Sony Scoops Best-ever Six EISA Awards

Sony’s innovation has earned a best-ever six awards from the European Imaging and Sound Association (EISA). The EISA judging panel for 2009–2010 has commended Sony in product categories spanning from digital imaging and video projection to personal audio and video editing software.

EISA Awards 2009-2010 have been made to Sony Europe for these products: European Personal Media Player (WALKMAN® NWZ-X1050/1060), European Compact Camera (Cyber-shot™ DSC-WX1); European HD Camcorder (Handycam® HDR-XR520V/ XR520*); European Zoom Lens (G Lens 70-400mm F4-5.6 G SSM); and European Video Projector (BRAVIA™ VPL-VW85). At the same awards, Vegas™ Pro 9 by Sony Creative Software was voted winner of the European HD Video Editing Solution category.

“Our best-ever result at this year’s EISA Awards proves that Sony’s innovation is flourishing,” said Fujio Nishida, President of Sony Europe. “It’s an honour for the efforts of our designers and engineers to be acknowledged in this way by a European publishing association that enjoys such a fast-growing worldwide reputation. At Sony we are more focused than ever on creating new products that deliver a fantastic experience for our customers. We’re delighted that the EISA judging panel has endorsed our efforts with no less than six separate awards for Sony.”

EISA is the largest editorial multimedia organisation in Europe, with a membership of nearly 50 Audio, Mobile Electronics, Video and Photo magazines drawn from 19 European countries. This year’s award winners were selected after the deliberations of a judging panel comprising journalists and independent technical experts.

The 2009-2010 EISA Awards will be presented at a special Gala Event in Berlin on the 4th of September 2009. 

ENDS

* Model HDR-XR520 is available in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and some other Central Asian countries. Model HDR-XR520V is available in the rest of Europe.

NOTES TO EDITORS – BACKGROUND TO THIS YEAR’S EISA AWARD WINNING PRODUCTS FROM SONY EUROPE:

1 – WALKMAN® NWZ-X1050/1060 (European Personal Media Player 2009-2010): The most advanced WALKMAN® Video MP3 player yet features a stunning 3" OLED touchscreen for an outstanding video experience. Extraordinary sound quality is assured by built-in Digital Noise Cancelling, S-Master digital amplifier, DSEE and Clear Audio Technologies. The open format offers compatibility with all popular media file types. Wi-Fi connectivity is also available for YouTube streaming and browsing the web.

The EISA Judging Panel commented: “Looking like a monolith until it’s awakened, the NWZ-X1050 needs just one touch on its 3 inch OLED screen to bring it into action. This is the new Walkman X, the world’s first media player with noise-cancellation in-ear phones, which effectively cut background noise. Loading files on the unit is easy and transparent. Also easy is to navigate and to play them. In addition there is a Wi-Fi connection for browsing the web, for direct podcast downloading or for watching YouTube while, for example, listening to an FM radio station. The device supports a huge collection of media file formats, such as MP3, Linear PCM and AVC (H.264/AVC). Sony’s engineers have applied special audio treatments to the device such as Clear Stereo, Clear Bass and DSEE in order to improve the sound quality. In either of its two versions, 16GB (NWZ-X1050) and 32GB (NWZ-X1060), this player offers excellent sound, a beautiful GUI and very good video performance. Sony’s Walkman X is a clear EISA winner!”

2 – Cyber-shot™ WX1 (European Compact Camera 2009-2010): This power-packed camera features a groundbreaking 10.2 megapixel Exmor R™ CMOS sensor, teamed with Sony’s powerful BIONZ processor for superb low-light pictures and rapid shooting responses. Other key features include a top-quality wide angle G lens, 5x zoom range, Sweep Panorama and crisp HD movie shooting at a smooth 30 fps.

The EISA Judging Panel commented: “The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX1 is a very compact camera that is equipped with a high quality f/2.4-5.9 ‘G-lens’ with a useful zoom range of 24-120mm. It features an Exmor R CMOS sensor that yields excellent image quality while maintaining low noise levels. At the highest resolution of 10 million pixels, the camera can make a series of 10 images per second. Thanks to the extraordinary Sweep Panorama function, you only have to move the camera across a scene to make excellent panoramics that will be stitched together in-camera. Sony’s new Twilight mode combines multiple exposures to produce hand-held low light images with very little noise.”

3 – Handycam® HDR-XR520V (European HD Camcorder 2009-2010): This stylish camcorder teams an incredible 101hr record time with superlative Full HD picture quality and smart, easy to use features. Exceptional low-light imaging is enabled by the groundbreaking Exmor R CMOS sensor that offers twice the sensitivity of conventional designs.

The EISA Judging Panel commented: “With its new HDR-XR520V Sony has managed a big step forward, upgrading all the camera’s components. This Full HD camcorder features a super-sensitive Exmor R CMOS sensor with 6 megapixel resolution and a new high-quality ‘G Lens’, with 12-times optical zoom, which is perfectly tailored to complement the resolving power of the Exmor, even in dark scenes. Thanks to the 240GB hard disk drive combined with a sophisticated AVCHD algorithm, the HDR-XR520V allows an impressive 101 hours of video in Full HD resolution at high bit-rates. It’s also well equipped, with features like Smile Shutter, automatic face detection with skin tone correction, and a highly efficient Optical Image Stabilizer. Finally, a GPS tracking function allows the user to log the position of recorded movies anywhere on earth where there’s satellite coverage.”

Handycam® HDR-XR520* (European HD Camcorder 2009-2010):
The EISA Judging Panel commented: “With its new HDR-XR520 Sony has managed a big step forward, upgrading all the camera’s components. This Full HD camcorder features a super-sensitive Exmor R CMOS sensor with 6 megapixel resolution and a new high-quality ‘G Lens’, with 12-times optical zoom, which is perfectly tailored to complement the resolving power of the Exmor, even in dark scenes. Thanks to the 240GB hard disk drive combined with a sophisticated AVCHD algorithm, the HDR-XR520 allows an impressive 101 hours of video in Full HD resolution at high bit-rates. It’s also well equipped, with features like Smile Shutter, automatic face detection with skin tone correction and a highly efficient Optical Image Stabilizer.”

4 - G Lens 70-400mm F4-5.6 G SSM (European Zoom Lens 2009-2010): This premium telephoto zoom lens has been painstakingly designed for superlative optical performance and handling comfort. Extra-low Dispersion (ED) glass elements assure clear, sharp edge-to-edge description and reduced chromatic aberration. Smooth, silent AF operation is assured by a high-torque SSM (Super Sonic wave Motor).

The EISA Judging Panel commented: “This new lens from Sony benefits from a solid construction and ED glass elements to achieve the respected G-type quality level expected of professional lenses. It is one of the lightest lenses in its category, and it features a fast and almost silent SSM motor that allows users to switch instantly between auto and manual focus. Image quality is very good even at full aperture, and the lens displays very low distortion for a zoom of such a wide range. This entirely Sony-designed lens is one of the most positive signs of the commitment this manufacturer has towards the pro-level photo equipment of the future.”

5 - BRAVIA™ VPL-VW85 (European Video projector 2009-2010): This home theatre projector uses three SXRD™ panels (RGB) to deliver stunning 1080p HD images with incredible 120,000:1 contrast. A full complement of Sony picture enhancement technologies includes all-digital BRAVIA Engine2 processing, Enhanced Noise Reduction and Motionflow with Dark Frame Insertion for incredibly smooth, fluid on-screen action.

The EISA Judging Panel commented: “’Seeing is believing’ says Sony, and that has never been more true than with the new BRAVIA VPL-VW85. Using three latest generation SXRD panels with 1920x1080 pixels each, it produces smooth and crisp High Definition images. In conjunction with a revised dynamic iris control, these deliver a stunning in-picture contrast, resulting in lifelike and rich images of previously-unseen depth and clarity. Sony’s unique Motionflow algorithm offers the right mode of motion compensation for every source material and viewer’s taste, including the option to insert black frames for a really cinema-like presentation. The combination of all these technologies results in a picture performance that sets new standards in the home theatre experience.”

6 – VEGAS PRO 9 (European HD Video Editing Solution 2009-2010): An efficient, intuitive environment for video and broadcast professionals, Vegas Pro 9 is the most progressive platform available for rich content creation and production. Broad format support is complemented by an impressive suite of tools to streamline workflow from acquisition to delivery.

The EISA Judging Panel commented: “At a price that’s affordable for amateur video enthusiasts, Sony’s Vegas Pro 9 gives you a full professional editing solution. It is easy to use, and at the same time covers an unlimited number of audio/video tracks and a large range of video formats, including DV, HDV and variety of AVCHD formats. Additionally Vegas Pro 9 handles professional formats like XDCAM and RED 4k. You can mix 5.1 audio, and for thorough colour grading you can extend your editing suite with an AJA break-out solution, showing the video picture on a real TV screen. The software works smoothly on a normal, powerful PC. And if price is still an issue, you can choose one of the much cheaper Vegas Movie Studio packages with limited specifications, yet sharing the same professional, but still easy, user interface.”