This year is shaping up to be the one where TV makers have decided they need to bring the Internet to their sets, in most cases in the form of widgets that display streaming information while viewers are checking out their favorite shows. Sony already announced a couple of networked sets back at CES—the Bravia Z5100 and XBR9—but yesterday the company added three more in the form of the new W 5100 Series.
As with a number of other TV manufacturers, Sony is using Yahoo’s Widget Engine for its Bravia Internet Widgets. The trio of Bravia W sets sport an Ethernet connection, though built-in wireless networking support would impact more buyers who don’t have a nearby Ethernet jack. The wired connection is better for the Bravia Internet Video service, which includes YouTube and Amazon Video on Demand as partners.
The W 5100 Series consists of the 40-inch KDL-40W5100, the 46-inch KDL-46W5100, and the 52-inch KDL-52W5100. All three are 1080p sets that feature 120Hz refresh rates, four HDMI ports, and a USB port. They’re also DLNA compliant, which means they can stream media files from your PC or DLNA-compliant network storage. The new models will be available this spring, though Sony has yet to release pricing info on them.
