Sony Moving To Main Show Floor At CES

NEW YORK — For the first time in a decade Sony will be on the main exhibit floor of International CES, with what it claims is the “largest booth at the show,” which will encompass all of the company's divisions.

Mike Fasulo, chief marketing officer, said the objective of the 25,000-square-foot booth is “not only to collaborate across all of our divisions, but to show how consumer electronics is transforming consumer entertainment in the future.”

This, plus the Jan. 5 opening keynote at 8:30 a.m. at the Las Vegas Hilton Theater by Sony chairman/CEO Sir Howard Stringer, makes it the biggest presence the company has had at the show in recent memory.

Fasulo noted that at the entrance of Sony's mammoth booth will be a 220-seat theater which will show short videos of Sony entertainment and technologies in 4K technology and 5.1 Dolby Surround.

The booth itself will feature what Fasulo called several “pillars” which involve all aspects of HDTV, from broadcasting and professional equipment, to branded HDTVs and Blu ray, to other consumer products. PlayStation will also have a featured place at the new CES booth, as well as what Sony calls “e-Entertainment,” the newest developments in cellular phones, Walkman, Vaio PCs and LocationFree TV, among others.

Sony's “Backstage Theater” will also provide tech seminars, exclusive HD programs, Sony recording guests and what Fasulo called, “other special surprises.”

And the mammoth booth will feature a “digital lighthouse that will be a beacon for signaling all attendees towards it,” Fasulo said. It will also feature a broadcast center, but as he put it, “more on that later.”