Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

SVG Sit-Down: Sony's Mikio Kita on Transformative Technologies and a Cloud-Based Future

10/05/2021

SVG Sit-Down: Sony's Mikio Kita on Transformative Technologies and a Cloud-Based Future Acquisition of Nevion enhances remote-production solutions By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director

Monday, May 10, 2021 - 2:15 pm

Print This Story | Subscribe

Story Highlights

Mikio Kita, VP, media solutions, Sony Imaging Products & Solutions, and the Sony team around the globe had an eventful 2020 and 2021. There was the acquisition of Nevion in September, which brought in transformative technologies, continued developments around cloud-based services, and, of course, the use of digital cinema cameras in live sports broadcasts. Kita recently sat down with SVG to discuss the changing production environment, Sony's evolution, and more.

Sony's Mikio Kita: Gradually, the HD type of [live sports] production is going to be on the cloud.

Looking back at 2020, what were some of the big changes that impacted the media industry the most?

First, there was the increased need for remote solutions. Due to the influence of the COVID-19, the need for remote and distributed production is increasing at production sites across the globe. Many large-scale events took place remotely, without or with a limited audience, to prevent the spread of the COVID-19, and this is where Sony's remote-production solution has shown its strength and effectiveness.

Sony's solutions offer a way to collaborate, share resources, minimize travel and contact, and have fewer personnel onsite for greater efficiency and effectiveness, while still offering a high-quality production. This transition and mentality will have a lasting impact on the way productions are achieved moving forward.

Additionally, we've seen a growing need for fast, efficient, and effective workflows that leverage cloud-based solutions. More than ever, having productive discussions with our customers and partners is helping us all to support one another and overcome these unprecedented circumstances. We firmly believe our solutions inspire professionals' creativity, and we always want to hear their voice and feedback, which encourages us to keep innovating.

What are some of the core strengths and key areas that you'll be focusing on in 2021?

The key area is, of course, the strength of our cameras, switchers, and hardware, but I would like to emphasize that the key focus is IP technology. And Sony's IP-based solution offers integrated optimal experience for the customers. We continue to bring to market new offerings for every type of broadcast production, allowing producers and companies to work effectively and safely in tighter space or remote. They can share resources - such as equipment, facilities, and even staff - across locations in real time, getting the best of the team's experience and creativity.

And then there is the cloud as well. So it's a combination of hardware, IP, software, the cloud. And we have also been working on integrating AI technologies for advanced remote solutions and more-efficient workflow.

It's all part of our corporate technology theme this year, which is 3R technology: reality, real time, and remote. We will continue development of the camera technology and switchers, but, on top of that, we acquired Nevion, and the entire wide-range network-architecture design is now ready from Sony Nevion.

What does Nevion mean for your workflows and technology?

Nevion is a Norwegian technology company that is providing media-network infrastructure solutions to broadcasters, telecommunication-service providers, government agencies, and, of course, other industries. Their solutions are [increasingly] based on ST-2110 IP and cloud technology, and they enable transport, processing, monitoring, and management of professional-quality video, audio, data in real time, reliably and securely.

Nevion's solutions are used to power major sporting and live events across the globe, and we have been working very closely with them for several years. Last September, we acquired 100% of the company. And now, as venues and facilities are connected via WAN or LAN, we can control them, share resources, and make remote-production concepts happen.

We fully understood that the last important technology piece is SDN, software-defined-network technologies. And Nevion's SDN technology fully controls the COTS IP suite, regardless of which manufacturer it is.

So, the acquisition ties directly to our 3R technology and further solidifies Sony's commitment to IP and leadership in the space.

How do you see your remote-production solutions creating new business opportunities for you?

As our solutions move to the cloud and data-center type of resource-sharing, our customers can move from capex model to opex and pay-as-you go type of model. In the case of the very high-end sports [coverage], like 4K or UHD, where very large bit streams are necessary, we will still need a hardware-based and on-premises type of solution. But, gradually, the HD type of production is going to be on the cloud.

Sony cinema cameras are being used in sports. Are you surprised to see those cameras deployed in those sorts of applications?

Yeah. Sony has been at the forefront of a new trend in live sports production, in which broadcast companies are keen to utilize cinema camera, like our VENICE, in handheld gimbals and capable of shallow depths of field shooting on the field during the game. It's also about after the big play: [the shot of] the player's expression in shallow-depth-of-field pictures is very impressive.

That trend will continue, and the larger sensor and the great auto-focus technology of our camera gives the content a great cinematic look, which viewers are appreciating now. We are really enjoying the new trend and offering our cinema cameras.

Do you think there's a new opportunity for a new type of digi
LINK: https://www.sportsvideo.org/2021/05/10/svg-sit-down-sonys-mikio-kita-o...
See more stories from svg

North America Stories

03/06/2026

SES Launches Multi-Orbit Satellite Inflight Connectivity on Viva Airlines

SES and Viva, Mexico's ultra low-cost airline, have launched multi-orbit satellite inflight connectivity on Viva's Airbus aircraft. A total of 60 A320s ...

03/06/2026

CFP, ESPN, and TNT Sports Announce 2026-27 College Football Playoff Broadcast Schedule

The College Football Playoff, ESPN, and TNT Sports have announced kick times and...

03/06/2026

RED Digital Cinema to Host Panels and Demos at Cine Gear Expo 2026

RED Digital Cinema will exhibit at Cine Gear Expo 2026 (Booth 33, June 5-6, Universal Studios Lot), hosting three panels and hands-on product demonstrations. P...

03/06/2026

Roku Launches Soccer Zone for FIFA World Cup 2026

Roku has announced the Soccer Zone, a dedicated hub for FIFA World Cup 2026 content available across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Argent...

03/06/2026

Liverpool FC and Wasabi Technologies Renew Multi-Year Partnership

Liverpool FC and Wasabi Technologies have announced a multi-year extension of their partnership, with Wasabi continuing as the club's official cloud storage...

03/06/2026

Sky News Australia Deploys Grass Valley AMPP for Cloud-Based Newsroom Production

Grass Valley has announced that Australian News Channel (ANC), operator of Sky News Australia, has deployed Grass Valley AMPP as part of the relocation of its n...

03/06/2026

Gudrun Scharler Appointed CEO of Riedel Networks

The Riedel Group has announced the appointment of Gudrun Scharler as CEO of Riedel Networks. She succeeds Michael Martens, who has led Riedel Networks since 201...

03/06/2026

Clear-Com Deploys Arcadia Central Station and FreeSpeak II at Itaka Arena in Poland

Clear-Com has announced the deployment of its intercom solutions at Itaka Arena ...

03/06/2026

Scott Coker Announces Six Executive Hires for New MMA Promotion

Scott Coker has announced six senior executive appointments for his new global MMA promotion, which launched earlier this year with $60 million in financing. Ad...

03/06/2026

Telemundo Announces Digital and Social Media Plans for FIFA World Cup 2026

Telemundo, the exclusive Spanish-language home of the FIFA World Cup 2026, has announced its digital and social media programming for the tournament, running Ju...

03/06/2026

Bundesliga Launches AI Assistant 'Captain' in Official App, Developed With AWS

The Bundesliga has announced the launch of Captain, an AI assistant built into t...

03/06/2026

Anthony James Partners Serving as Technology Consultant for UNC Kenan Stadium Modernization

Anthony James Partners (AJP) is serving as technology consultant for a moderniza...

03/06/2026

Audio-Technica Presents 2025-26 Samurai and Presidents Awards

Audio-Technica has announced the recipients of its annual sales rep firm awards for the 2025-26 fiscal year. The awards were presented by Jim Schanz, Executive ...

03/06/2026

iodyne to Demo Multi-Cam Ingest and Color Workflows With RED and Adobe at Cine Gear Expo 2026

iodyne will exhibit at Cine Gear Expo 2026 alongside RED Digital Cinema and Adob...

03/06/2026

Women's College World Series 2026: ESPN Brings Out Cinematic Cameras, POVORA CapCams for All-Texas Championship

The broadcaster will deploy 39 cameras for game coverage, six cameras for studio...

03/06/2026

How Comcast Xfinity Made RealTime 4K, Multiview a Reality for World Cup Fans with Vito Forlenza

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is providing a great opportunity for not only Fox Sports...

03/06/2026

Sonys New PTZ Cameras Deliver 4K 60p; New STARVIS Sensor Meets Low-Light Demands

Sony Electronics is introducing the SRG-AS10, a 4K 60p compatible PTZ Auto Framing camera that uses Sony's proprietary AI to automatically recognize and tra...

03/06/2026

NBA Finals 2026: ESPN's 1080p HDR Experience Drives San Antonio Spurs vs. New York Knicks Title Series

Game Creek Video's Flagship A, B, C, and D unit will wind up its first year ...

03/06/2026

New Sponsor Spotlight: Caretta Researchs Evangelos Vrysellas Says Booming Sports-Rights Market May Be Hitting the Brakes

According to Caretta Research, the sports-rights market may be hitting the brake...

03/06/2026

Film Festival Watch: Catch These 11 Must-See Sundance Institute-Supported Films at Tribeca 2026

Retrieval still courtesy of Tribeca. By Jessica Herndon This year, the Tribeca...

03/06/2026

Comcast Xfinity to Deliver 4K Coverage of FIFA World Cup 2026

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

03/06/2026

Sony to Show New PTZ Cameras at InfoComm 2026

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

03/06/2026

Oklahoma City Thunder Tops Nielsen Ranking of Most Viewed NBA Teams

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

03/06/2026

SmallHD Introduces OLED 16 4K Production Monitor

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

03/06/2026

ANDREW WILSON DELIVERS AUTHENTIC SOUND FOR FILM USING NU...

For more than three decades, Re-recording Mixer Andrew Wilson, AMPS, CAS, has helped bring the natural world to the screen with exceptional audio enjoyed by mil...

03/06/2026

From Stadiums to Campuses to Corporate Studios- Telestrea...

Telestream, a global leader in media workflow technologies, will showcase its latest innovations for modern AV production environments at InfoComm 2026 (Booth N...

03/06/2026

DPA ADVANCES INTEGRATED AUDIO SOLUTIONS FOR PRO AV ENVIR...

DPA Microphones will present a comprehensive portfolio of integrated audio solutions designed to meet the evolving needs of today's professional AV environm...

03/06/2026

Lightware Expands Gemini GVN With Full-Featured USB-C

Lightware announces the GVN-HC-TX220AP, a new transmitter in the Gemini GVN 1G AV-over-IP family that introduces full-featured USB-C for professional 1Gb AV-ove...

03/06/2026

Minno Teams with Evergent to Enhance Faith-Based Streamin...

Evergent, the customer management and monetization leader for streaming and digital subscription businesses, and Minno, the global leader in faith-based content...

03/06/2026

Alfalite brings its LED technology to RTVE iconic Teatro...

Alfalite, Europe's only LED display manufacturer, has completed a new broadcast installation with the deployment of two UHD Finepix 1.5 MATIX AlfaCOB LED di...

03/06/2026

Broadcast Solutions delivers new Ultra HD outside broadca...

Broadcast Solutions, a leading systems integrator and provider of innovative solutions for the broadcast media industry, is completing a contract to build eight...

03/06/2026

NAB Launches Merkhet Solutions to Advance Deployment of BPS

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

03/06/2026

FCC Kicks Off First Spectrum Auction in Four Years

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

03/06/2026

Utopai Studios Launches Pai 2.0, Cinematic Storytelling AI System

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

03/06/2026

Roku Introduces NHL Zone

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

03/06/2026

Study: Record Revenue Expected for FIFA World Cup 2026

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

03/06/2026

Frequency Launches In-Scene Advertising

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

03/06/2026

Creamsource Introduces Vortex2 and Vortex2 Soft

Creamsource, known for its tried-and-true Vortex Series of cinematic lighting, has announced the Vortex2 (V2) and Vortex2 Soft (V2S), two compact additions to t...

03/06/2026

Faster, More Flexible AI Matting Fuels Boris FX Silhouette

Faster, More Flexible AI Matting Fuels Boris FX Silhouette Jessie Electa Petrov June 2, 2026 0 Comments The 2026 release helps artists tackle complex ...

03/06/2026

La Tl's National League Hockey Expansion Powered by Blackmagic Design

La T l 's National League Hockey Expansion Powered by Blackmagic Design Brie Clayton June 2, 2026 0 Comments Blackmagic Videohub 120 120 12G provi...

03/06/2026

ZY Optics to Offer Exclusive First Look at Zone T1 Cine Kit at Cine Gear Expo 2026

ZY Optics to Offer Exclusive First Look at Zone T1 Cine Kit at Cine Gear Expo 20...

03/06/2026

Berklee Alumni St. Vincent and Ruby Plume to Perform Together on St. Vincents 2026 Live with Orchestra Tour

Berklee Alumni St. Vincent and Ruby Plume to Perform Together on St. Vincents 20...

03/06/2026

Built Different: Inside Colossal Biosciences & the Big Bet ...

Built Different: Inside Colossal Biosciences & the Big Bet to Make Extinction Reversible Published on Jun 3, 2026 Categories: Featured News LinkedIn Corpor...

03/06/2026

NVIDIA Enables the Next Era Of Physical AI Research With Agent Skills For Autonomous Vehicles, Robotics And Vision AI

At CVPR, NVIDIA is unveiling new physical AI agent skills that help researchers ...

03/06/2026

NVIDIA Research Unlocks Advanced Grasping, Smarter Autonomous Driving and Agent Training at Scale

What makes a robot gripper useful isn't that it can pick up one object - it&...

02/06/2026

Case Study: Tennis Channel Transitions From Satellite to IP Distribution With LTN

Tennis Channel has completed a transition from satellite-based distribution to a...

02/06/2026

Daktronics Announces 2026 High School Video Summit for June 23-24

Daktronics has announced the 2026 High School Video Summit, a two-day educational event for high school educators and student production teams, taking place Jun...

02/06/2026

Fandango to Screen Telemundos FIFA World Cup 2026 Coverage at 160 Theaters Nationwide

Fandango will bring Telemundo's live Spanish-language coverage of the FIFA W...

02/06/2026

AWSN Announces Broadcast Schedule for Inaugural Professional Softball League Season

All Women's Sports Network (AWSN) has announced the live television schedule...

02/06/2026

Spalk Announces Partnerships with Ligue 1, Euroleague, and LNB

Spalk, a cloud-based multilingual commentary and production platform, has announced three new partnerships: Ligue 1 (English and Portuguese highlights), Eurolea...