The Sony press conference is arguably the most prestigious at CES—and the largest. It would have been even larger if Sony did not have the policy of allowing only select invited members of the media to attend. Having a Press badge by itself does not guarantee admission. Even so, I overheard a Sony rep saying to one of his colleagues that attendance at the Sony press conference was over 1600.

For Sony, most of the emphasis was on video (4K is big, and 3D is standard in upper-level models) and easy-to-use wireless connectivity. However, I was pleased by the reference to Sony's beginnings, pointing out that "Sony" is derived from "Sonos," which is Latin for "sound." Other than that, most of Sony's efforts in audio seem to be in wireless speakers and in headphones, like the pictured X-10 ($299). Sony also claims to have improved the sound quality of the speakers in their TVs (I was going to say "flat panel TVs" and then I realized that nowadays all TVs are flat panel).