Sony

Many agree master control and playout are headed to the cloud. But there is less agreement about the timing. While industry consolidation is spurring continued interest in centralizing master control and playout in the cloud, factors like looming UHD rollouts and satisfaction with channel-in-a-box and integrated playout solutions likely mean a mix of solutions will be deployed for some time. Be sure to look for Part I here. Click here to access TVNewsCheck’s NAB 2017 Resource Guide listing of master control and playout vendors and products or here to download it as a PDF.

Broadcasters increasingly are getting comfortable with the idea of replacing their existing baseband master control and playout infrastructure with a cloud alternative when the next technical refresh happens. However, for those looking to the public cloud questions remain about live TV. There’s also a nagging concern that must be addressed before broadcasters hand their cash registers over to something as ethereal as the cloud. Be sure to look for Part II on Monday, April 17. Click here to access TVNewsCheck’s NAB 2017 Resource Guide listing of master control and playout vendors and products or here to download it as a PDF.

The bonded cellular technology at the heart of today’s IP newsgathering systems has achieved such a level of maturity that many vendors have begun addressing the finer points, such as how to more closely integrate the workflow of reporters in the field with the newsroom and maintaining network speeds even when working within the confines of a VPN. At the same time, frenemy and outright competitors have arisen and are looking to make headway with stations by offering systems they say will reduce or eliminate ever-rising wireless data bills. Photo: LiveU. Click here to access TVNewsCheck’s NAB 2017 Resource Guide listing of ENG/IP Newsgathering vendors and products or here to download it as a PDF.

Drip, drip, drip. The trickle of changes in television capture and delivery continues to flow. But as next-gen TV inches towards finalization as a standard and the prospects for FCC authorization grow those drips will turn into a torrent. Broadcasters and camera vendors alike are getting serious about how to prepare for these changes while maintaining and improving existing HD workflow and program delivery. Click here to access TVNewsCheck’s NAB 2017 Resource Guide listing of broadcast camera vendors and products or here to download it as a PDF.

Sony’s PlayStation Vue is adjusting its lineup of television channels and droping Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon and other Viacom-owned television networks. Viacom’s networks no longer will be part of the subscription service as of Friday.

The Japanese electronics and entertainment giant reported a 4.8 billion yen ($45.8 million) net profit in July-September. Net profit was 33.6 billion yen in the same period a year earlier. Sales dropped nearly 11% to 1.69 trillion yen ($16.1 billion) in the last quarter, down from 1.89 trillion yen a year earlier, The culprits? A strong yen and lagging smartphone sales.

On Oct. 26, Sony will be awarded a Technical Emmy for its HDC-4300 camera. For Sony Professional Solutions Americas President Alec Shapiro and the rest of the Sony team here and around the world, the evening will be the culmination of a process that began with what he describes as a close relationship with the sports-production community.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sony isn’t the first to make virtual reality a reality, but in waiting, the company has delivered a worthy experience that’s cheaper, more comfortable and more […]

Sony Interactive Entertainment Japan Asia President Atsushi Morita appeared at a Tokyo event Tuesday, ahead of the Tokyo Game Show annual exhibition opening later this week. He announced the company’s preparing music, movies and other kinds of entertainment to augment games on its virtual reality headgear.

Sony | Stand C.101 | Website: www.pro.sony.eu Today, Sony unveiled how it is reshaping media solutions, introducing new ideas, approaches and technology on the opening day of IBC 2016. Sony’s […]

While Tegna’s Seattle TV properties downsized with the move to a new operations center, they upsized in technology, collaboration and growth potential. The new digs turn out more than 18 hours of news a day with state-of-the-art equipment including Sony cameras, automation, production switchers and news automation that controls gear from Evertz, Logitek, Grass Valley, Abekas and Ross Video.

When it comes to video, no fewer than four different options for IP transport (plus a variety of protocols and standards) will be proffered as alternatives to SDI baseband transport at the NAB Show in Las Vegas next month. From them, a few major themes are likely to emerge. For more information about IP newsgathering solutions at the NAB Show, click here.  For a resources guide to the companies mentioned in this story, click here. Read all the 2016 NAB Hot Topics stories here.

This year, TVNewsCheck is augmenting its coverage of NAB Show Hot Topics tech trends stories with information that can make your visit to NAB easier. This week’s focus is The Road To […]

PlayStation Vue’s streaming service, which had been limited to major cities during its first year, will start at $30 a month in the new regions. That’s $10 cheaper than current packages, but it won’t include over-the-air channels, such as stations for ABC and Fox. Vue’s seven older markets — big cities including New York City and San Francisco — won’t have access to the new, cheaper deal.

With broadcasters making plans to move to an ATSC 3.0 future that supports 4K and — more immediately — looking to leverage IP, the cloud and other technologies to improve workflows, the cameras at this year’s NAB Show will reflect the efforts of vendors to understand the evolving needs of broadcasters and address those requirements with their latest designs. Above, JVC’s GY-HM2005P. For a resources guide to the companies mentioned in this story, click here.

Sony plans to launch a 4K streaming service in the U.S. aimed at providing purchasers of its 4K Bravia TVs with some content to play on them. The transactional service will provide users of Sony’s new HDR TVs streams in the high-resolution Ultra HD format, complemented by High Dynamic Range (HDR) technology.

It’s been a big year for Sony’s Professional Solutions Group, which made a splash at NAB 2015 and IBC with the release of the HDC-4300 4K/high-speed/HD camera system.  In addition, Sony continues to roll out products for its end-to-end, live 4K production ecosystem, live HDR production and its IP live production system.

Johannes Leonardo has picked up the account for Sony’s new PlayStation Vue streaming TV service after a review that began last fall, according to people familiar with the situation. The cloud-based TV service, delivered through Sony’s PS4 and PS3 consoles, has been available in initial markets such as New York, Chicago and Philadelphia since March, and limited promotion has appeared in those areas. A national campaign is expected to begin later this year as Sony gains rights to TV stations in other markets and the service expands.

Sony | Booth C11001 | Website: http://blog.sony.com/nab/ At NAB 2015, Sony is demonstrating an advanced 4K live over IP solution for live broadcasting. This solution centers on the world’s first […]

IP transport will touch so many aspects of television that it is positioned over time to supplant most everything people know and understand about TV workflows — from origination and contribution to distribution and consumption. The latest developments will be on display at next month’s NAB Show. This is the latest installment of a special series on emerging tech trends, NAB Hot Topics, that will appear each week leading up to the NAB Show that runs April 11-16 in Las Vegas. The schedule: March 26: Audio; April 2: Automation. Read the earlier installments here.

Sony on Wednesday launched PlayStation Vue in Chicago, New York and Philadelphia. Starting at $49.99 a month, the service offers more than 50 channels, including local CBS, Fox and NBC signals, and cable channels such as USA, TBS, Fox News and Discovery. Special features include the availability of the past three days of popular programming and personalization features based on a user’s viewing habits.

The gaming and electronics company announced Tuesday at the Game Developers Conference that its VR system nicknamed Project Morpheus will debut in the first half of 2016. Sony Corp. originally unveiled a prototype of the headset at last year’s gathering of video game developers. The headset works in tandem with Sony’s PlayStation 4 console and camera by covering users’ vision and simulating virtual worlds on screen.

Chief Executive Kazuo Hirai acknowledged the company had failed to keep abreast of changing times. Splitting out divisions will help make it more nimble, making each operation more accountable for results, he said.

Companies are proposing a next-generation broadcast TV tech standard to reach a number of goals. But one result that’s not been in the spotlight is the mega-bucks that will flow to them in the form of royalties from whatever patented technology they can squeeze into the new standard.

“The entertainment industry will be driven by the television business and not the movie business,” said Sony Pictures Television President Steve Mosko last night at a Chapman University panel session. TV used to be the industry’s “bastard child,” but it is now a creative mecca. “I think the motion picture business is still a great business, but there’s just so much television being produced — and so much good television being produced.” Execs of AMC and Netflix also appeared on the panel.

Sony will delay its fourth quarter earnings report as repairs remain ongoing to its hacked computer system. The systems, including accounting and financial applications, won’t be restored until early next month, underscoring the damage suffered by Sony Pictures after its film The Interview was targeted.

CEO Kazuo Hirai, who hasn’t spoken about publicly about the hack before, opened a press event at the International CES trade show in Las Vegas by saying he “would be remiss” if he didn’t mention the controversy over the Sony comedy, The Interview. Hirai did not offer any new information about the hack, but said Monday evening that freedom of speech and expression are “very important” to Sony and its entertainment business.

The Sony hacking attack continues to deliver more dramatic plotlines than any fictional movie, but meanwhile the movie studio must move forward and tackle the next steps in minimizing the mess. Will Sony eventually release “The Interview” in some form? In theaters, on DVD or online? And what recourse does the company have against the North Korean-linked hackers?

The decision by the Obama adminstration to openly blame North Korea — which involved the State Department and U.S. intelligence agencies — escalated an intriguing global game of brinkmanship that included the disclosure of confidential Sony emails and business files and threats of terror attacks against U.S. movie theaters until Sony agreed to cancel the Christmas Day release of its comedy, “The Interview,” which the hackers had demanded partly over a scene depicting the assassination of North Korea’s leader.