Jonathan Takiff: Sony's Bravia meets the Internet

THE GIZMO:

Sony's Bravia KDL-40W4100 with Internet access and other modular treats.

WELL-CONNECTED: Sony chief executive Sir Howard Stringer recently vowed to make 90 percent of the company's electronic products "network connected and wireless enabled" by March 2011.

A prime example of how that comes together can be found in the Sony Bravia KDL-40

W4100 television (list price $1,900, discounted to about $1,600). This sleek, feature rich TV reassures me that Sony is no longer eating anyone's dust and has indeed gotten its mojo back.

THE MODULAR APPROACH: Nobody likes buying a high-tech gizmo only to discover, six months later, that it has been supplanted by a more advanced model. Sony's new, high-end Bravia TVs (from 32 inches up, in the V, W, Z and XBR series) eliminate that stress by packing two special docking ports on the back of the sets.

While pumping up the TVs' cost by about $300 (compared to models lacking the ports), this future proofing invites consumers to plug in smart boxes that will deliver new features, whenever available.

Sony already offers one modular bolt-on device for these Bravia TVs, the Internet Video Link DMX-NV1 ($300). It brings scads of Internet-sourced TV programming to the sets - most of it free - without the need for a computer.

You just connect the TV with an Ethernet cable directly to your broadband Internet source (a router, powerline Ethernet adaptor or gaming adapter). More on that in a minute.

Due out later this year are several other useful add-ons for these better Bravias. Most significant is a "Tru2Way" compatible cable TV tuner. It will give users the ability to "toss the cable box" and receive all channels, access an electronic program guide and even call up video-on-demand strictly through the TV set and with its own remote control. (No TV manufacturer is offering Tru2Way-ready sets as yet, although Panasonic and Samsung have models coming.)

Neat freaks will likewise appreciate Sony's newly announced DVD player module (standard definition but up-converting). This slim line spinner hangs vertically behind the Bravia.

Even niftier is the forthcoming Bravia Wireless Link module. With its special receiver bolted on back of the TV, you'll be able to wirelessly beam signals from standard and high-definition equipment sources (up to 1080i) located as far as 65 feet away from the TV.

The only wire you'll need to snake to the TV set is its power line.

INTERNET TV, DONE RIGHT: Sony is not the only TV maker now delivering Internet content through high-end sets. Panasonic has PZ series televisions with VieraCast, while Samsung calls its Internet-enabling feature InfoLink.

Both are pretty minimal, though, offering fast access to news headlines, sports scores, localized weather and stock quotes (all on the Sony sets, too). Vieracast adds YouTube content and a link to the online photo storage space Picassa.

High-end Sharp televisions equipped with Aquos Net service sell at a stiff 200 percent premium over conventional TVs. For that, you also get fine art stills and comic strips popping up on the screen. And Sharp techs can remotely tweak the performance of a TV through the closed Aquos Network.

CONTENT IS KING: If you're looking to explore the exploding new world of Internet-sourced TV content, though, a Sony Bravia with Video Link receiver is the only way to go.

Amazon is offering its catalog of 40,000 movies and TV shows to Bravia Video Link owners - order through the set's on-screen displays or online for rental ($1.99-$3.99) or lifetime purchase ($9.99-$14.99).

Amazon codes its content very well, so even on my minimally acceptable (3 megabits per second quoted, 2.2 Mbps delivered) DSL broadband connection, the picture looked reasonably clean and clear and rarely stalled to "buffer" new content. (For high-definition content, Sony recommends a 5 to 10 Mbps connection.)

Sony's television production division is offering vintage series for free on the Timeless TV and Minisode Network channels. The latter edits episodes of "Charlie's Angels," "TJ Hooker," "Different Strokes," and more to under six minutes - goofy, but fun.

Also ideal for the short-attention crew are the hundreds of quirky, made-for-the-net shows, cartoons, comedy bits and music clips aggregated by the likes of Yahoo, Daily Motion, Blip TV and Crackle.

Sure, you can find much of this stuff on a PC, too, but it's way more fun to watch with good speakers and the big, beautiful screen the 40-inch KDL-40W4100 provided.

Topping my discovery list was a soap opera parody called "General Elevator," which takes place (you guessed it) inside a hospital elevator.

Also funneling content through the Internet Video Link receiver are You Tube (its voluminous content is easy to summon), clips from food and travel sites Epicurious and Concierge, runway fashion shows from Style.com, swimsuit model profiles from Sports Illustrated, tech news from Wired, show previews from the CW and Showtime, and a mixed bag of content from CBS, including segments from sports and news magazine shows and, at the moment, full episodes of "Beauty and the Beast." Well, you've gotta start somewhere. *

E-mail Jonathan Takiff at takiffj@ phillynews.com.