Apple has set a February 2 release date for the much-anticipated Vision Pro mixed reality headset, with preorders to begin January 19. The $3,500 device (plus $149 for prescription lenses) will be available to U.S. buyers at all Apple Store locations and through the Apple Store online. News of the company’s first new product since the Apple Watch in 2015 sent Apple shares up 7.74 percent by market close, even though the device is at this point (and price) aimed at enterprise customers. The headset has 256 GB of storage and runs on Apple’s new visionOS, the company’s first spatial operating system. Continue reading Apple Vision Pro Headset Available to U.S. Market February 2

Las Vegas becomes the global center of technology and innovation as more than 130,00 attendees, business leaders, and over 4,000 exhibitors arrive for the start of CES 2024, January 9-12. Across more than 2.5 million square feet of exhibit space and 250 conference sessions, the ETC@USC team of reporters and analysts will cover stories of greatest interest, importance, and potential impact to the future of media and entertainment. Smart TVs and next-gen displays; the latest in processor upgrades; AR, VR and XR; security; mobility and robotics are among the themes we expect to take center stage, all of which will be tied in one way or another to AI. Continue reading CES 2024 Expects 130,000 Attendees and 4,000+ Exhibitors

Meta Platforms has reportedly been investing billions of dollars each quarter in developing the metaverse, which CEO Mark Zuckerberg has described as the future of the company. Although sales of VR headsets and AR glasses dropped nearly 40 percent in the U.S. (according to research firm Circana), Meta continues to tout the intersection between AI and the metaverse. “The progress we made in 2023 means generative AI is making its way into the heart of the world’s most popular apps, mixed reality is now at the core of a mass market headset, and Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses will let AI see the world from our perspective for the first time,” explained Andrew Bosworth, CTO and head of Meta’s Reality Labs. Continue reading Meta Platforms Continues Its Pursuit of AI and the Metaverse

Alphabet is celebrating 25 years in search with a 25-Year Video Time Capsule on YouTube in conjunction with Google’s annual Year in Search global and local trend charts for 2023. Delving into local interests and traversing the globe, the lists demonstrate how human curiosity connects us across the planet through universal common interests. Topping the global searches for 2023 news is the Israel-Hamas war, followed by June’s Titanic-bound submersible disaster, then the earthquakes that devastated Turkey and Syria in June. In the entertainment world, “Barbie” was Hollywood’s most-searched film. Continue reading Google Touts 25 Years and 2023’s Top Global, Local Trends

IBM and Meta Platforms have launched the AI Alliance, a coalition of companies and educational institutions committed to responsible, transparent development of artificial intelligence. The group launched this week with more than 50 global founding participants from industry, startup, academia, research and government. Among the members and collaborators: AMD, CERN, Cerebras, Cornell University, Dell Technologies, Hugging Face, Intel, Linux Foundation, NASA, Oracle, Red Hat, Sony Group, Stability AI, the University of Tokyo and Yale Engineering. The group’s stated purpose is “to support open innovation and open science in AI.” Continue reading IBM and Meta Debut AI Alliance for Safe Artificial Intelligence

The United Nations has formed an advisory board on artificial intelligence comprised of 39-members from government, academia and industry who will “undertake analysis and advance recommendations for the international governance of AI.” The move comes as U.S. legislators and tech industry players are also prioritizing model governance. “Globally coordinated AI governance is the only way to harness AI for humanity while addressing its risks and uncertainties,” the UN announced in unveiling the initiative, co-chaired by Carme Artigas, Spain’s secretary of state for digitalization and AI, and James Manyika, SVP of research, technology and society at Google. Continue reading Google, Microsoft, Sony Tapped for UN AI Governance Board

Right on schedule and after a rocky start, Microsoft has closed the $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard that regulators in the U.S. and UK had challenged. Big Tech is celebrating the move as a signal that their cash reserves can still be used to target expansion. The deal is consumer tech’s largest since AOL purchased Time Warner in a 2000 deal valued at more than twice that. Until now, Microsoft’s games unit, built around Xbox, has been a modest part of the company’s immense portfolio — representing just over 7 percent of total sales, or revenue of about $15 billion. Continue reading Microsoft Closes $69 Billion Acquisition of Activision Blizzard

Netflix is expanding its cloud gaming test to the U.S. after initially deploying trials in Canada and the United Kingdom. The streaming game service builds on mobile gaming efforts the company began in 2021 and is now targeting games on connected TV devices and smart TVs, including Roku, Chromecast, Fire TV, and others, with mobile phones serving as game controllers. Netflix has made no secret of its intention to make games a major part of its business, and this next step is being called a bid to take on game giants Sony PlayStation and Microsoft Xbox.
Continue reading Netflix Streaming Game Test Expanding to U.S. TVs and PCs

Sony Pictures Entertainment’s Crunchyroll and Game Show Network (GSN) have teamed to launch the Crunchyroll 24-hour anime streaming service. The new FAST channel will be available in the U.S. on Amazon Freevee, LG Channels, the Roku Channel and Vizio’s WatchFree+. Crunchyroll has been delivering East Asian content to U.S. audiences since 2006. In 2016 it partnered with Funimation, which also specialized in Japanese content. Sony acquired Funimation in 2017 and Crunchyroll in 2021, merging the two last year. Continue reading Crunchyroll and GSN Launch a FAST Channel for Anime Fans

Sony announced it is introducing a new PS5 shipping in November, timed for the holiday shopping season. The slimmer form factor, which features a detachable Blu-ray Disc drive and 1TB SSD for internal storage, has been reduced in volume by more than 30 percent and is 18- 24 percent lighter, depending on the choice of two models. The PS5 Digital Edition will run $449.99, while the PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive will cost an additional $50. For those who purchase the base PS5 Digital Edition, a $79.99 Blu-ray disc drive can be added later. The new PS5 includes a horizontal stand; a new $29.99 vertical stand is compatible with all PS5 models. Continue reading New PS5 Model Adds Option for Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc Drive

Sony is leveraging the power of its hardware platforms to expand its streaming efforts. What has since 2021 been known as Bravia Core is now rebranded as Sony Pictures Core and will be coming to PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 game consoles, with access to 2,000 current and classic films available for rent or purchase. In addition to being able to order Sony Pictures content through Bravia XR TVs, users will be able to transact straight through their consoles, with access to popular films such as “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,” “Uncharted,” “No Hard Feelings,” “Bullet Train” and “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” among others. Continue reading PlayStation to Offer Streaming Movies via Sony Pictures Core

Sony’s Crystal LED displays are designed to enable realistic backgrounds for virtual production. Now, after two years of research and development, Sony Electronics has unveiled its first line of Crystal LED Verona wall displays, purpose-built to meet the needs of virtual production. The result of a tight feedback loop between Hollywood end users and Sony engineers in Tokyo, Verona aimed to solve what were identified as the two biggest issues with virtual production backgrounds: a need for “deeper black-level expression” and “reduced contrast loss caused by light from adjacent LED panels and studio lighting equipment.” Continue reading Sony Unveils Its CLED Verona Displays for Virtual Production

Sony has introduced two new cameras in its 7C series of compact full-frame interchangeable lens cameras for photographers and videographers. The new Alpha 7C R model has a 61-megapixel high-resolution sensor. The second-generation Alpha 7C II is equipped with a full-frame sensor for 33 effective MP. Both are compact and lightweight (approximately 18 ounces), combining quality and portability for stills and clips. “As the demand for sending and sharing captured content on social media networks has increased, more creators are looking for a combination of compact size and high imaging performance in mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras,” Sony says. Continue reading Sony Showcases New Alpha 7C Series Cameras at IFA 2023

Unveiled at IFA 2023, Sony’s Xperia 5 V is a smartphone aimed at creators that also happens to be an entertainment powerhouse. Features include a 6.1-inch OLED HD+ screen, Bravia X1 mobile image engine, and a front stage sound system with “powerful deep bass” that Sony says eliminates the need for external speakers. Building on the preceding model, upgrades include the Video Creator app, which edits select video content into a finished clip in about a minute. This new iteration shoots 4K video at up to 120fps in HDR and features optical image stabilization. A dedicated microphone can isolate and capture the main vocal amidst environmental noise and other voices. Continue reading Sony Xperia 5 V Phone Is Built for Creators and Entertainment

Sony Interactive Entertainment has announced its new wireless gaming device, the PlayStation Portal remote player, will debut in time for the holiday season. The handheld unit streams PlayStation 5 games over Wi-Fi, displaying the action on an eight-inch LCD screen in 1080p resolution at 60 fps. The player will be priced at $199.99. Sony is positioning the PlayStation Portal as ideal for multigame households where players share a TV or want to play PS5 games in another room of the house. Since the Portal operates by mirroring the PS5, it can also display other media. Continue reading Sony’s Wireless PlayStation Portal Coming to Market This Fall