The BRAVIA ZX1 is a 40" Full HD LCD TV that fits in any existing decor.

SHOWCASE: Sony launched a bunch of LCD TVs in Singapore and Philippines recently, with the Philippines launch held on 27 May 2009 at the EDSA Shangri-La Hotel, Manila and the Singapore launch held on 9 June at the Red Dot Museum, Singapore.

The star of the launch in both countries is of course, the BRAVIA ZX1, a 40-inch Full-HD panel with a significant lean depth of 9.9mm. Powered with Sony’s Edge LEDs, the ZX1 uses side-LEDs incorporating a “Light Guide Plate” to ensure the same luminance as the CCFL breeds, so that center areas of the screen are evenly lit. Expect the BRAVIA ZX1 to be available in June 2009.

Besides the ZX1, Sony also unveiled the WE5 Series in both countries. The WE5 aims to conserve energy with the use of a Hot Cathode Fluorescent Lamp (HCFL) for its backlights, and an Intelligent Presence Sensor that senses if a viewer is present in the room. If the viewer is absent, the sensor will automatically turn the TV off to reduce power consumption by over 40%.

More pictures after the jump. (more…)

Is Sony Pictures going to be the first major studio to offer full-length movies on YouTube?

Sony-owned Crackle.com serves shows mainly to its Internet-enabled Sony devices.

T&A: Bloomberg released a report stating that the Entertainment Division of Sony Corp has started talks with Google on the possibility of posting movies on YouTube. While no major U.S. movie studio has yet to do what Sony intends to do, Sony Pictures’ move could open up the potential for other studios to consider doing the same.

According to the report, Sony Pictures has more than 60 vintage films in its archive, including television shows, which it might consider putting on YouTube. As of today, several TV shows and clips from CBS Corp. and eventually Walt Disney, have or would appear on YouTube as well. It is a known fact that most advertisers prefer to relate their pre-roll advertising campaigns to professionally produced content rather than home video material. (more…)

The Sony Cyber-shot HX1 is a 9.1-megapixel camera with the Sweep Panorama function, which lets you stitch your panoramic shots together with just a press-and-sweep motion.

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H20 features Sony's exclusive 1/2.3-type Super HAD CCD image sensor and a 10.1-megapixel resolution. It is equipped with a retractable Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens covering a range from 2cm macro to 10x optical zoom.

SHOWCASE: Sony Electronics Asia Pacific will be expanding its Cyber-shot H-series digital still camera (DSC) range with the flagship, DSC-HX1 and compact high zoom model DSC-H20.  The DSC-HX1 is the world’s first compact DSC to shoot up to 10 frames a second and offers a Sweep Panorama mode for taking breathtaking panoramic scenes with one effortless press-and-sweep motion (yes, how many times have you had to manually stitch those eh?).

Both features are possible thanks to Sony’s new Exmor CMOS Sensor with its BIONZ imaging processor. The DSC-H20 on the other hand, features the retractable Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens that allows for a 2cm macro zoom to a 10x optical zoom. It also has a new Intelligent Auto mode and support for 720 High Definition (HD) movie recording and playback.

“Leading the drive for innovation, Sony continues to develop superior imaging capabilities that can be integrated into compact cameras for today’s consumers,” said Mr. Tatsuo Takahashi, General Manager, Digital Imaging Marketing Division, Sony Electronics Asia Pacific.

Expect both cameras to be available in the Asia Pacific region by end-April.

The Sony NWZ-X1000 series video MP3 player has a 3-inch OLED screen and is available in two types - the X1050 (16GB) and X1060 (32GB).

SHOWCASE: Previously seen at CES 2009, Sony Electronics Asia Pacific has expanded its Walkman collection with three new ranges — the Walkman X1000 series, W200 series and S630FK series. With a revolutionary put-on wearing style, the W-series frees consumers from tangled wires.

The Walkman X1000 series video MP3 player, on the other hand, utilizes Sony’s S-Master and digital noise cancelling on a 3-inch OLED (Organic Light-emitting Diode) panel. It has Internet connectivity features for users to stream YouTube videos and direct-download podcasts while outdoors.

Finally, the S-Series introduces a new unique 2-watt speaker that doubles up as a charging dock for the Walkman NWZ-S636F video MP3 player.  (more…)

CORP TALK: In an effort to “spark further innovation, strengthen competitiveness, improve profitability and position itself as a global leader in products and services for the digital, networked age”, Sony Corporation announced a major reorg on its electronics and game businesses, and a new management team with changes effective April 1, 2009.

Sir Howard Stringer, CEO and Chairman of Sony Corporation, will add on the role of Sony President come April 1, 2009.

While Sir Howard Stringer remains as Chairman and CEO, he’ll also assume the role of President. He will directly oversee the electronics business in this role. The two new groups are:

A) The Networked Products & Services Group: Oversees Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE), personal computers (VAIO), new mobile products (eg. WALKMAN line), Sony Media Software and Services. This group’s objective is to maximize potential of Sony’s networked products and services. One key focus of the group is to expand the PlayStation Network service platform, which currently stands at 20 million registered accounts. Kazuo Hirai, currently the President and Group CEO of SCE will become Exec. VP of Sony Corp and President of this group.

B) The New Consumer Products Group (”New CPG”): Oversees Television, Digital Imaging, Home Audio and Video businesses. Hiroshi Yoshioka, currently the Exec. VP of Sony Corp and President of the TV Biz. Grp. will become the Exec. Deputy President of Sony Corp. and President of the New CPG. The semicon and component biz. grp will also report to him. (Editor opinion: 1)

Terence Ang, Supervising Editor, HWM

Terence (HWM): Big shifts in the economy or ecosystem always change the way consumers spend their time and money. It is believed that with the current turmoil, the general populace is staying home more often and spending a great deal of time in the living room. 

The announced reorg by Sony Corp focusing on both the gaming and TV businesses mean a signal of a potential change in positioning and price for some of Sony’s high-value product lines in relation to one another. The pressure to maintain market share in a volatile price-competitive environment would see Sony tightening the way it offers services within its network of hardware, to better compete against the LG-Netflix or Samsung-Yahoo TV partnerships. (more…)