Sony 3D TV Availability in the US

After a long wait and speculation about pricing and availability of 3D TVs in the US, SonyStyle has finally gave in and revealed its pre-ordering site that will help you choose a 3D TV to your liking. It has a couple of online tools that will help you along the process: from picking the form factor, that is its slimness to whether or not you want your TV to be wireless ready with 3D inside or get extra accessories like 3D Sync Transmitter, 3D Active Glasses or the Wi-Fi dongle.

To sweeten the deal if you purchased the following 3D TVs – XBR-60LX900, XBR-52LX900, XBR-52HX909, XBR-46HX909, KDL-55HX800, KDL-46HX800, KDL-40HX800, KDL-60NX810, KDL-55NX810, KDL-46NX810, KDL-46NX711 and KDL-40NX711, Sony will thrown in a couple of free 3D movies – Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and an IMAX Deep Sea as well as give you 4 3D games for your PS3: Pain, WipEout HD, Super Stardust HD, MotorStorm Pacific Rift (if you already own those games, you will be prompted to download a patch that will enable the 3D goodness). For more details on obtaining the above movies, go here.

An insider note for you who are thinking of purchasing a 3D TV – the stock of certain models is pretty limited, so act accordingly. July 15th is the magic date most models should be shipping by, however check your local SonyStyle Stores and maybe you can score one earlier.

Men In Black 3D

Men in Black III-D (aka Men in Black 3, MIB3D) will be the third installment of the film’s franchise. It will be released in 3D by Sony Pictures and directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, who directed the first two installments. The third was originally based on a script which takes place primarily in the year 1969 written by writer Etan Cohen, who has penned popular movies such as Tropic Thunder and Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa. Sony confirmed that David Koepp would serve as an additional screenwriter, joining Cohen.

Retraction: David Koepp is not rewriting Etan’s screenplay, but he did some brief work. Etan is still on board and still the screenwriter.

It was initially announced that Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith would reprise their roles as Agents Kay and Jay, respectively. Both had previously expressed interest in reprising their roles back in 2008.

While Smith has officially signed on to return as Agent Jay, Jones is in advanced negotiations to return as Agent Kay. Josh Brolin is also in talks to play the younger (1969) version of Kay. Others rumored to have parts in the film include Sacha Baron Cohen and Jemaine Clement. It was later confirmed that Clement had landed the role of Boris (formerly named “Yaz”). Production of the sequel is tentatively set to begin during the 2010 Fall season and will welcome back producers Walter F. Parkes and Laurie MacDonald. Steven Spielberg is also set to return as executive producer.

(Content removed due to request from Sony Pictures)

Men in Black III-D will hit theaters May 25, 2012.

Sony VAIO J Becomes a Little Brother of VAIO L, Inherits the Touch Functions

It looks like VAIO J series is getting a nice bump in specs and also brings your fingers closer to the screen and if you were lasting after VAIO L Touch display, you should have no gripes (unless you wanna have a bigger screen) and get yourself an all in one VAIO J with Touch functionality. It will be available in two color skins in the US as in white and black and Japan gets an additional color – VAIO J in pink! I still feel like that the design in these VAIO is missing something, just does not cut it to the striking VAIO design we are (or at least I am) used to.

Check out the full press release below and let us know what you think of this move. Would you rather have a VAIO Touch PC that looks like a slate or an all in one desktop?

SAN DIEGO, June 8, 2010 – Sony today unveiled its new, affordable touch-enabled, multi-media machine- the VAIO® J Touch All-In-One PC.

Featuring a stylish, compact design the PC comes with an adjustable stand to help you adjust it to meet your desired viewing or touch angle or simply to decrease the slant for space-saving. A wireless keyboard and mouse that can easily be stored under the unit’s display are included.
The VAIO® J Touch All-in-one PC will start at about $900. It is available for pre-orders today online at www.sonystyle.com/pr/jseries. It will also be sold at Sony Style® stores and select retailers around the country starting next month.

Sony Introduces New Versions Of Vegas, Sound Forge, ACID, And Others

Sony Creative Software has released new versions of its consumer software product line, providing users with powerful yet easy to use tools for developing and editing creative digital content such as videos, music, podcasts, photos and more. Each application has been specifically designed to help anyone easily make their creative inspirations come to life. The new software lineup includes Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 10 video editing software, DVD Architect 5 DVD and Blu-ray Disc authoring software, Sound Forge Audio Studio 10 audio editing and production software and ACID Music Studio 8 music creation and mixing software. Along with the individual software applications, Sony has also introduced two specialized software bundles that affordably provide comprehensive production tools, including the Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 10 Production Suite and the Imagination Studio Suite 2.

Through extensive upgrades to the entire consumer line of products, the new Sony software collection provides users with intuitive and advanced tools to create nearly any type of multimedia project. Each software application easily imports a wide variety of audio, video or still image files for a simple and streamlined process that helps make creating content an enjoyable process from start to finish.

“More people than ever before are expressing their unique interests and creativity by making movies, music, web television and podcasts to share with friends, family and online audiences,” said Dave Chaimson, vice-president of global marketing for Sony Creative Software. “These new versions of Sony Creative Software products include upgrades and new features ideally suited for transforming raw footage and audio files into polished, professional final projects. The new software applications have been designed to help new users quickly get started using our ‘Show Me How’ tutorials, but advanced users can continue to expand their skills by discovering new tricks and techniques through powerful features that have been adapted from our professional line of software tools.”

Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 10 Feature Highlights

Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 10 is an easy-to-use, full-featured video editing application that provides the tools to create professional-looking high-definition projects, as well continued support for standard-definition media. Powerful new tools such as image stabilization, GPU accelerated rendering, slideshow creator, expanded color correction tools, DVD burning from the timeline, enhanced device explorer, and Blu-ray authoring, now offer expanded ways to deliver stunning projects. Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 10 includes many new features including:

• Image Stabilization: Users with “shaky” video footage, commonly shot from handheld, pocket and mobile phone cameras, now have the ability to quickly stabilize their files using several optimized presets. Image Stabilization uses technology from ProDAD, a leading provider of video effects plug-ins.
• Slideshow creator: This new feature simplifies the creation of slideshows made from still images. Designed with ease of use in mind, the Slideshow Creator allows users to quickly create pan/zoom effects and transitions across a set of images, and provides the ability to create a dynamic slideshow from a set of images with only a few simple clicks.
• Increased Number of Tracks: Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum now allows up to 10 video tracks and 10 audio tracks so content creators can utilize more tracks for organizational options, or to embrace more complex projects and compositing techniques.
• New color correction tools: These tools provide users with the ability to rapidly fix video originally shot with incorrect color levels. The new White Balance tool can be used to determine what “white” should look like within a video clip. The entire clip is then automatically color adjusted to match. Seasoned editors can also use the Secondary Color Corrector tool for more advanced color modification.
• GPU-accelerated AVC Rendering: Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum can now use the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) in equipped computers to improve AVC rendering performance and speed, which allows final projects to be published faster than ever before. Users with a CUDA-enabled NVIDIA video card are able to encode to the Sony AVC format using GPU-accelerated rendering.
• Device Explorer: An all-new Device Explorer window allows users to quickly browse the contents of AVCHD, hard disc and Memory Stick devices, creating more efficient ways to retrieve and edit content.
• DVD Burning Direct from Timeline: In addition to delivering projects via Blu-ray discs, traditional file based hard disk and streaming media formats, users can now burn a DVD disc directly from the timeline to quickly author simple menu-less discs, providing a quick and cost-effective distribution option.

Acid Music Studio 8 Feature Highlights

ACID Music Studio 8 provides users with a comprehensive toolset for music and mashup creations. There are several new features, including an audio and MIDI mixing console, enhanced remixing tools, and exclusive élastique Pro timestretching tools that add more options to ensure users are limited only by their imaginations when producing original music projects. The leading software application in multitrack, loop and beat matching functionality, ACID Music Studio 8 now comes with over 3,000 high quality music loops and includes the Studio Devil™ British Valve Custom guitar amp, as well as the TruePianos™ Amber Lite piano plug-in. You can also upload your project to the ACIDplanet.com social networking and music website directly from within the interface.

• Audio and MIDI Mixing Console: The new Mixing Console provides an integrated view of all tracks and busses in your project with the appearance of a traditional hardware-based mixer. The look can be customized to provide you with the best view of even the most complex session. The new audio and MIDI Mixing Console has additional routing options, allowing for a more flexible and efficient studio recording environment.
• Zplane élastique Audio Timestretching and Pitch Shifting:, Zplane élastique Pro technology allows users to perform dramatic time stretches and pitch-shifts of Beatmapped tracks while retaining maximum sound quality.
• Enhanced remixing tools: For remixing your favorite songs, only ACID Music Studio software has the Beatmapper tool. This feature automatically finds the tempo of a complete song, making it easy to remix songs with different beat structures. New markers in ACID Music Studio 8 allow you to Beatmap songs with varying tempos and time signatures.
• Cross-Track Event Drag and Drop: This new feature allows users to easily create mixes by simply cutting, copying, or pasting events across multiple tracks for faster editing.

Sound Forge Audio Studio 10 Feature Highlights

Sound Forge Audio Studio 10 offers professional tools for mastering audio projects with ease. The new workflow enhancements, including floatable/dockable windows, improved maximum audio bitrate, and enhanced vinyl restoration wizard, enable users to record audio, edit, and master with pro-level control. The software is perfect for anyone wanting to record, edit, and convert audio from almost any source. Prepare audio files for export to the PSP, iPod, iPhone, and burn audio to CDs or create files for the Web.

• Enhanced Vinyl Recording Wizard: Advanced automatic track detection and editing in Sound Forge Audio Studio 10 now makes it easier to convert vinyl and cassettes to digital files. These new features allow users to adjust the start/end times of tracks and fine-tune adjustments prior to CD burning or converting to MP3 for digital conversion or archiving.
• 24-bit/32-bit Float 192 kHz Audio Support: Sound Forge Audio Studio 10 supports 32-bit IEEE float bit-depth and 192 kHz sample rate so users can work with the highest audio resolution for superior sound quality.
• Customizable Window Layouts: Users can create and save multiple layout configurations, and easily recall a window layout for specific editing tasks for a more personalized editing process.
• Floating Window Docks: Windows can be docked and grouped within the Sound Forge Audio Studio 10 interface in order to customize the environment to fit the particular way a user prefers to work.

Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 10 Production Suite

In addition to Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 10 software, the Production Suite features additional applications to help add even more polish and originality to video projects. The Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 10 Production Suite includes DVD Architect Studio 5, Sound Forge Audio Studio 10, Vocal Eraser technology, NewBlueFX audio and video effects, a tutorial DVD and 400 exclusive original music soundtracks.

Imagination Studio Suite 2

The Imagination Studio Suite 2 bundle offers a comprehensive Sony software collection to create the ultimate home multimedia studio. Equipped with the tools to create outstanding multimedia projects, the Imagination Studio Suite 2 features Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 10, DVD Architect Studio 5, ACID Music Studio 8, Sound Forge Audio Studio 10, and Photo Go, as well as 360 original music soundtracks, providing an extensive set of tools for adding a personal touch to every media project.

Price and Availability

Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 10 (MSRP U.S. $99.95), ACID Music Studio 8 (MSRP U.S. $69.95), Sound Forge Audio Studio 10 (MSRP U.S. $69.95), Vegas Movie Studio HD Platinum 10 Production Suite (MSRP U.S. $129.95) and Imagination Studio Suite 2 (MSRP U.S. $179.95) are now available in English, Japanese, French, German and Spanish. Upgrade pricing for existing users of any of these applications are available via download from Sony Creative Software’s website.

The Difference Between The Sony BRAVIA XBR8 And HX900

In the history of technology, 2010 will be remembered as the year that the consumer electronics industry launched 3D TV. All major television manufacturers are pulling their resources together to launch 3D televisions or have launched them already. Despite the fact that Samsung, LG and Panasonic have hit the US market with such products, many are still waiting to see what Sony will bring to the table. One of the best televisions (picture wise) in Sony’s upcoming 2010 3D BRAVIA lineup is most certainly the BRAVIA HX900 (aka HX909) series.

How does the HX900 compare to one of the greatest Sony TV’s of all time, the XBR8/XR1/X4500?

Before we begin, just know that both televisions mentioned here have the ability to display very bright whites and very dark blacks simultaneously. You see, the XBR8 and HX900 doesn’t depend on a single main backlight that’s always on. Instead, they clusters of LEDs to light the screen. This is far different than most other televisions that use edge-lit LED technology, as found in most TV’s today. The XBR8 and HX900 can turn off the LEDs in an area of shadow, but leave them on for bright sunlight. This incredible contrast allows scenes with both bright and dark areas to be displayed accurately.

The HX900 is a full-array white LED backlit panel with local dimming; the number of LED array zones is rumored to be almost identical to the XBR8. The Intelligent Dynamic LED controls individual LED blocks instead of the entire LED backlight. The improved efficiency of this backlight system reduces power consumption but provides incredibly high contrast ratios, delivering unbelievable contrast, the deepest blacks imaginable and brilliant whites. Meanwhile, the OptiContrast panel in the HX900 minimizes the reflection and refraction of external light and internal backlight. With the clear surface treatment, the display produces deeper images with superior levels of blackness even in bright rooms.

On top of these impressive technologies, the HX900 also boasts 3D compatibility, meaning it is 3D capable but you will need to buy the glasses and emitter (to make the glasses work) separately. Other notable features that set the HX900 above the XBR8 include 240Hz MotionFlow Pro, Bravia Engine 3, Ambient Sensor, and the ability to add Wi-Fi capability. The HX900 will be available in 46″ and 52″ sizes and most likely have a very competitive price point this summer.

These features play a strong role in helping the HX900 series overcome the high standard Sony set for themselves two years ago with the XBR8.

In the picture above taken several months ago, we can see the XBR8 on the left and the HX900 on the right – the difference in contrast is quite stunning. Both televisions are using the same feed.

The XBR8 was released in 2008; at that time, it was one of the first of its kind that had Triluminos backlit RGB LED with local dimming. It blew the door off black level performance and color reproduction in LCD screens at the time, and is still heralded as one of the best TV’s Sony has made to date. Most other backlighting systems in TV’s rely on a combination of white lights and color filters. But the Triluminos system actually uses pure red, green, and blue LEDs to produce the XBR8′s picture. That’s why XBR8s can produce 100% of the broadcast TV color range, which isn’t something many other HDTVs can do. You’ll see colors that look deeper, purer, and more accurate.

The XBR8 falls behind in terms of specification comparison (not talking about PQ here), and it has the best of what 2008 had to offer: 120Hz MotionFlow, Bravia Engine 2 Pro, Live Color, and several other features. The XBR8 does not have 3D compatibility, and came in two sizes – 46″ and 55″. Many reported issues with input lag – making gaming difficult unless the TV was put in gaming mode. However, gaming mode defeats the purpose of the high price of the XBR8 since it disables local dimming.

The XBR8 was also a power hog as well at 480W in full use, whereas the HX900 comes in at nearly half at 201W in full usage.

The reality of the situation is that Sony no longer produces the XBR8 – certain 55″ models can still be found (as they were produced in 2009) but they are most likely “used” at this point. Even a new in box situation would be suspect given the age of the product. If you are on the fence about these two products, looking forward, the HX900 seems to be the most sound investment. Those of you looking to upgrade from the XBR8 may have a tougher time deciding on the HX900, as the differences between XBR8 and the HX900 may not be strong enough to influence a new purchase, considering how much the XBR8 cost to begin with. However, the HX900 is the clear winner due to its added technologies and nearly identical image performance, despite the fact the XBR8 has backlit RGB LED’s.

This is the first version of this post and we strongly encourage you to guide us on how to make this post more authoritative so we can finally lay this argument down to rest. Please leave comments with additions, clarifications and suggestions.

God of War 3 On Sale For $37

Pick up God of War III for $36.99.

Gaming gets expensive, and a chance to save a few pennies is always welcome, especially when it’s on a signature title.

If you haven’t had a chance to play the amazing God of War 3 for the PS3, now is the perfect time. God of War 3 is one of the PS3′s top sellers with over 1.1 million units sold worldwide.

Amazon is running one of it’s Gold Box Deals, which let’s you snag the game on the cheap. Only a few hours left so jump on it!

Sony Online Entertainment Awards 2010 G.I.R.L. $10k Scholarship To Sylvia Liu

Sylvia Liu of Milpitas, California has been awarded the 2010 Sony Online Entertainment G.I.R.L. (Gamers in Real Life) Scholarship. This marks the third year of the scholarship program, encouraging students toward career paths in the creative and applied arts, ultimately resulting in the development of video games that are more enticing for women to play.

Liu, an entertainment design student, was awarded a $10,000 scholarship to be applied toward her tuition and other educational expenses at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, Calif., and an optional paid internship of up to 10 weeks at SOE’s headquarters in San Diego, working on one of the company’s hit titles.

“I feel so happy and honored to be chosen as the winner this year,” said Liu. “I worked hard on my submission and am very proud of what I accomplished for this competition. This opportunity will help me a long way in my career so I can’t wait to get started!”

Liu was one of over 200 applicants vying for the scholarship. Finalists were asked to submit original concept art depicting a new game environment and new characters for either Free Realms or EverQuest II, in addition to an essay discussing their views on women in the video game industry.

“SOE has now paved the way for three female students, giving them the foundation to pursue a career in the video game industry,” said Laura Naviaux, Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing, SOE. “We are extremely thrilled to have Sylvia represent the G.I.R.L program this year and we plan to continue our efforts in raising awareness of females in this business by unveiling additional initiatives we’re working on later this year.”

PS3 Father’s Day Bundle Includes Extras

Sony is releasing a $349 250GB PS3 bundle for Father’s Day.

With the standalone price of a 250GB PS3 at $349, the extras included in the bundle add to the value. Included are one of the system’s most popular titles Little Big Planet and an HDMI (yes that’s right) cable.

Amazon dates their arrival at June 12th leaving plenty of time before Father’s Day if you plan to pick one up.

DC Universe Online Showcases Superspeed

A new video featuring the ability superspeed has been released by SOE.

Jens Andersen Creative Director of DC Universe Online spotlights superspeed. As mentioned previously, players will have the ability to select superspeed as an ability, using the Flash as their base character and then expanding from there. In the brief clip, we are able to see it being focused as a weapon as well as being used to accomplish various actions such as running up buildings.

One can only hope that as you level up you can tap in to the “speed force” and have the godlike powers of speed Wally West and Barry Allen have. Overall based on that brief clip, it appears that superspeed is being implemented in an intuitive way, true to both the comics and Jim Lee’s character designs. I really felt a  sense of speed as I watched both the Flash and a created character move through the city.

As DCUO moves forward, we will keep you updated.

Sony Showcases Eye-Tracking Glasses

Sony is definitely keeping busy lately. Sony Computer Science Laboratories (Sony CSL) inc.  has developed a device that tracks the movement of the human eye.

Amazingly, the device measures the movement of the human eye, and then associates it with “lifelog” data collected by the camera in the device. With this data, a person’s interest can be identified.

The glasses have the capability to recognize english characters, words or book titles, and the roadmap includes adding a GPS to the device as well. One of the issues right now for mass production is how the device would be powered given the glasses style model.

Currently the device is connects to a PC, and a white box around a specified area determines what is being looked at. One can imagine how once the tech is finalized, it could be used with the PS3 for gaming.

Relaying that information back to the PS3 for real-time in game movement coupled with a PS3 move controller could be quite impressive.

images courtesy tech on!