With Blu-ray Disc players now in roughly ⅓ of all U.S. households (source: IHS Screen Digest), and some standalone players' street prices now dipping well below $100, it's not surprising that news and demonstrations of new 2012 players were somewhat hard to find at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show. Mind you, that's not to say there wasn't a bevy of interesting new disc spinners at CES - there was. You just had to know where to look.
One of the more interesting Blu-ray player lines on display was at the Sony booth, where CES attendees got a look at three new standalone players: the BDP-S390, the BDP-S590, and the BDP-S790.
All three models feature built-in Wi-Fi and offer video streaming via the Sony Entertainment Network. Among the apps you get: Netflix, YouTube, Pandora, Amazon Video on Demand, Slacker, and HuluPlus to name but a few. All three players can be controlled using Sony's "Media Remote" app, a free download for Android and iOS smartphones and tablets.
Atop Sony's pile of players is their new flagship machine, the BDP-S790. Unique to this machine, and a first in the industry, is the player's ability to upscale video content to 4K - 4 times the resolution of 1080p. Seeing as how it will be some time before we see native 4K content made available for consumer use, this 4K upscale should prove to be a welcome appetizer for buyers of 4K projectors hungry for higher resolution video. The BDP-S790 also employs 14-bit "Super Bit Mapping" to improve its video processing and the player can also be used with Skype when paired with an optional web camera.
Also on display was Sony's BDP-SX910, a portable Blu-ray Disc player sporting a 9-inch screen, 4 hours of battery life, built-in speakers, and integrated USB media support. But wait, there's more... Last but not least was Sony's NSZ-GP9, a new Blu-ray Disc player to feature integrated Google TV. Featuring the latest Google TV interface updates, access to the Android marketplace, and a slick, touch-enabled remote complete with a backlit QWERTY keyboard, the NSZ-GP9 joins the NSZ-GS7 set-top box/media player in Sony's attempt to reinvigorate the promising Google TV platform.
The BDP-S390 and BDP-S590 will both be available in February and the BDP-S790 will make its debut in April. Meanwhile, the BDP-SX910 and NSZ-GP9 are expected to arrive this spring and summer, respectively.
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