AUDIO VIDEO NEWS

The Sony HT-ST7 is the first product to use Sony's "Sense of Quartz" design imperative, which I first saw in an embargoed product showing in Tokyo a few months ago. I subsequently heard the production version and it sounded even better than it looks.

Sony's 2006 line show for dealers and press offered few surprises. Yes, there was the new BDP-S1 Blu-ray player, planned for release in July at $1000. But it must rankle Sony every time they announce that the first Blu-ray player to market, day-and-date with the first Blu-ray titles in late May, will be from Samsung (if you haven't already heard, the delay of the PlayStation3 gaming console/BD player until November has created that awkward situation.)

At the award-presentation ceremony for its annual international design competition on July 4 at the Essen Aalto Theatre in Essen, Germany, the Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen bestowed its prestigious "red dot label for high design quality" on six Sony products. Among a record number of 1857 entries in 12 product categories, the international jury selected the following Sony products: HDR-FX1E HDV1080i camcorder, Qualia 001 Creation Box (a video processor/upconverter that is not available in the US), <A href="http://ultimateavmag.com/videoprojectors/504sony/">Qualia 004 SXRD front projector</A>, Qualia 005 LCD flat-panel television, <A href="http://www.ultimateavmag.com/directviewandptvtelevisions/705sony/">Qualia 006 RPTV</A>, and DAV-SR4W wireless home theater in a box.

With new brands nipping at its heels, Sony will create a special line of LCD DTVs for non-specialty discount retailers including Wal-Mart and Target. It's quite a departure for the longtime king of TV brands.

Sony announced it will open home theater retail spaces at approximately 350 Best Buy locations nationwide starting in mid May. The ‘Sony Experience at Best Buy’ shop-in-shops are designed to provide an enhanced shopping experience through interactive demonstration areas and a dedicated team of product experts.

Adding 16GB of built-in storage to the PSPGo was a great move on Sony's part. It's something fans have been asking for since launch and it makes integration with the PS3 that much easier. But, by nixing the UMD drive, they have put...