At the Sony press conference held on Thursday, August 30 in advance of IFA's official opening, Kenichiro Yoshida, President and CEO of Sony stressed that Sony will enhance both creator and user engagement as per its corporate direction to "getting closer to people." He added, "Our electronics products play the vital role of connecting creators that produce stunning audio and visual contents with users who enjoy them." He then stressed that "In addition to capturing 'Reality' through the pursuit of high-fidelity audio and high-definition video technologies, going forward, I believe it is equally important for Sony to also deliver 'Real-time' value. Real-time describes the concept of 'this-moment-in-time' or 'live-ness.'"

WH-1000XM3 wireless noise canceling headphones

Sony unveiled WH-1000XM3, the newest addition tothe 1000X series of wireless noise cancelling headphones. This new model boasts major improvements to its Noise Cancellation technology with the newly-developed HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN1 to deliver approximately four times greater performance. The component can not only negate low-range noises from airplanes, but also further cancels mid to high-range noise such as street noise and human voices. The inclusion of a high quality internal headphone amp for the HD Noise Cancelling Processor QN1 realizes high sound quality.

Elsewhere in the wireless headphone category, Sony showed off the WF-SP900 wireless sports headphones. The water-proof and dust-proof WF-SP900 features an internal memory, letting users play music from their smartphone with Bluetooth connection or no device at all, even while swimming in the ocean.

Sony also unveiled the DMP-Z1 digital music player and the IER-Z1R in-ear stereo headphones. DMP-Z1 utilizes a high-output analog amplifier and a unique independent power system. IER-Z1R boasts a frequency response of up to 100 kHz playback.

Sony will also introduce the IER-M9 and IER-M7 in-ear stage monitor headphones initially in the US and Asiastarting this autumn, which deliver the sound quality, sound isolation, and stable fit that artists seek during a live performance.

4K OLED BRAVIA AF9 Series

In the TV category, Sony announced the launch of the BRAVIA MASTER Series in Europe from September. The AF9 series of 4K OLED TVs and the ZF9 series of 4K LCD TVs are equipped with the Picture Processor X1 Ultimate that features approximately twice the real-time processing capabilities of the current high-end models. It brings out the very best of OLED and LCD display features.The AF9 series comes equipped with the Pixel Contrast Booster, which faithfully reproduces pictures with deep blacks and high luminance. The advanced audio technology, Acoustic Surface Audio+ realizes new immersion through the addition of an actuator to the center of the screen, as well as a TV Center Speaker Mode that makes the sound audible right from the center of the screen.

At the venue, Sony will also conduct a demonstration using its suite of voice assistant-compatible AV devices, which can play music, provide news or other information, and control IoT devices such as room lights.

The demo will introduce WH-1000XM3 wireless noise cancelling headphones, BRAVIA with a built-in microphone that enables hands-free voice search, the EXTRA BASS series SRS-XB501G smart speaker with the Google Assistant built-in, the HT-ZF9 sound bar with Amazon Alexa control compatibility, and more.

DSC-HX99

DSC-HX99 and DSC-HX95 are the two newest models in the Cyber-shot series, which will ship in Europe from October. Each comes with the world's smallest ultra-compact body as well as a ZEISS Vario-Sonnar T* 24-720mm*10 high magnification zoom lens. Offering everything from wide-angle to super-telephoto in a single package, these are the perfect portable companions for stress-free photography whether traveling or in everyday life. In addition to internal recording of high-resolution 4K video footage*11, the latest image processing system enables high speed continuous shooting at up to 10 frames per second and highly accurate Fast Intelligent AF. Other new features include Eye AF technology, RAW format output, touch focus/touch shutter, as well as supporting the location informationlink via Bluetooth.