Sony Music Catalog Included In Google China Free Music Service

Google has started a free online music service in China offering songs by artists including U2, Beyonce and Kanye West in a market with almost 300 million Internet users. The service allows users to download and save songs from Warner Music Group Corp., Sony Corp., Universal Music Group, EMI Group Ltd., and 140 other independent labels, Google said in a statement distributed at a briefing in Beijing.

Google’s service, which is also being provided in cooperation with Chinese music Web site Top100, currently has 350,000 songs available for download. That number will be increased to 1.1 million recordings, Gary Chen, chief executive officer of Top100.cn, said at a briefing.

Google’s music offering rivals services provided by Baidu.com Inc., which has more than double the market share of the Mountain View, California-based company in China. The record companies will get a share of revenue from advertising sold on the music Web site, generating sales for them in a market where 99 percent of all downloads are illegal, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.

Read more about this new service at Bloomberg.

Blast From The Past: Sony’s SS-9500 Bongo Speakers

In 1972, Sony released one of its most unique products ever: bongo-like loudspeakers. They were omni-directional, too, with six speakers placed around the perimeter of the 60cm high walnut enclosure for 360° sound. The speaker tops were reversible so you could use them as seats or as bongos. The SS-9500 speakers weighed approximately 35 lbs each, and measured approximately 24″ tall, 16″ diameter.

Sony Teases With Soundville Tests Ad Campaign

Soundville Tests is Sony’s next big advertising campaign which is based on some quite impressive large scale experiments with audio technology. Sony has released a couple of teaser clips showing off some of the content they are currently filming in Iceland. The trailers are somewhat interesting but it’s hard to gain a sense of what exactly we’re expecting here. One video has an amazing array of more than a hundred speakers on a wall with Nine Inch Nails-esque audio pumping in the background. Another video shows some professional audio equipment and then transitions to a dramatic zoom of a tea cup, and then shows what may be the contents of the cup bouncing up and down due to the intense volume. Are they trying to blow up the tea cup? Is this going to be Dr. Sony and Mr. Hyde with audio?

Every Sony commercial I’ve seen at this scale is usually impressive (e.g. Bravia), but what are they trying to push here? It can’t be just one audio product – it must be an overall statement towards Sony audio. Unfortunately, we’re not allowed to share too much info at the moment, since it will officially be released in a couple of months.

The pictures we’ve come across are equally as perplexing as the videos, but at least indicate that they have made some very elaborate sets for this campaign. I wonder what they are going to do with all of those stand-up speakers that usually come bundled with home theater units. Another picture shows an underwater speaker, which I’m surprised to see as usually those won’t work without some type of special casing.

Also, how many companies show off teaser trailers of an ad campaign? Hopefully this Soundville campaign won’t disappoint.

Sony To Hire Less College Graduates

Sony plans to slash recruitment of college graduates for Spring 2010 by 48% from this spring to 280 due to its deteriorating performance amid the global economic downturn, company officials said Tuesday. ‘‘The environment surrounding our company has changed so we will use more rigorous standards in selecting college students we will hire,’’ a company spokesperson said.

Sony said that of the 280 workers it plans to hire for next spring, 200 will be engineers and the rest clerical staff. Information courtesy of Japan Today.

Picture is of Kennesaw State University, which has no affiliation to this story other than being the college I’m currently attending.

Playstation 2 Now $99

Just as expected, for the first time ever, Sony’s PlayStation 2 will be offered at a price point under $100 (that’s $99.99 MSRP, to be exact), starting April 1. Whoever started the Playstation 3 price cut rumor is a real stinker.

Playstation Announcement Coming March 31st

Blogs have been buzzing the last few days with speculation as to what the big Sony Playstation announcement is going to be tomorrow. Ever since it was reported by Kotaku, several rumors have circulated. The most popular rumor seems to be the Playstation 3 price cut, while the most well-founded theory is a Playstation 2 price cut to $99. Late this afternoon Sony smashed the rumors of a Playstation 3 price cut via official word from a SCEA rep. The PS2 price cut is further evidenced by hard evidence from K-Mart inventory. What do you think is going to happen tomorrow?

BDP-S5000ES Pictorial/Review

Sony has recently released a second generation BD player BDP-S5000ES in its ES (Elevated Standard) high end line of AV equipment. The transporter has a great built quality and looks similar to SCD-XA5400ES SACD player I will be covering later on. Brushed aluminum surface of the player matches well Sony’s flagship AV receiver STR-DA6400ES.

The following are the key features (in bold) that distinguish this BD transporter from any other BD player out there in the market as of this writing:

• Onboard decoding for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, as well as bit stream output
• Profile 2.0
• Quick start mode loads discs in 6 seconds
• Ethernet port for firmware updates and BD-Live content
• Deep Color and x.v.Color support
• HD Reality Enhancer and Super Bit Mapping
• XrossMediaBar graphical user interface
• 7.1 analog outputs
• RS-232 and IR inputs

One of the enthusiast’s extras of this player is the HD Reality Enhancer, which Sony claims “continually analyzes bit by bit of the original source, sharpening edges and reproducing detail, while reducing the effects of film grain”. Super Bit Mapping is another Sony’s enhancement which tested and proven to work as advertised. Sony states SBM delivers “smoother color gradation realizing true 14-bit equivalent color tone from 8-bit sources”.

The BDP-S5000ES uses a high-stability precision drive HD transport mechanism, separate video and audio power circuit with a low-leakage R-Core transformer to reduce electronic and electromagnetic interference. The massive 22lb ultra-rigid frame and beam chassis are designed to diminish physical vibration during playback.

Of course all these technical terms may not mean anything to you, as many customers out there want their BD movie load fast and show the best picture, which this player definitely delivers without any questions asked. PS3 used to be The Blu-ray player and it just has been demoted to #2 spot by this pretty much beast and amazingly striking player (the first question my wife asked when she saw it: “Why is it not slim?”, so I had to explain to her that usually high end equipment will look buffed and heavy).

I have run a number of different tests of SD and HD content on two different monitors: Sony Qualia KDX-46Q005 and Sony’s OLED XEL-1. I was just primarily interested in PQ and how different it is portrayed on LED Triluminos and OLED LCDs. Of course OLED showed pitch black scenes as they are supposed to be and 1080i/p content played well on both sets. I only wished OLED screen size was bigger to be able to see more detail. I was pretty pleased with upconversion, as upconverting is handled by Sony’s in-house Precision Cinema HD Upscale. If your display only takes component input, you’ll be pleased to hear that it’s using a high performance 14-bit/297MHz Video D/A converter for superior analogue video output.

Check out PDF JP Brochure of BDP-S5000ES.

Here is a snap of the XMB menu which I have always been a fan of:

Anyways, sorry this is meant to be more of a pictorial, so check out the pictures below and let me know if you have any questions in the comments.

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God Of War III Gameplay Video From GDC 2009

God of War III is a forthcoming installment in the God of War series, currently in development for the PlayStation 3. A final release date is to be announced at E3 2009 as confirmed by Sony in the March 2009 Game Informer Issue. It is the fifth chapter in the series chronologically, after God of War: Chains of Olympus, God of War, God of War: Betrayal and God of War II.

God of War III takes place where the end of God of War II left off, with Kratos upon Gaia’s back eager to exact vengeance on the Gods and make them “suffer”. As seen in the trailers, the whereabouts of the Blade of Olympus are unknown, even though Kratos had been wielding the blade at the ending of God of War II. Little information has been released on the battle between the Gods and Titans that will explain the end of Greek Mythology. A more recent screen shot shows Helios on his knees with a bloodied face, Kratos is also in the picture grasping the god’s head, about to tear it off with his bare hands. Seen in a gameplay trailer are iron or bronze boots with wings on them that greatly augment Kratos’ acrobatic abilities. The wings and nature of the boots suggest that Kratos, at some point in the game, battles and/or kills Hermes, before taking his boots.

On March 26, 2009 a 1-minute gameplay Trailer was released at the Game Developers Conference. The trailer showed Kratos fighting a group of soldiers briefly and taking control of a cyclops to quickly dispatch of the enemies, and ultimately killing the cyclops after the soldiers die.

Sony claimed that God of War III will be the last in the franchise. The script for the game is approximately 120 pages long.

Everquest Turns 10

An epic online adventure a decade in the making, Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) is proud to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the launch of the groundbreaking 3-D fantasy-themed massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), EverQuest. Since its release in 1999, EverQuest (EQ) has proved to be a monumental and inspirational entertainment property, spawning 15 expansion packs and subsequent franchise titles, introducing millions of players to the virtual world of Norrath, and inspiring virtually every other MMORPG made. Everquest has had a hard time competiting with the fantasy-based game World of Warcraft, which has taken the role as the most popular MMO.

EverQuest has earned many awards, including the 1999 GameSpot “Game of the Year” and a 2008 Technology & Engineering Emmy Award. The City of San Diego, where SOE is headquartered, has also recognized March 16, 2009 as the official “Sony Online Entertainment Day” due to its enormous contribution to both the city and the gaming industry.

“This year marks a major milestone for SOE and the entire interactive entertainment industry,” said John Smedley, president of Sony Online Entertainment. “While it was hard work and a dedicated vision that brought EQ to fruition, without our loyal fans, EQ would not be the game that it is today.

EQ In-Game Events
Party all the time! In celebration of the anniversary, we are proud to bring you fresh EQ content for the next few months! Solo, group or raid, there’s content for everyone to enjoy! Earn great quest rewards, and show off your raiding skills on the Anniversary leaderboards. Log in now to receive your piece of cake and see what other fun events are planned. For more information on specific events, visit www.EQ10th.com

EverQuest: The 10th Anniversary Collector’s Edition Book
EverQuest: The 10th Anniversary Collector’s Edition celebrates EverQuest’s legacy by taking a look at the past, present and future of the EverQuest brand. The book, written by veteran video game book author Rusel DeMaria, includes essays by the developers, and illustrations and artwork that has graced the world of Norrath throughout the entire franchise’s history. Rich in vivid detail, each page tells the story of the evolution and its place in our culture.

Be sure to check out the new EverQuest 10th Anniversary site to read up on the history of EverQuest, find out about 10th anniversary events, see where you stand on the Anniversary Raid leaderboards, and find out when to register for Fan Faire! For more information, visit www.EQ10th.com.

Fan Faire Returns to Las Vegas, June 25 – 28, 2009!
If you have never been to an SOE Fan Faire before, this is the year to make the trek to Bally’s Hotel in Las Vegas! SOE is planning a big birthday bash for the EverQuest 10th anniversary, and players of all SOE games are invited to join the party! Fan Faire is a great place for SOE gamers to mix and mingle with each other, and meet some of the faces behind their favorite SOE games. Here’s just a taste of some of the great activities we’re planning:

• Special announcements and sneak peaks of upcoming SOE titles at the Third Annual Community Address from SOE President John Smedley
• Autograph signings with members of the original EQ development team and other key contributors
• Lots of in-game tournaments; and live, game-themed competitions and quests
• Developer forums and roundtables
• Cool giveaways and other fun items!
  And, that’s just the beginning!

Visit the Fan Faire website for more details at www.soefanfaire.com. Tickets are expected to go on sale in April.

Have you ever played Everquest? Share your stories here, e.g. favorite moments, biggest accomplishment, favorite item, etc.

SOE Accepting Applications For 2009 G.I.R.L. Scholarship Program

Applications are now being accepted for the 2009 G.I.R.L. Scholarship to help educate and recruit more women into the field of video game production and design. Sponsored by Sony Online Entertainment LLC (SOE) a global leader in online gaming, and administered by Scholarship America®, a leading non-profit educational support program, applications are available and more details, including official rules for entry are available online.

“There are a significant number of women who are gamers, but not enough working in the video game field,” said Torrie Dorrell, Senior Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing, Sony Online Entertainment. “With the application process starting today, we’re taking a concrete step toward opening the door a little wider for women who want to go into game development.”

One skilled student will win up to $10,000 to be applied toward tuition and other educational expenses at the school at which the student is currently enrolled, and an optional paid internship of up to 10 weeks at Sony Online Entertainment’s headquarters in San Diego, California (room, board, transportation and living expenses not included), to work on the upcoming online video game Free Realms™.

In order to be eligible to participate, entrants must be currently enrolled in an undergraduate program related to video games, must not graduate before the end of the 2010 spring term, and must comply with the program’s official rules. Entrants are required to complete an online application, and if chosen as finalists, submit concept art and two (2) essays that will be reviewed by a panel of judges from SOE. Online applications must be completed and submitted on or before April 24, 2009 and SOE must receive the concept art and essays from finalists by June 12, 2009. SOE will announce the winner on or about July 17, 2009.

Click for more information about the G.I.R.L. scholarship program.