Sony Corporation Global Headquarters
Introducing noteworthy products and technologies developed through Sony Group environmental initiatives. Selected developer interviews also shed light on these promising innovations.
Tthe newest Blu-ray disc™ player is only 29 cm wide-surprisingly compact by home video standards.
An eco-conscious product that saves space, resources, and energy while maintaining high performance.
The difference in size is immediately clear. Concerted efforts in miniaturization have enabled outstanding environment performance.
An entry-level Blu-ray disc™ player launched in the fall of 2011, the BDP-S185 was developed for impressive video and audio quality while outperforming the competition in the environmental criteria of saving energy and resources. Reviewing many details and completely redesigning the internal components made the player much smaller, down from the standard width of 43 cm to 29 cm. Among the surprising results of this innovation is tremendous energy savings in operation, which at 10 W is about 55% lower than the previous model.*
Yoshihiro Mizukura
Deputy Senior General Manager
Home Entertainment Business Group
Consumer Products & Services Group
Sony Corporation
Yoshihiro Mizukura, a dynamic leader in Sony Blu-ray disc™ player business, explains. "What made these advances possible was that all of us in planning, engineering, manufacturing, distribution, and sales shared an ambitious vision. Consumers are now more aware of environmental issues, and a product that performs well in this regard can be very compelling. As a company, we're working toward zero environmental impact as part of the Sony environmental plan, and this player brings us a step closer by combining many current Blu-ray technologies."
See how the player rewrites the book on environmental performance.
*Blu-ray disc™ / DVD Player BDP-S370
Down to 29 cm wide, from an industrystandard of 43 cm
30% smaller than the volume of a model sold two years ago. Breaking free from design preconceptions was a goal.
Chips and circuits are integrated on a single circuit board. The optical drive is mounted nearly flush on the left side, making the most of limited space.
The first thing worthy of note is how compact the player is. Here, the developers broke the mold of standard 43 cm home video products to create a model only 29 cm wide. About 30% smaller than the previous player* by volume, the BDP-S185 saves significant resources, but fitting all internal parts into this limited space required the engineers to develop smaller, more highly integrated components. In a player such as this, overall miniaturization was harder because the optical drive had to remain the same size. A tremendous asset was custom development of new integrated circuits. The circuits also consume less energy, so regardless of the smaller body, less internal heat is generated, which enables a new, fanless design with metal shielding over the circuits as a heatsink. In other respects as well, engineers specializing in the audio and video circuits, the optical drive motor, or the power supply carefully considered their components to integrate more parts while adopting an innovative circuit board configuration. The result: better performance in a much smaller package.
Akihiko Hirooka, a member of the design team, adds that the player's compact form factor is also an advantage in distribution. "Smaller players mean that each shipping pallet holds about 74% more units than before,* which reduces CO2 emissions in transit nearly 42%. The boxes are designed to stand upright, which is unusual in Blu-ray disc™ players. This approach keeps the packaging compact yet sturdy for shipping, and we can take advantage of the wide surface to make a better impression in stores."
*Blu-ray disc™ / DVD Player BDP-S370
Akihiko Hirooka
Design Manager
Video Business Group
Sony EMCS (Malaysia) Sdn.Bhd.
Boxes now stand upright instead of being stacked flat. Among other advantages, a wider surface is visible on store shelves, which showcases product highlights.
At the heart of the player, newly developed integrated circuitry has greatly reduced energy consumption. Two separate microcontrollers have been consolidated into a single controller, and integrating components on a single board and moving from four memory chips to two has reduced overall energy requirements considerably. Despite fewer memory modules, the memory area is now used dynamically, enabling operation at full capacity with fewer resources. In this way, many energy-saving technologies culminate in a player that consumes about 55% less energy in operation than the previous model,* down to a mere 10 W.
*Blu-ray disc™ / DVD Player BDP-S370
On average, consumes about 55% less energy in operation than last year's model.
Laura Rush
Senior Category Director
Consumer Electronics Division
Wal-Mart Stores Inc
True to its motto of "Save Money. Live Better," the world's largest retailer, Walmart(Wal-mart Stores Inc.), is working toward sustainability of its supply chains. Next to the groceries and everyday home products, the electronics on store shelves are selected by Walmart buyers not only because they are compelling products but also for environmental performance that saves energy and resources. According to Walmart representative Laura Rush, especially for Blu-ray players, decisive factors in Walmart purchasing include environmental considerations such as lower energy consumption in operation, streamlined packaging, use of recycled material, and lower CO2 emissions in transit. Walmart believes that environmental consciousness should be a priority from the start of production.
Eco-conscious Energy Star-labeled Blu-ray players line Walmart shelves
