Sony Unveils First U.S. Walkman Video Players |
New Models Support an Open Standard
SAN DIEGO, Aug. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Sony today took the wraps off two
new Walkman(R) players that not only support audio -- but for the first
time in the United States -- video.
The new NWZ-A810 and NWZ-S610 series of Walkman digital music players
will support an open platform, providing more choices for downloading and
managing music and video collections online.
"Our Walkman products offer great resolution, a bright screen,
high-quality sound and a long battery life," said Brennan Mullin, vice
president for audio products in the Digital Imaging and Audio Division at
Sony Electronics. "We are providing our customers the choice to use
multiple music sources."
The devices have a standard user interface that makes it easy to enjoy
songs, videos or pictures. For crystal-clear image quality, the video
players have a large Quarter Video Graphics Array (QVGA) LCD screen that
displays video at 30 frames per second. QVGA is a display mode for small
screens in which the resolution is 320 pixels vertically by 240 pixels
horizontally.
The battery life allows up to eight hours of video playback for the
NWZ-A810 series and nine-and-a-half hours for the NWZ-S610 series. The
battery also provides up to 33 hours of music playback for both series.
The players support security-enhanced Windows Media Audio (WMA), as
well as non-secure AAC and MP3 music formats, plus JPEG files for photos,
in addition to the AVC (H.264/AVC) Baseline Profile and MPEG-4 video
codecs.
Users can download movie trailers, music videos, podcasts and video
clips from the Internet and use readily-available shareware to convert the
clips for use with the Walkman video players. Sony Pictures Entertainment
has also provided video content for both of the new players, which is
hosted at http://www.sonystyle.com/walkman.
Music and Videos in Your Pocket
The top-of-the-line Walkman video players (NWZ-A810 series) have a
2-inch QVGA (320 by 240 pixels) LCD screen (measured diagonally). This
series of players comes with higher quality Sony ear-buds (model
MDR-EX082).
Designed with a younger demographic in mind, the NWZ-S610 series has a
1.8-inch QVGA (320 by 240 pixels) LCD screen (measured diagonally) and
includes an FM tuner with 30 presets that make it convenient to listen to
the radio on the go.
The Walkman video players store up to 1,850 songs on the 8GB models,
925 songs on the 4GB models, and 440 songs on the 2GB models, for songs an
average of four minutes in length at 128kbps in the MP3 format.
Digital Music 101
For those who just want music sans video, Sony is also introducing the
NWZ-B100 series. These audio players include USB direct connect, a
three-line color LCD display and an FM tuner. They feature up to 12 hours
of battery life.
With FM recording capability, it is easy to capture and play back radio
programs. The NWZ-B100 series also has a voice recorder function with a
built-in microphone for taking notes or recording sing-alongs to favorite
tunes.
In addition to supporting easy transfer of non-DRM content via drag and
drop, this dedicated audio model will also support most subscription
services. The players store up to 485 songs on the 2GB and 235 songs on the
1GB, for songs an average of four minutes in length at 128kbps in the MP3
format.
Sony's Open Digital Music Environment
All of the new players are compatible with security-enhanced Windows
Media Audio and support most subscription music services. The new players
are also among the first to be Certified for Windows Vista, meaning they
have passed a series of compatibility tests including PlaysForSure
verification.
"With this initiative, Sony is debuting an important option for digital
media players as it opens new doors for a rich digital experience," said
Dave Wascha, director of Windows Client Product Management at Microsoft
Corp. "I believe consumers will be pleased that the new Walkman products
carry the Certified for Windows logo and that they will take advantage of
the new technologies available in this Windows platform. Those who purchase
this Walkman player can rest easy knowing that the product has met explicit
standards of reliability and quality."
To help manage digital music libraries, the new Sony Walkman video
players come with Microsoft Windows Media Player 11. This familiar
interface makes transferring music very intuitive. Sony offers a range of
accessories (sold separately), including a Bluetooth(R) audio transmitter
and peripherals that allow consumers to wirelessly release their music on
the move.
With these new Walkman players, Sony has widened its digital music
environment to support Windows Media technology. This gives customers
greater flexibility in their music software approach. As a result, Sony
will be phasing out the CONNECT(TM) Music Services based on Sony's ATRAC
audio format in North America and Europe. Specific timing will vary by
region depending on market demand, but will not be before March 2008. The
CONNECT e-book service for the Reader will not be affected.
Pricing and Availability
The NWZ-A810 series of Walkman video music players come in three
different capacities and five colors:
-- The NWZ-A815 player has a total capacity of 2GB; comes in white, pink,
black, blue and silver; and will cost about $140.
-- The NWZ-A816 player has a total capacity of 4GB; comes in white, pink,
black and silver; and will cost about $180.
-- The NWZ-A818 player has a total capacity of 8GB, comes in black and
silver, and will cost about $230.
The NWZ-S610 series of Walkman music players come in three different
capacities and four colors:
-- The NWZ-S615F player has a total capacity of 2GB; comes in black, pink,
red and silver; and costs about $120.
-- The NWZ-S616F player has a total capacity of 4GB; comes in black, pink,
red and silver; and costs about $160.
-- The NWZ-S618F player has a total capacity of 8GB, comes in black, and
costs about $210.
The NWZ-B100 series of Walkman music players come in two different
capacities and colors:
-- The NWZ-B103F player has a total capacity of 1GB, comes in black, and
costs about $60.
-- The NWZ-B105F player has a total capacity of 2GB, comes in black and
white, and costs about $80.
Presales have begun for the new Walkman models online at
http://www.sonystyle.com/walkman and at Sony Style stores. The players will
be available in September across the country at military base exchanges and
at authorized dealers nationwide. The silver players will be sold
exclusively at Sony Style retail stores and the online website.
For the new Walkman players, video playback time is approximate in
MPEG-4 at 384 kbps. Music playback time is approximate in MP3 at 128kbps.
Walkman is a registered trademark of Sony Corporation.
SOURCE Sony Electronics Inc.
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CONTACT:
Linda Barger of Sony Electronics Inc.,
+1-858-942-2986, linda.barger@am.sony.com
