Sony-Berliner Philharmoniker Deal Will Bring Concert Audio Quality To Home Theater

SSony’s deal with Berliner Philharmoniker to improve the quality of Sony’s audio products and digital streaming of concert footage is welcome news for the rest of the music industry.

And it is no surprise that the deal was announced on the same day as Sony unveiled its latest BRAVIA LCD television, set for release at the end of this year.

Berliner Philharmoniker – the world’s authority in classical concerts – and its ‘Digital Concert Hall’ – Berlin Phil Media – will collaborate with Sony in order to pursue “superior” visual and audio quality.

But the most exciting part of the deal is the companies’ goal to “develop concert hall soundstage mode, and recreate the sound that artists strive for in concert halls”.

The companies hope that their efforts will eventually result in the improvement of home theater technology to the extent that the sound quality emulates that of a concert hall.

With nearly 4 years’ experience in offering its ‘Digital Concert Hall’, where users can enjoy around 30 live Berliner Philharmoniker concerts per year, as well as past concert footage in their homes, Berlin Phil Media has the expertise to ensure that this collaboration with Sony is fruitful.

Under the partnership, Sony will supply professional products and give technical assistance in order to achieve a streaming service in full-HD. This kind of collaboration, by no means a one-off in the music industry, is exactly the kind of work that is needed in order for the industry to realise its full potential online.

Sony’s move is a smart one: by working with a Philharmonic Orchestra, the corporation will presumably develop technology that will see the development of live concert streaming into a high revenue business.

Sir Simon Rattle, Principal conductor of the Berliner Philharmoniker, said: “We are thrilled that … our Digital Concert Hall will be present as an integral part of a lot of Sony’s equipment.

This view of the Digital Concert Hall as part of Sony’s equipment is pivotal to the magnitude of this project; the Hall will enable Sony to develop the next generation of home theater system: the more widespread the use of new technology by the recording industry, the faster the technology will trickle into our home theater systems.

If enjoying a live streamed concert in a hi-tech home theater becomes more profitable, be it through through advertising, subscription-based, or pay-per-view models, Sony will be well-placed to exploit the market.

The new BRAVIA TV, with a resolution that is 4 times the resolution of Full HD standard, incorporates Sony’s super-resolution high picture quality engine optimized for 4K TV. As Sony’s development of such technologies intertwines, the real winner is the consumer who can afford to watch live concert footage from the Sony-built theater in the comfort and familiarity of the home.

It is no surprise that these developments were announced by Sony on the same day, in a highly insightful look into the connection between television and music.

Samuel Agini is the Editor of Andrew Apanov’s Dotted Music

Comments