Sony is working on a media player that will not only play commercial content from its Bravia Internet network, but can also play media files from the local network. Google TV is not yet included in the device.
An employee of CE Pro received a preview of Sony’s media player, which may cost around $100. This would enable the player to compete with media players from Western Digital and AC Ryan, among others. Sony gives the SMP-N100 Network Media Player the well-known analog video outputs, including component, an HDMI output and an S/PDIF connection. The box can communicate with the network and the internet via a fixed Ethernet connection and 802.11n WiFi, while a USB input is also available.
Among other things, the SMP-N100 should give the user access to Sony’s exclusive content from its Bravia Internet network, including the FIFA and Michael Jackson channels. Payment services such as Netflix and Pandora are also available at least in the US. In addition, freely accessible video services have been made available, including YouTube, Wired and Slacker. Although Sony will work with Google, Google TV is currently missing in this device.
Users can also play videos from the home network, including DIVX and MKV HD videos. The dlna protocol is supported for this. Sony has also provided the SMP-N100 with its well-known xmb interface. It is not yet known when the player will be released on the market.