Home Theater

CES 2015: Sony To Bet Heavily on Android for its TV Lineup?

by Sohrab Osati | Jan 5, 2015 | 3 comments

In just a few hours, we’ll get to know Sony’s 2015 plans for its television lineup. While it’s all but expected for the company to update their 4K televisions, Android TV is something less talked about. In the years passed, Sony bet heavily on Google TV and released a full lineup of televisions that used the OS from Google. With the platform being a complete dud, Sony and other partners of Google TV were badly burned by the experience.

With a new name, Android TV, it’s looking like Sony will jump back into a strategic alliance once again with a slew of TVs that will contain the new OS. Details after the jump.

Sony Kicks Off Black Friday Sales with 49-inch 4K TV for $1,300, 55-inch for $1,500

by Sohrab Osati | Nov 24, 2014 | 1 comment

Sony isn’t waiting to Black Friday to kick off their massive sale. If you’re looking to get your hands on a 4K set for a remarkable price, starting today, you can get the 48.5-inch Sony XBR-49X850B for $1,299.99. To further sweeten the pot, Sony is also throwing in a pair of Extra Bass Smartphone Headset (MDRXB450AP/B) for free. Those looking for something a little bigger can nab the 54.6-inch Sony XBR-55X850B for $200 more which also include the free headphones. Best yet, there is free shipping on all orders from Sony this holiday season, making the deal even sweeter because lets be honest, who wants to go wait in line at this time of the year?

Sony Shows Off Their 4K Ultra Short Throw Projector

by Sohrab Osati | Nov 10, 2014 | 9 comments

In a new developer story video, Sony is showing off their 4K Ultra Short Throw Projector. Revealed at CES 2014, where we were able to get some hands on time with one, the Sony 4K Ultra Short Throw Projector is capable of casting a 147-inch screen from just 27 inches away. Despite that and how the unit may appear in pictures, the 4K Ultra Short Throw Projector is actually smaller than it appears. In the video, Sony developers and designers talk about the challenges of creating something visually appealing while needing to tackle the constraints of traditional projectors, like shadow.

The video can be found after the jump.

Sony’s Q2 Performance – Winners and Losers (Updated)

by Jonathan Nolan | Nov 4, 2014 | 6 comments

Sony made a loss of $785 in the past quarter, despite a 7.2% jump in revenue on the same period in 2013. The Mobile division reported a loss of $1.58 billion. From those figures, it’s clear that other divisions paid for Mobile’s loss. One division in particular has come out most profitable, and it wasn’t the PS4-making Game business.

All of Sony’s key businesses performed well, turning a profit in the last quarter, Pictures being an exception, but Mobile was the real black hole where profit should have been. As the rhetoric goes, the PS4’s sales saved Sony in the last quarter.

Other mobile giants have been suffering too, notably Samsung’s quarterly profit dipped 49% in the last quarter. That’s one point the media beating on Sony which isn’t being reported as loudly. Clearly, whatever is going on in Sony’s Mobile division, isn’t exclusive to Sony. Sony’s mobile sales took a plunge – but the culprit wasn’t just the Chinese market, there was a bigger surprise.

How well are the other businesses doing and what’s going on in Sony’s Mobile house?

Sony Brings Season Passes to Video Unlimited and PlayStation Store

by Sohrab Osati | Nov 4, 2014 | 0 comments

Just last week, Sony finally brought season pass support to Video Unlimited and PlayStation Store. With season passes, users can purchase an entire season of a show, even prior to episode releases know that the episodes will be ready for them to consume once released. Season passes is already available on the PS3 through Video Unlimited and the PlayStation Store. Those on the PS4, and 2013 and later Bravia TV’s, and Blu-ray players will have to wait a little while longer with support for season passes on those devices ‘coming soon.’

Sony STR-ZA3000ES Specs

by Sohrab Osati | Sep 19, 2014 | 8 comments

Earlier this week, we reported on the Sony STR-ZA3000ES, the newest flagship receiver with 4k input/output, 7.2 surround sound and a 8-gigabit ethernet hub for good measure. Available later this month for $1,699, the STR-ZA3000ES offers almost everything you’d ever want from a receiver, minus a built-in Starbucks and AirPlay. (Come on Sony! Your lower end receivers used to have that last one). Wondering what else you can expect from the ES receiver? After the jump, we have the full Sony STR-ZA3000ES specs.

Sony Announces a Monster 7.2 Channel 4K AV Receiver (STR-ZA3000ES)

by Sohrab Osati | Sep 15, 2014 | 3 comments

Announced at CEDIA, Sony is looking to take the world of 4K by storm with the STR-ZA3000ES. Leading the company’s high-end ES receivers, the ZA3000ES offers 4K input and output, 7.2 channel (110W), and an 8-port Giga Ethernet Hub to ensure all your home theater needs are met. Yes, there is still even good-ol component in for those looking to rock older devices. In addition to high-end specs, Sony also wanted to make the ZA3000E3 both highly functional and aesthetically pleasing. Beyond great specs, Sony has incorporated a clever front magnetic faceplate that covers the otherwise endless array of buttons which are needed to initially set up a device of this caliber.

After the jump you can find some more details on the Sony STR-ZA3000ES, including additional pictures from the front/rear showing off all the buttons and inputs.

Curved Sony S90 4K Television Specs

by Sohrab Osati | Sep 5, 2014 | 3 comments

At their annual IFA keynote, Sony dropped a surprise on us with a new curved 4K television, exclusive to Europe. Utilizing the same technology found in the X900 series, the S90 offers Sony’s TRILUMINOS technology in a curved 65- and 75-inch form factor. Say what you will about curved televisions and we’re certainly among those who raise an eyebrow every time we hear about them but this TV is certainly beautiful. After the jump, we’ve got some specs to go along with the new Sony S90 series.

Meet the Sony 7.1 Surround Soundbar (HT-ST5) With Nine Independent Speakers

by Sohrab Osati | Sep 4, 2014 | 1 comment

As much as Sony would like it, not all of us are able to jump into a X900B 4K TV series that take away the need for a soundbar, thanks to the built in Magnetic Fluid Speakers. The solution? A sound bar, of course. At IFA, Sony unveiled the HT-ST5, a ‘premium’ sound bar that offers 380 watts of 7.1 surround sound. All that power is pushed through seven digital amps and nine independent speakers. If this sounds like your kind of device, we have more details after the jump.

Curved Sony 4K S90B-65 and S90B-75 TVs Announced for Europe

by Sohrab Osati | Sep 3, 2014 | 0 comments

Announced at IFA, Sony will be bringing a new curved 4K model, exclusively to Europe. The S90B series will come in 65-inch and 75-inch variants with Sony’s TRILUMINOS technology that offers the same technology found in Sony’s X900B series of 4K televisions. The S90B also utilizes Sony’s 4.2 channel Multi-angle Live Speaker system uses separate drive units that accurately direct Left and Right front and surround channels into the room, removing the need for a sound bar. Sony has also incorporate a camera and microphone with built in Skype to make connecting with friends easier.

More after the jump.

Sony Xperia Z3 Specs Leak Prior to IFA, Include 4K Video Recording

by Sohrab Osati | Sep 2, 2014 | 0 comments

In less than 12 hours, Sony will kick off its IFA keynote where they are expected to announced the Xperia Z3 and Xperia Z3 Compact alongside other devices like the QX30, an attachable smartphone lens with 30x optical zoom. At this point, there isn’t a whole lot that hasn’t been leaked from the products we expect Sony to announce. Even the Xperia Z3, the company’s next flagship Android smartphone has been leaked numerous times, but the following may be the most telling yet.

While we’ve seen Xperia Z3 specs appear from time to time, the following photo (found after the jump) if true, will be the most revealing yet. Though we cannot independently confirm the validity of the photo, with the Xperia Z3 announcement right around the corner and many of the specs lining up with previous rumors, the picture is looking more and more like the real thing.

After the jump, the leaked Sony Xperia Z3 specs, including battery size, camera resolution/ISO, and audio formats, await you.

Sony FDR-AX100 4K Handycam Camcorder Specs

by Sohrab Osati | Aug 28, 2014 | 0 comments

Earlier this week, we revealed a new price point for the Sony AX100 4K Handycam that makes the powerful consumer camcorder more affordable than ever. With that post, we received a lot of feedback from the community, specifically on what helps power the AX100 and technical specs questions like the specific resolutions it’s capable of recording. Best part of it all is that according to Sony, a machine running with Windows XP SP3 is capable of interacting with the AX100 though I have a hard time believing a Windows XP machine can handle 1080p 60fps footage, let alone 4K. With that, after the jump, you can find the full Sony AX100 specs.

Sony Lowers Price On Their Already Well-Priced AX100 4K Camcorder

by Sohrab Osati | Aug 27, 2014 | 1 comment

One of the big reveals at CES 2014 was the Sony FDR-AX100 Handycam that empowered consumers to record in 4K. Sony famously dubbed it ‘4K for 2K,’ referring to its surprisingly low price tag of $2,000. As a recap, some specs for the AX100 include:

4K : 3840×2160/30P, 24P; XAVC-S HD : 1920×1080/60P, 30P, 24P
1″ Exmor R CMOS senso
14-Megapixel resolution video and 20-Megapixel still image capture
Versatile shooting w/ XAVC S2, AVCHD and MP4 codecs
Carl Zeiss Vario Sonnar * lens w/ 12x optical zoom
Multi-interface Accessory Shoe for system accessories
BIONZ X Processor enables high Speed rec 120fps
Optical SteadyShot Image Stabilization w/ Active Mode
Large 3.5″ XtraFine LCD (921K) and High contrast OLED EVF
Simple connectivity to smartphones via Wi-Fi/NFC
2ch LPCM for XAVC-S2 & 5.1ch AC3 for AVCHD

In short, for 4K enthusiasts, the camera offers a lot of bang for the buck. Now Sony is dropping the price of the camera and making it even more affordable.

6 Sony Products Win ‘Best’ at EISA 2014 Awards

by Jonathan Nolan | Aug 19, 2014 | 0 comments

The European Imaging and Sound Association (EISA) is the largest editorial multimedia organization in Europe, and this year they 6 Sony products were top of the class in their categories to win outright.

Last year Sony won 5 ‘best’ awards, including for the best tablet of the year award. This year the Xperia Z2 Tablet collected the same award, proving in a young category of product innovation, tablets, that Sony has got all the ideas right.

So slim, so classy, so slick – the Sony Xperia Z2 Tablet is undoubtedly an EISA winner.

Sony has given a secret to why their products succeed, read on to know what it is (and the other winners!)

2014 Sony 4K TV Awarded Best 4K Ultra HD TV

by Sohrab Osati | Aug 15, 2014 | 3 comments

The 2014 Sony 65X9005B has just been awarded the ‘Best 4K Ultra HD TV’ by EISA, the European Image and Sound Association. According to them, the X900B is an “all in one amazing package” that offers “high-end home entertainment thrills” with “natural and realistic colours.” The award goes as far as claiming that “no other TV sounds as good,” thanks to the Magnetic Fluid speakers. After the jump, their full thoughts.