Sony rivals Apple TV with its Network Media Player

written by: Gianluigi Cuccureddu

Details

Published on Wednesday, 29 September 2010 21:46

Sony will enter the hot market of devices that streams media around your home with the SMP-N100, which will rival Apple TV and the Boxee box.

Zath -UK Tech Blog- writes:

The SMP-N100 Network Media Player is a simple device really in terms of what it achieves, and really it won’t offer anything over and above its rivals when it comes to features, but the way I see it, it’s not what it offers, but how.

The How's in this case are:

* its XrossMedia Bar menu system when using the device on your TV to access web content via ‘apps’, for example YouTube.
* The same monolithic design made famous first by the BRAVIA range of TV’s and then by the range of blu-ray players and other home theatre kits.

Specifications are:
* 820.11n Wi-Fi and Ethernet connections to the home network;
* DLNA compatible:
* A wide range of file formats supported (including DivX and MKV, download-fans);
* In the UK, you can expect support for Sony’s Bravia Internet Video service, with links to BBC iPlayer, YouTube and LoveFilm;
* in the US, you can add Netflix, Pandora, Amazon on Demand and Slacker to the mix and
* A USB 2.0 port up front for connecting external devices, HDMI for 1080p high definition video as well as component and optical audio sockets around the back.

Prices are $129 in the US and 120 British pounds in the UK.