Bosch Security Systems on Monday announced that its recently forged partnership with Sony has been approved by antitrust authorities and became effective as of Feb. 1 – except within China where the partnership is slated to begin on April 1. The companies first announced that they would be combining their video surveillance businesses last November.
In a statement, the companies said that they will now be focusing on strengthening their collaboration with one another. According to the agreement announced last year, not only will the partnership result in a combination of the companies’ respective technologies, but Bosch will be taking over the sales and marketing of Sony-branded products in every market with the exception of Japan.
As part of this sales and marketing partnership, Sony’s video security sales and marketing associates have joined a newly formed dedicated team within the Bosch Security System organization. Sony`s video security customers will be served and supported by this sales and marketing team moving forward.
“We are happy to welcome these experienced colleagues in our organization and are convinced we will further grow the business with Sony’s products by providing excellent support and service to our customers,” says Michael Hirsch, Vice President for Sales and Marketing of the Sony Security Business within Bosch.
“We are delighted that Sony’s video security customers are now being supported by Bosch Security Systems. We are moving forward with this partnership which will feature jointly developed products that fully leverage our industry-leading expertise in video image quality and performance,” adds Toru Katsumoto, Deputy President of Imaging Products and Solutions Sector, President of Professional Products Group, Sony Corporation.
When it comes to technical cooperation, both companies say they are aiming to set new standards with regard to high resolution video imaging, combined with excellent light sensitivity, complemented by Bosch’s expertise in built-in video analytics and latest bitrate management techniques. In March 2017, Sony will launch eight new Full-HD (1080p) video security cameras within its sixth generation (G6) range of network cameras, meeting the ever-increasing demand for greater image clarity within the video security market. New G6 cameras’ high sensitivity capabilities ensure that the color integrity of images is maintained even in extreme lowlight situations. At the same time, Bosch is updating its portfolio concerning video analytics and bitrate management. Starting as of May 2017, all network cameras from the IP 4000 series will be equipped with built-in video analytics as a standard as well as latest bitrate management techniques combined with H.265 video encoding, reducing bitrate by up to 80 percent. Both Sony’s and Bosch’s innovations will be presented at ISC West 2017 (April 5-7) in Las Vegas, USA.
The first jointly developed products are expected to be launched in 2018. “We are looking forward to delivering best-in-class video security solutions to our customers for both existing and new market segments,” says Gert van Iperen, President of Bosch Security Systems.
