Sony Marks Milestones As HD Gathers Pace

Sony’s products continue to deliver HD milestones in Europe and in July, the Tour de France was shot in HD for the first time ever and the positive experience during the tour has seen France 3, a division of France Television, choose Sony to deliver its three-year live production renewal plan.
This year’s UEFA Champions League final was televised in HD using Sony camera systems and transmitted to many countries where it was viewed by hundreds of millions of soccer fans.
Commenting on the impact HD has on the live sports experience, David Bush, Director of Marketing at Sony, said: “Sony HD technology is helping to create a new level of emotional connection between the fans watching major sporting events from their living rooms. HD is without doubt allowing those who are unable to attend live events to view and experience them in more vibrant life-like quality.”
With 5,300 units sold globally of Sony’s HD camera systems, the user base in Europe continues to grow.
At IBC, TopVision announced it was investing further in HD technology and ordered 22 Sony HD cameras and three multi-format mixers to equip its new U2 and U4 outside broadcast vans.
The Berlin TV services provider is raising the bar for HD live productions a whole lot higher: After integrating the new components TopVision will have three complete HD OB vans and will thus be well set up for major important live productions. One of TopVision's major areas is sports reporting throughout Europe as well as regular broadcasts of major cultural, show and music events.
"With our large order with Sony we are extending our position as the leading European service provider for live transmissions even more," said Eduard Palasan, Managing Director, TopVision. "The demand for HD quality, particularly in the area of sport and event transmissions, has increased significantly in the last few years. With our new OB vans, Sony HD cameras and mixers we are setting trends. We are giving our customers the opportunity to make each production into a unique, successful product that sets standards. We at TopVision are convinced that high definition is the production format of the future."
See more on Sony HD at www.sonybiz.net.
(SP)