Sony today announced two new Blu-ray and HDD recorders for the Japanese market that feature a VOD function [JP]. The BDZ-A750 and the BDZ-A950 are Japan-only. Owners of a PSP or a Sony DAP can connect their devices to the recorders via USB to download and view content on their portables later.
Japanese buyers will be able to view content downloaded or streamed from Nippon’s top video-on-demand providers Tsutaya [JP] and acTVila [JP]. Apart from storing the content on Sony hardware, buyers can also legally burn it on Blu-rays. The players have two USB ports and one HDMI interface and support both Bravia Link and Sony’s Room Link. BD-RE/BD-R/DVD+RW/DVD+R/DVD-RW and DVD-R is supported.
The only difference between the players is the size of the HDD. The BDZ-A750 comes with a 320GB hard disc and costs $1,500. The BDZ-A950 with 500GB will set you back $1,800. Both players hit Japanese stores April 24. I just hope Sony remembers there are some significant VOD services in the US and Europe, too.