Premium, beautiful design, exciting content. 

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Blurring the lines of what PCs are or should be. Duo and Tap models, challenge to keep them in stock.

Bold entry into 4K TV, the 84-inch 4K LED Bravia.

Sony 55-inch 4K TV

6:44

Phil Molyneux comes out onto the stage. More detail about the Xperia Z. Good it didn’t get just a passing mention! 5-inch full HD, 13-megapixel camera, NFC, HDR video.

Range of one-touch NFC accessories. Speakers, headphones, home theater soundbar, 1 TB “personal content” device: one tap to back up all photos etc. New Bravia remote, one-touch NFC to send a video to the big screen. Very impressive!

6:52

Entirely new user experiences. TV watching involves multiple screens simultaneously. TV Sideview is a new way to interact with TV. Easily navigate to what you want to watch. Additional info, universal remote, social networking, alternative content on second screen.

Speaking requests into Xperia smartphone or tablet, search for content across TV, Netflix, home network. Watch buy or rent.

True-to-life colour reproduction. New models: unique tri-luminous display technology. 2013 2K and 4K range. Also on Cybershot and Handycam lines to enable reproduction. Soon on Vaio PCs, optimized for various screen sizes. 

Sony Xperia Z

6:56

Groundbreaking form factors for Vaios. Touch, explore, create. 

Our business is to know how audio is produced and reproduced. We joined forces with Simon Cowelll to create a stunning line of headphones. Sound quality and insulation are superb. Launching next-gen slimmer model, more colours.

Last year, Wi-Fi in cameras for immediate uploads. Now Cybershot WX80 can share directly from camera to phone and tablet. Handycam BOSS - balanced optical steady shot. Built in projector and Wi-Fi accessory for instant sharing and upload.

First 4K consumer camcorder prototype will be shown in booth. Creating a full 4K world - upscaled and remastered 4K content to enjoy. Sony Pictures Entertainment for unprecedented access to true 4K movies. Combined knowledge, all assets, “we worked as one Sony”.

7:03

84-inch TV isn’t for everyone. 55- and 65-inch 4K models at more accessible prices. Magnetic fluid speakers for detailed accurate sound. Upscalers for HD, 2K content.

Announcing the launch of the world’s first 4K video distribution service in the US. Allow owners of 4K TVs to download and enjoy native content. 

(Sony’s really running with 4K, using it to tie all the parts of the company together. Excellent.)

Sony Vaio T14 with touch

7:09

Lots of self-congratulatory talking and videos. Kaz is fully acknowledging that Sony’s been in a downward spiral for the past few years and is trying to tell us he’s pulling everything together now. “We’re coming back one wow at a time”. Invoking the Sony brand legacy. Let’s hope it’s not too late.

7:19

And that’s it. Stay tuned to Tech2 for more CES coverage through the day.