Zeke Jones / Digital Trends

For the 2d year in a row , Sony will not be show its unexampled TVs atCES in Las Vegas . Should you be worried ? Absolutely not . And I ’m not just going to tell you why — I ’m going to show you how Sony ’s 2024 television are gon na be fall . Literally .

I ’ve been waiting to share what I ’ve learned for a little over six weeks . That may not voice like a farseeing time , but for me , it ’s feel like an eternity . I think this is pretty exciting stuff and nonsense .

Today , I get to share with you that , after years of keeping its LED and mini - direct backlight applied science — and how it works — a very closely guarded secret , Sony has finally fetch it out of the darkness and into the brightness level . It’sgiven us an privileged lookas to how its new backlight tech works .

The level go that in November 2023 , TV manufacturer Zeke Jones and I traveled to Tokyo to take part in a very small press tripper host by Sony . There was a little sightseeing and a lot of nutrient . But most of our time not spend on a bus ( or a very abbreviated 10 minutes on the bullet gear ) was spent at Sony ’s headquarters , where we got to go behind the picture and learn about what Sony is up to , and how Sony does what it does .

Some of what we hear on that stumble is still hush - hush , and I ’ll have more word to share this spring . But first , let ’s talk about the close at hand elephant in the way . Or elephant that ’s not in the room . The elephant is the Modern Sony telecasting . The elbow room is CES .

Sony is doing just fine

First , let me unequivocally dispel myth I ’ve pick up circulate in forums and comment sections about Sony being in some kind of fuss or otherwise fight . I ’m here to tell you that Sony is doing just fine .

For setting , let ’s travel back to 2015 , as Sony was still claw back from the devastating effects of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and resulting tsunami , among some other challenges . At a press league that year , then - Sony Electronics President Mike Fasulo say me that Sony was lead to tip intemperately into “ premium . ” This was big news at the time because Sony , once a household name in television set , had taken a marketplace share attain from new contest coming out of South Korea — notably Samsung and LG .

This all - premium attack is a crowing part of why the so - send for Sony Tax exists .

The point is Sony is holding its own in the North American telecasting outer space , and Sony electronics is n’t hurting at all . Even if itwashurting in the TV space , Sony ’s camera segmentation could credibly shore up the rest of the business .

So , no , the cause Sony is n’t hang CES the way of life it used to is n’t because it ’s on the battle passenger vehicle . Frankly , though , the reasons Sonyhaschanged its approach to CES are , well , for us consumers , a piddling bit boring , honestly .

Soaking up the spotlight

Sony is a immense bay window , and it ’s doing a lot of interesting study in mobility . Its whole CES 2023 press conference was title “ go hoi polloi frontward , ” and the Afeela elevator car it ’s acquire in partnership with Honda was the primal fixture – speaking of , I view the SUV interlingual rendition of that gondola in Tokyo and it was pretty awesome .

Then there ’s Sony Pictures , Sony Imaging , and a growing lean of business partnerships . In little , Sony has a lot of division and a lot of coals in the fire . What I ’m told is that Sony catch CES as an opportunity to talk about some self-aggrandising - depiction incarnate hooey while it ’s catch this bright spotlight on the global stage that is CES . It catch one of the world ’s loudest microphones for about an 60 minutes , and it is ( again ) using it strategically .

Frankly , I would rather see fancy new telly and get frantic for what ’s coming afterward in the year . But I ca n’t blame Sony for its scheme here .

Here ’s the other matter : CES is a loud , noisy spot . And I do n’t just mean it ’s physically loud — though it is . When I say noisy , I entail the monolithic volume of news and picture and tech media coverage coming out of CES is just insane and consuming . It ’s hard to keep track of all the news hail out of that show . It ’s fun to watch and talk about — that ’s why we go . But there ’s so much data coming out of there that for any companionship , it ’s a crap shoot as to whether what you say is going to get noticed by the people you need to detect it .

Why not , then , have your own , independent press effect for TVs and control it a couple of month after CES , when there ’s very little technical school news go on and you’re able to own headlines for a few days ?

From a patronage perspective , this is moderately bright — so long as you do n’t lose sales by coming out with product later in the twelvemonth than your competition . So far , that tactic does n’t appear to have caused Sony any trouble . ( And for what it ’s deserving , it ’s what the phone manufacturers check to do yr ago . To wit : Samsung ’s first Unpacked event of 2024 isscheduled for January 17 . )

So , that ’s what ’s up with Sony ’s business . There will be plenty to add up in 2024 . Just not at CES .