Well, will you lookee what I discovered down at the Circuit City. Sony’s Internet Video Link ($299)! Turns out the Xross Media Bar-powered, Bravia-specific media extender started shipping a few weeks ago with zero fanfare. According to SonyStyle, initial network content consists of:
select online music videos, movie trailers, user-generated videos, personalized weather, traffic feeds and more with no additional download or access fees. Internet video providers include AOL, Yahoo!, and Grouper (and more as they become available).
As I suggested last year, hiding this behind the set with minimal branding and limiting it to Bravia TV owners may not be the best marketing strategy. However, along with the PS3, the mere existence of the Internet Video Link reinforces that Sony will be joining the digital movie and TV rental/purchase fray at some point.
Doesn’t look like it streams PC-based content, just the Internet content Sony provides. Which makes it seem pricey at $300.
Jeez, I remember hearing Sony hyping this at CES 2007! It doesn’t look like that content Sony’s offering is terribly compelling.
Buy it… buy it… buy it…
Just learned a co-worker picked one up. We get one of everything in the office, you know. Popcorn Hour arrived recently – I’d like to swipe that for a few weeks and see if the buzz is justified. I also have a feeling there are a few unused Kindles laying around that I’d like to have.