Sony BDP-N460 Blu-ray Player to Include Netflix, YouTube Streaming: BigPictureBigSound

Published: 2009-09-09 - 19:58:24

Sony BDP-N460 Blu-ray Player to Include Netflix, YouTube Streaming

By Chris Boylan

At a press conference at CEDIA Expo 2009 in Atlanta today, Sony announced its new networked Blu-ray player, the BDP-N460, the company's first model to offer internet streaming features. The player will feature the BRAVIA Internet Video platform which includes content from online providers such as YouTube, Slacker and Netflix.

"Whether it's Full HD 1080p or streaming video and audio from the Internet, entertainment comes in so many flavors that consumers want choice," said Chris Fawcett, vice president of Sony Electronics' home audio and video business, one of several executives to take the stage in Atlanta. "Leading the entertainment experience, Sony brings the best of both worlds together in one player that offers more content than other stand-alone devices on the market."

Sony's BDP-N460 networked Blu-ray player captured the attention of journalists and analysts at CEDIA Expo 2009.

The BDP-N460 Blu-ray Disc/DVD/CD player delivers full HD 1080/60p and 24p True Cinema output, upconverts standard DVDs to 1080p over HDMI, decodes the latest advanced audio codecs (Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio), and is BD-LIVE capable with a broadband internet connection and addition of a 1 GB or larger USB drive.

If you prefer your networking to be wire-free, the BDP-N460 is designed to work with the Linksys by Cisco WET610N wireless bridge.

Although the player is not WiFi-enabled, it does feature built-in software specially designed for use with the Linksys by Cisco Wireless-N Ethernet Bridge (WET610N, sold separately). This wireless bridge allows you to connect the player to a wireless N (802.11n) network in either the 2.4GHz or 5GHz radio band for optimal streaming. The bridge is also backward compatible with wireless g (802.11g) networks. For convenience, all network and WiFi configuration options are settable in the player's set-up menu itself (no PC set-up required).

The player also features a meta search function to make finding Internet content on the BRAVIA Internet Video platform easier. For better disc playback, the player features Sony's Precision Drive technology, which helps to detect and correct wobbling discs from three directions, supporting stabilization of warped or scratched Blu-ray Discs and DVDs during playback.

The BDP-N460 can decode the latest advanced audio codecs including 7.1 channel Dolby TrueHD and Dolby Digital Plus, DTS-HD High Resolution Audio, DTS-HD Master Audio. The model can output these formats via bitstream or as decoded 7.1 channel L-PCM digital audio via HDMI.

The player supports Deep Color video output and x.v.Color (xvYCC) technology and is compatible with an array of disc formats, including BD-R/RE (BDMV and BDAV modes), AVCHD, DVD+R/+RW, DVD-R/-RW, CD, CD-R/RW (CD-DA format), and JPEG on BD/DVD/CD recordable media. There are also both front and rear USB ports for connecting external storage (for BD-Live or display of JPEG photos).

The BDP-N460 is expected to begin shipping in October for about $250.

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