Today Sony announced their new line of smartphones the Xperia NXT Series. The three phones featured in the line are the Xperia S, Xperia P and Xperia U.

The Xperia S comes with a 4.3 inch scratch resistant display, 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, 1 GB of RAM and 12.1 Megapixel rear facing camera with LED flash plus 1080p HD video capture, 1.3 megapixel front facing camera with 720p Viedeo capture and will ship with Android 2.3 Gingerbread but will get an update to Android 4.0 ICS in Q2 2012.

The Xperia P comes with a smaller 4 inch scratch resistant display, 1 GHz dual core processor, 16 GB of storage, 8 megapixel rear facing camera with LED flash and 1080p video capture and a VGA front-facing camera. This will also ship with Android 2.3 Gingerbread and will receive an update in Q2 2012 to Android 4.0 ICS.

The Xperia U is the smallest of the series with a 3.5 inch display, 1 GHz dual-core processor, 5 megapixel rear facing camera, VGA front facing camera and will also be shipping with Android 2.3 and will receive the ice cream sandwich update in Q2 2012.

It looks like Sony is trying to step up their game and compete directly with Samsun’s Galaxy lineup. We’ll have to wait and see how well they do. Check the full specs for each phone below.

Xperia S

• 144 grams
• 5.1 ounces

• 128.0 x 64.0 x 10.6 mm
• 5.0 x 2.5 x 0.4 inches

• Talk time (up to) 8 hours 30 minutes [1]
• Standby time (up to) 420 hours [1]
• Music listening time: 25 hours [1]

Available colors

• 4.3 inch scratch-resistant TFT touchscreen
• 16 million colours, 1280 x 720 pixels
• Google Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)
• (Upgrade to Android 4, Ice Cream Sandwich, planned in Quarter 2 2012)
• 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Dual Core processor
• 12.1 megapixel camera with auto focus
• 16x digital zoom, LED flash

Camera and video

• 12.1 megapixel camera with LED flash and Auto focus
• Sony’s Exmor™ R for mobile CMOS sensor
• 16x digital zoom
• f/2.4 Aperture
• HD video recording (1080p)
• 3D Sweep Panorama
• Image playback, supported formats: BMP, GIF, JPEG, PNG, WBMP
• Image capture, supported format: JPEG
• Video playback and recording, supported formats: 3GPP, MP4
• Accelerated Adobe Flash Video
• Front-facing camera (1.3 megapixel, 720p)
• Face recognition and Smile Shutter™

Entertainment

• TrackID music recognition
• xLOUD Experience – audio filter technology from Sony
• FM Radio with RDS
• 3.5 mm audio jack for headphones
• Audio playback, supported formats: MP3, 3GPP, MP4, SMF, WAV, OTA, Ogg vorbis
• Audio recording, supported formats: 3GPP, MP4, AMR
• 3D and motion gaming
• Timescape with Twitter integrated
• Facebook inside Xperia 2.0
• Sony Entertainment Network (selected markets only)
• Clear stereo and clear bass
• 3D surround sound
• PlayStation® Certified
• TV launcher

Connectivity and communication

• USB High speed 2.0 and Micro USB support
• WiFi and WiFi Hotspot functionality
• HDMI Support
• DLNA Certified
• Synchronisation via Exchange ActiveSync, Google Sync and Facebook
• aGPS
• WebKit web browser with Pan & zoom
• Bluetooth technology
• Native USB tethering
• NFC

Display

• 4.3”, 1280×720 pixels 16,777,216 colour TFT
• Reality display with Mobile BRAVIA® Engine
• Scratch-resistant, shatter proof sheet on mineral glass
• Capacitive touchscreen with on-screen QWERTY keyboard
• Screenshot capturing

Pre-loaded applications

• Google Voice Search
• Google Talk with video chat
• Google Mail
• Google Calendar
• Google Gallery 3D
• Google Maps with Street View and Latitude

Memory

• Internal phone storage: 1 to 1.5GB
• RAM: 1GB
• Flash memory: 32GB eMMC

Networks

• GSM GPRS/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900
• UMTS HSPA 850, 900, 1900, 2100

Xperia P

• 120 grams
• 4.2 ounces
• 122 x 59.5 x 10.5 mm
• 4.8 x 2.3 x 0.4 inches
• Talk time (up to) 6 hours (GSM) [1]
• Standby time (up to) 475 hours (UMTS) [1]
• Music listening time (up to): 80 hours [1]
• Video playback time (up to): 4 hours
• 4 inch scratch-resistant TFT touchscreen
• 16 million colours, 960 x 540 pixels
• Google Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)
• (Upgrade to Android 4, Ice Cream Sandwich, planned in Quarter 2 2012)
• 1 GHz U8500 Dual Core processor
• 8 megapixel camera with auto focus
• 8x digital zoom, LED flash

Camera and video

• 8 megapixel camera with LED flash and Auto focus
• Sony’s Exmor™ R for mobile CMOS sensor
• 8x digital zoom
• HD video recording (1080p)
• 3D Sweep Panorama
• Image playback, supported formats: BMP, GIF, JPEG, PNG, WBMP
• Image capture, supported format: JPEG
• Video playback and recording, supported formats: 3GPP, MP4
• Accelerated Adobe Flash Video
• Face detection and Smile detection
• Front-facing camera (VGA)

Entertainment

• TrackID music recognition
• xLOUD Experience – audio filter technology from Sony
• FM Radio with RDS
• 3.5 mm audio jack for headphones
• Audio playback, supported formats: MP3, 3GPP, MP4, SMF, WAV, OTA, Ogg vorbis
• Audio recording, supported formats: 3GPP, MP4, AMR
• Motion gaming
• Timescape with Twitter integrated
• Facebook inside Xperia 2.0
• Sony Entertainment Network (selected markets only)
• Clear bass and clear stereo

Connectivity and communication

• USB High speed 2.0 and Micro USB support
• WiFi and WiFi Hotspot functionality
• HDMI Support
• DLNA Certified
• Synchronisation via Exchange ActiveSync, Google Sync and Facebook
• aGPS
• WebKit web browser with Pan & zoom
• Bluetooth technology
• Native USB tethering
• NFC
• Noise Suppression

Display

• 4”, 960×540 pixels 16,777,216 colour TFT
• Reality display with Mobile BRAVIA® Engine
• Scratch-resistant, shatter proof sheet on mineral glass
• Capacitive touchscreen with on-screen QWERTY keyboard
• Screenshot capturing
• WhiteMagic™ technology

Pre-loaded applications

• Google Voice Search
• Google Talk with video chat
• Google Mail
• Google Calendar
• Google Gallery 3D
• Google Maps with Street View and Latitude

Memory

• Internal phone storage: 16GB (up to 13GB user-accessible memory)
• RAM: 1GB

Networks

• GSM GPRS/EDGE 850, 900, 1800, 1900
• UMTS HSPA 850, 900, 1900, 2100

Xperia U

• 110 grams
• 3.9 ounces
• 112 x 54 x 12 mm
• 4.4 x 2.1 x 0.5 inches
• Talk time (up to) 6 hours 36 minutes (GSM) [1]
• Standby time (up to) 472 hours (UMTS) [1]
• Music listening time: Up to 45 hours [1]
• Video playback time: Up to 6 hours
• 3.5 inch scratch-resistant TFT touchscreen
• 16 million colours, 854 x 480 pixels
• Google Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)
• (Upgrade to Android 4, Ice Cream Sandwich, planned in Quarter 2 2012)
• 1 GHz Qualcomm Dual Core processor
• 5 megapixel camera with auto focus
• 16x digital zoom, LED flash

If it’s a gaming console its sure to get Netflix on it. Neflix the movie streaming, Blu-Ray and DVD services makes sure that you can get access to its streaming only library from any device you can think of and with the 5 inch OLED display for the PS Vita watching movies and TV shows will be great on the go.

The application is available in the PS Store and it’s a free download but you will need a paid Netflix subscription to use it. If you don’t have one there is a 1 month free trial offer if you sign up through your PS Vita.  The app itself is good but has some quirks to it. It takes awhile for it to load up and it has to connect to the PlayStation network each time you load it and the overall load time is longer than desired. While the navigation is clean and easy to use with the physical buttons the touch screen navigation is not as intuitive as  you would think. It doesn’t use any gestures and you can’t scroll up and down as we’ve become used to on mobile devices. Scrolling left to right works but is choppy at times. You can tap on the arrow buttons to get around but it’s just not what you would want to do when you first use the app.  There is also search available and you can fully manage your Netflix queue right on the vita.

Playback is fast and smooth so once you have the app open and get to the movie you want you’ll get it quick over Wi-fi and the quality is great and best over a fast Wi-Fi connection. Video controls are simple by just tapping on the screen you can bring up the navigation bar and slide to the point in the movie where you want to go and you can also do this by scene above it.

Overall it’s a nice app that needs some updates to get it just a bit better.

Here are step by step instructions on how to update your PS Vita. There are several options in updating the system to the latest firmware when Sony sends an update out.  You should get a system notification when you get an update but if not you’ll want to do the following to get the update.  If you’re not the best with tech then this will help you a lot.

• Close out any games open and save your progress before starting
• From the home screen scroll down and open the Settings options and launch it.
• From there you should see the first Settings option which is System Update
• You have 3 ways of updating your system. You can us Wi-Fi, USB Connection to a PS3 o USB Connection to a PC with Content Management Software.  For this example we used Wi-Fi.
• Follow each prompt and read the agreement before download the update. The update will tell you what’s in it before you download.
• Once you have agreed and download the update you will need to let the system update and don’t touch it until its complete which will be when its back on the lock screen page.

There you go. Really simple and what most people should able to get with easy but this is a quick video on how to do it for those that are not the most tech savvy.

The PS Vita is finally here…. Well the Wi-Fi edition is finally made its way to stores today for those who decided to wait a bit longer and not get the First Edition Wi-Fi + 3G bundle that came out. This is Sony’s revamp into the handheld gaming market looking to take a bite out of the market that Nintendo has dominated for so long.  For $250 the Wi-Fi edition PS vita comes with a 5. inch OLED touch screen display, quad-core gaming processor, SIXAXIS front and rear facing cameras, rear multi-touch pad, GPS, Bluetooth and standard PlayStation controller layout.  You won’t find any onboard storage you will need to go and buy the storage cards that are proprietary and pricey at the moment.  There is also tight integration with the PlayStation 3 with being able to play only on the PlayStation Vita against a PS3 user with the same game.  Sony could possible have a winner here and really take on the Nintendo 3DS and DS Lin and may even slow down the threat of Apple in this market against the iPod Touch. Check out our unboxing and first impressions video below.

Full Specs:

CPU- ARM^® Cortex™- A9 core (4 core)

GPU- SGX543MP4+

External Dimensions

Approx. 182.0 x 18.6 x 83.5mm (width x height x depth)
(tentative, excludes largest projection)

Screen (Touch Screen)

5 inches (16:9), 960 x 544, Approx. 16 million colors, OLED
Multi touch screen (capacitive type)

Rear Touch Pad

Multi touch pad (capacitive type)

Cameras

Front camera, Rear camera

Sound

Built-in stereo speakers
Built-in microphone

Sensors

Six-axis motion sensing system (three-axis gyroscope,
three-axis accelerometer), Three-axis electronic compass

Location

Built-in GPS
Wi-Fi location service support

Keys / Switches

PS button
Power button
Directional buttons (Up/Down/Right/Left)
Action buttons (Triangle, Circle, Cross, Square)
Shoulder buttons (Right/Left)
Right stick, Left stick
START button, SELECT button
Volume buttons (+/-)

Wireless Communications

Mobile network connectivity (3G)
IEEE 802.11b/g/n (n = 1×1)(Wi-Fi)(Infrastructure mode/Ad-hoc mode)
Bluetooth^® 2.1+EDR (A2DP/AVRCP/HSP

Since this is my first article for this site, I feel that I should explain who I am before getting into my reasoning.  I am a 26-year-old PC gamer, and have been primarily gaming on PCs since Quake 2 came out, desperately trying to connect to any server that would have me on my 56k connection.

In terms of the kind of PC gamer I am, I would say that I am “that guy.”  I will always say that a keyboard and mouse is the best controller, and will always moan and groan when you tell me you purchased the latest Call of Duty title for your Xbox or PS3.  Playing first person shooters with thumb sticks is like trying to hit a home run with a broken piece of plywood.  It just doesn’t work. That being said, I absolutely cannot wait for new consoles to come out.  Why?

Graphics Are All Dated

The Xbox 360 and PS3 are pretty long in the tooth as far as hardware goes, and although it’s impressive to see what developers can still do with the hardware they are still severely limited by it.  The cores in my current PC processor are taking turns napping and my video card is now in a coma because of developers holding back to make their titles multi-platform.  There have been a few exceptions recently (Skyrim, Battlefield 3), but even those 2 aren’t really pushing the envelope.

New Control Methods

Don’t get me wrong, I am a huge fan of consoles.  That being said, I’ve always wanted to use my precious keyboard and mouse and play Halo, Resistance, or whatever other console exclusive shooter is out.  Yes, I am completely aware that there are products that allow you to do this, but I really think that it should be a native thing.  Screw balance.  There are ranking systems now.  Let the people who want to play with controllers hover in the low levels while the people who want to seriously play get up to the intermediate/expert levels.  Will this ever happen?  Probably not.  But one can dream.

Consoles ARE Better for Some Things

When I want to play competitively, which is most of the time, I’ll boot up my PC.  If I want to sit back and relax and maybe take some story in, I’ll boot up my 360 or PS3.  Cinematic storylines are a better experience on a console than on a PC mainly because of my home theatre setup.  Bigger screen, bigger speakers, more to take in. While you CAN do this with a PC, it just doesn’t feel the same to me.

Although I am a PC gamer, I am realistic.  I know that consoles are the future and that they do bring in a lot more revenue than PC games.  Whether or not I will be able to keep using my keyboard and mouse for years to come will be up to the gaming industry.

Follow Ryan Chua @THEREALCHUA

The Xperia ION is a new flagship phone for Sony who purchased their cell phone division fully from Ericsson last year. It’s Sony’s first 4G LTE phone and is exclusive to AT&T. It packs a massive 4.6 inch 1280×720 HD display, 1.5 GHz dual-core processor, 1 GB or RAM, 16 GB of build-in storage, a powerful 12 Megapixel camera with LED flash plus 1080p HD video capture. It will run Android 2.3 Gingerbread with Sony’s UI customizations but will be upgradable to Android 4.0 ICS in the future. This phone I really like here from Sony. Pushing power and high camera specs with LTE data speeds should equal success here. Check out our hands-on demo.

We will be hosting a live blog even for Sony’s CES 2012 press event. Sony looks be going in the direction of connected devices and streaming entertainment with Smart TVs and electronics. There is sure to be some android related stuff as well from their mobile division now fully owned by Sony. We should get more details on the US launch of the PS Vita as well. Bookmark this page here for the live blog event starting at 5 PM PST on Jan 9th.

It’s been awhile since we have seen or heard from Google TV. The initial tries with the Sony Internet TV Player and the Logitech Revue failed to meet expectations. Now Google is looking to give it a second go with the latest Google TV update that brings Android 3.1 Honeycomb. The new update also brings a new a new interface that brings TV & Movies to the center stage. There is also better navigation between your content putting live tv, movies, streaming and internet content all in one place. There is also now access to the Android Market for apps to expand capabilities.  The update will roll out to the Sony Internet TV Player first then the Logitech Revue later on. Check out the demo videos below to get a quick glimpse at what’s new in Google TV.

*

Here is our first impressions, unboxing and hands-on of Sony’s first android tablet the S1. The S1 is the first Android 3.0 tablet from Sony and feature a 9.4 inch touch screen display, 1.0 GHz Nvidia Tegra 2 Processor, 16 GB of storage, 5 megapixel camera with HD video recording, VGA front-facing camera, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, PlayStation Certified and runs Android 3.1 honeycomb with some custom overlays made by Sony. Check out our unboxing hands-on and first impressions video below.

Press Release:

Sony Announces Optimally Designed “Sony Tablet” with Android 3.0 that Complements Network Services for an Immersive Entertainment Experience

-Also strengthening VAIO in expanding PC markets-

Sony Corporation (“Sony”), announces “Sony Tablet” that delivers the perfect combination of hardware, content and network with seamless usability for a high-quality, engaging entertainment experience. Based on decades of engineering heritage, Sony is developing two tablets with unprecedented design, including S1 (codename) which is optimized for rich media entertainment and S2 (codename) which is ideal for mobile communication and entertainment. “Sony Tablet” will become available in the global market starting in fall 2011.
“Sony Tablet” is equipped with the latest Android 3.0 which is designed for devices with larger screen sizes, particularly tablets. Both tablets are WiFi and WAN (3G/4G) compatible and users can not only browse the internet or check e-mail but they can also smoothly access digital content including videos, games and books through Sony’s premium network services and more, on-the-go at any time.

S1 has a 9.4-inch display for enjoying the web and rich content on a large screen. Its off-center of gravity design realizes stability and ease of grip as well as a sense of stability and lightness, offering comfortable use for hours.
S2 has two 5.5-inch displays that can be folded for easy portability. In contrast to existing tablets, its unprecedented dual screen presentation and usability allows its displays to be combined and used as a large screen or for different functions such as playing video on one screen while showing control buttons on the other.
“‘Sony Tablet’ delivers an entertainment experience where users can enjoy cloud-based services on-the-go at any time. We’re aiming to create a new lifestyle by integrating consumer hardware, including ‘Sony Tablet’ with content and network,” said Kunimasa Suzuki, Corporate Executive, SVP, and Deputy President of Consumer Products & Services Group.
“Android 3.0 is a new version of the Android platform with a new holographic user interface that is designed from the ground up for devices with larger screen sizes, particularly tablets. I’m excited about “Sony Tablet” as it will further spur the development of applications and network offerings which users are looking for.” said Andy Rubin, Senior Vice President, Mobile, Google Inc.
Also, in the mobile computing category, the market for PCs which realize high productivity is expected to steadily grow, particularly in emerging markets. Therefore, Sony will also remain committed to strengthening its VAIO brand and introduce increasingly compelling products which offer new value propositions to the market.
“Sony Tablet” features.

Designed for portability and intuitive gripping

With its off-center of gravity form factor, the 9.4-inch S1 offers stability and a sense of lightness, offering comfortable use for hours.
The dual screen S2 comes with two 5.5-inch displays which can be used together as one large screen to browse websites and more. They can also be used for different functions as users can watch a video on one screen and input commands on the other, or check email on one screen and use the other as a soft keyboard.

Seamless Usability and Performance

Through Sony’s knowhow for combining hardware and software, “Sony Tablet” realizes optimal usability and performance. Because of Sony’s rapid response technologies, users can perform smooth, quick touch-screen operations and enjoy fast and efficient website loading. The keyboard arrangement is also optimized for the large screen, making email and SNS communication a breeze.

Rich entertainment experiences through various network services

Through Qriocity¹ music and video services, users can enjoy rich video and music content. Also, through PlayStation®Suite, users can immerse themselves in high quality first generation PlayStation® titles. Additionally, users can easily download ebook content from Reader™Store² and use both tablets as digital reading devices. The integration with various services allows users to take their entertainment experiences on-the-go. Furthermore, “Sony Tablet” is equipped with functionality that organizes content for easy access.

Remote access functionality with AV devices

Through “Sony Tablet”, users can control home entertainment devices as well as enjoy content in new ways. S1 uses infrared technology and works as universal remote controls for a variety of AV devices starting with. Users can perform functions like turning on their TVs, changing the channel and adjusting the volume. Also, through DLNA functionality on “Sony Tablet”, users can “throw” personal content to large screen televisions or music to wireless speakers.

In 2010, Sony launched a network platform called “Qriocity” which connects many of Sony’s network-enabled devices, and has been expanding its services into global markets. Also, Sony Computer Entertainment has been providing various contents and services for PlayStation users through PlayStation®Network, which now has over 75 million registered accounts (as of March 20, 2011) worldwide.

Simultaneously, Sony will continue to announce various devices which leverage these services. Starting in early 2011, Sony Computer Entertainment announced the next-generation portable entertainment system (codename: NGP) while Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications brought “Xperia™PLAY” to the market. Sony is introducing “Sony Tablet” to deliver an entertainment experience which integrates hardware with network services that deliver rich content.

With the establishment of Consumer Products and Services Group in April 2011, Sony will focus on accelerating the development of innovative next generation products and aim to deliver a new lifestyle by strengthening the integration of hardware and network services.

1 In markets where service is available
2 In markets where service is available
“Sony Tablet”, “Qriocity”, “Reader” are trademarks of Sony Corporation
VAIO, are registered trademarks of Sony Corporation
PlayStation is a trademark of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
Xperia is a trademark of Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB.
Android is a trademark of Google Inc.

Sony will release the HMZ-T1 3D head-mounted visor in Japan on November 11th.  If  you remember we saw the prototype back at CES 2011 and now they are official and releasing in Japan. The design has changed a bit from when we say it the first time but the specs look to be the same s before. It comes with two 0.7 inch 1280×720 OLED display that gives the user experience of viewing a 750 inch display about 66 feet away. It also has 5.1 surround sound coming out of the integrated headphones as well as the processing unit that has HDMI input and output so you can take the visor off to watch regular TV. It’s priced at 60,000 yen which is about $783 in the US. Check the video from CES 2011 and PR Below.

Via Engadget

Source: Sony Japan

Press Release:

Introducing World’s First*1 3D Compatible Head Mounted Display Equipped With High Definition OLED Panel
- Offering a new 3D-viewing style with movie theater-like virtual screen*2 experience –
Head Mounted Display "Personal 3D Viewer" (HMZ-T1)
Head Mounted Display "Personal 3D Viewer" (HMZ-T1)
Tokyo, Japan – August 31, 2011 – Sony Corporation ("Sony") today announced the launch of Head Mounted Display "Personal 3D Viewer" ‘HMZ-T1′, a device that offers a spectacular new style for viewing both 2D and 3D content. Simply slip the device onto your head to experience the movie theater-like virtual screen (equivalent to a 750-inch screen*2) expand before your eyes.*3
It is equipped with the newly-developed 0.7-inch (diagonal 18.0mm) high definition OLED panel (1280 x 720), which have been realized through Sony’s unique expertise in both OLED display and semiconductor silicon drive technologies. The ‘HMZ-T1′ achieves HD picture quality that makes full use of the OLED display’s high contrast, color reproducibility, and fast response. In addition, the device adopts the ‘Dual Panel 3D Method’ which consists of separate panels for the left and right eye in order to display independent HD picture quality to each eye, which realize 3D vision. The viewer can enjoy natural and bright 3D picture quality that is crosstalk-free. Furthermore, we have achieved a wide horizontal viewing angle of 45 degrees by incorporating an optical lens that thoroughly suppresses unwanted elements such as aberration and distortion. Viewers can now enjoy watching video on a movie theater-like big-screen (750-inch virtual screen, virtual viewing distance approx. 20m)*2. Sony has also adopted its original virtual surround signal processing technology. Combined with the high-resolution 3D picture quality, viewers will be able to fully enjoy powerful acoustics equivalent to a maximum of 5.1ch through the left and right headphones alone.
Sony group has offered a wide range of 3D products and 3D content production systems, from industrial 3D filming and editing equipment and movie theater systems through to its "BRAVIA" LCD TVs, home projectors, Blu-ray™ Disc devices, Personal Computer VAIO and "PlayStation 3" while its "Handycam" and "Cyber-shot" cameras even enable people to film 3D video themselves. And now, this new 3D viewing style provided by ‘HMZ-T1′ will enable users to enjoy the movie theater-like experience whilst relaxing on their living room sofa, thus further expanding Sony’s 3D world.
Main Features
(1)
The high definition OLED panel delivers HD picture quality.
(2)
The ‘Dual Panel 3D Method’ delivers natural and bright 3D picture quality that is crosstalk-free.
(3)
Optical lens which realize wide 45-degree horizontal viewing angle (750-inch virtual screen, virtual viewing distance approx. 20m)*2 which is equivalent to a movie theater screen, while the shielding construction creates a deep feeling of immersion.
(4)
’5.1ch Virtual Surround Technology (Virtualphones Technology)’ for realistic and expressive sound.
*1
As a 3D-compatible Head Mounted Display for consumer product (announced on August 31, 2011).
*2
Virtual screen size experience may vary between individuals.
*3
This device must be connected to the supplied processor unit via supplied cable, and the processor unit must be connected to a playback device such as a Blu-ray disc™ device via the HDMI cable.
Main Features (Details)
(1) High definition OLED panel delivers high picture quality
It realized 0.7-inch, high definition OLED panel (1280 x 720), through Sony’s unique expertise in both OLED display and semiconductor silicon drive technology. The display’s high contrast, color reproducibility, and fast response give added depth, allowing the viewer to enjoy smooth and high picture quality. For more information about high definition OLED panel
High contrast： The self-illuminating OLED panels achieve a powerfully high contrast that transcends the limits of measuring equipment. The display’s ability to render true ultra-deep black tones results in beautiful and stunningly crisp contrasted images, even for bright light such as fireworks or twinkling city lights against the night sky.
Color reproducibility： Sony developed a new signal processing circuit in order to maximize the features of OLED, particularly the bright, highly-pure colors and smooth gradation expression. Sony’s own proprietary ‘Super Bit Mapping Video (SBMV) technology’ has been incorporated to convert the 8-bit video of terrestrial digital broadcasts and Blu-ray discs™ for reproduction as a gradation expression equivalent to 14-bits. Even the faintest color differences are faithfully reproduced.
Fast response： The OLED panel illuminates as soon as electrical current is passed through it, giving it superior fast response (response time: less than 0.01ms) for video. This enables the panel to display smooth, natural video, even for fast-moving activities such as sports and games, without any blurry afterimages.
Interchangeable lens camera "α77" and "α65", as well as "NEX-7" are equipped with 0.5-inch (diagonal 12.7mm) and XGA electronic viewfinder (EVF). (Announced on August 24, 2011)
(2) The ‘Dual Panel 3D Method’ delivers natural and bright 3D picture quality that is crosstalk-free
Displaying 3D images using a single screen generally requires either the Frame Sequential (FS) method, in which the screens for left and right are switched rapidly, or the Line by Line (LBL) method, in which the video for left and right is displayed alternately on the scan line. The FS method tends to generate crosstalk phenomenon, which occurs when the left and right video frames do not switch completely, resulting in mixed images. Under the LBL method, the number of pixels is halved.
‘HMZ-T1′ adopts the ‘Dual Panel 3D method,’ which utilizes separate panels for the left and right eyes, each with its own dedicated 3D video. Therefore, it does not generate crosstalk. Furthermore, as the HD quality video is displayed separately on each of the panels, viewers can now enjoy high resolution 3D video that is natural, bright and extremely pure, to an extent that had not been possible until now.
(3) Optical lens which realize wide 45-degree horizontal viewing angle equivalent to a movie theater screen, while the shielding construction creates a deep feeling of immersion.
From Sony’s optical lens technology developed through the projector, the adopted optical lens realize the wide 45-degree horizontal viewing angle, which enables the viewer to enjoy a movie theater-like atmosphere with wide vision experience of 750-inch virtual screen (virtual viewing distance 20m)*2. In addition, it realizes low aberration and distortion which reproduce the primary movie theater picture quality. The viewer can easily read small subtitles whilst experiencing the intensity of 3D as the video images expand before their eyes.
The design of this device is such that it covers the maximum possible field of vision (approx. 200 degrees), surpassing the video viewing range of 45 degrees. Any information unrelated to viewing is isolated, resulting in a feeling of deep immersion. The supplied light shield (shade plate) can intercept the light from below, which further enhances the feeling of immersion for the viewer.
(4) Equipped with ’5.1ch Virtual Surround Technology (Virtualphones Technology)’ to enjoy realistic and expressive sound
‘HMZ-T1′ incorporates Sony’s unique expertise in surround signal processing technology ’5.1ch Virtual Surround Technology (Virtualphones Technology)’, which is developed especially for headphones. "Virtualphones Technology (VPT)" creates a sound field that naturally reproduces the sound to make it seem as though the sound source is emanating from speakers placed all around the viewer (including front and back). The viewer can enjoy sound equivalent to a maximum 5.1ch multi-channel audio, thus further enhancing the spatial effects of 3D, whilst simultaneously experiencing a very realistic feeling of actually being there.
Equipped with 4 surround modes
It is equipped with 4 surround modes which one can select depending on the content. Aside from ‘Standard’ mode, the user can also select from ‘Cinema’ for authentic movie theater-like acoustics, ‘Game’ for reproducing a clear sense of direction, which can be vital for game-playing, and ‘Music’ for those times when the viewer simply wants to enjoy the original sound, such as might be heard in a recording studio.
Other Features
1. Convenient operation
The device’s control key (located behind the front) is used to control the volume and basic operations (such as playback, pause, fast forward, rewind, previous chapter, next chapter) of any connected devices with HDMI CEC control function. Settings for the picture quality and audio quality can also be performed via menu screen.
2. Convenient functions
It is equipped with a wearable sensor, which automatically turn off the panel if the viewer is not wearing the product. It is a convenient function and environment friendly. If the viewer is not wearing the product for a fixed period of time, it will automatically switch to standby mode.
3. Processor Unit for connection to other devices
Head Mounted Unit (left) Processor Unit (right)
Head Mounted Unit (left)
Processor Unit (right)
The processor unit is equipped with one socket for HDMI output and another for through output. The built-in HDMI output switcher enables both the Head Mounted Display and a television to be connected to the processor unit at any given time, thereby allowing the user to switch between devices for their desired output destination.
Furthermore, the processor unit and the HMD can be connected together with a single cable, which integrates the audio and video signals with the power source.
Health Consideration
Age restrictions
Considering the protection of the growth and development, we ask children (age 15 and younger) to refrain from using this product.
Cautionary matters when using the device
In any rough or unstable environment with a propensity for travel sickness to occur (such as in a vehicle), we ask our customers to refrain from using the device.