Just how well does the Sony Bravia Internet Video platform succeed in putting YouTube and the like on your Sony Telly though? Is it just a gimmick (as well as a mouthful!), or does Sony Bravia Internet Video successfully turn your telly into the biggest social gadget in your living room, and the ultimate social hub?

Read on to find out.

Why choose the Sony Bravia Internet Video platform?

The Sony Bravia Internet Video platform massively extends what you can watch on your TV by giving you almost limitless options of new videos and content. Not just movies-on-demand from the likes of Netflix and Amazon Video on Demand, but all the countless videos on YouTube as well.

This sounds like a great idea, but it’s not eactly new – in fact, every manufacturer now has its own version of Internet TV, so why should you choose the Sony Bravia Internet Video platform over the competition?

The answer lies with the choice of applications that Sony have provided combined with a range of arguably the best HDTVs on the market. Add to this 3D, WiFi and DLNA support, and you’ve got a mouth-watering combination of superb features that makes the new range of Sony HDTVs super-social gadgets!

Sony Bravia Internet Widgets

The applications themselves are called the Sony Bravia Internet widgets, which again, isn’t exactly the most concise term! The widgets are simply Web apps displayed on your HDTV. You can position the widgets anywhere you like, and there’s a good selection to choose from, including:

• Netflix
• Amazon Video on Demand
• YouTube
• Slacker Internet Radio
• Pandora
• NPR
• Sony Pictures
• Sony Music
• USA Today sports
• Yahoo Finance
• Twitter
• Flickr photos
• and many more, including news and weather.

The widgets connect to the respective Web sites through built-in Wi-Fi, which makes connection set-up simplicity itself – no worrying about how you’re going to get an Ethernet cable to reach from your home router to the TV; simply switch the Tv and it’ll find your Wireless LAN automatically.

Sony Bravia BRAVIA XBR-LX900 Series 3D HDTV – the best of the bunch

The widgets provided offer a good selection of Web apps. Certainly the usual suspects of video streamin gsites and social media sites, but nothing quite as open and extensible as Samsung’s offering via its SamsungApps Store.

What makes Sony’s offering unique, though, is the quality and features of the TVs that support the Bravia Internet video platform.

Take, for example, the BRAVIA XBR-LX900 Series 3D HDTV. With screen sizes ranging from 40″ up to 60″, these technological marvels offer full HD 1080p, 240HZ MotionFlow PRO for smooth images with fast moving video, Sony’s BRAVIA 3 engine for superb picture quality and contrast, and full 3D.

That’s right – one of the best screen displays on the market, combined with 3D, plus all the benefits of Internet widgets. It’s this combination of TV quality and Internet and social media extensibility that makes the Sony BRAVIA Internet Video platform so compelling.

This advantage might not last for long, though. With every manufacturer releasing their own version of Internet TV, Sony’s superior display technology might not be enough to beat the competition in the long run. Just like the war currently being waged in the mobile phone world, in the end it might all be about who has the best range of apps.

Here, in no particular order, are just some of the best JVC iPod products on offer at CES 2010, complete with a video showing them off.

JVC Kaboom

A legend returns! The JVC Kaboom, first released in 1998, became one of the most popular and recognisable boomboxes of all time. Now JVC have updated it with this, the third generation JVC RV-NB50 Kaboom.

What’s different about it? iPod of course! It packs a pair of 40 Watt speakers through which you can blast out your iTunes library, as well as a USB port, CD player and FM radio.

Twin-iPod Hi-Fi System

The JVC NX-D2 Hi-Fi is designed for power iPod users – i.e. those who can’t get by with just one, but need two iPods! The NX-D2 features not one but two iPod docks, because apparently you can never have enough docks to slot your iPod in (WTF?!)

The NX-D2 is also a beefy Hi-Fi system in its own right with 230W output, three way speaker design, USB Host and even a CD. The remote can also operate one of the iPods, er, remotely!

JVC TeleDock HDTVs

Continuing the theme of “no such thing as too many docks”, JVC also added one to their range of new range of HDTVs called the JVC TeleDock. As you can probably guess, the TeleDock is an iPod dock on the front of the TV, which will not only charge your iPod, it’ll also let you view its pictures and videos via the TV itself.

You can even control the iPod from the TV’s remote.

Six Car Stereos with iPod connectivity

JVC also announced six new car stereos that will connect to your iPod or iPhone. You can also control what songs you’re listening to via the stereo head unit, so you don’t need to kill someone while fumbling with the iPod’s controls at 90mph!

The new range also comes with Bluetooth, so you can connect your mobile phone to them, and a USB port, in case you have a non-iPod MP3 player!

In fact, you can pretty much stream music from any device in one way or another to these stereos. If that doesn’t do it for you, there’s always a CD player you can fall back on!

Video of JVC’s new iPod gadgets

Finally, a video of all these gadgets, plus a few more, has been released by JVC to give you a bit more of a feel for them. They’re coming real soon, so if one takes your eye, you should be able to buy it before Easter 2010.

Actually, although this seems like an odd idea at first, it makes a lot of sense for people who’s lives centre around the iPod or iPhone. You can control your iPod through the TV’s remote, which has a similar look and feel to it, and watching videos or photos on your HDTV is much better than staring at your iPod’s screen.

The Teledock TV’s themselves aren’t super-high end, so the iPod dock is the feature, not the quality of the picture. That said, they do offer full HD, 120Hz refresh rate, as well as digital noise reduction, dynamic backlight, three HDMI connections and 1080 24p/30p output.

Oddly, their speakers only have a 10W output, which is a bit weedy, particularly when their main use is to play music from your iPod!

The three JVC TeleDock TVs’ release date is set for Spring 2010, with the TV’s coming in a range of sizes from 32″ to 46″.

[Source: JVC]

And if you want to watch video form your iPod or iPhone – well, why not?! Sure, you’re in a car, but it would be criminal to have a 7″ screen and not show videos on it!

[Source: JVC]

Dodgy naming aside, the ICD Vega actually has some pretty good specs.

Read on after the jump!

The Vega is powered by NVIDIA’s Tegra250 chip, so it should run pretty fast. Although not exactly a mobile phone, the Vega runs a heavily customized version of Google’s Android 2.0, which means all manner of touchscreen goodness is promised.

As well as a T-Mobile SIM so you can make phone calls from the device (but not, it should be said, by putting it against your ear! Think more speaker phone than mobile phone), the Vega also comes with Wi-Fi, FM-radio, On-demand TV, full 1080p HD video playback and the usual Android software such as Web browsing, calendars and email.

Indeed, this the heart of the purpose of the device. T-Mobile apparently did some research asking families what they most wanted help with, with the majority saying something to organize their family life.

Enter the ICD Vega, which T-Mobile sees as being at the heart of family life – in the kitchen.

The idea is for the Vega to offer a shared family calendar that anyone can use, and which will text various members of the family when an appointment is approaching, for example. You can also write notes on it to leave for other family members, keep up with your social network while waiting for your food to cook, or just surf the Web.

And because it’s got both Wi-Fi and Android, it shouldn’t be too long before someone releases an app that lets you stream your videos and other content directly from your PC or camera phoen via DLNA (if they haven’t thought of that already, they need shooting!)

So now there’s no reason ever to leave the kitchen. Er, great, I think!

What is it about these gadgers this year that are determined to leave us house-bound?!

The ICD Vega will be coming to the UK later in 2010, when pricing will also be announced.

Both of these devices look at first glance to be ordinary PMPs (Personal Media Players – you know, portable DVD players with screens), but they have a secret up their sleeves – TV!

I suppose it makes perfect sense. PMPs are already popular devices, but they’re limited by the content you can store. Once you’ve watched all the DVDs you’ve brought with you, what do you do then?

Watch TV of course!

LG DP570H Mobile DTV

The appallingly-named LG DP570H Mobile DTV is one of the leading devices in the field, with LG having worked on Mobile DTV technology for while now. The LG DP570H is a 7″ model with DVD player, stereo speakers, and battery life of 2.5 hours continuous TV watching, which isn’t exactly stellar.

Philips PET749 Mobile DTV

Another contender is the Philips PET749 Mobile DTV, which seems to do more for less. Specifically, the PET749 offers an 800×480 display, DVD player and Mobile DTV for just $179.99

Can Mobile DTV succeed where Mobile TV failed?

In 2007, mobile TV was meant to be the next big thing in mobile phones. It wasn’t, of course, so it’s odd to see LG, Philips and the like trying to push the same service to different devices using different technologies!

Mobile DTV can simply be thought of as a device that used to be called a PMP or Portable DVD player, but which now also support the new Mobile DTV standard. The result is a PMP that plays TV programmes, or what you could think of as a portable TV!

Who said there were no new ideas in the world?!

Actually, this is nothing new – you can already watch TV on some PMPs using an aerial and a TV tuner, but this doesn’t work so well when travelling at speed. In contrast, mobile DTV does, which seems to be its only advantage over ordinary TV.

Of course, it doesn’t work so well in a plane (another place you might use a PMP), so the only advantage I can see of mobile DTV is the ability to watch it in the car or the train – and is that really an advantage?!

Fortunately, the devices aren’t that expensive. The LG DP570H, for example, is only $249, while the Philips PET749 is even cheaper at $179.99. ANd the technology can be squeezed into a single chip, so I’m sure all PMPs will soon be Mobile DTVs come CES 2011!

[Source: CNet]

Obviously this is to show off the PlaySport’s waterproof abilities, as it will work happily in depths of 10 feet or less.

Its usual camera features aren’t too shabby, either – 1080p HD video recording, 2″ colour LCD screen and 5 megapixel camera, all for just £130 ($150) make for a great little device that won’t break the bank.

In addition, the PlaySport will also upload videos and pictures to Facebook and YouTube extremely quickly, making it the perfect camcorder to capture and share your treasured, er, underwater moments!

[Source: Pocket Lint]

It’s a good move – not only does it extend the features of your Samsung HDTV, Blu-ray and home cinema devices, letting you watch YouTube videos or Flickr pics from you HDTV for example, it also locks you into Samsung’s kit!

But Samsung have much bolder plans than letting you download apps onto your TV: different Samsung devices can talk to each other via certain apps, giving you full control of your HDTV, for example, from your Samsung smartphone.

An example shown in the video below comes from the Samsung booth, where they’ve been showing off a fishing game that’s controlled by a Samsung smartphone. The app is played on the Samsung HDTV, but controlled by the phone, which also displays whatever it is you’ve caught.

This is a neat demonstration of the technology, and although the game itself isn’t going to win any awards, it gives us a glimpse of how Samsung expects the technology to work in the future. That is, all home entertainment and mobile devices are connected, communicating, interacting with each other – and all made by Samsung!

Indeed, this is my only reservation about the SamsungApp store. Although it’s innovative and open (you can develop your own HDTV apps for the SamsungApp store – just download the SDK when it’s released and build yourself an app!), it does rather restrict you to Samsung technology.

Still that’s only a minor concern – with an open app store, many of the Web’s best content sites will soon become available for your Samsung device whether it’s HDTV, Blu-ray or home cinema, and nobody says you have to use a Samsung smartphone to control it – you can still watch YouTube on your Samsung HDTV while owning an iPhone!

The official announcement of the SamsungApps store can be seen in the video below.

[Source: Engadget]

The system, shown for the first time at CES 2010, is similar to a SlingBox in that it placeshifts video content, letting you watch it whereever you are, rather than wherever your TV is.

You simply install the Monsoon Volcano Set Top Box in your home, connecting it both to your TV and the Internet, and install the Volcano app on your smartphone (it currently supports iPhone, Android, Blackberry, Windows Mobile 6 and Symbian devices).

You then sit back and relax; whenever you want to watch your TV, wherever you are, it’s there for you on your phone!

Mobile Placeshifting

Just to make this a bit clearer, imagine you’re in a hotel, anywhere in the world, and are a bit bored. Your wife’s watching the Apprentice, and tweeting about it. You feel a bit lonely – not only do you enjoy the Apprentice, but you enjoy watching it with your wife, so the fact that she’s watching it while you can’t is bound to make you feel a bit low.

With the Monsoon Volcano, though, you can watch it with her. All the signals from the TV she’s watching are streamed to your smartphone over the Internet (either WiFi or 3G depending on whether you have a WiFi signal where you are), so you can watch exactly what she’s watching (albeit on a much smaller screen!)

If you want to be super-annoying, you can even change channels, as the Volcano offers full control over the TV at your home!

Sideloading

Its features don’t end there though. You can also play back video from your PC, NAS or YouTube, letting you watch pretty much any video you want whereever you happen to be.

Monsoon are even planning on releasing an SDK for developers to create apps for the Volcano, similar to Boxee.

Monsoon will be selling the Volcano for $199 with 4GB of flash memory, or $299 with a 250GB hard drive option. It’s cracking technology, and if you’re the type who lives around your TV, gest bored really quickly, or just like the thought of being more connected with home if you travel a lot, it’s an essential bit of kit.

[Source: Engadget]

Rather than connecting your camcorder to your HDTV by wires, if you use one the new Samsung S-Series camcorders on display at CES 2010 you can beam your videos to you TV instantly with just a click of the Samsung AllShare button.

No wires, no mess, no fuss.

This magic happens through the S-Series camcorders (the HMX-S10, HMX-S15 and HMX-S16) being the first in the world to come equipped with both WiFi (apart from the S10) and DLNA.


Obviously this means that the HDTV must also support both WiFi and DLNA for this magic to happen, but even if it doesn’t, you can wirelessly beam your vids to your PC, which does.

Obviously the camcorders also come with an HDMI cable as well, though, in case you want to view the vids on a normal telly.

The S-Series cameras also come with a plethora of other top-end features, including:

• 1080p Full-HD
• 3.5″ touchscreen LCD
• 3D user interface (no idea why!)
• New Victoria Engine video processor that suppresses noise and results in crisper videos
• Internal Solid State Drives (SSD), which are more robust than normal hard drives, yet offer more storage than SD cards. The HMX-S16, for example, offees 64GB of storage
• 10 megapixel camera with flash
• Super-slow modes shoots at up to 600 frames per second, slowing the scene down 20-fold.
• Time-lapse recording feature
• Schneider Kreuznach Varioplan-HD lens with 18x zoom

That’s some pretty cool specs, particularly when WiFi is added to the mix. I can’t help but feel that an opportunity was missed, though, in not offering automatic YouTube uploading via WiFi. It’s great being able to wirelessly connect to your other home entertainment devices, but sharing your videos is what we all want these days.

Oh well, maybe for CES 2011?!

[Source: Engadget]