Christopher

Sony Europe announced today that the well known and preferred media by Sony is getting even faster in transferring and recording your AVCHD videos and what not. This new Memory Stick is getting a longer title (PRO-HG Duo HX) it seems like every time we see a new evolution. I guess by the time we see a 128 GB Memory Stick it will have quite a title (how about this one Sony – Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo HX HD Super HighVision XGX).

Joking aside, the memory media will be suitable for the upcoming 3D camcorders as well as new NEX  as well as Cybershot cameras.

Memory Stick PRO-HG Duoâ„¢ HX with up to 50MB/sec transfer rates

· New HX Engine technology for fast, reliable data transfers

· Faster than UHS-I SD cards used with devices by Sony

· Available in 8/16/32GB capacities

· Ideal for high-speed burst shooting with DSLR, Full HD movies and 3D imaging

· High reliability with 10 year warranty

· Includes free File Rescue and x-Pict Storyâ„¢ software

· Same price as previous Memory Stick PRO-HG Duoâ„¢ HX models

Press Release:

Now photographers can fully exploit the high-speed, high-resolution shooting potential of the latest digital cameras and camcorders from Sony.

The range-topping Memory Stick PRO-HG Duoâ„¢ HX now boasts blazing data transfer speeds of up to 50MB/sec¹. 1.6x faster than previous Memory Stick PRO-HG Duoâ„¢ HX cards – and available at the same price – it’s quicker than today’s fastest commercially available UHS-I SD cards when used with devices by Sony.

This phenomenal performance makes new Memory Stick PRO-HG Duoâ„¢ HX an ideal shooting, storage and data transfer solution for demanding digital imaging users.

Available in capacities from 8GB to 32GB, the fastest-ever Memory Stick is optimised for sustained burst shooting with today’s high-resolution DSLR, SLT and interchangeable lens cameras.

Teamed with the NEX-5 ultra-compact camera by Sony, the card can capture 190 JPEG images in one minute in high-speed burst shooting mode. That’s well over double the rate of 80 images/minute using a standard Class 4 SD card. The high performance of Memory Stick PRO-HG Duoâ„¢ HX also makes it ideal for recording Full HD and 3D movies with the latest Handycam® camcorders. For more information please see the HX Memory card file which is attached to this release.

Memory Stick PRO-HG Duoâ„¢ HX makes post-shooting file transfers and back-ups faster, too. Copying a 32GB AVCHD movie file to your PC² takes just 11 minutes. That’s more than twice as quick as transfers using today’s fastest SDHC cards.

These significant improvements are made possible by new HX Engine that’s been specially developed by Sony. This intelligent flash memory controller enhances data transfer efficiency and error handling for quicker, more stable read/write performance with large files.

For maximum peace of mind, the card’s high reliability is backed by a 10-year warranty by Sony.

Available from www.sony.net/memorycard for registered Memory Stick PRO-HG Duoâ„¢ HX owners, File Rescue recovers accidentally damaged or deleted files. With a 90% successful recovery rate³, it’s an essential utility to help restore precious data including JPEG photos, MPEG or AVCHD video and MP3 music files⁴.

Also available as a free download to registered owners, x-Pict Storyâ„¢ software helps anyone create memorable photo slideshows. This friendly package combines your favourite photos and music with beautiful visual effects to create professional-looking presentations. Integration with Picture Motion Browser software makes it quick and easy to upload slideshows to sharing sites like YouTubeâ„¢.

The top of the line Bravia XBR929 sets are barely hitting the store shelves (a few lucky owners are already posting their impressions on the AVS Forum), and a new and quite feature-

filled juicy firmware update popped up on Sony Support site. The following enhancements will be available to your new set.

This software update (version PKG3.121AAA) provides the following benefits:

• Adds the ability to use the Skype® online calling service
• Adds the “What’s New” feature
• Media Remote (Software keyboard, Full / Simple Remote and Shake Track ID)
• VAIO® Remote Keyboard
• Media Remote (text by voice)
• Audio Theatre Control Widget
• WMV/WMA Codec for DLNA / USB
• 3D on IPTV and USB for NX and above
• Improves performance and stability of IPTV (Internet Protocol TV) features.
  Note: IPTV allows you to enjoy HD (High Definition) programming from the Internet on your BRAVIA television that is connected to a broadband Internet connection.

Now, if only I could get this 63 Mb loaded on my already forgotten by Sony HX909…

It’s not very often  you would see a public and personal letter from CEO of the corporation, but Sir Howard came through and addressed the PSN nation with the following letter today:

Dear Friends,

I know this has been a frustrating time for all of you.

Let me assure you that the resources of this company have been focused on investigating the entire nature and impact of the cyber-attack we’ve all experienced and on fixing it. We are absolutely dedicated to restoring full and safe service as soon as possible and rewarding you for your patience. We will settle for nothing less.

To date, there is no confirmed evidence any credit card or personal information has been misused, and we continue to monitor the situation closely. We are also moving ahead with plans to help protect our customers from identity theft around the world. A program for U.S. PlayStation Network and Qriocity customers that includes a $1 million identity theft insurance policy per user was launched earlier today and announcements for other regions will be coming soon.

As we have announced, we will be offering a “Welcome Back� package to our customers once our PlayStation Network and Qriocity services are up and running. This will include, among other benefits, a month of free PlayStation Plus membership for all PSN customers, as well as an extension of subscriptions for PlayStation Plus and Music Unlimited customers to make up for time lost.

As a company we — and I — apologize for the inconvenience and concern caused by this attack. Under the leadership of Kazuo Hirai, we have teams working around the clock and around the world to restore your access to those services as quickly, and as safely, as possible.

I know some believe we should have notified our customers earlier than we did. It’s a fair question. As soon as we discovered the potential scope of the intrusion, we shut down the PlayStation Network and Qriocity services and hired some of the best technical experts in the field to determine what happened. I wish we could have gotten the answers we needed sooner, but forensic analysis is a complex, time-consuming process. Hackers, after all, do their best to cover their tracks, and it took some time for our experts to find those tracks and begin to identify what personal information had — or had not — been taken.

As a result of what we discovered we notified you of the breach. Our investigation is ongoing, and we are upgrading our security so that if attacks like this happen again, our defenses will be even stronger.

In the last few months, Sony has faced a terrible earthquake and tsunami in Japan. But now we are facing a very man-made event – a criminal attack on us — and on you — and we are working with the FBI and other law enforcement agencies around the world to apprehend those responsible.

In the coming days, we will restore service to the networks and welcome you back to the fun. I wanted to personally reach out and let you know that we are committed to serving you to the very best of our ability, protecting your information better than ever, and getting you back to what you signed up for – all the games and great entertainment experiences that you expect from Sony.

With best regards,
Howard Stringer