Sony's Hirai discusses products, plans

— -- Sony executive Kaz Hirai, viewed by some as a likely successor to CEO Howard Stringer, heads the company's consumer electronics business and could be named Sony president in April, according to Japanese business daily Nikkei. Sony says "no decisions on the management team" have been made. Hirai spoke with USA TODAY on the eve of the Consumer Electronics Show about Sony's plans. Edited for space and clarity.

Q: This has been a tough year for Sony with the earthquake and the hacking that brought down the PlayStation Network. Do you feel extra pressure because of it?

A: Not because we had some of those challenges last year, but CES puts a good amount of pressure on us to deliver a great lineup of products. One area that has not gotten as much press as we like is Music Unlimited, our cloud-based music services. We have a new technology in Handycams, which greatly enhances image stability and shake reduction. There's a host of things we're bringing to CES that, combined with network services, really will excite customers.

Q: What about the cloud?

A: We bring a portfolio of hardware devices that connect right into Music Unlimited. It starts with the PC, but we have Sony Ericsson Xperia Play smartphones, PlayStation Portable, the new PS Vita handheld, Blu-ray players, home-based network audio devices, tablets — all connected with one ID and one library you are managing through the cloud. Our ability to leverage the portfolio of hardware products that we have is unmatched by any of the other competitors in that cloud-based music space. And we have our Video Unlimited streaming and downloading service, for example, with PlayStation Plus. It's got a lot of good traction.

Q: How long will Blu-ray be relevant?

A: The disc-based medium is not going away any time soon. Obviously, sales are declining. But a lot of people still enjoy buying a physical CD and owning a catalog they can touch, see and have in their library. The same is true for Blu-ray. From a convenience factor, if you're talking about a high-definition movie, downloading an entire Blu-ray movie takes a little bit more time than one would like to see. Blu-ray also includes PlayStation 3 games. Trying to download a full game is going to be a bit of an experience for customers. We give consumers the choice.

Q: And 3D?

A: As with any new technology, it's going to require some runway before it really takes off. We have a lot of television sets coming out this year that are 3D-compatible. We have a huge commitment in the space with our joint venture with folks over at Discovery. From a Sony Group perspective, we will continue to support 3D in a very aggressive way.

Q: But the TV business is troubled.

A: We are beginning to bring some great innovative technology to our television sets. Improving circuitry makes a difference in visual quality. Not only does that shine when you're watching HD, it also improves the picture quality of something like YouTube. We need to be very aggressive in cutting costs and in bringing to market TV sets with features and functions that consumers will enjoy, appreciate and use every day.

Q: Do consumers 'get' connected TVs?

A: Sony and the electronics industry as a whole need to deliver a simple message that really resonates with our customers that says, connecting your TV to the Internet really brings a new experience for customers.

Q: Will there be an Apple TV?

A: I'm on my product development guys to do the very best they can to deliver a compelling experience and have competitive product in the market, whether Apple is there or not.

Q: What's the future of Sony Ericsson now that Sony bought Ericsson's stake in the mobile phone business?

A: Subject to regulatory approvals, we will come out with a company name and some other fundamentals. That's not going to stop our ability to bring products to the market.