Netflix compatibility coming soon
Netflix streaming will be coming to online-enabled Sony Bravia televisions this fall.
Once enabled via a software update, the Netflix feature will give Bravia sets access to the same 12,000-title catalog of Netflix streaming movies and TV shows that's available on a growing number of devices, including the Xbox 360, Roku Player, and all recent Samsung and LG Blu-ray players and home theater systems.
Compatible Sony TVs include the XBR9 series, the Z5100 series, and the W5100 series. However, a wider variety of sets can access the Netflix feature by adding the Sony Bravia Internet Video Link, an add-on accessory that currently costs about $200.
In addition to Netflix, Bravia Internet Video-enabled products currently support content from Amazon Video-on-Demand, YouTube, CBS (the parent company of CNET), and a variety of lesser-known online video providers. (For an overview of the pre-Netflix Bravia Internet experience, check out our recent slideshow.) Recent additions include Demand Media (videos from Golflink.com, Livestrong.com, and eHow.com) and ON Networks (programs such as Golf Tips, Play Value, and Beautiful Places).
The addition of Netflix will certainly go a long way to ameliorating our decidedly less-than-enthusiastic experience with the Bravia Internet Video features. (That said, remember that Netflix and Amazon video can be added to any TV with the $100 Roku Player.) Moreover, we hope that the fact that Netflix and Sony are now partners means that we'll eventually see Netflix added to Sony's Blu-ray players and, eventually, the PlayStation 3 (which currently only supports Netflix via the third-party Play On software).
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Sony's Bravia Internet Video Link (or "BIVL," as we call it around here) is getting two more content partners: Slacker and Howcast. Slacker is the online streaming music service (similar to Pandora and Last.FM), while Howcast is a help and how-to Web site. Both will be available for free on the Sony IPTV accessory, which streams digital audio and video to compatible Bravia TVs. They join free channels available from YouTube, Wired, Sports Illustrated, Yahoo, and CBS (CNET's parent company), among others content partners.
Unfortunately, we gave Bravia Internet Video Link low marks when we reviewed it in October, and the new content isn't enough of a killer app to change that evaluation--it's still not a recommended purchase. The good news? Anyone interested in Slacker and Howcast content can access it straight from their respective Web sites (as linked). Slacker is also available on a variety of other portable and home devices as well, including Blackberrys and--perhaps--the iPhone (coming soon).
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Read the full review of the Sony DMX-NV1 Bravia Internet Video Link
The video-streaming product category is getting crowded. There's the Apple TV, Vudu, Xbox 360, Netflix Player, and PlayStation 3, not to mention the traditional video on-demand services from cable and satellite providers. Sony's Bravia Internet Video Link (also known as the BIVL) is fighting in the same space, but it starts out with one significant handicap--it only works with newer Sony Bravia LCDs.
If you don't already have a Sony Bravia LCD and don't want to buy one, don't worry about it, as you're not missing much with the BIVL. While it does differentiate itself significantly from its competition by offering lots of free content, we felt like we got what we paid for--most of the content was lackluster. More annoying was the sluggish interface, which was only made worse by haphazard organization of the program material. It wasn't all bad news, as the BIVL did reliably stream the video clips we selected, and the recent addition of Amazon's Video On-Demand service makes it more appealing. But, at the end of the day, almost everyone will be better off with one of the aforementioned alternatives, all of which offer better user experiences.
Read the full Sony Bravia Internet Video Link review.
The Bravia Internet Video Link snaps onto the rear of compatible Sony TVs
(Credit: CNET Networks)Sony today unveiled the Bravia Internet Video Link, a small accessory designed to deliver online video to compatible Bravia flat-screen HDTVs. The device is scheduled to be released in mid-2007; pricing has not yet been set. It will only work with compatible Bravia LCD TVs that are scheduled to be released later in 2007.
The Bravia Internet Video Link is a small device about the size of a VHS tape that's designed to snap onto the back of the TV. In addition to the Ethernet port (which interfaces to your home network), the Video Link box includes USB and HDMI outputs to the TV (USB for control functionality, HDMI for outputting the video). The box also sports HDMI and USB pass-through inputs--thus letting you use one of your TV's precious HDMI inputs without monopolizing it. And while the networking connection is strictly wired (Sony says a Wi-Fi-enabled version may follow), the Video Link doesn't require a PC, just a broadband Internet connection.
(Credit:
CNET Networks)
Once the Bravia Internet Video Link is connected and online, you can browse the available content via the onscreen display. Sony has opted to use the PS3-style XMB (Cross Media Bar) interface, so navigation is a snap. And the coffee table won't be getting any more crowded: the Video Link uses the TV's existing remote control.
The initial content partners are AOL, Yahoo, and Sony-owned Grouper; further partners could easily be added at any point. The system is designed to stream HD video, and Sony stressed that content will have a high-definition focus. Moreover, the content will be free (at least for the foreseeable future). Beyond video, text-based pages can be created using RSS feeds, allowing for custom "channels" of news, sports, and weather information.
Inputs are found on the device's underside.
(Credit: CNET Networks)The Bravia Internet Video Link will have intense competition from the increasingly long list of streaming media products designed to deliver Web-based media to the TV, including the Netgear Digital Entertainer HD, the Sling Media SlingCatcher, and the Apple iTV, just to name a few. While the appeal to owners of compatible Bravia models is obvious (if the price is right), the limited compatibility and the proprietary nature of the box and the walled garden nature of the video services are all potentially problematic--you can't, for example, watch a YouTube video unless Sony ends up partnering with them. And while the fact that you don't need a PC for the Video Link to operate is certainly a plus, Sony made no mention of being able to stream music and movies from your PC--tough luck if you've got 50GB of music you want to hear in your living room. And finally, we're a little curious as to why Sony didn't just roll exactly this sort of service out on the PlayStation 3 instead. PS3 owners can always just access online videos through the console's built-in Web browser, but an online showcase of HD video content would certainly be another feather in the PlayStation's multimedia cap.
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