Classical Concerts On Sony’s BRAVIA LCDTVs and Blu-ray Disc Products
Sony Corporation (hereafter Sony) today announced that owners of Sony’s “BRAVIA” LCD TVs and “Blu-ray Disc” products(*) in Germany and the UK will be able to access premium performances of the Berliner Philharmoniker (hereafter the Orchestra) through “BRAVIA Internet Video”, a network content viewing function, from May 6th. Sony plans to expand the service to other countries including the U.S, Japan, Canada and the rest of Europe in the near future.
Based on the agreement with Berlin Philharmonics, Sony will provide network enabled “BRAVIA” and “Blu-ray Disc” products owners worldwide with the access to the archived concerts from the Orchestra’s “Digital Concert Hall”, dating back to the beginning of the 2008/2009 season (approximately 60 (*) concerts in total. All are paid-for content), via “BRAVIA Internet Video”. The concerts will be delivered to “BRAVIA” and “Blu-ray Disc” products with full HD high picture quality and immersive sound quality.
The partnership with the Berlin Philharmonics adds “the Digital Concert Hall”, the orchestra’s online service, to Sony’s roster of “BRAVIA Internet Video” partners. Content is streamed directly to “BRAVIA” and “Blu-ray Disc” products, enabling a worldwide audience to join their concerts with a remote control. Thanks to this collaboration, the orchestra will be the world’s first cultural institution to deliver their artistic content to networked home entertainment products.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity for our customers to enjoy the concerts of the Berliner Philharmoniker from the comfort of their own home,” said Norio Ohga, Executive Advisor of Sony Corporation. Being a conductor himself who had formed a close friendship with the late Maestro Herbert von Karajan, he also said; “I am really excited that we’re able to make a host of first-rate concerts accessible to “BRAVIA” and “Blu-ray Disc” owners across the world.”
Olaf Maninger, solo cellist and board member of Berliner Philharmoniker Foundation sees this project as a “great chance to embrace our worldwide audience.” He said that the Orchestra is excited to continue the collaboration that Maestro Karajan had started with Sony and believes that it makes a real difference to people “to access concerts just with their remote control whenever they like.”