Do you have an old TV and wireless Internet? You could actually be sitting on an Internet-enabled TV with access to YouTube, Hulu, Netflix, NPR podcasts and more. Seriously. Which is why I agreed to review Sony's Streaming Player 2 -- we have an Internet-enabled TV downstairs that our daughter adores. We have a normal TV upstairs -- which is really where we'd prefer she watch her daily Cake Boss fix. But, like, it doesn't stream.
Only now it does.
Because of this thing. It costs $69, and you could literally buy a TV for $10 at a garage sale and hook this thing up to it (using HDMI or rock it old school with the yellow, red and white cables) and be watching all the bad movies from 1987 in your instant Netflix queue in fifteen minutes.
Cons:
- The remote is really simple. Like, way too simple for Internet access: It has no keys, no numbers. Imaging life without a mouse. You're surfing the web with arrow keys. Now you have the Sony Streaming Player 2 remote. There's a way to get to a key menu, but then it's like texting with a flip phone, only more like entering URLs with a flip phone. Shoot me now. Caveat: If you have your Netflix or Hulu or what have you all set up online, you don't need anything but those arrows.
- The Sony app presentations aren't the best. If your TV isn't gargantuan, the movie posters that represent the movies are hard to read. It would be better if they presented fewer per screen and you had to page through more, in our opinion.
- It will just be one more thing adding strain to your wireless router (but this isn't Sony's fault, it's true of everything, but something to think about if your wireless is already slow).
- There's no step-up fastforward or rewind, so you're stuck either fastforwarding with the speed of Edward Cullen (and about the aim of Bella Swan) or watching everything in real-time.
Pros:
- Hook-up was super fast and easy.
- The device is as complicated as two cords.
- Setting up your network is painless.
- For $69, you're rocking a smart TV. Smart TVs cost many, many more pennies than $69.
Sony has graciously offered to let me give away one of these devices. Here are the rules totally made up by me:
- Every comment is an entry, comment as often as you like.
- Comments will be closed at noon CT on Friday, February 17.
- Winner will be chosen with a randomizer. If I don't have your email in the comment and can't contact you, I'll move on.
- Product will be shipped from Sony.
Good luck!
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I would love to have one of these for my bedroom television!
Posted by: Robin | February 01, 2012 at 04:44 PM
Thanks for doing this giveaway!
Posted by: Robin | February 02, 2012 at 10:34 AM
Thanks for the review - I wanted to mention that there is an app for iOS (iPhone)and android that completely solves the remote issue. It's called "Media Remote" by Sony. I would check it out - it makes the entire experience better.
Posted by: Drew | February 03, 2012 at 09:36 AM
I have one and its very simple to use. Even your grandmother can connect it to her CRT TV. The only issue I have is programming sometimes freezes up during the streaming but that could be my router. Overall I would give it 3 thumbs up and who wouldn't want to see All in the Family reruns and oldy but goody movies like I married an ax murder.
Posted by: Ken | February 03, 2012 at 01:03 PM
I would love a smart tv!
Posted by: Jessica | February 04, 2012 at 02:14 AM
This would enable me to watch my latest guilty pleasure, Friday Night Lights while doing laundry! *Yes I know I'm late to the game on that one.
Posted by: Robin | February 06, 2012 at 10:43 AM
Would love one of these for my old, old TV!
Posted by: Paula | February 06, 2012 at 01:08 PM
FYI... many game consoles also enable some extent of content streaming. We use the Netflix app on out Wii (good thing, too, because the disc player on our Wii quit working).
Posted by: emawkc | February 07, 2012 at 01:21 PM
Very cool! We have dreams of making Kidlet Cave out of our basement and my grandma has an relic TV that she keeps offering us. Huh. Might have to look into this!
Posted by: cagey (Kelli Oliver George) | February 07, 2012 at 05:25 PM
My sister has one of these and I've always been jealous.
Posted by: Robin | February 08, 2012 at 06:12 PM
I would love one of these. We only have the most basic cable so this would let us watch all those Netflix movies.
Posted by: Jill L | February 09, 2012 at 08:51 PM
I love the simplicity. Easy enough for the kids to work.
Posted by: Jill L | February 10, 2012 at 05:39 AM
This would be perfect for that old tv that I have in the attic. My kids would think it was pretty cool to have an extra tv.
Posted by: Jill L | February 10, 2012 at 11:01 PM
This is the perfect price. I would much prefer to pay for Netflix than upgrade my cable.
Posted by: Jill L | February 12, 2012 at 07:34 PM
I could watch The Lost Boys from 1987.
Posted by: Jill L | February 12, 2012 at 07:44 PM
My husband is getting fed up with our cable company. This might be a great alternative.
Posted by: Jill L | February 12, 2012 at 10:19 PM
I would love to win! This would be great in my new apartment :)
Posted by: Jessica F | February 13, 2012 at 02:17 AM
Great review... kind of weird that you can't fastforward or rewind though
Posted by: Jessica F | February 13, 2012 at 02:28 AM
I guess it does seem strange that it can't fast forward or rewind. I was just excited to think a way to get my movies without paying for cable.
Posted by: Jill L | February 13, 2012 at 07:30 AM
I could lay on the couch and watch episode after episode of my favorite shows and not have to see a single commercial!!!
Posted by: Jill L | February 13, 2012 at 12:44 PM