By Richard M. Sherwin

(and the staff of Digital Family Advisor)

Reeling from layoffs, disappointing introductions and a general “So what” from its first half product lineup, Sony picked itself up off

the canvas and may have just gotten back to its original CE and laptop leadership positions this month. Sony, one of the best known companies in the world, has been plagued with limp sales. But their recent introduction of their first true 4K next generation television just might give them the lift they need. Ultra-HD “4K” resolution produces a picture roughly four times the depth and breadth of conventional LED HDTV. And, while little theatrical or TV content is filmed in 4K, the technology has been hailed as the true successor to HDTV.

“Please remember that when Sony introduced the first audio cassette CD, DVD and then Blue Ray quality video, there was not much content to use the first day of the product introduction,” said Phil Molyneux, chief operating officer of Sony Electronics.

Sony XBR-84X900, 4K TV – SONY 84-INCH 4K TV

4K became the newest buzzword because there are almost 4,000 pixels on the horizontal side of the screen. Traditional HDTV produces 1,920 by 1,080 pixels in the best HD sets. The greater the number of pixels, the crisper the picture no matter how big the screen is. Many home computers can produce video at 4K. Sony makes digital projectors operating at 4K resolution for movie theaters and also sells 4K camcorders that directors and cameramen use to produce theatrical movies and TV shows, too.

In digital cameras, Sony introduced a wonderful successor to its NEX category digital camera, the NEX-5R which, after a quick inspection, delivers professional mirror imaging capabilities with WI-FI convenience in a lightweight and easy to use page. The introduction follows closely on the heels of several other digital cameras, one of the few Sony devices holding its own in the very competitive category.

In addition, Sony introduced a point of view line (used to be called point and shoot) of camcorders dubbed “Action Cam” which feature premium engineering grade high definition video and multi action shooting capabilities in a consumer price point.

Sony also responded to the latest Samsung Galaxy Note Tablet with an upgraded and newly branded Experia Tablet. The new Tablet has many proprietary functions that the Samsung and iPad don’t have at the same $399 to $599 price.

• The very slim unit is supposedly faster and sharper than any Tablet on the market using a special enhanced chip set that also produces higher resolution video and very clear audio.
• The Experia Tablet is also water resistant so it’s kitchen safe.

According to Sony, Tablets are now used in the living room, kitchen or dining room more than any place in the house. A Watch Now function provides an interactive, visual program guide fueled by personal preference and real-time trends from users’ social media feeds. TV fans can use the app to discover new shows based on intelligent recommendations from the app, change the channel with a flick of the finger and share their thoughts on what they are watching via Twitter™, Facebook® and Get Glue.

“We know that eighty-eight percent of tablet owners in the US are using their tablets in the living room, and are multi-tasking with their tablets while watching TV,” said Phil Lubell, vice president of networked technologies and services at Sony Electronics.

The Experia also doubles as a universal remote to operate almost any audio and video device. It also has a safety App preventing children from going to inappropriate web sites or even unacceptable TV programming. Consumers can easily program sequenced commands such as “Watch TV” or Play Music” and perform the sequences with one tap on the screen.

For those of you who purchased the disappointing first generation Sony Tablet, the company has uploaded a complete firmware upgrade to include many of the software features of the new unit, in addition to making the older unit completely SD card compatible like the new device. However, it can’t slim down the heavier older units.