Sony’s $129 N100 Media Player

Keith,

Thanks for bringing this exciting product to the notice of AVSForum members!

I assume it is a design win for Sigma Can you let us know which chipset is inside this?

Will it support Blu-Ray ISOs with HD audio bitstreaming?

Can't wait for this to hit the shelves and get reviewed exhaustively!

Reading through the short review it did not mention whether it will allow playback from shared drives, for example SMB or NFS. putting it in "contention with other standalone media streamers like those from Roku, Popbox and Western Digital" sounds as if it does as surely not everyone wants to setup/install a DLNA server.

Any idea when a list of full specs will be available?

I am excited to see this as a Sony S-570 owner. Currently my S-570 streams dvds from my network shares but lacks menu support and lacks support for most other file types. But I am happier with it than I was with either my popbox or vmp75 because it works!


furthermore as someone said yesterday, Sony could step in and dominate the media player market if they wanted to...

And let you play BD rips? Somehow I doubt it.

I agree but mkv support as stated above, would be ok with me. The PS3 plays mkv as you probably know.

Comparing a player's ability to stream next to the PS3's is not really an endorsement.

-Suntan

My point was that Sony already allows playback of hd mkv files and other types on the PS3.

I must have missed the memo, since when did the PS3 play MKVs without transcoding?

I have a couple mkv files copied onto my ps3 internal hdd that play fine. I don't remember their origins. But they are mkv.

This is going off-topic but AFAIK, the PS3 does not play MKV files natively. Your files may have been transcoded as copied to the internal drive, depending on the method used. Unless there was a firmware update I missed that enabled support for MKVs.

As for this new device, it would be nice to have SMB support and a nifty search feature.

I googled the new Sony Device and found this:
Sony is about to release its new network media player the SMP-N100, it features the following;
both wireless and Ethernet network connections
DLNA certified
HDMI
Component
USB
remote control
Bravia Internet
185 x 193 x 40mm size

The manual for it is here http://pdf.crse.com/manuals/4192726311.pdf

The PS3 also streams hd ts/m2ts; although...and I haven't bothered to check in a while, so I don't know if some of this has changed...not vc-1 encoded files, and of course no lossless audio.

I wonder if this media player will be as crippled?

CD

Don't forget no 24p when streaming on the PS3...

And I don't think talking about the PS3 is OT. The PS3 was labeled as Sony's ultimate livingroom alpha dog. Everything a person would ever want to do on a Tv in the livingroom. Which gives you a good understanding of how Sony feels about streaming their media.


-Suntan

Well it does have built in wireless N. But for me, I have never liked the Sony menu system.

Hmmmm, for $129 retail. Do you really really need to wonder?

From the manual...
Playable Types of files
Video
MPEG-1*, MPEG-2**, DivX, MPEG4-AVC*, WMV9*, AVCHD*#

Music
mp3, AAC*%, WMA9 Standard*%, LPCM

* Does not play file on a DLNA server
** Can only play Standard Definition on a DLNA server
# Plays files recorded on a digital video camera etc
% Does not play coded files such as Lossless

$129 and offering a wealth of on-demand content? I've heard that before.

Where Syabas have failed Sony step in. The N100 looks great. Format support might not be amazing but for most of the intended market this won't matter.

What this sector needs is an inexpensive product suitable for the mass market. And this might be it.!

I think for mass market it needs to be under $100.

The Sony box is the same price as the PopBox(although the Sony box does include wireless N for that price) . But for people that don't need wireless N it's a wasted expense which is why I think having a non wireless version at a lower price is better.

But even my PopBox plays all of my BD ISOs with no stuttering. And it sounds like the Sony can't play any BD ISOs. Can it even play any DVD ISOs?

Looks like a decent box for mass consumption, unlike the buggy-as-hell & non-Netflix PopBox at the same price. Pleasantly surprised to see MKV support by Sony, especially since the PS3 won't play them. MKV may very well go the way of MP3: first branded as a 'pirates format', then widely adopted. Still, I think if you can wait, the Boxee Box looks to be the box to beat this year for Internet media + local content playback. The recent Israeli article (see Boxee box anticipation thread) showing video playback up to 90Mbps makes it look very promising, plus Boxee's UI is terrific as is their QWERTY remote, plus Netflix and lost of other Internet content.

Umm, I'm not sure I get your point here. I never said the PS3 mislead anyone, or didn't deliver as promised or anything. It's just we ALL know the PS3 is limited, and by design...so I was just wondering if they would (likely) do the same thing with this player.

CD

I understood your point. I was trying to point to the evidence that Sony is likely doing the same with this player.

Hence the

@aaronwt - according to the manual .iso is not a supported file format.

The s570 appears to upconvert the DVD SD content streamed to it. I wonder if the N100 does as well.

I am using the Sony NV1 now with my installation of a Wireless N bridge on it. I use it for Amazon video downloads but it also has access to many other internet sites, including Netflix. What does this do that the DMX-NV1 does not?

Or my PS3 slim?

OK; that's what I thought, maybe...but wasn't sure...lol.

CD

Cinavia support? like the ps3 has now

It doesn't, I have no idea what swak is talking about.



Assuming the underlying codecs in the MKV are native supported by PS3, you can easily remux in realtime using a DNLA server like PMS (PlaystationMediaServer), but obviously that's not what he was implying. It is however much better than transcoding, and can be done via a low-powered rig.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/25/s...nternet-stuff/

menu looks far better than anything else than gets packaged with players normally. yeah you can do YAMJ but that thing is NOT for the average user...

Curious after reading the manual...can this box only playback from a DLNA server, not network shares??

That would make the restrictions on file playback much more pertinent. Hmm...

It really seems like this box is more about driving traffic to Sony's network-content provider partners (as well as their own services). The ability to play back files off local media or via DLNA servers, while somewhat useful, is almost an afterthought.

OTOH, I have a $100 SonyStyle gift card that's been sitting around forever, so I may end up getting one of these just for the hell of it. Here's hoping they'll expand format support/network shares/etc later (though it's highly doubtful).