Las
Vegas--Sony President and COO Kunitake Ando told a crowd of about 1,500
industry insiders at the
opening
of CES, "A single, seamless platform across AV, PC and mobile devices,
with TV at the center
is
at the core of Sony's global strategy to realize it's vision of a Ubiquitous
"Value" Network." In a star-studded
opening morning keynote address, Ando used the theme A World About "U"
to highlight the comprehensive
control that the user will have over customizing entertainment and communications
devices,
and
spoke about the company's initiatives to create open-standard broadband
networks. He also pointed
to
television "reborn" as the focal point for the delivery, use and interaction
with
broadband entertainment in
the
home.
"Our
initiative to develop interoperability between PC and AV devices in the
home, is a key step to realize
the
true value of the home network," he said. Ando also spoke of Sony's
participation in a "forum group"
of
collaborators advocating an advanced Linux-based platform for digital home
electronic devices. "By
connecting
AV, PC and mobile devices, we will create a huge platform for the creation
and enjoyment of
rich
digital content," Ando noted further by adding, "Secure content development
is at the center of the
agenda."
Citing
the global increase in braodband adoption, Ando expressed optimism about
the accessibility of
broadband
content, and said that this year will be key to the acceleration of broadband
penetration,
especially
in the U.S. "We're at the threshold this new age that will have a
huge impact, not only on
people's
lifstyle, but also on all our industries," Ando said. "The
broadband network revolution is enhancing
people's lives in completely new ways, putting the user night at the center."
TELEVISION
REBORN: FIRST STOP FOR BROADBAND ENTERTAINMENT...Ando described the
future
role
of television, a more powerful, more ubiquitous and interactive version
of what we know today. "We're
literally helping put
displays everywhere to offer users the state-of-the-art visual experiences,
"he said.
"In
my view, the first 50 years of color television were only the infancy,
Ando said, referring to the passive
nature
of TV as we innovate today.
