Sony is expanding its unlimited media options, but can it beat iTunes at its own game?

Sony wants to be your go-to spot for music and movies

Like so many other companies attempting to catch up to Apple's undisputed dominance of the digital media space, Sony is grooming its Music Unlimited and Video Unlimited services to make a run at the iTunes monolith. The services got off to a modest start in 2010 and early 2011, and while customers have been slowly dipping their feet in Sony's movie and music pool, their new focus on making a cohesive experience across a litany of devices may well pay off.

PS Vita

Sony's Music Unlimited service debuted early last year, and its basic model remains relatively the same: $3.99 per month gets you access to commercial-free streaming music stations covering a long list of genres and artists, while a $9.99 monthly charge lets you select specific songs from its vast library as well as curate and save your own playlists.

The Video Unlimited service — which has been a PlayStation 3 staple since early 2010 — works on a slightly different model: standard definition content rentals start from $2.99 and HD version run $3.99 and up. You can also purchase movies outright for varying prices depending on their age and popularity — much like the already established iTunes model.

But this is nothing we haven't heard before, so why does Sony think its media offerings are going to take off? It's as simple as the lineup of new products the company is releasing over the next 12 months. the Music and Video unlimited services will be available on Sony game systems, tablets, smartphones, and Bravia HDTVs, and if you own more than one of these devices, the experience is designed to be seamless.

Sony's tablets are becoming media powerhouses

So while right now you may be enjoying the ability to purchase digital movies through your PlayStation 3 in the living room, you'll soon be able to watch that same content on your PlayStation Vitawhile on the bus to work, catch a few more minutes of it via your Experia smartphone during that boring office meeting, and then resume it on your Bravia television while relaxing in bed. The services will have the same scope as the various versions of Netflix for smartphones, tablets, game consoles, and smart TVs, but will offer Unlimited Music integration as well as the ability to purchase and save content on any device with a storage drive.

But despite this seemingly spot-on approach to digital content, Sony still has a massive hill to climb in order to be spoken in the same sentence as the Netflixs and Spotifys of the world. At this point, the competition is firmly entrenched, and it's going to take a lot for your average consumer to cancel their current accounts in order to adopt a platform housed on a single company's devices. With that said, Sony has a lot on its plate for consumers in 2012, and if you find yourself with a PS Vita, Sony TV and an Experia phone, by year's end, your decision to go with the built-in content services should be a no-brainer.