Archive notice: This article was originally published on February 16, 2009. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
Sony Professional World set a new attendance record at its opening event in Cologne, with more than 400 guests. This year, a new and expanded concept presented Sony Professional’s entire product portfolio: from a wide variety of high-definition film and television cameras through networked production environments and conferencing systems to the latest presentation solutions and projectors, everything required for the professional capture, processing, and display of video and images was on show—a complete production chain “made by Sony.”
Many visitors found the combination of product exhibition and a speaker program featuring prominent external guests especially successful. Alongside presentations on the future of HD television production, modern marketing psychology, and retail presentation options, renowned cinematographer Michael Ballhaus particularly impressed the audience with a current field report on his first documentary project shot entirely digitally, “In Berlin.” Following his initial digital experience on short films, Ballhaus used the Sony F23 cinema camera and the compact PMW-EX1 camcorder together for the first time on “In Berlin”—a combination that ultimately worked extremely well despite the major differences between the cameras.
The legendary cinematographer was also impressed by the new possibilities overall. “The low costs of digital production and especially presentation using projectors are a genuine liberation for artists,” Ballhaus said. “For the first time, good ideas can be realized at high quality on small budgets. At the same time, smaller productions can finally be shown to a broad audience because the expensive film prints alone are no longer required.” Audiences were able to see the result of his own work at the Berlinale last week: “In Berlin” premiered at the film festival on February 13.
Numerous other product highlights shown at Professional World are also currently in use at the Berlinale. At the premiere of the Berlinale opening film “The International,” for example, 24 professional Sony VPL-FX40 projectors displayed videos, trailers, previews, information, and presentations—another major application for high-quality Sony projection technology, which has already attracted attention in cinema with the flagship 4K projectors of the SRX series.
Final Sony Professional World date:
17 February 2009 – Munich
Wappenhalle, Konrad-Zuse-Platz 8, 81829 Munich
Sony Professional World is open from 9:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Further Links:
- Registration and further information
