CES 2008: Sony expands its HDTV range with new features, accessories
Naturally Sony had more than a few new HDTVs to announce at CES. It just wouldn’t be CES if there weren’t thirteen thousand nearly identical HDTVs to launch and flood every visible booth with. Sony actually has a further 17 rolling out this year, in addition to its more unique OLED XEL-1 model.
Without boring you (and most especially me) senseless with all the various specs and resolutions and contrast ratios and so on, let’s just say that they’re all pretty snazzy to look at and range from 26” all the way up to 52” screen sizes, which, surprisingly, is actually a fair bit smaller than some of the LCDs offering around the show.
With Sharp rolling out new internet technologies and widgets to its new tellies and JVC adding iPod docks to its various models, what does Sony have to help it stay competitive? First of all, Sony already has its own internet content provider system which works from the recently launched Bravia Internet Video Link. This however is just one module that works with its Bravia Digital Media Extender system – present inside many of its top end LCDs – and so yet more modules are planned later in the year.
There are a couple of lame ducks in there. The Bravia DVD Link is, as the name implies, just a DVD player that probably costs too much. The Bravia Input Link basically only adds an extra three HDMI inputs, but for most average users, if you’re already using up the four HDMI inputs that come with Sony latest range, then you’re probably more in need of a sensible Home Cinema amp than an expansion module.
On the flipside though, the Bravia Wireless Link adds a link to a further four components using HDMI. You won’t be wiring this one in directly though as the data is all sent wirelessly and has a range of up to 200 feet. Firstly this will mean a lot more flexibility on how you arrange your Home Cinema setup, but you could even have parts of system operating from an entirely different room. It would be hard to get the remote to work though.
CES 2008 Special
Read all our coverage from the show in our CES 2008 category
