On the eve of NAB 2014, Sony announced its plan to emphasize services, taking advantage of the transition from HD to 4K acquisition and delivery to expand its footprint in pro video beyond its well-known hardware offerings.
“We see real opportunities in selling services,” said Alec Shapiro, president of Sony Professional Solutions of America, at a pre-show press briefing in New York, noting the opportunity to expand into business-to-business markets including education, government, law enforcement, healthcare, and power. For example, any current usage of HD signage is seen by Sony as an opportunity for helping a customer manage a transition to 4K—especially in high-value markets like fashion, jewelry, real estate and travel.
Sony is also looking to build new businesses in asset management and distribution with technologies including its new Optical Disc Archive and cloud services. Shapiro said Sony is working with Boston public television station WGBH on a new centralized content distribution service for PBS stations that he expects will serve as a proof of concept for streamlining broadcast operations. “We’ll be able to eliminate redundant control rooms and stations and manage from a centralized network operations center at WGBH in Boston.”
Accordingly, about half of Sony’s NAB booth will be devoted to “solutions,” Shapiro said, including workflow partnerships with third-party vendors, Sony’s Media Backbone, enterprise management, and cloud-based production.
