Sony To Bring YouTube To HDTV Sets
Online Video Giant Is Latest Partner For Bravia Internet Video Link
By Glen Dickson -- Broadcasting & Cable, 6/5/2008 11:52:00 AM
Consumers will now be able to watch online videos from YouTube on their Sony Bravia flat-panel HDTV sets.
YouTube, the online video provider and Google subsidiary, is the latest content company to provide video for Sony’s Bravia Internet Video Link, a small add-on module that connects to the TV on one end and an Ethernet cable on the other and facilitates the viewing of Internet video on the big screen without requiring the use of a personal computer. Sony first announced the Bravia Internet Video Link, which sells for $300, at the Consumer Electronics Show in January 2007 and has since slowly added content partners including Yahoo!, AOL and Conde Nast.
The YouTube service, announced today at a press briefing and new product preview in New York, gives buyers of late-model (2007 and 2008) Bravia LCD sets access to millions of videos at no additional charge. Other new content providers for the Internet Video Link include Wired.com, which will provide technology- and gaming-related content, and C-Spot, which offers original episodic short comedy series and is part of Sony Pictures’ Crackle online video venture.
“The partnership with Sony helps us achieve our goal of making YouTube accessible on any screen,” said Chris Maxcy, YouTube’s partner development director, in a statement. “The integration of YouTube into the television enhances the living room entertainment experience by offering a large number of channels for people to select from, enabling them to watch what they want, when they want it.”
The full content lineup for the Internet Video Link now includes Yahoo!, AOL, Sports Illustrated, blip.tv, CondéNet’s Style.com, Men.Style.com, Epicurious and Concierge.com channels, Sony Pictures Television’s Crackle, The Minisode Network and Inside Sony Pictures channels, FEARnet, Ford Models, SingingFool and VideoDetective, and Sony says it will continue to add new content partners.
“Sony was one of the first to bring streaming Internet video to the television in the United States without a PC, and now you can access one of the most popular online video destinations, YouTube, on your Bravia TV,” said Randy Waynick, senior vice president of Sony Electronics’ Home Products Division, in a statement. “There are literally millions of videos to choose from on the Bravia Internet Video Link service and we’ll continue to add the most compelling content available on the Web.”
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