CEDIA 2010: Hands-on With Sony AV Receiver Remote App

During CEDIA 2010, Sony showed off its innovative multi-room (aka zone) remote control app that is available for iPhone (and iPad) called AV Receiver Remote. The app basically allows you to operate your Sony receiver and/or components connected to your Sony receiver (such as a Blu-ray player). The software is pretty amazing for its first version, and allows you to do many things. We were impressed with the ability to select zones and set custom backgrounds for them, and power control so you can turn on lights in the desired room.

The app also allows you to select the input for the receiver, and also play specific music, photos and videos on your TV. Rhapsody, Shoutcast, FM, AM and Sirius options are also available that allow you to tune into your favorite feed. There are even macros you can program so your usual routine becomes extremely simple (e.g. theater, party, going away settings).

I soon realized that this app, especially on an iPad, is an incredible all-in-one remote control. Not only odes it control media, but it can also do lights. While AV Receiver Remote cant rival more expensive custom solutions, the fact that the app is free is a great play by Sony. You can download the app on the iTunes store and actually play around with it in demo mode.

The AV Receiver Remote app, in its first version, is pretty amazing. However, we would like to see Sony update the app to support the retina display on the iPhone 4. We also were a little disappointed that the app, on the iPad, had to be scaled to size using the built-in app zoom.

Here are some various pictures of the app in action. If you can’t see the pictures when they pop up because the video is blocking them, just scroll down past the video then click on the image again.

View at Picasa 23-Sep-2010 12:05, SONY DSLR-A850, 2.8, 70.0mm, 0.02 sec, ISO 800	View at Picasa 23-Sep-2010 12:07, SONY DSLR-A850, 2.8, 50.0mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 500	View at Picasa 23-Sep-2010 12:07, SONY DSLR-A850, 2.8, 55.0mm, 0.017 sec, ISO 500	View at Picasa 23-Sep-2010 12:08, SONY DSLR-A850, 2.8, 50.0mm, 0.02 sec, ISO 250
View at Picasa 23-Sep-2010 12:08, SONY DSLR-A850, 2.8, 50.0mm, 0.02 sec, ISO 250	View at Picasa 23-Sep-2010 12:08, SONY DSLR-A850, 2.8, 45.0mm, 0.02 sec, ISO 640	View at Picasa 23-Sep-2010 12:09, SONY DSLR-A850, 2.8, 45.0mm, 0.02 sec, ISO 800	View at Picasa 23-Sep-2010 12:09, SONY DSLR-A850, 2.8, 35.0mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 640
View at Picasa 23-Sep-2010 12:10, SONY DSLR-A850, 2.8, 40.0mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 500	View at Picasa 23-Sep-2010 12:10, SONY DSLR-A850, 2.8, 40.0mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 800	View at Picasa 23-Sep-2010 12:12, SONY DSLR-A850, 2.8, 45.0mm, 0.02 sec, ISO 800

The following Sony receivers are compatible with this application:

• STR-DA5600ES
• STR-DA4600ES
• STR-DA3600ES
• STR-DN2010

Sony Introduces Stylish BDV-F7 Blu-ray Integrated Home Theater System

It’s been some time since I have seen an attractive offering from Sony from its Audio/Video Division and Sony’s latest addition to their Blu-ray family line up is a pretty nice surprise. I own a number of Sony products that captured my attention because of its stylish looks and beautiful integration into home decor: Sony DVD/SACD DAV-LF1H, Sony Speaker set SA-FT7ED, Sony Integrated Home Theatre System TAV-L1 and it has been a couple years since the company brought something of a looker to the market. It just seemed like they had a number of cookie-cutter style BD players and home theater products.

Let’s look what BDV-F7 brings to the table. I would say this home theater system is aimed at those who do not want to mess with 5.1 surround set up, but rather have a sound bar, a subwoofer and a blu-ray player.

The BDV-F7′s sound bar packs the equivalent of two speakers into its long slim design, and can be easily mounted right under your TV. You’ll hear details in your favorite movie’s soundtrack that your TV’s tiny speakers probably muffled or missed. And the subwoofer lets you hear and feel powerful effects like explosions or booming cannons. Best of all, it tucks away discreetly in a corner or under a bedside table. You don’t have to see it, but you sure will hear the difference it makes.

The Blu-ray player is ready for the latest 3D releases, and your 2D movies will also look crisp and full of detail. And the versatile BDV-F7 does more than play movies. It also includes a Wi-Fi® adapter so you can connect it to your home’s wireless broadband network. Once you’re online, you can stream movies and music from sites like Netflix®, Pandora®, YouTube™ and more. Or you can access photos, videos and music stored on your computer. The front-panel USB port lets you plug in your iPod® for convenient access to your portable music library. Gracenote metadata service will help you identify the movies you are watching.

Here are some spec details:

• home theater system with 3D Blu-ray Disc™ player/receiver, a sound bar, and a subwoofer
• Internet-ready — plays TV shows, movies, and music from a number of sources, including Netflix®, YouTube™, Pandora®, and Slacker® (broadband service required; subscription required for Netflix service)
• includes Wi-Fi® adapter for easy access to your home’s wireless network
• streams photos/videos/music from a compatible DLNA-enabled Windows® PC
• USB input for connecting an iPod®, digital camera, MP3-player or thumb drive
• speaker wire and remote control included
• warranty: 1 year

• Player/receiver:

• plays 3D Blu-ray discs, standard Blu-ray discs, DVDs, CDs, MP3 CDs, and JPEG CDs
• proprietary Digital Media Port for optional iPod dock, wireless PC music player, or other accessories
• audio inputs include stereo, coaxial digital, and optical digital
• video output for TV includes composite, component video, and HDMI

There was no official press release yet, however we spotted this system listed in a couple of e-tailers and expect it to be shipped on October 6th for $600.

Sony Debuts Their First Slim External Blu-ray Drive With 3D Compatibility

The BDX-S500U is just another word for power performance. To make things even more exciting, it is also lightweight, slim, portable and more versatile than ever. The BDX-S500U is your premium choice for fast, perfect writing on BD-R (6x), BD-R DL (4x), and BD-RE (2x), storing up to 50 GB of HD video or data content on one disc. To make your entertainment complete, this drive also supports Blu-ray 3D. The BDX-S500U is supplied with the Media Suite 8 software from Cyberlink for authoring, editing, data writing and back up.

The portable drive offers quick and easy connectivity with a high speed USB (USB 2.0) digital interface for simple setup and maximum flexibility.

The BDX-S500U drive can record up to 50GB of data for random access storage and backup on BD-R (write once) or BD-RE (rewritable) discs, or up to 220 minutes of high-definition 24M bps MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 video on a BD-R/RE 50GB disc.

The drive also records standard 4.7GB DVD+/-R discs at up to 8X speeds, 8.5GB DVD+/-R Double/Dual layer at up to 4X, DVD+RW at up to 8X, DVD-RW at up to 6X, CD-R at up to 24X, CD-RW at up to 16X, and supports DVD-RAM recording at up to 5X speeds.

Expect to see the BDX-S500U available at retail this month; its pretty affordable too, as we spotted it at Provantage for around $200USD. That’s a far cry from the Sony BWU-100A external Blu-ray drive that came out years ago for a price point around $800.

IFA 2010: Sony’s Qriocity “Cloud Based” Music Service Will Have Wide Compatibility

Qriocity is a network service platform that connects many of Sony’s network-enabled devices and allows consumers to enjoy high quality entertainment across multiple devices. Through Qriocity, Sony will deliver a variety of digital entertainment content and services that are “powered by Qriocity”, including video, music, game applications, and e-books over time, and through these services, and in combination with its networked devices, Sony aims to bring new and exciting entertainment experiences to customers.

Today at the IFA 2010 show in Berlin, Sony announced plans to introduce “Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity”, a new, cloud-based, digital music service. Available by year’s end, “Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity” will give music lovers access to millions of songs stored and synchronized through the cloud. “Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity” will initially be available across Sony’s 2010 models of network-enabled BRAVIA TVs, Blu-ray Disc players, Blu-ray Home Theater systems, as well as PlayStation 3 computer entertainment systems and VAIOs and other personal computers, and will become increasingly available on a range of Sony’s portable devices.

“Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity” brings together the features cited as most important by music enthusiasts. With access to a huge library of songs through the cloud, users can discover new music through channels personalized to their tastes on multiple devices and without the requirement to manage digital music files. The convenience resulting from this new consumer music experience will further enhance the value of music, thus creating new opportunities for the industry. Details of the service plan will be announced in the future.

“We are excited to offer our customers high quality, cloud-based entertainment experiences across many of Sony’s network-enabled devices,” said Kazuo Hirai, President of Networked Products & Services Group, Sony Corporation. “Services ‘powered by Qriocity’ will revolutionize the way that users play, listen, watch, share, communicate, learn, discover and create their digital entertainment content.”

Sony’s Qriocity Video On Demand Service Now Available

Qriocity is a streaming video on demand service (e.g. no download) partially introduced by Sony earlier this year during CES, and was set to debut on 2010 Sony BRAVIA TV’s, Blu-ray players, and several home theater systems in February. The service wasn’t activated until yesterday for the aforementioned devices and the related website is now live. It’s significance is so strong that it is a main icon on the XMB and as a button on many 2010 Sony remote controls that belong to networked TV’s and Blu-ray players.

Qriocity has hundreds of HD ($5.99) and SD ($3.99) movies initially available, with titles from 20th Century 20th Century Fox, Disney, Paramount Pictures, Walt Disney Pictures, The Weinstein Company, Lionsgate, Warner Brothers, Universal, MGM, and of course Sony Pictures. You can view on the Qriocity website which movie titles are available.

According to several of my sources, the catalog will receive consistent, healthy updates to make it attractive to consumers. The interface was very quick, and is aesthetically pleasing – miles beyond what the traditional consumer is probably using with cable or satellite on-demand services. Every movie has a trailer.

I’ve already watched a HD movie trailer on Qriocity, and with the wireless connection the TV was using (an EX series BRAVIA with the included UWA-BR100 Wi-Fi adapter on a 802.11g connection) the results were pretty good – somewhere around 720p-1080i. Qriocity judges your Internet connection and plays a bandwidth optimized version. With higher bandwidth connections (very easy in many markets), it could be that kind of solid 720p/1080i that leaves you satisfied. I would definitely love to see what the picture quality looks like in a 802.11n environment, or hardwired through ethernet.

What’s also interesting is that the PlayStation Network Terms of Service was altered yesterday with specific mention of Qriocity, which basically reveals that Qriocity is also coming to the PS3 (and possibly PSP):

To access Sony Online Services, you must create an appropriate Sony Online Service account (either a PSN account or Qriocity account). Through Qriocity’s Video on Demand service (“VOD”), you may purchase and view content using selected BRAVIA televisions or Sony Blu-ray Disc players (“VOD Devices”). Through PSN, you may purchase content and services offered on either PSN or Qriocity, such as new levels for your favorite games, comics, movies, television shows or original programs. You may view your content using SCEA-authorized devices, including a PlayStation 3 computer entertainment system, PSP (PlayStation Portable) systems, personal computers and VOD Devices. You will also be able to participate in SCEA’s online community in PSN and PlayStation Home, (including chatting via voice and video with your friends) and play games online. Existing PSN accounts will not have to create a separate Qriocity account to enjoy the benefits of Qriocity. If you’ve created a Qriocity account, you may transition that account to a PSN account. Sony Online Services may not be available, or may not be supported, in some countries and some languages.

How to enable Qriocity now -

Connect your BRAVIA, Blu-ray Disc Player or home theater system to the Internet.

Use your remote control to navigate to the Qriocity icon on the XMB (XrossMediaBar) and select ‘Link an Account’. Here you will find your device activation code needed. Go to the Qriocity website and sign into your account (you can use your PSN ID, or create a new account). Select your device and click the “Activate” button. Follow the instructions. It’s very easy, and after trading a few letters around I was watching a trailer quickly.

* – If you already purchased a 2010 BRAVIA TV, Blu-ray Player or home theater system and the Qriocity service is not active, go to Settings > Network > Refresh Internet Content. Run the update, and then return to the XMB – several new Qriocity options should be available on the far right.

BD Remote App Befriends Sony’s Latest BD Players [Video]

Sony showed off a pretty cool app at CES that you can get for free and install on your iPhone or Touch iPod – a very easy, gesture-based way to navigate through XMB menus, access Gracenote database for movie info. However, I would not hurry to get it from the App Store unless you own one of the 2010 Blu-ray player line up. Yes, frankly I was pretty disappointed that I am unable to take advantage of it on my pricey flagship BD player BDP-S5000ES. One would think, Sony would release a revamped firmware upgrade for 2009 BD players and let a customer enjoy new features (internet video) as well as this simple BD Remote registration add on in your XMB menu. Alas, the engineers at Sony are not capable of it or more likely Sony’s marketing team would like you to jump on a new BD player. Enjoy the video footage below and see if that’s something you’d want to play with if you had that opportunity.

Oh yea, it won’t work with your PS3 either, even though PS3 has a BD Remote registration tool.

Hands-on With BD Remote – The Sony iPhone/iPod Touch Remote App

One of the most overlooked announcements by Sony at CES 2010 was the new iPhone/iPod Touch application called “BD Remote” that will be compatible with all 2010 Sony Networked Blu-ray Players. Sony mixed things up by making their Blu-ray remotes Bluetooth, and Sony will also offer an additional Wi-Fi Blu-ray remote control application for iPhone and iPod Touch devices on the App Store. It should be available very soon – Sony wants the app to be available before the Blu-ray players so people who stumble upon it will be enticed to learn more. We’re very excited that Sony is going in this direction by offering consumers multiple choices for controlling their Blu-ray players. However, it seems that most of their 2010 Blu-ray players will not have a IR sensor for older multifunction remotes, which could be a big bummer for some home theater enthusiasts.

I inquired about the application receiving updates, and they said if the feedback was good enough that they would follow that path.

Let’s take a look at the interface:

Upon opening the application you’ll see Simple Remote, a new simplistic remote interface concept by Sony that allows you to quickly and easily move around in the menus and select options accordingly. Response was perfect. As you can see there are also dedicated options to Return, access the Options, or go Home. We were really impressed with this section of the application.

The Full Remote interface is just as advanced and feature-rich as the dedicated remotes that come with their 2010 Blu-ray players. As you can see in this one section, we have all of the normal video control options in one easy to use interface.

Another section of the Full Remote interface is multi-colored buttons, Eject, Subtitle, Favorites, and Audio options.

In this part of Full Remote, we can also see a more simple layout that is essentially the same as the Simple Remote tab – back, forward, up, down, select, Top Menu, Pop/Up Menu, Return, Home and Options.

Another great feature within the BD Remote application is the ability to see Disc Info, where it will pull up a great deal of information about the content you are watching, all figured out by Gracenote. The amount of information within somewhat reminds me of IMDB. Here’s what you’ll see first (If you were watching Surf’s Up Blu-ray, for example):

It also has a listing of the cast in the movie you are watching, and you can also learn more about each additional actor:

The settings are fairly basic, but we did notice that you can control multiple devices with this application:

There is also the whole registration process, which is extremely easy:

Sony Updates Blu-ray Players With Monolithic Design

Aside from the introduction of a Blu-ray 3D player, Sony also is refreshing their regular Blu-ray player line with the introduction of the BDP-S570 (pictured above) and BDP-S370. Available this spring, both Blu-ray players feature full HD 1080p and can play Blu-ray disc, DVD, SA-CD, and CD’s. Both models have also been graced with Sony’s Monolithic Design concept, which is predominately black and the front face of the unit with a 6 degree slant will match several BRAVIA TV’s released this year quite nicely. I think these are the most attractive Sony Blu-ray players to date as I’m keen on concealed touch sensors, and the combination of both glossy and matte finishes that will make it easy to blend this into any decor. Both devices have access to Bravia Internet Video, which means this Blu-ray player gives you access to content from Netflix, Amazon Video On Demand, YouTube, Slacker Internet Radio, Pandora, NPR, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Sony Music Entertainment, and more than 25 total content providers.

We noticed an exciting new feature this year – the remote is bluetooth, and Sony will offer a free Blu-ray remote control application for iPhone and iPod Touch devices on the App Store. Sweet! We believe it does have an IR port for those of you who have existing remotes, however.

DVD owners will enjoy a higher quality experience to 1080p with Precision Cinema HD Upscaling. You’ll have the best possible sound from any disc with integrated Dolby TrueHD and dts-HD Master Audio decoding, too. We also see mention of a Entertainment Database Browser with Gracenote technology and Photo/Music/Video Playback via USB and DLNA.

There are several differences between the S570 and S370 (pictured above), which largely revolves around the fact that the S570 has built-in Wi-Fi and the S370 is Wi-Fi ready, meaning you will need to purchase a USB wireless LAN adapter separately. The S570 also has the thoughtful IP Content Noise Reduction feature, which ensures your streaming online video will appear in the best quality possible.

Sony’s First Dedicated Blu-ray 3D Player – BDP-S770

It wasn’t much of a surprise to several of the press at CES 2010 that Sony also announced a Blu-ray 3D player, the BDP-S770, to compliment the large number of incoming 3D compatible BRAVIA TV’s. It is of course compatible with regular Blu-ray discs, as well as DVD’s, SA-CD’s, and regular CDs. Sony finally evolved past the akward ethernet-only Blu-ray players it offered in the past with the addition of built in Wi-Fi, making it easy to connect to your wireless network at home. Another new feature is the addition of a Bluetooth remote, and also the ability to control the S770 with a free iPhone/iPod touch remote control application. How awesome! However, we hope it has an IR reciever to ensure compatibility with standard multi-function remote controls.

As you can see, Sony has also made this different than any other Blu-ray player its released in the past with its Monolithic Design styling.

With access to Bravia Internet Video, this Blu-ray player gives you access to content from Netflix, Amazon Video On Demand, YouTube, Slacker Internet Radio, Pandora, NPR, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Sony Music Entertainment, and more than 25 total content providers. Sony has also integrated IP Content Noise Reduction into the S770, which ensures that you are looking at the best quality image from whatever source your streaming.

DVD owners will enjoy a higher quality experience to 1080p with Precision Cinema HD Upscaling. You’ll have the best possible sound from any disc with integrated Dolby TrueHD and dts-HD Master Audio decoding, too.

We feel the S770 will compliment the horde of 3D TV’s coming out quite nicely, and offers several other interesting features to differentiate it from the competition.

Sony Set To Debut UWA-BR100 USB Wireless Adapter For TV’s, Blu-ray Players

Sony is set to debut a new USB wireless LAN adapter during CES 2010, named UWA-BR100 in the USA, specifically designed for TV’s and Blu-ray disc units. We know its destined for a CES reveal because the accompanying FCC documents have listed that several items in the filing (related to the product – such as operation manual, photos, etc) remain secret until January 8th, 2010. We don’t have any pictures of the UWA-BR100, but through FCC filings we know that it will be 802.11a/b/g and 802.11n compatible.

It’s 802.11n wireless compatibility includes 20MHz and 40MHz channels, which means this wireless adapter will be able to handle up to (theoretically) 300mbps in a perfect networking scenario. Sony is also very firm that this wireless adapter will only be compatible with home entertainment products, by stating in one of the filing documents that “this device couldn’t work when it was used to connect the device to a standard laptop PC, and this equipment can only work with the TVs and Blu-ray disc players. This device will not be recognized by the Windows/Linux/other operating system of a standard PC, and that no drivers are available which would support a configuration.”

We’re not exactly sure if this device will be backwards compatible with all Sony BRAVIA televisions and Sony Blu-ray players, but using common sense (in understanding this technology) and deductive reasoning we believe it will. We also believe that the UWA-BR100 will enable every single BRAVIA television and Sony Blu-ray player with USB to have access to the upcoming Sony Online Service along with its current online offerings. Sony Insider covered the aforementioned Sony Online Service in a very extensive blog posting recently that sheds light on an amazing new digital ecosystem Sony is set to debut in 2010; it isn’t just an iTunes competitor, but much more.

One question remains, though – will the UWA-BR100 work with other non-Sony Televisions and Blu-ray players that have a USB port? Could Sony be aiming to bring the Sony Online Service to more than just its devices? It seems very unlikely, but not impossible.

This information is a Sony Insider exclusive, brought to you here first.