The Sony booth introduced a range of initiatives which harness the power of creativity and technology, under the theme of sustainable value creation that all of Sony’s diverse businesses strive to achieve as part of its corporate direction of “getting closer to people.”

Exhibits ranged from technologies Sony is pursuing in order to get closer to creators and users by enabling them to deliver ‘reality,’ such as high resolution video and sound in three dimensional space, in addition to ‘real-time’ technologies that support every stage of the production process through to the viewing experience, as well as various combinations of these technologies.

Contributing to Society Through the Delivery of Safety and Reliability

Sony will demonstrate the contribution it intends to make to realize a highly advanced autonomous driving society, and the new emotional experiences it aims to deliver in the world of mobility.

Evolutions in Imaging and Sensing Technologies in the Realm of Mobility

“Safety Cocoon” represents a safe-zone concept in which supports vehicle safety in various daily driving situations by detecting 360 degrees around the vehicle, enabling early preparation to help evade risk. At the Sony booth, visitors can experience advancements in the Sony imaging and sensing technologies listed below, which support the realization of this concept. Through Sony’s imaging and sensing technologies, which are beyond the human eye, we aim to contribute to the achievement of safe, reliable, and comfortable mobility experiences.

• CMOS image sensors which achieve high sensitivity, high definition and high dynamic range while also suppressing LED flicker^*3 to deliver accurate object recognition, even in situations where conventionally detection has been difficult.
• Solid State LiDAR which uses highly accurate distance measurement to gain a precise 3D grasp of real-life spaces.
• Sensor fusion technology which merges the capabilities of sensors of varied attributes to enable early and accurate recognition, even in challenging conditions such as fog, backlight and night-time driving.
• Time-of-Flight (ToF) in-cabin sensing solutions use distance measurement technology to detect and recognize people and objects inside the car. This information is used to provide an optimized infotainment system with intuitive interfaces such as gesture control and improve safety and comfort inside the vehicle.

New Mobility Proposals Pursuing Comfort and Entertainment

Sony’s efforts in the area of mobility – such as pursuing safety, reliability, comfort and entertainment – are being positioned as a new initiative, named “VISION-S.” The first prototype vehicle to result from “VISION-S” will be showcased at the Sony booth. This prototype incorporates Sony’s imaging and sensing technologies, as well as on-board software regulated using Sony’s AI, telecommunication and cloud technologies, in order to continuously update and evolve its features.

A total of 33 sensors including CMOS image sensors and ToF sensors are embedded within the vehicle, in order to detect and recognize people and objects inside and outside the car, and provide highly advanced driving support. Sony’s “360 Reality Audio” provides a deep and immersive audio experience through speakers built into each seat to encapsulates passengers in sound. The front seats face a panoramic screen on which rich and diverse content can be enjoyed through an intuitive user interface. Sony will continue to combine its advanced technologies to deliver greater safety and reliability, while also striving to inspire new emotion through revolutionary in-car entertainment experiences.

^*3:Fluctuations that occur in LED light and signal transmission.

Helping Creators Realize Their Dreams

Sony is bringing about a technological revolution at every stage of the creative process, from production to when content reaches audiences, in order to further inspire creators and help them deliver their work to viewers and listeners.

Transforming Live Sports Broadcasting through Technology

Advances in 5G and AI technologies are bringing new artistic and video production workflow possibilities to creators.

• 5G Proof of Concept Trial

Sony conducted a proof of concept trial in December 2019, by capturing video of a live American football game with a 5G-connected camera, showing how 5G can allow for more creative and untethered camerawork while also reducing set-up time and costs. Visitors to the Sony booth will be able to see a video introducing this initiative, and also the equipment used during the trial including Sony’s PXW-Z450 shoulder camcorder, Xperia 5G mmWave device that enables high-speed data uplink, and a prototype transmitter box that encodes and transmits high-quality video in real-time.

• AI-based Real-time Video Analytics

Sony is also proposing new video experiences that further enhance the excitement of sports through our AI-based real-time video analytics technology. The booth will feature a table tennis demonstration by athletes, and the game will be captured on multiple devices including Sony’s HDC-P50 POV system camera and the cameras with Sony’s unique high-speed vision sensors. From the image, the athletes’ postures and the flight path of the ball are instantly analyzed, and CG characters will mimic the movements based on estimations of the athletes’ postures by deep learning technology. The booth will also exhibit a demo video showing the number of times the ball rotated by analyzing super-slow-motion video.

Empowering Creators’ Imaginations through 3D Volumetric Visual Technology

• 3D Spatial Reality Display Technology

Sony’s unique Eye-sensing Light Field Display uses high-speed vision sensors and face recognition algorithms to enable super high precision spatial reality experience not found in conventional naked-eye 3D displays. It can be easily applied to VR (virtual reality) and AR (augmented reality) content, providing a versatile volumetric content creation environment to creators in various fields such as entertainment and product design.

• Virtual Production Technology using 3D Volumetric Capture

The Sony booth also features a virtual production set which transforms the way motion pictures and TV shows are made. The set has been captured from the Sony Pictures studio lot as photo-realistic volumetric data and is shown as a background image on a Crystal LED display. The background changes in real time with the movement of the camera, ensuring the final image has the proper perspective and depth. Virtual production empowers the creator’s imagination by allowing directors, cinematographers, and actors to experience the scene as if they are really there, and provides creative flexibility where film production can take place at any time.

New Content Creation Environment Provided by Large Screen, High Resolution Display System

As TVs continue to trend towards larger screens, and more content with higher resolutions and in HDR (Higher Dynamic Range) is created, there is a corresponding need for comprehensive, accurate evaluation of content on the professional monitors used by creators. In a professional editing room setup with a 4K x 2K Crystal LED display system (220 inch), visitors will be able to experience ongoing and future developments in the production environment for movies, TV shows, and online content.

Enriching People’s Hearts Through the Delivery of Emotional Experiences

Sony is showcasing new products featuring the proprietary technologies previously found in its BRAVIA® flagship MASTER Series. The 8K LCD TV “ZH8” series brings the stunning picture quality delivered by its best-in-class Picture Processor X1™ Ultimate as well as Sony’s unique new “Frame Tweeter,” which delivers a Sound-from-Picture Reality™ experience while maintaining a slim design. Additionally, the OLED TV “AH8” series newly features X-Motion Clarity, which draws fast-moving images clearly, while maintaining brightness we offer.

an experience of high picture and sound quality that makes a difference on a large screen.

Additionally, Sony announced the expansion of devices compatible with 360 Reality Audio, the immersive audio experience that became initially available in North America and Europe in Autumn 2019. At the Sony booth, visitors can experience 360 Reality Audio by combining headphones and smartphones with participating streaming services.