Sony PlayStation and Bravia: A Plain-English Guide
Last verified: August 2026
Sony makes a little of everything — the PlayStation the grandkids beg for, the Bravia TV in the living room, the headphones, and the camera that comes out at every birthday. Here is how to set it all up, in plain English.
About Sony PlayStation and Bravia
The PlayStation 5 comes as a disc model, a cheaper digital-only model that downloads every game, and the more powerful PS5 Pro. Setup is mostly plugging the HDMI cable into the TV, charging the DualSense controller with its USB-C cable, joining your Wi-Fi, and signing in to your PlayStation Network account. Games today are enormous, so a wired connection makes big downloads steadier, and when the console fills up you can delete and re-download games at no cost or add storage.
Sony's Bravia TVs all run Google TV, where your apps sit in a row on the home screen and one HDMI port marked eARC or ARC sends the sound to a soundbar over a single cable. Your PlayStation Network account is the key to your games and your payment card, so I turn on 2-Step Verification. If kids or grandkids play, I set up a child account for each with a monthly spending limit and a password required at checkout, all managed from the PlayStation Family app on your phone.
Sony headphones and earbuds — the over-ear WH models and the little WF earbuds — pair over Bluetooth and are tuned in the free Sony Sound Connect app, and Alpha camera photos come off wirelessly with the free Creators' App or by cable to a computer. The thing to hold onto: nobody legitimate gives away free PSN codes, and no real Sony employee will ever ask you to read out your password or a login code.
When to skip the DIY and just call: PS5 setup and storage upgrade · A soundbar with no sound · Getting photos off the camera
Common Questions
1 How do I set up my PS5?
- Connect the HDMI cable from the PS5 to an HDMI port on the TV, then plug in the power cord.
- Charge the controller with the supplied USB-C cable and press the PlayStation button to turn it on.
- On the TV, pick your language, then join your Wi-Fi or plug in an Ethernet cable for a steadier connection.
- Sign in to your PlayStation Network account, or create one if this is your first PlayStation.
- Let the first system update download — it can take a while, so start it and go pour a coffee.
2 Why is my new soundbar silent on the Bravia?
- Run one HDMI cable from the TV's port marked eARC (or ARC) to the soundbar's ARC port.
- On the TV go to Settings, then Display and Sound, then Audio output, then Speakers.
- Choose Audio system so the sound plays through the soundbar.
- Make sure the soundbar itself is powered on.
3 How do I move photos off my Sony camera to my phone?
- Install the free Creators' App on your phone and turn the camera on.
- Open the app, choose your camera, and pick Import.
- Let the two connect over Wi-Fi the first time.
- Select the photos you want and tap Transfer — they land in your phone's photos.
- Prefer a computer? Pop the SD card into its card slot, or connect the camera by USB cable, and copy the files.
4 How do I keep my account safe and spot scams?
- Turn on 2-Step Verification under Settings, Users and Accounts, Security.
- Use a strong password you do not use anywhere else.
- For kids, set a monthly spending limit and turn on Require Password at Checkout.
- Never type your login into a 'free PSN code' website or photograph a gift card for anyone.
- Start any support search from PlayStation.com — never call a number from a random search result.
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