Sony says IFA 2010 is all about content, not hardware

By James Wells in Berlin
 
BERLIN, GERMANY: In a dramatic shift away from the rest of the 3D-obsessed industry at IFA 2010, Sony has concentrated on a new proprietary cloud-based content platform called Qriocity which will sell consumers music and movies through their networked products rather than announce a series of new hardware releases.

Qriocity will reside in a new cloud-based business unit called Sony Network Entertainment and will be a network service platform that connects to Sony's network devices including Bravia TV, home theatre systems, Blu-ray players, PlayStation3 and Vaio.

Qriocity will deliver digital entertainment content and two of these services were showcased at IFA 2010 – Video on Demand powered by Qriocity and Music Unlimited Powered by Qriocity. Over time, the content is expected to include gaming and e-books and potentially be available through additional hardware including audio devices and mobile phones.

Qriocity, which will be immediately available to the 50 million people with PlayStation Network accounts, is the latest development in the internal quest to obtain a 'Sony United' approach to devices and content.

Basic and premium subscription services are expected to be announced for the intuitive Music Unlimited service which will learn a consumer's preferences as they access the 6.5 million tracks on file that will also feature non-Sony artists.

There is likely to be a two-tier Video on Demand subscription model with content downloadable in SD and HD for around $A5-10 per movie. Consumers will have 14 days to start watching the movie once they have paid for it and once activated can be watched continuously for up to 48 hours.

The major hardware release at IFA 2010 was the prototype of Sony Internet TV powered by Google TV – further announcements regarding this product are likely at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas in January 2011.

Click on the video below to hear from Sony Australia general manager – consumer marketing, Toby Barbour regarding the launch of Qriocity live from the Sony stand at IFA 2010.

 

Click on the video below to hear from Sony Australia technology communications manager, Paul Colley, on the importance of merchandising and demonstrating Qriocity at the retail level.