The Chief Digital Officer

Felix sat back and congratulated himself on a job well done. He had been under pressure from activist investors telling him that he wasnot doing enough in digital, so poaching Clarissa from a silicon valley-based tech giant was a real coup. She was a star performer Stanford educated and a host of experiences working for tech start-ups, the last of which was acquired by Digital Megavendor inc. Felex knew he had to be seen as placing a bet on digital, but in his heart of hearts he still struggled to see the relevance to his logistics operations, his heavy machinery and some of the clients he worked with who still saw digital as something for their teenagers. As Chief Digital Officer, Clarissa would take care of digital. She would free up valuable time for the c-suite to get on with their real jobs and her appointment may just bump up the share price.

Clarissa joined with high expectations. Felix had made some pretty impressive statements about wanting to place digital at the heart of the company and transform the company by learning from the very best of the digital leaders. She was impressed with his drive and with the fact that whilst he clearly didnot really understand digital, he wanted to hire a change agent to lead the company through this period of disruption.

A few months into her role, it dawned on Clarissa that her role was simply not set up for success. A host of powerful middle managers and even the CIO just didnot seem to get it. They were so entrenched in their day jobs and fighting fires that she was never given the face time or the support that she needed. The budget and headcount that Felex had promised her had also failed to materialise, following disappointing quarterly results and a new drive to cut costs and maintain margin. In short she had a weak mandate and no real resources to get things done.

Clarissa is story is certainly not indicative of every Chief Digital Officers role. Some CDOs are empowered change agents, revitalising and re-imagining the companies that they work for and where that is the case I am fully supportive of the role. But the danger I see in the rush towards creating a Chief Digital officer role is that in some organisations the role is either a parking lot to park all of the challenges that no one else wants to deal with, or a vanity title with little ability to drive real change.

The impact of digital to an organisation is top to bottom  from strategy to customer engagement, operations, risk and tax. Digital should therefore be everyones job. If the role of the CDO is to incubate and infuse digital thinking and new ways of working across the company then the mark of success should be when the role is no longer needed.

The blessing of the latest technology

  A world wide web for robots? It sounds like a crazy idea but it could mean that once a task is learned any robot can find out how to do it just by asking RoboEarth.

Robots Get Their Very Own Internet

Guess who's getting their own internet? Robots! Robots are getting their own, robot-only internet, thanks to scientists who, according to the BBC, "hope it will allow robots to come into service... armed with a growing library of knowledge about their human masters." Why, hmm, yes, "armed," indeed.

"RoboEarth," as the project has been dubbed,

will be a communication system and a database, [researcher Dr. Markus Waibel] said. In the database will be maps of places that robots work, descriptions of objects they encounter and instructions for how to complete distinct actions.

European scientists have embarked on a project to let robots share and store what they discover about the world.Called RoboEarth it will be a place that robots can upload data to when they master a task, and ask for help in carrying out new ones.

RoboEarth is an Internet facility intended to make "life" easy for robots. You can think of it as the web for robots. Just as you look up something you want to know about on the web, a robot can do the same using RoboEarth, but in addition it will routinely upload data about what it is doing and where it is.

Researchers behind it hope it will allow robots to come into service more quickly, armed with a growing library of knowledge about their human masters.

If you are a fan of the Terminator movies or TV series you might well be thinking "SkyNet" and worrying about robots getting smart and taking over. This might be a worry for the future but at the moment RoboEarth is just a knowledge base and it doesn't have any central intelligence, artificial or otherwise.
RoboEarth will include everything needed to close the loop from robot to RoboEarth to robot. The RoboEarth World-Wide-Web style database will be implemented on a Server with Internet and Intranet functionality..

The AAXA L1 Laser Pico Projector is a pocket presenting powerhouse.

Aaxa Tech L1 Laser Pico Projector

Pico projectors have been around for a few years now, and the products available today are much more mature than those available in previous years. Still, as hand-held products, there is one annoyance that no LED-powered pico projector can overcome: the need for focus adjustments.  The AAXA L1 is a different kind of pico projector, using a laser light source instead of an LED. The use of a laser means the projector never has to be focused. With built-in media player software, compatibility with Microsoft Office documents, and 160MB of onboard memory, the AAXA L1 is a pocket presenting powerhouse. While the MSRP of $599 is well above that of most other pico projectors, the L1 brings a lot to the table.

Pico projectors were supposed to be the next big thing, but they haven't taken off as quickly as some might have thought. Part of the problem is that although they're tiny, they just can't produce a bright enough image to be that useful. For that reason, we had high hopes for Aaxa's L1 since it uses a laser-based light source and an LCoS imager. Yes, it costs more than your typical pico projector does, but for cutting-edge technology, you have to pay a little extra--in this case, about 40 percent more.  Nice compact design; SVGA 800x600-pixel resolution; acceptable sound from its tiny built-in speaker; supports AVI, WMV, MP3, JPEG, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and PDF files from USB thumbdrives.

To be clear, this is a first-generation laser pico projector from Aaxa--and one of the few available on the market--so presumably the technology hasn't reached its potential. Again, this isn't a bad pico projector, it's, unfortunately, just as middling as the rest of them yet it costs significantly more; you can buy a half decent laptop or an iPad for about $600 and both will produce much better image quality. On a positive note, from a features standpoint, the Aaxa has a good foundation, and the sound the projector emits from its tiny built-in speaker is acceptable for watching movies; it has a standard 3.5mm jack if you'd prefer to connect headphones or an external speaker. The company just has to find a way to improve the picture and reduce the price while making the user interface easier to use.

Advantages

Image quality. The L1 is rated at 20 lumens maximum, and our test sample measured roughly 18 lumens. In a dark room, you could project up to a 45" diagonal, though a brighter environment will limit diagonal size to 20" or less. The image has a slightly green cast to it, but no more so than other current products in this market segment. Colors are well-saturated almost to the point of oversaturation, which makes the L1 a compelling product to use for the display of data graphics. Contrast in a dark room is quite good, with shadow detail in video maintained properly. Blacks are deep in comparison to similar products.

High resolution. Compared to most other pico projectors, the L1's native SVGA resolution is a huge improvement. Many pico projectors these days are only 640x480, or VGA, resolution. Of those that are SVGA, the L1 is, by far, the smallest and most fully-featured. This greater resolution makes it easier to read text documents or Powerpoint presentations without having to zoom in. It also makes photographs appear clearer and sharper. Furthermore, since the L1 uses a laser for illumination, it is difficult to see any visible pixelation, and there is zero "screen door" effect.

Long life lamp. The laser light source has an estimated life of 30,000 hours, which is in concert with all pocket/pico projectors using laser or LED light sources. In practical terms, the light source will far outlast the expected lifespan of the product, so users will not need to be concerned about lamp replacements.

True pocket size. The L1 measures only 4" long by 2" wide by .75" deep, making it truly "pocket sized" and easily transportable. And since the L1 has an onboard media player, you won't need to haul around any bulky accessories. For large video files, the most you will require is a simple USB memory stick. The L1 comes with a 2GB USB stick, though it can read higher-capacity drives if you happen to own them. 

Connectivity. The L1, being such a small projector, has a limited number of ports. Specifically, it has a USB-A connection, a 1/8" headphone jack, a power connection for the wall charger, and an A/V port. It manages to use these ports for a surprising number of connections. The USB port is used to connect the L1 to a computer, so you can load the 160MB onboard memory with media files. It is also used to connect USB flash memory, which was our preferred mode of use during testing for its combination of large capacity and small size. The A/V port connects to one of the L1's breakout cables, allowing you to use VGA, composite, or s-video connections.

The BenQ XL2410T is a 3D monitor featuring a full assortment of ergonomic options and very good performance in games and movies.

BenQ XL2410T Monitor

BenQ�s focus towards gaming is admirable from day one. They have launched some of the best monitors for gaming in the past and were the first ones to bring a 22� full HD monitor with HDMI as well as an energy efficient Eco monitor to India. With the onset of 3D, this time they are the first ones to bring in a full HD 3D LED monitor to India.

The XL2410T monitor is BenQ�s offering that has been made with recommendations from two of today�s best-known Counter-Strike players� Mil �HeatoN� Christensen and Abdisamad �SpawN� Mohamed. The 24� monitor has a matte finish with buttons present on the front underside. We hated the fact that these buttons or the indication text for them were not backlit. This posed a problem when we wanted to change settings in a dark environment. The monitor allows tailoring the height, tilt, pivot, stroke and even has swivel adjustment. The backside houses the connectivity ports that includes � DVI, D-sub and HDMI as well as a headphone jack on the side. The monitor weighs a whooping 6.3Kg, but once setup, it is pure eye candy.

 The 23.6� LED monitor has a widescreen display with a 16:9 aspect ratio and a 1920 x 1080 full HD resolution. It has 1,000:1 contrast ratio and 10 million: 1 dynamic contrast ratio for optimum viewing pleasure. Furthermore, the monitor comes with 120Hz refresh rate and a 2ms response time which makes the monitor a gamer�s dream. The monitor feature a �display mode� hotkey that allows for quick switching between various screen size modes as per the user�s requirement. The smart scaling feature comes into play while using display modes and allows a user to view content in the best possible resolution on the same monitor. Secondly, the monitor has a FPS mode, which is specifically meant for first person shooter games such as Counter-Strike. The mode provides gamers with accurate representation of the view in the game to provide perfect colors and be able to perform better.

The BenQ Xl2410T is the third 3D monitor I've reviewed in the last two weeks, but unlike the other two, the XL2410T is the first to include a W-LED backlight, instead of CCFL. Now, don't get too exited. All that indicates is the probability of less power consumption than other 3D monitors, and while it should also point to a thinner panel, unfortunately, that's not the case here. Ergonomic options it has aplenty, but what sacrifices had to be made to include such options? Keep reading to find out.

The BenQ XL2410T is a 3D monitor featuring a full assortment of ergonomic options and very good performance in games and movies.

 

 Gaming is in the details!

Made for professional gamers by co-developing with two CS players--HeatoN and SpawN, the XL2410T comes with 23.6"W LED panel, 120Hz, 2ms GTG response, DCR 10M:1, smart scaling, height-adjustment stand and 3D-ready.

 World's Leading Expert in LED Monitors

BenQ - the world's leading LED monitor brand - has again successfully taken the lead to launch LED monitor for gaming! Such technological revolution is bound to bring a whole new visual experience and enjoyment to the world of gamers.

BenQ x HeatoN x SpawN

HeatoN and SpawN rocked the gaming world as the core of Ninjas in Pajamas (NiP) and SK Gaming teams that created a legend with their many triumphs at Cyberathlete Professional League (CPL) tournaments and the World Cyber Games (WCG). As two of the brightest stars in the Counter-Strike niverse, they know what gamers really need and what they really crave in their gear. That's why BenQ invited HeatoN and SpawN to join forces a120Hz Refresh Rate

Di120Hz Refresh Rate

With a screen image that's redrawn 120 times every single second, there's never a lag between what's happening in the virtual world of your favorite game and what you actually see on screen. Drawing on hyper-speed video processing technology, the XL2410T gives on-screen action a captivating realism. You can spot your opponents the instant they make their move, and track their movements accurately, so victory or defeat always comes down to your skill and not a sluggish display that leaves you frustrated.

Display Modes

The display mode hotkey makes changing the size of the screen content as simple and quick as a button press. Instantly switch among 17", 19", 19" widescreen, and 22" widescreen formats so you get the best possible view of whatever you happen to be watching. You can also take advantage of the Smart-Scaling button, added especially for the benefit of gamers. You can adjust the size of the screen content until your avatar's actions precisely correspond to your expectations based on your control movements, so you can perform with peak effectiveness.

FPS Mode

BenQ's team worked with HeatoN and SpawN to develop a display mode attuned to the needs of shooter game aficionados. The aim was to create a display mode that provides gamers with a totally accurate representation of each scene in a virtual world so they're never put at a disadvantage in a key encounter with the enemy because of hardware shortcomings. There are also two user-configurable modes that let gamers set and save the exact brightness, contrast, sharpness, and : Red/Green/Blue color tint that they prefer and that let them be at their best in a pitched battle with a crafty enemy.

2ms GTG Response Time

A super-short response time means both fast-moving action and dramatic transitions are rendered cleanly, without the smearing or ghosting that's not only annoying but can affect your performance when a millisecond can make the difference between a successful sneak attack and a strike that ends in failure.

NVIDIA 3D Ready

Already certified as NVIDIA(R) 3D Vision�-ready, the XL2410T is able to handle the most action-packed graphics-intensive 3D games or movies without missing a beat, enabling you to experience their virtual worlds with total realism.

Picture-by-Picture

The Picture-by-Picture (PBP) display mode provides side by-side display of video from two independent video sources. It supports a variety of interfaces - including D-sub, DVI, and HDMI. Enjoy simultaneous views of a game and a website or a movie. PBP is an easy way to double your fun.

ZOWIE Bundle

BenQ is also working with famed competitive gaming equipment manufacturer ZOWIE on gear like the ZOWIE EC Series Gaming Mouse and SWIFT Gaming Mouse Pad.

*Varied by countries

Design

Tailor the height, tilt, pivot, stroke and swivel adjustment of each monitor to perfectly fit each individual user! An understated toughness that keeps the focus where it should be.

The Samsung RFG297AARS french style refrigerator is the best of any other.

Samsung RFG297AARS french style refrigerator

this is the best designed refridgerator available as far as space and convenience goes. First, it has the largest capacity, at 29 cubic feet. It is the same exterior size as a 26 cubic feet unit, but has tighter packed insulation so there is more area inside. The shelving is efficient and flexible. There is a lot of storage in the door.

the design is much better than the LG refridgerator. LG has the icemaker in the door, so there is hardly any door storage. The layout of the shelves isn't as good either.

Second, all the interior components are well made. The drawers are solid and roll out it easy. In the GE and Westinghouse refridgerators, the drawers are cheap and hard to slide in and out. (Samsung used to make the GE and Westinghouse refridgerators, but might not anymore).

Third, the icemaker and cold water dispenser is at an angle. It takes up less door space, so there is less room lost inside, and it made so that any size pitcher can be filled. The downsides:

1. The icemaker has a small capacity and is slow to refill. But, it has been good enough for us.

2. It is a little noisy sometimes and sometimes makes a high pitched whine.

 
French door refridgerators are all the rage now. They have been around since the 1950s, but never caught on until now. The leaders were the two Korean companies, LG (which used to be Lucky and Goldstar) and Samsung. These two companies made most of the french door refridgerators for all different brands.

THE MOST IMPORTANT FEATURE:

The cheese drawer on this slides underneath the door shelves. That means, you do not have to open the doors all the way to slide out the cheese drawer. I cannot swing both doors fully open. On most refridgerators, that means the cheese/meat drawer hits the door shelves and you can only open it a little bit. With the Samsung, you can just open the doors 90 degrees and still get full access to the drawer.

Excellent piece of machinery, build quality is top notch, unit is quiet as a church mouse. Most importantly, the cooling capability is restaurant quality. The two zones works incredibly well. Anyone who knocks this fridge because of ice production is in need of an Igloo, because this it produces boat loads of ice. Recovery time may not be super quick but name a fridge that.

FIrst Impressions:

1) cooling is excellent, cools evenly food lasts a long time.

2) Power Cool/Freeze feature is sheer genius. Froze my melted ice cream in less than an hour.

3) Door Seal system is designed to last and function as it should

4) Freezer has loads of space, a little tricky to find stuff, but two tiers of storage help this quite a bit.

5) Water tastes clean, clear, crisp and refreshing. Did a side by side taste test with Poland Spring, couldn't tell the difference

 6) slow-to-bright LEDs are a wonderful feature, very slick

7) One of the full size shelves in the fridge is potentially useless

8) Wine bottle holder IS useless and so is the egg bin

9) EZ open handle on Freezer makes it effortless to open door, all others I tried required a good tug, which adversely effects seals.

 10) Door alarm is very useful

Type of refrigerator: Top freezer

the top-freezer refrigerator style well--it's been the most popular model for years. The freezer compartment takes up about a third of the unit, and sits above the fresh food compartment. With top-freezer refrigerators, it can be hard to reach items in the back for the shorter adults or children in the family. There is a wide range of top freezer units on the market and which usually cost less than other more feature-rich models.Type of refrigerator: French door

This type of refrigerator brings together the popular side-by-side model with the bottom freezer model. The side-by-side fresh food compartment is on the top, and a freezer drawer is on the bottom. Sometimes the freezer comes as double-decker drawers. Many consumers prefer to upgrade and have their French door refrigerators built-in to match their cabinetry. What's the benefit to having the side-by-side on top? Energy conservation--you only open a small portion of the refrigerator to grab milk. Average dimensions for freestanding unit: Width: 35 inches; Depth: 29 inches; Depth with door open 90 degrees: 48 inches; Height: 68 inches. Who it's best for: The chef who wants easy access to fresh food storage, and who might be interested in extra-large models or that built-in cabinetry look (this can also run the price up to $4,000 to $7,400 for a French door refrigerator).

Feature: Climate control

Though basic refrigerator models always come with at least two crisper drawers for fruit and vegetable storage, feature-stocked models include bins designed to keep specific foods fresh. Some refrigerators can have a half dozen different climates inside with compartments that allow you to regulate humidity, temperature, and storage time. For instance, there are bins to store dairy and fresh meat at optimum temperatures. Many crispers come with humidity gauges and sensors to stave off wilt and sogginess.

Killing 2 birds with one stone � why cost reduction within customer service doesn't mean decreased customer satisfaction

 I often meet with clients who want to kill two birds with one stone; reduce customer service costs, whilst also increasing customer satisfaction. Many technology-centric CRM programs of the past did not share these aims. They attempted to design solutions inside-out from the company's perspective, rather than from the customer's perspective. In many cases these programs tried to control the customer; for example defining the channels that the organisation made available for customer service requests. In a drive to reduce customer service costs, expensive human interactions were blocked from the customer by customer service numbers hidden away on a little known web page, multi-level IVRs, voice self-service solutions, chat-bots and lists of online FAQs. In the main these solutions were designed to benefit the company, keeping customers away from call centre agents and therefore reducing costs but not necessarily improving customer satisfaction.

The communications revolution of the last few years has meant that companies can no longer control their customers. Customers now control which channel or device they use, which social network they turn to, which sources of information they trust and chose to mash together. The communications & connectivity changes present a threat to many organisations used to an ingrained mindset of command & control, but there is also an opportunity for customer service organisations to leverage the technology changes to drive win / win outcomes, namely reducing customer service costs whilst improving customer satisfaction. Below  are four examples of some of the tactics different organisations have deployed to help achieve these dual aims:

1. The best service is no service - Bill Price, former VP Customer Service for Amazon famously described his outlook on customer service in his job interview with Jeff Bezos, saying: "Well, the best service is no service. You hire me, and I'm going to try and help reduce the need for customers to have to contact Amazon for service. Why should they? They order things online. Things should work out fine, right?" (See full Customer Think's interview with Bill Price here). Amazon designs for no service. This starts by thinking about the jobs customers are trying to do when they interact with Amazon and working out how they can help customers achieve their outcomes online. Clearly achieving this stretches far beyond thinking about the online experience; the processes that enable the desired outcomes of customers stretch far into the organisation and it's eco-system of suppliers.

2. Pro-actively identify problems, fix them at source and update all channels - building on the Amazon example above, many organisations are now setting up command centres to stay connected to the pulse of the customer, attempting to spot trouble brewing and then proactively take action; firstly to update all channels letting customers know that there is a problem and what they are doing to fix it and secondly to fix the problem at source. Dell, for example have pioneered the use of a Social Media Command Centre to try and spot topics that matter to customers as soon as they bubble up on the social web (described in my post on improving social media monitoring). A leading US cable TV company has a swat team concept where they bring together a cross-functional team to investigate opportunities or threats fast and act appropriately e.g. launching an outbound communications campaign or fixing a network problem at source.

3. Leverage peer to peer as a support channel - I've written previously about the GiffGaff case study. Around 90% of GiffGaff's customer service happens within their community forum.  GiffGaff customers fix each other's problems on the forum, suggest new product ideas, recommend the service to their friends and even build smartphone apps for the community. The average response time within the onion support forum 24x7 is under 3 minutes. Furthermore, Telefonica Group who own GiffGaff estimate that their customer service model costs 4 times less than the traditional contact centre-centric model, yet their NPS score is 75 - way above the industry average (note GiffGaff publish their customer satisfaction scores here). 

4. Integrate your community  forum across the social web - BT do a great job of integrating their community forum across their various social channels. Their online community brings together their YouTube channel (for customer support videos), their Twitter stream, their ideas page etc. They have also integrated their forum to their Facebook page to maximise the reuse of content and allow customers to choose the channel of choice.

One thing to bear in mind if you are attempting to replicate some of the tactics above is that simply deploying the tactics alone may well not produce your desired outcomes. In other words, simply creating a community forum does will not turn you into a GiffGaff. There are many examples where forums have actually increased customer service costs and created additional calls for the call centre to deal with. Fundamentally, the success of deploying the tactics above relies on the adoption of a service dominant mindset. To understand more about Service Dominant Logic, a topic first described some 7 years ago by  Steve Vargo read this great post by Graham Hill or take a look at this presentation by Wim Rampen. 


Service dominant logic aims to broaden the traditional goods-dominant logic, placing service provision rather than goods as the basis for economic exchange. With a service dominant mindset the customer is always a co-creator of value therefore we design from the customer's perspective recognising that value is created through usage not at the point of transaction. With a service dominant mindset the tactics above are far more likely to be able to deliver the dual aims of reduced service costs and increased customer satisfaction.

Sony BDP-S580 Home video

Sony BDP-S580

Enjoy Full HD1080p Blu-ray Disc movies-even in 3D. Plus, connect to the Internet wirelessly out of the box, for streaming a wide variety of online entertainment, including movies, TV episodes, videos, music, and live sports from Netflix, YouTube, HuluPlus, Pandora and more with the BDP-S580 3D Blu-ray Disc player. You can also turn your iPhone, iPad or compatible Android phone into a versatile remote control with search functionality when you download the free "Media Remote" app. Add compatible Sony HomeShare network speakers for multi-room wireless audio streaming throughout your home.

ony's home entertainment products aren't always simple Blu-ray players, HDTVs or video game systems; thanks to a consistent, well-designed interface and hearty feature sets, many of the company's mid-range and high-end products are all-in-one devices. They can access online content in addition to their primary purpose, streaming video from Netflix and Youtube, playing music via Pandora, and otherwise offering plenty of bang for your entertainment buck. The Sony BDP-S580 3D Blu-ray Disc Player ($199.99 direct) stands as one of these devices, packing 3D support, a Wi-Fi radio, and plenty of online media services in its slender case. But if you're playing a lot of BD-Live discs, you'll have some long load times to contend with. 

Design

The S580 is a svelte but solid deck, measuring just 1.4 by 17 by 7.8 inches (HWD) and weighing a sturdy-feeling 3.2 pounds. Its glossy black front is distinguished by a sharp lip along the bottom edge, giving the player an angular look not seen in most home theater components. The lip holds three small Play, Eject, and Stop buttons and a small power light. On the flat black surface of the panel, an LED display and a USB port sit. The back side of the player holds HDMI, component, and composite video outputs, analog stereo and optical audio outputs, and Ethernet and USB jacks.

 

The included 5.9-inch remote feels like a chunky, slightly cheaper-feeling version of the remotes that come with Sony Bravia HDTVs. The buttons are all a soft rubber, and while they're laid out intuitively, their flexibility and rectangular uniformity make blind remote-handling feel awkward. Expect to look down at the remote often when inputting numbers or controlling movie playback.

Like most other Sony home entertainment products, the S580 uses excellent Sony's XrossMediaBar (XMB) user interface. Audio, video, and photo media playback services are aligned in a horizontal row, with specific services (watching online video through Netflix, listening to online music through Pandora) arranged in columns that expand out from each row. It's an easy-to-learn interface that anyone with a Playstation 3 or Bravia HDTV should already be familiar with.

The S580 is chock full of features to justify its $200 price tag. The player is 3D-compatible and can access multiple online media services either through Ethernet or built-in Wi-Fi. Among other services, the S580 includes Netflix, Hulu Plus, and Pandora. Smartphone users can wirelessly control the S580 with Sony's iOS or Android media remote app, and users with Sony Network speakers can wirelessly stream music to other rooms through the player. The only feature the S580 is missing is on-board memory; if you want to access certain features, like BD-Live content, you'll need to plug in a USB drive.

  

Built-In Wi-Fi

Easily connect to the internet through your home's wireless broadband network thanks to built-in Wi-Fi. No need to purchase an adapter or other device, just fire it up, connect, and you'll have access to streaming content, DLNA content on your network, and more.

 3D in Full HD 1080p

Feel like you've been transported into the action. A perfect complement to any home theater, the BDP-S580 is ready for the future of home entertainment. When paired with your 3D HDTV and active shutter glasses, you'll get the ultimate at-home 3D viewing experience.

Sony's 3D Blu-ray Disc players will play 3D Blu-ray movies in Full HD 1080p, plus your collection of standard Blu-ray movies. And don't forget about those DVDs: the BDP-S580 will upscale the quality of your DVDs to near HD, for a better picture on your HDTV.

Performance
BD-Live discs made the otherwise quick S580 sluggish. In our lab tests, the player took an average of 31.7 seconds to start up with the Quick Start mode disabled, and a scant 4.2 seconds with the feature turned on. With non-BD-Live discs, the S580 took an average of 18.2 seconds from disc insertion to first video playback. With BD-Live discs, however, that wait more than quadrupled to 1 minute, 33 seconds. This is the one area where Sony's more-expensive BDP-S770 ($299.99, 3.5 stars) beats the S580, it loaded BD-Live discs at an average of 29.7 seconds. Even the otherwise-slower Toshiba BDX2700 ($229, 3 stars) loaded BD-Live discs faster at an average of 52.6 seconds.

The S580 passed our video tests with flying colors. Using the HQV Blu-ray disc, we ran the player through numerous video processing challenges, and it handled them all ably. Motion scenes showed no judder or tearing, and noise reduction softened grain without significantly affecting fine details. I tested the S580's 3D functionality with Avatar's 3D edition, and it worked flawlessly. After the extremely long load time, the Avatar Extended Collector's Edition also played very well. The S580 performed similarly well with IMAX: Under The Sea 3D and The Warriors Blu-ray Discs. As far as DVD upconversion, the S580 played The Big Lebowski capably, without much in the way of sophisticated filters or faux-HD algorithms. It looked good, but clearly DVD; you can't reasonably expect much more than that.

With tons of features, the Sony BDP-S580 3D Blu-ray Player is a top-notch home theater component with only a few flaws holding it back. It's slow to load newer BD-Live Blu-ray discs and its remote feels a bit glimsy, but its 3D support, built-in Wi-Fi, and wealth of online media services make it a solid choice. The competing S770 costs $100 more, but offers similar features, however, so the S580 stands out as the better choice if you want a 3D Sony Blu-ray player�just get ready to wait longer to see your BD-Live discs.

 Streaming Content

With the BDP-S580 Blu-ray Disc player, there's always something on. Using your home broadband internet connection, you can instantly stream a wide variety of movies, TV shows, live sports, videos and music from Netflix, YouTube, Pandora, Hulu Plus and many more. Connect to your home network with a standard Ethernet cable or via built-in Wi-Fi. Sony's I/P Noise Reduction is also on-board, helping to improve the picture quality of Internet entertainment and enjoy crisp, clear images on your HDTV--even with compressed, streaming media.

 Mobile Device Control

Turn your iPhone, iPad or compatible Android phone into a versatile remote when you download Sony's free "Media Remote" app. This gives you basic remote functions, a full QWERTY keyboard, plus the ability to search for information about the movies you're watching on YouTube, Wikipedia, and many BRAVIA Internet Video services. Better yet, share information with your friends via Twitter.

 Faster Loading Times

Get your popcorn ready. With Quick Start/Quick Load, you will begin enjoying your entertainment faster than ever.

Movie Info at Your Fingertips

Connect to the internet and get detailed information about the movie you're watching with Gracenote service. This easy-to-navigate service displays handy info such as cast information, genre, jacket art and more right on your TV screen. You can also access select internet apps including YouTube and Qriocity to find related entertainment.

 Enjoy Your Photos, Movies and Music

Hook up your digital camera, camcorder, USB flash drive, or USB-enabled MP3 player via the built-in USB input and view pictures, videos or listen to music on your TV.

 Uncompromising Audio

Support for Dolby TrueHD and dts-HD (Master Audio and High Resolution Audio) codecs means you can get cutting-edge, high-definition sound with 7.1 channels of discrete audio, for a truly cinematic experience.

 

Stream Audio from Room to Room

Do more than play your favorite movies. Outfitted with PartyStreaming technology, you can add Sony HomeShare network speakers (SA-NS400 and SA-NS300 models, sold separately), and then pop in your favorite CD or stream music from Qriocity, Pandora, Slacker, vTuner, or NPR to any room of your home.

 Stream Content From Your PC

Enjoy media files on your TV without leaving the couch. This DLNA Certified Blu-ray player lets you access videos, photos and music stored on your DLNA Certified devices using your home network. Connect to a computer, network storage drive, etc. and you'll have even more options for entertainment.

 BDP-S580 Select Specifications

Video
Resolution:	1080p
Playable Disc Types:	CD-R, Blu-ray Disc, BD-RE, BD-R, BD-ROM, 3D BD-ROM, CD-DA, CD, DVD-Video, DVD-RW, DVD-R (Incl. Dual Layer), DVD+R (Incl. Double Layer), DVD+RW, CD-RW, BDAV, BD/CD, BD/DVD
Playable File Types:	AVCHD, MPEG 1, MPEG 2, MPEG 4, WMV9, AAC, WAV, MP3, WMA9, GIF, JPEG, PNG
Inputs/Outputs
HDMI Output	1
Composite Video Output:	1
Component Video Output:	1
Digital Audio Output	1 (Coaxial)
Analog Audio Output	1
USB Input	2 (1 Front, 1 Rear)
Ethernet Port:	1
Weight and Dimensions
Dimensions (WxHxD):	17 x 1.4 x 7.8 Inches

What's in the Box

Sony BDP-S580 Blu-Ray Disc Player (Black), Remote Control With Batteries, AV Cable, Documentation

 

Product Description

Enjoy Full HD1080p Blu-ray Disc movies plus connect to the internet and stream a wide variety of online entertainment including movies, TV episodes, videos, music, and live sports from Netflix , YouTube , HuluPlus , Pandora , and more with the Sony BDP-S580 Blu-ray Disc Player. You can also turn your iPhone , iPad or compatible Android phone into a versatile remote control with search functionality when you download the free "Media remote"app.

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