Slacker will stop building its only hardware digital streaming music player, the G2 in the second half of 2010, according to a Wednesday WSJ report. The 2GB device was launched in 2007 and grew to include 4GB and 8GB capacities. Slacker is still selling a 4GB version for $129, while Best Buy has some 8GB models in stock, priced at $249.
Sony used its turn at CEDIA to launch a raft of new home theater equipment headlined by the BRAVIA XBR10. An Americanized version of the Japanese ZX5, they have a new 60GHz Wireless HD media box that lets the TV sit completely separately from most video inputs while still playing them at full quality. It can play a 1080p picture at a full 60 frames per second without dropping frames or otherwise showing differences between this and a wired signal.
Choosing an uncharacteristic Monday launch date, Sony today launched the BRAVIA ZX5. The line brings wireless TV and uses the 60GHz Wireless HD format to pipe content from a separate TV Station hub to the set itself without wires. As they use ultra-wideband, the new sets are far more efficient than the ZX1 and can handle up to 1080p video at 60 frames per second over the wireless link instead of the older series' 1080i picture.
Sony on Wednesday introduced three new BRAVIA HDTVs for Europe. The V5800, W5800 and Z5800 have three tuners for receiving satellite (DVB-S2), over-the-air terrestrial (DVB-T) and cable (DVB-C) channels in standard definition or HD, nullifying the need for separate set-top boxes. The LCDs output at 1080p and also get a CI+ port for cards that allow access to subscription channels. The V5800 has a traditional 60Hz display panel, the W5800 gets a 100Hz display, while the Z5800 uses a 200Hz panel.
Sony today said its Internet-aware BRAVIA TVs now have access to Netflix. Both newer sets with support built-in, as well as older sets using the add-on Internet Video Link, can access (but not add to) the Watch Instantly queue and stream movies or TV shows directly to the set. Whether or not it's capable of HD footage isn't clear.
The PlayStation Network (PSN) currently accessible by users of Sony's PlayStation 3 gaming console that lets them download games, movies, songs and other multimedia content may soon make its way to other hardware from the electronics giant, company CEO Howard Stringer revealed in a recent interview. Bringing the Internet and downloadable content into family living rooms will be made possible by integrating the PSN into Sony Bravia HDTVs, for example, with Sony Ericsson handset owners and PlayStation Portable gaming console users also benefitting from a version of the interface.
Sony Europe on Thursday unveiled its RHT-G series of TV stands that feature integrated surround sound speaker systems. All share three HDMI inputs and are compatible with BRAVIA Sync for one-remote control of both the TV and the stand. The three models in the range accommodate Sony or third-party TVs of various sizes, with the entry-level RHT-G550 meant for TVs sized at between 32 and 40 inches. This 3.1-channel model contains three midrange speakers and a subwoofer which combine to produce 330W of power.
Uncharacteristically launching TVs outside of CES, Sony on Monday night unveiled the BRAVIA W5100 series. The refresh is a deliberately lower-cost option that brings the same Internet features as the Z5100 and XBR9 but without the expensive panel technology. Any W5100 set can access Flickr and news widgets through Yahoo's industry-wide interface when connected over Ethernet. They can also tap into Amazon VOD, YouTube or Sony's internal movie and music services to stream video.
Sony has recently announced the upcoming release of two new series of Bravia HDTVs in Japan, the W5 and F5, with the majority sporting 240Hz panels. They center on a FeliCa RFID tag reader built right into their remotes that lets owners pay for Video on Demand and other multimedia purchases using their cellphones. The W5 TVs are available in 52-, 46- and 40-inch models, while the F5s can be had in 46-, 40- and 32-inch sizes. All have full 1920x1080 high-definition resolution, except for the 32-inch KDL-32F5, which tops out at 1366x768 pixels and has a 120Hz panel.
A recent HD Guru report claims to know the release dates and pricing information for much of Sony's 2009 HDTV lineup first introduced at this year's CES. The new-look L-series models will be available in 22-, 26-, 32- and 37-inch sizes, all with 1366x768 (720p) resolutions, a built-in ATSC/QAM tuner and 8,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio for the smallest model and a 13,000:1 ratio for the other four. Bravia Sync and Bravia Link compatibility is included, as are 1080p 60/24 inputs and Energy Star 3.0 compliance. They will be priced starting at nearly $500 for the KDL22L4000, $550, $600 and $800, respectively.
Sony may be on the verge of recording its first practical loss in 14 years, sources for CNN say. The company is believed to be recording an annual loss equal to about $1.1 billion attributed directly to the poor world economy and its effect on the Japanese Yen, which has strengthened at the expense of Sony's primarily international business. As sales have dropped, the company and others have been pushed to discount electronics and thus reduced Sony's practical income.
Sony has based its BRAVIA introductions at CES around three core series that each promise a different focus. The company's attention centers on the VE5, a new line that pushes low power consumption above all. A new hot cathode fluorescent lamp, or HCFL, lets Sony illuminate the screen but consume 40 percent less power on average than a cold cathode lamp TV. The screen also has a true power-off switch to avoid draining energy on standby and has both motion and light sensors to automatically dim the screen when no one is watching or night allows a darker picture.
Amazon.com announced on Monday that it has teamed up with Roku to offer Amazon Video On Demand video service via the Roku Digital Video Player. Roku already streams movies from Netflix and will now give its users access to more than 40,000 movies, including new releases, and TV shows offered by Amazon.com. Other than via the Roku player, Amazon's VOD service can already sync with PCs and Macs, TiVo set-top boxes and Sony's BRAVIA Internet Video Link.
Sony on Tuesday revealed that it would cut a total of about 16,000 employees from its workforce to guard itself against the "acute downturn" in the world economy. The company is officially eliminating about 8,000 positions worldwide in its core electronics business but is also known to be dropping a similar amount from its part-time and temporary ranks. The cuts to permanent employees represent about 5 percent of Sony's total regular workforce of about 160,000.
Sony today added support for Slacker radio to its BRAVIA Internet Video Link for its HDTVs. The addition lets users tie an existing Slacker account to the link and stream their customized radio channels; Sony doesn't say whether users have access to the full favorite, ban or skip controls from the web or the Slacker G2 but implies users will have to configure stations away from the TV.
Sony today made good on a summer promise by becoming one of the first to premiere a major movie rental on a networked video hub rather than releasing it simultaneously with or after its physical release. Owners of the company's Internet Video Link for its BRAVIA HDTV sets will have the option of downloading a rental version of Hancock from October 28th, or nearly a month before the November 25th street date. This will include both a 720p HD stream as well as both high- and low-bitrate 480p versions for those with slower connections.
Sony today announced new US additions to its BRAVIA line, including two new 1080p projectors, a 240kHz frame rate 52-inch LCD TV, and a 40 inch LCD set measuring only 9.9mm (0.4 inches) thick. The VPL-VW70 and VPL-HW10 projectors are based on SXRD and both support 1080p HD, including a native 24 frames per second rate for film. Sony claims the BRAVIA Engine 2 is new and reduces unwanted noise while enhancing the colors.
Amazon tonight launched the finished version of Amazon Video on Demand, the streaming version of its online video service. The official launch moves beyond the beta stage and lets any Mac or Windows PC purchase, rent and watch movies and TV shows directly from the browser, bypassing the Windows-only nature of the company's Unbox software. It also delivers a beta version of a promised link to Sony's BRAVIA TVs equipped with the Internet Video Link add-on and gives the TVs the same purchasing and renting privileges as a computer.
Electronics giant Sony on Tuesday unveiled its newest BRAVIA TV for the Japanese market, the 4-inch XDV-W600. The portable TV can be taken to the bath thanks to its IPX7 and IPX6 waterproof rating, enabling it to withstand water depths up to 3.3 feet for up to 30 minutes. While in the bath or elsewhere, users can view content from its built-in 1Seg TV tuner or about 10 hours of content recorded onto its 2GB of internal memory as well as listen to FM radio programming.
Sony's home theater introductions at Europe's IFA show have been rounded off through the launch of a BRAVIA projector and a matching BRAVIA Theatre Blu-ray home theater. The HW10 front projector is part of Sony's latest SXRD-based lineup and is designed for relatively high-end home theater setups with native 1080p, 24 frames per second output and a contrast ratio as good as modern HDTVs at 30,000:1. It further supports x.v.Color (Deep Color) video and is matched by a more recent BRAVIA image processing engine that allegedly maintains detail without the screen door or moire effects that often result from a sharper digital picture.
Japanese electronics giant Sony today introduced four new lines of BRAVIA LCDs, including the XR1 series, which sports a new LED backlight to endow the sets with a 1,000,000:1 dynamic contrast ratio; the ZX1 series, featuring a sub-0.4-inch LCD thickness at the thinnest point; the W1 line, with Sony’s Motion Flow 240Hz display panel, and the X1 collection, which relies on existing CCFL backlighting technology to deliver 3,000:1 contrast. All are capable of 1080p resolution.
Amazon on Thursday is revealing Video on Demand, its second approach to online video. Unlike the company's own Unbox service, which requires that users download the entire video, the new feature will depend on streaming alone; while it depends on an active Internet connection, the feature will allow devices with little to no hard drive space to buy TV shows, and buy or rent movies, with the same access as full computer users.
Sony will expand its PlayStation 3 system with a video download service in the summer, the company has confirmed both through an official document on its company strategy as well as statements made by Sony Computer Enteraintment chief Kaz Hirai. The electronics giant's PlayStation Network will be one of its first services to start offering downloadable video and should start with a US-based service for the PS3 in the summer; the PSP will also have access to a service available later this year.
Sony on Tuesday served an increasingly green-conscious audience today by releasing the BRAVIA JE1, the first model in a new series. The lone 32-inch LCD set in the line uses just two-thirds the power of a similar screen by using more efficient fluorescent backlights and more efficient screen filters: by generating more light and allowing more existing light to go through, the JE1 can use fewer lighting tubes to achieve the same effect as a normal HDTV. Sony claims the overall gains are enough to use 70 percent less power through one year.
Sony in an afternoon announcement updated its high-end BRAVIA XBR line with three new set ranges that it hopes step up the quality of its TVs across the board. In keeping with a leaked roadmap, the XBR8 series starts with 46- and 55-inch sets that are Sony's first to include LED backlights: the lighting not only provides a more even and color-accurate image but builds in local dimming that shuts off unneeded lights in darker areas, giving a major boost to the contrast ratio. The two sets also sport Sony's updated BRAVIA Engine 2 PRO for rendering the image, 120Hz panels to improve the picture in fast movement, a hooks for the BRAVIA Internet Link adapter, and a media port for connecting iPods and other media players.
Sony on Tuesday launched the Bravia DAV-F200 home theater system as an alternative to multi-speaker set-ups. The cleanly styled receiver features 2.1-channel virtual surround sound programming and comes with an HDMI output for 1080p video up-converting. The Bravia Sync system allows for integration with Sony's Bravia line of TVs, and controlling both components with just one remote. The DAV-F200 is powered by Sony's 405W and 32-bit S-Master digital amplifier.
Sony's anticipated PlayStation 3 video store could be available as soon as this summer and with wide support, sources tell the LA Times. The console maker is allegedly in talks with multiple major studios and would open the store with a mixture of full-length movies and TV shows. No information has yet been supplied as to which companies are likely to be onboard or whether Sony will offer any videos in HD.
Sony's XBR line of top-end Bravia HDTV sets will receive one of its most extensive updates when refreshed for the fall, says a leaked roadmap provided to BGR. In addition to an improved interface and support for DLNA media sharing as well as online program guides, all of which will appear in the unannounced XBR7, the top-end XBR8 will be the first Sony set to include LED backlighting. Nicknamed TRILUMINOS, the feature will dramatically improve contrast ratios by allowing the TV to selectively shut off the backlight in darker parts of a scene, creating much deeper blacks without affecting the rest of the picture.
Taking its Bravia TV line to handhelds, Sony this morning introduced two explicitly portable TV sets. Both the D500 with its 3-inch screen and the more pocketable, 2-inch G200 are built to catch Japan's 1Seg over-the-air digital TV format; they also support the standard's electronic programming guide, letting viewers take a quick glance at the schedule regardless of where they begin watching. Like their full-scale counterparts, the portable Bravias even include a mobile version of the Bravia video decoding engine, Sony says.
As a part of its CES blitz, Sony has decided to introduce some 17 new Bravia LCDs, divided into six different lines. All of the sets support Digital Media Port accessories to connect the likes of iPods and Walkmen, as well as Sony's Digital Media Extender technology, which allows attachments such as the Bravia Internet Video Link.
The Z Series is comprised of just two models, sized at 40 and 46 inches. Both of these are fully 1080p60/24 capable, and support x.v.Color, an industry standard said to increase color range by 1.8 times. The sets also rely on Sony's 120Hz Motionflow rendering, which improves response in action scenes. Four HDMI and two component inputs are present, along with a lone PC input; the latter two types are limited to 1080p/60. Also included with the sets are USB music and photo players.
