Sony's New Cyber-shot(TM) T500 Offers Style and Substance With HD Video Clips

T500 Delivers Sparkling Stills and High Definition Video Clips to Go

IFA Berlin

--  New HD movie mode captures high-
    quality HD video clips
--  10.1 effective megapixels
--  Carl Zeiss Vario-Tessar lens with
    5x optical zoom
--  Extra-large 3.5-inch Clear Photo
    LCD Plus touchscreen
--  Double Anti-blur with Optical
    SteadyShot and High Sensitivity
--  HD Slide Show with Music shows
    videos and stills on LCD or
    connected HD TV

Everyone's spoiled for choice with the camera that thinks it's a camcorder. Now it's easy to capture your favourite moments as sumptuous stills or HD movie clips with the slim, stylish new Cyber-shot(TM) T500 from Sony.

Available in a choice of eye-catching piano black, silver and red finishes, the chic T500 is packed with Sony technology to help everyone take better-looking pictures.

Alongside sparkling 10.1 effective megapixel still image quality, it's the first Cyber-shot(TM) that captures crisp, clear HD movie clips with stereo sound. New HD movie mode allows continuous shooting time of up to 10 minutes per clip. In total up to 60 mins (approx) of video content can be stored on the supplied 4GB Memory Stick(TM). Movie files are recorded in 'PC-friendly' MPEG4 AVC/H.264 format. This offers great HD picture quality while keeping files down to a minimum size for convenient saving, sharing and viewing via the web or email.

Not sure whether that special moment deserves a photo or a video clip? It's easy to switch instantly between still and movie modes at the touch of a comfortably placed button on top of the camera. You can even grab crisp still images (1280x720 pixels) without interrupting video shooting.

The superb Carl Zeiss lens features a new ring-type Zoom button, allowing easy adjustment throughout the 5x range while you're shooting movies.

Detail-packed stills and video clips can be viewed on the extra-large wide 3.5-inch touchscreen LCD. As well as giving a beautiful view of your images, the touchscreen also makes operation of camera functions beautifully simple. Touching anywhere on the screen while you're composing a shot locks focus on that part of the scene.

Touching a face turns on Face Detection, ensuring that people's faces in the scene are in sharp focus and with perfect exposure for fewer spoiled shots. Up to eight faces can be tracked at a time, making the T500 ideal for capturing large groups of friends and family.

Shooting handheld without flash can mean blurred pictures, especially when light levels are low or with telephoto shots. Optical SteadyShot is teamed with an improved High Sensitivity mode to allow faster shutter speeds. This 'Dual Anti-blur' solution is complemented by Clear RAW Noise Reduction for clean, natural images, even in low-light conditions like parties or twilight.

After you've finished shooting, HD Slide Shows add an extra dimension of enjoyment to your collection of photos and videos. Pick from a choice of musical accompaniments, or import your favourite music track from a connected PC.

If you want an even bigger picture, still images and HD movie clips can be experienced with extra impact on your HD Ready television. Connected via HDMI(TM) to your Sony HD TV, BRAVIA(TM) Sync allows on-screen control of Cyber-shot(TM) playback functions using the TV's remote control.

Supplied Picture Motion Browser software makes it easy to browse and manage pictures and HD movie files on your PC, upload your favourite moments to image sharing sites -- or email them to friends and family.

The Cyber-shot(TM) T500 will be available from October 2008.

Cyber-shot® is a registered trademark of Sony Corporation

NOTES TO EDITORS

Key technical specifications

Model                   Cyber-shot(TM) DSC-T500
Effective
 megapixels             10.1 effective megapixels
Image sensor            1/2.3 type  Super HAD CCD
Movie mode              MPEG4 AVC/H.264
                        HD movies 1280x720 pixels at 30fps
                        Max. length of individual movie clip: 10 minutes
Shooting modes          Auto
                        Program Auto
                        Scene Selection (High Sensitivity / Soft Snap /
                        Twilight / Portrait / Twilight / Landscape / High
                        Speed Shutter / Snow / Beach / Fireworks)
                        Movie
Lens                    Carl Zeiss 5x optical zoom lens
Display                 3.5-inch wide Clear Photo LCD Plus with touchscreen
Image stabilisation
 system                 Double Anti-Blur with Optical SteadyShot
Face Detection          Yes

Environmental Info

Sony is engaged in a constant review of its manufacturing, operational and business practices to ensure that its products are developed in an environmentally responsible way. This approach can broadly be divided into three areas:

Environmental Information: 3Ps

Product: Extended user documentation is provided electronically on the hard disk drive to reduce paper use

Process: Product packaging is made from recyclable paper to reduce the impact on the environment

Planet: Sony is determined to lead the way as a responsible manufacturer, and as a result we are focussing on three key areas of investment:

1. Reducing CO2 gas emissions

2. Increasing the percentage of renewable energy used in manufacturing facilities

3. Minimising the resources used by our factories in manufacturing

About Sony:

Sony manufactures audio, video, communications and information technology products for the global consumer and professional markets. With its music, pictures, game and online businesses, Sony is uniquely positioned to be one of the world's leading digital entertainment brands. Sony recorded consolidated global annual sales of EUR 55.44 billion (yen 8,871 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2008, based on an average market exchange rate for the same period of yen 160.0 to the EUR. It employs approximately 180,500 people worldwide.

In Europe, the Sony Group recorded consolidated annual sales of EUR 12.73 billion (yen 2,328 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2008. Sony Europe, headquartered at the Sony Center am Potsdamer Platz in Berlin, is responsible for the company's European electronics business and registered consolidated sales of EUR 9.55 billion for the same period.

For more information on Sony Europe, please visit http://www.sony-europe.com and http://www.sony-europe.com/presscenter

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