Sony is showing some of its vision for the future of TV delivery, unveiling a new home gateway product that boasts a massive hard drive, an always-on broadband connection and TiVo-like analysis of viewers' habits to customize automatic program recording.
Branding the new line "CoCoon" (short for "Connected Community On Network"), Sony is pitching "a new style of audiovisual entertainment centered on home television and realize home entertainment suited for the broadband era," the company said in a press release announcing a Tokyo news conference Wednesday. The device will enable "access to a variety of network services," the company says.
The device can be programmed from the PC or a cellphone, Sony said.
A Sony spokeswoman did not immediately confirm reports that the device boasts a 160 GB hard drive (expandable to 320 GB) that can record 15 hours of high-definition TV or 100 hours of standard TV.
Sony did not announce a date for the CoCoon's U.S. rollout.
