Apple TV gets a rival: Sony SMP-N100 media streamer

Apple’s media streamer, Apple TV, looks to have some serious competition in the form of the Sony SMP-N100, a network media player launched by Sony today.

The Sony SMP-N100 gives access to Bravia internet video, with Wi-fi connectivity and DLNA, which means that, just like the Apple TV, you can stream content through your Wi-fi connection around your house from the Sony SMP-N100 box. This means access to YouTube, TV catch up platforms (BBC iPlayer and Demand Five) and films. To clean up the streamed video, the Sony SMP-N100 also has what Sony calls “Content Noise Reduction”, which is meant to clean up and improve the quality of streamed video.

So how does this compare to Apple TV? Well, the basic functionality of each look quite similar to the average consumer. Apple has more multimedia content, as it includes music (there’s no mention of audio content with the Sony device yet), and the fact that it hooks up and syncs with your iTunes account will be a boon for lots of us. The difference will be in the cost, and unless Sony undercuts Apple TV, which costs £100, it will have to put a big differentiating factor in there to hook customers.

Out October 2010 | Around £120 | Sony retailers

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