San Diego — Sony Electronics said it is now shipping a trio of previously announced “set-back” link modules for its Bravia televisions including, the wireless link, DVD link and input link modules.
Circuitry in the TV attachments integrates directly into the television’s menu system to deliver a variety of add-on applications, capabilities and services that are said to be easy to set up, find and use.
Sony’s wireless link module (DMX-WL1), which ships in October at a street price of about $800, is a two-piece system that wirelessly transmits high-definition video (up to 1080i) and audio to compatible Bravia TVs. The unit’s receiver attaches to the back of the TV and connects via an HDMI cable. The transmitter will interconnect to up to five HD sources (four HDMI, one component) and transmits content up to 65 feet to the TV.
The transmitter is controlled by the included remote control which also controls the TV.
The DVD link module (DMX-DVD), which is available now for a $200 street retail, adds full-featured up-scaling DVD player functionality directly to the set. The module integrates into the menu system via HDMI and is controlled by a single remote control. The player up-scales DVDs up to 1080p resolution, enhancing standard-definition content, to match the resolution of Bravia HDTVs. It is now available for about $200.
The input link module (DMX-SW1), which is available now for $150, will add four HDMI inputs to compatible Bravia TVs, to enable adding more HD devices or to relocate HDMI inputs from the back of the TV to an area easier to access to other A/V equipment, Sony said.
The three new link modules follow on the currently available Bravia Internet video link module ($300), which brings Internet connectivity to Bravia sets to enable accessing Web-delivered content from a variety of Sony’s content partners.
The set-back module streams on-demand entertainment, including movies and TV shows from Amazon Video On Demand, YouTube videos, and more than 10,000 high-definition and standard-definition videos. The service connects to the Internet via an existing broadband Ethernet connection and streams content directly to the set. Much of the content is available without an additional fee.