Home Theater

2014 Sony 4K XBR-X950B, XBR-X900B, and XBR-X850B Features

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At its 2014 CES press conference, Sony unveiled the next generation of 4K XBR televisions. Under its premium line, the XBR family will grow to three series which includes the XBR-X950B, XBR-X900B, and XBR-X850B. While keeping 4K at the core, each series in the new XBR line is designed to attack different consumers with options that help differentiate them. This includes different set of speaker configurations and sizes. After the jump, we take a look at the 2014 Sony 4K television line features.

Sony Receives 13 CES Innovations 2014 Design & Engineering Honoree Awards

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Sony may have a problems when it comes to marketing its products to consumers and conveying to them why they should buy a Sony but it doesn’t mean they face the same issue with critics. Today, the electronic giant was recognized with 13 International CES Innovations 2014 Design and Engineering Honoree Awards, including four Best of Innovations honoree awards. These include products like the attachable smartphone lens, the Cyber-shot QX10/100 and VAIO Flip PC. Phil Molyneux, president and COO of Sony Electronics who was on hand to receive the awards said:

 We’re honored to have won the most Innovation Awards among a competitive field of great consumer electronics. We feel this year’s winning products represent significant breakthroughs in our design and evolution of the fast-changing CE industry. Sony will continue to offer new experiences in both productivity and play while always incorporating the best technologies from our display, imaging, and audio groups. 

While in the US Sony has struggled to gain mainstream traction while competitors like Apple, Samsung, and Vizio have dominated the mobile and home theater space, the company continues to pump out solid products with inspiring designs and features. In fact, Sony’s mobile line of smartphone and tablets, married with their NEX and Cyber-shot series of cameras may just be some of the most innovative and refreshing products out in the market while companies like Samsung continue to pump out generic products. So what other products did Sony receive awards for those? The list awaits you after the jump.

Sony Financial Results Q2 FY13, US Market Distance

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Many of us here at SonyRumors have been watching Sony’s mobile strategy carefully and wondering what their next plans are, particularly, regarding the US. With the stellar success of the Xperia Z – a phone which ranks in the top three smartphones in over 20 markets by revenue, followed by the mammoth Xperia Z1 it has been an antagonizing wait for US consumers to see when the next hot Sony smartphone will come to US shores, or worse – if at all.

The company has just released it’s second fiscal results which tells us a lot more about what’s going on at the company and we can’t forget CEO Kaz Hirai’s unpopular announcement that the US was not a priority market at the moment and hinting at a reduced presence in the market. With a combination of CEO comments and fresh fiscal results we can start to see exactly why Sony is bailing the US and perhaps estimate when they might return. After the jump, the Q2 FY13 Sony financial results.

Pre-orders Open Up for Sony HMZ-T3W Wearable Display

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Forget the Oculus Rift. Sony has announced that its third generation wearable displays are now up for pre-order and will ship later next month. The Sony HMZ-T3W continues the push the futuristic display by offering a lighter design with wireless streaming features. It’s expected that Sony will introduce a wired version like its predecessors at a later time. Sony claims that the HMZ-T3W will simulate sitting 65 feet away from an enormous 750-inch screen with its dual OLED screens. Another neat trick the latest model offers is the ability to plug into tablets and smartphones via MHL or micro-HDMI and display all of your content right before your eyes in the most epic way possible. Of course the HMZ-T3W will still take normal HDMI, perfect for your next Avatar viewing experience or maybe even better for the PlayStation 4 which will conveniently launch next month as well. Can you say best combo Christmas gift?

Sony Unveils New 4K Projectors Starting at $15k, HD Projectors for $4k

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While it’s only been recently that TV manufacturers have begun to push past the 65-inch screen size in prices that most consumers can afford, home theater enthusiasts have been enjoying screens in access to 120-inches thanks to projectors. Thought of as the pinnacle of a proper home theater, projectors can help bring a cinema quality to your viewing experience like no television. Sony is no stranger to this market, providing consumer and professional projectors that are likely utilized in your local theater, especially if they offer 4K films. Now, Sony has unveiled their latest home projector fleet, ranging from HD, all the way up to 4K with a price that can fit anyones budget, kind of.

Sony Launches Bravia Smart Stick to Rival Google Chromecast (Updated)

Sony Bravia Smart Stick

Sony is about to introduce a smart TV USB device which adds another way to stream online television, movies and music. The devices also comes pre-installed with Chrome web browser and can be used to download apps from the Google Play store. Web-TV users will be able to access YouTube, Netflix, Video Unlimited and other services via the Bravia Smart Stick which is due for launch 22 September for $149.

Sony Presents World’s First Curved LED HDTV in 65″ Style

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Outside of the fanfare of IFA in Berlin this week, Sony quietly launched the first curved LED HDTV – the S990A priced at $3,999 in the US. The 65″ HDTV boasts a Triluminos display with X-Reality Pro, built-in Wi-Fi for cable-less Internet viewing and multi-angled S-Force surround sound speakers designed to bring more of the cinematic experience home than ever before. The gentle curvature in the screen promises to make every seat in the room look like the center seat.

Sony Video Unlimited 4K Service Goes Live with Rentals and Purchases

Sony Video Unlimited 4K

Being one of the biggest proponents of 4K, Sony is doing everything it can to ensure the new standard is available in every category possible. This includes Sony Pictures using 4K cameras on their films like After Earth and on their newest TV shows. With content being a key factor for consumers when deciding if a new standard is something they want to get behind, Sony is hoping that their Video Unlimited 4K service quenches that thirst which allows for purchasing and renting of 4K content. Announced earlier in the year, the Sony Video Unlimited 4K service is now live and is serving up 70 native 4K movies and TV shows. That list includes hit TV show Breaking Bad, as well as movies including Moneyball, Ghostbusters, and The Amazing Spider-Man. By year’s end, Sony expects that number to grow to over 100 titles.

Sony Xperia Tablet Z Scoops Tablet of the Year Award at EISA 2013, Wins Four More

EISA European Tablet of the year Xperia Tablet Z

It’s award season – and Sony has won no less than five Product of the Year awards at the annual European Imaging and Sound Association (EISA), awards, the largest editorial multimedia organization in Europe. The seductive Xperia Tablet Z won outright in the coveted Tablet of the Year 2013-2014 category, a  stunning victory in Sony’s attempt to set new standards in the rapidly expanding tablet sector. Other accolades went to two Sony cameras, a Bravia TV and a HT receiver in a thrilling night.

Sony Xperia Honami to Record 4K Video?

Sony Xperia Honami SampleFor months now, we’ve been reporting on rumors that the Sony Xperia Honami, the companies next flagship Android smartphone would include a 20.7-megapixel camera sensor. Despite having screenshots of the phones setting screen which pointed out the Honami’s cameras resolution, we can now very confidently confirm the megapixel count thanks to a sample photo from the camera which was uploaded to Google’s unpopular Picasa photo service. The photo in question which appears to the left of this post is snapped at a whopping 5248 x 3936 pixels, which if my math is correct, comes out to be about 20.66-megapixels. Since then, the photo has been taken down from Picasa but we of course still have the photo to show you, thanks to the magical capabilities of computers saving images from the web.

Sony Announces HT-ST7 Soundbar With Bluetooth and NFC

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If the first thing that comes to your mind is cheap when thinking about a Soundbar solution for your home theater needs, then you’re not alone. Traditionally targeted at the budget conscious, the Soundbar is meant to simulate surround sound and give your media and TV experience much more depth without the hassle and cost of running cables all around your house for a proper surround sound setup. Sony who also offers lower end Soundbars is looking to change things up with the premium HT-ST7 Soundbar which offers an impressive 9 drivers powered by 7 independent amplifiers. Interested? Lets talk details.

Sony and Panasonic to Create 300GB Optical Discs

300GB optical discIt’s hard to imagine that Blu-ray has already been out for nearly a decade. After a two year war with Toshiba’s losing HD DVD, the Sony backed format would eventually become the victor, thanks in part to the PlayStation 3. With discs cable of holding 50GB, though a 400GB and 1TB were shown off years ago with little news on them since, it’s easy to see why the PS4 and Xbox One are using the medium to help bring HD games to your living room. Even with 50GB of space available on each Blu-ray disc, the industry and consumers to an extent are already running into a roadblock, especially if you consider 4K films which even at compressed rates can be around 300GB and uncompressed a whopping 3TB that the time for thinking of a new format medium has come. To that end, Sony and Panasonic are hoping to create a new 300GB optical disc.

Sony Targets Surgeons with 3D Head-Mounted Display

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Nearly two years ago, Sony unveiled the Personal 3D Viewer (HMZ-T2) at CES, designed to give an immersive 720p 2D/3D experience on two 1280×720 0.7-inch OLED panels which are mounted in front of each eye with an integrated 5.1 Surround Sound headphone system that is built into the Head Mounted Display. Since then, the company has ever so slightly updated the product that targets the high end consumer. In the last two years, Sony has also had a new CEO, Kaz Hirai, who has been helping turn things around at Sony. Part of Hirai’s strategy has been to get more bang out of the R&D money that Sony uses. This has seen the company expand into the medical field and deploy their highly-sought-after image sensors and lens for use in different medical devices. Now, Sony is doing this again with the Personal 3D viewer, dubbed the Sony 3D Head-Mounted Display, which is designed to give surgeons a better look inside of you.

Freeview Goes Down on Sony DVD Recorders

Sony Freeview

Freeview, the free-to-air services on the Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) platform in the UK has just gone dark on select machines after a firmware 1.7 hit certain Sony machines. After the firmware release, the service is no longer able to be decoded and work with Sony DVD recorders like the RDR-HXD870 and other Pioneer DVD players. From Sony, via Twitter:

 Sorry about this. A major technical issue has been flagged to our dedicated team. We will update you asap. Thanks. 

According to Freeview operator Arqiva:

 it appears something has change(d) in the way these devices are receiving EPG data 

Sony Video Unlimited 4K Service Announced

Sony 4K Video Unlimited

Sony continues to get more aggressive with their 4K initiative with each passing week. Just yesterday, the company announced a July 15th release date for their 4K media sever which includes 10 4K films. Now Sony is looking to expand their video streaming service Video Unlimited by adding 4K movies to it.