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  • Sony's New Media Player Announced
Technology Articles > Entertainment > Movies > Sony's New Media Player Announced

Sony is launching a new distribution service soon. To go along with that service, the company has just launched a FMP-X1 4K media player. This media player will be priced at $699 and will compliment the streaming service. So far, Sony has release images of the media player along with a few specs.

Design-wise, this media player is reminiscent of old school film reels -- round in size and record-shaped. Spec-wise, the media player seems to have some interesting things going for it. Take a look at the details below.

Inside Sony's New Media Player

The new media player will come loaded with 10 video shorts and feature films. These films will be in 4K resolution, which is what Sony is pushing at the moment. Additionally, media player users will have the opportunity to sign up for a fee-based distribution service that will include access to a wide variety of films.

Some of the movies that will come pre-loaded include Bad Teacher, Battle: Los Angeles, The Bridge on the River Kwai, The Karate Kid (2010), Salt, Taxi Driver, That's My Boy, The Amazing Spider-Man, The Other Guys and Total Recall (2012). Sony hasn't stated how much the fee-based service will cost, but the new media player was meant to coincide with Sony's latest 4K Ultra HD TV.

The 4K Ultra HD TV

Six stores throughout California (Sony stores) will be featuring the new Ultra HD TVs starting today. These televisions are meant to bring viewers the ultimate 4K experience. The TVs will begin retailing at $4,999. Sony wants users to combine the new media streamer with the newest televisions, in order to gain a complete home theatre and entertainment system.

If you do the math, the basic TV plus the media player will cost around $5,700, and that's before the monthly streaming fee. Clearly, this setup won't be within everyone's reach, but Sony is billing its new goods as the future of television. If you're really into what's new in the TV and streaming world, you might want to give Sony's new setup a try.

Different Launch Dates

As mentioned, Sony's new televisions will launch today across stores in California. The streaming service will not be available until later this summer (no specific date mentioned). Sony is also releasing a number of new "Mastered in 4K Blu-ray discs." Those films will be available shortly.

Will Sony have any success with the company's new media streamer or TVs? I'm betting that most people won't want to spend around $5K on a new TV, but some may go for the new media player that's around the $700 mark. But, Sony will have to make the media player worth that price, and that might be a tough thing to do.

There's also the matter of a data cap. Most movies are around 100GB, so data would be consumed rather quickly. These are things to consider. Competition in the streaming market is already tough. Does Sony have what it takes? I'll look forward to the release of the media player this summer to bring you more details.