BRAVIA Internet Video Link Owners Can Watch Movie at Home Prior to Blu-ray
and DVD Release
SAN DIEGO, Oct. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Sony today announced that for a
limited period, BRAVIA(R) Internet Video Link owners will have the
opportunity to watch the Sony Pictures summer hit, Hancock, prior to retail
DVD and Blu-ray Disc(TM) availability.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081014/LATU046)
The movie, which can be rented for $9.99, will stream directly to
BRAVIA televisions equipped with Sony's BRAVIA Internet Video Link for a
24-hour viewing period. This offer will be available to BRAVIA Internet
Video Link owners beginning on October 28 and running through November 10.
As a bonus to consumers who purchase the rental stream and who register
online, a free Blu-ray copy of Hancock will be mailed to consumers after
the Hancock Blu-ray street date, November 25. This combo package is valued
at nearly $70 ($29.99 for the stream and $39.95 for the Blu-ray Disc).
This marks the first time a top grossing theatrical movie will reach
consumers' homes via an Internet-enabled platform prior to the packaged
media release. Additionally, it demonstrates Sony's unique ability to
combine its innovative hardware with content created by its own movie
studio.
"Bringing Hancock directly to BRAVIA is something only Sony can do,"
said Randy Waynick, senior vice president for marketing in Sony's Home
Products Division. "No other CE company has an entertainment portfolio like
Sony and we will continue to push hardware innovation that brings value to
our customers.
"This is an important development not only for the industry, but for
consumers seeking new entertainment options."
Sony Pictures is in discussions to offer a high-definition VOD motion
picture day and date with its DVD release, with premium pricing, on BRAVIA
Internet Video Link and other platforms.
Sony will offer three versions of Hancock including a high-definition
stream (720p), and two standard definition streams (480p) with different
encoding for lower bandwidth customers. The BRAVIA Internet Video Link
service will automatically detect the customer's bandwidth and select the
best stream for optimum performance. Once the customer clicks the "Buy Now"
button in the BRAVIA Internet Video Link menu, the feature will immediately
play.
The BRAVIA Internet Video Link Module, which attaches to the back of a
compatible BRAVIA TV, streams on-demand entertainment including hit movies,
televisions shows, YouTube videos, and a variety of other high-definition
and standard-definition content not found on network or cable/satellite TV.
The service connects to the Internet via an existing broadband Ethernet
connection and streams content, much of which is available at no additional
charge.
Sony's BRAVIA Internet Video Link Module is currently available for
about $300 and can be purchased online at http://www.sonystyle.com, Sony
Style retail stores and Sony authorized retailers across the country.
Academy Award(R) nominee Will Smith (The Pursuit of Happyness) stars in
the action- packed comedy as Hancock, a sarcastic, hard-living, and
misunderstood superhero who has fallen out of favor with the public. When
Hancock grudgingly agrees to an extreme makeover from idealistic publicist
Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman, Juno), his life and reputation rise from the
ashes and all seems right again -- until he meets a woman (2003 Academy
Award winner Charlize Theron, Actress in a Leading Role, Monster) with
similar powers to his and the key to his secret past.
SOURCE Sony
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Related links:
http://www.sonystyle.com
Photo Notes:
NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081014/LATU046
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org AP PhotoExpress
Network: PRN8 PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
CONTACT:
Greg Belloni of Sony Electronics, Inc.,
+1-858-942-4460, greg.belloni@am.sony.com; or Tania Scheer of
PainePR, +1-949-809-6782, tscheer@painepr.com, for Sony
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