Sony tonight leapt into the streaming media hub field with the Netbox. The hub acts as a portal for the features that would normally be available only through a Bravia TV, such as Netflix and Qriocity movies, DailyMotion and YouTube videos, and local media.
While it has its own remote, your Android smartphone or iPhone via an e-apps can act as an contoller for the Netbox.
The hub relies on either 802.11n Wi-Fi or Ethernet to go online and can pull in content from a hard drive or thumbdrive through a front-mounted USB port. It can handle hobbyist formats like DivX and MKV in addition to H.264 or other more conventional standards, and the familiar crossbar interface carries over from the PS3 and most other modern Sony media devices.
Sony will offer the Netbox itself soon for $130, but the companion Android and iPhone apps will be free soon at their respective app stores.
