A comparison of PS3 and 360 as media players

[Silent_Buddha]

The eastern world has risen in power and $$$ in recent years. They still have a lot of room to grow. If the trend sustains, you'll see them rising further, and drawing more talent from the rest of the world due to globalization.

Japanese movies seemed to have gone back to quirky humor/satire staples which are uniquely Japanese with limited western appeal, so I'm not sure it'll grow much anywhere outside of the country.

Korea has been pretty stable and predictable in what it puts out.

The biggest question mark is China. But the biggest growth there appears to be historic and "patriotic" (Chinese overcoming arrogant westerners/conquering Japanese). There's still some good independant stuff coming out of there, but not much more than in past years. If China can continue on the road to personal freedom, we may see a renewed film revolution there, but I'm not entirely sure. With companies moving manufacturing out of China and to other countries, it'll be interesting to see how the government responds when the economy isn't experiencing booming growth.

Regards,
SB

 

[patsu]

Japanese movies seemed to have gone back to quirky humor/satire staples which are uniquely Japanese with limited western appeal, so I'm not sure it'll grow much anywhere outside of the country.

Korea has been pretty stable and predictable in what it puts out.

The biggest question mark is China. But the biggest growth there appears to be historic and "patriotic" (Chinese overcoming arrogant westerners/conquering Japanese). There's still some good independant stuff coming out of there, but not much more than in past years. If China can continue on the road to personal freedom, we may see a renewed film revolution there, but I'm not entirely sure. With companies moving manufacturing out of China and to other countries, it'll be interesting to see how the government responds when the economy isn't experiencing booming growth.

There are indie movies and cross country projects brewing all the time. The primary target is still Asians. There will be Hollywood participation should the trend continue. There are just "too much money" (and talent) floating around in Asia now. They come from all over the world. India is also interesting to watch.

Spreading the $$$ into other countries will also raise the overall demand (spending power) of other Asian countries.

I know some companies are preparing for expansion and IPOs in this space too. There will be ups and downs but I doubt we have seen the real peak in Asia yet.

I know some western media companies are afraid of leaking know-how to the eastern countries. Deals have been struck and pulled back. But if this is the attitude western companies take, it is likely that they will be superceded over time.

 

[Arwin]

Was it mentioned here yet that Netflix will get its disc-less application for PS3 somewhere late October?

http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/21/netflix-plans-discless-watch-instantly-on-the-ps3-by-late-octobe/

 

[patsu]

NetFlix needs to fix their search capability on consoles, and enhance queue management UI. Good to see Hulu Plus already provoked/inspired reaction from competition. The cable companies are also thinking of providing a lite weight package at around the same subscription price.

 

[NavNucST3]

NetFlix needs to fix their search capability on consoles, and enhance queue management UI. Good to see Hulu Plus already provoked/inspired reaction from competition. The cable companies are also thinking of providing a lite weight package at around the same subscription price.

Netflix search is coming to the 360 in the upcoming dashboard update; this was mentioned at E3.

 

[corduroygt]

Netflix search is coming to the 360 in the upcoming dashboard update; this was mentioned at E3.

It already came to the PS3:
http://www.joystiq.com/2010/07/26/ps3-netflix-adds-search-option/

 

[patsu]

Ha, I didn't know that. NetFlix did acknowledge that they will also study Hulu Plus UI to streamline NetFlix UI. It seems that the press loves Hulu Plus UI.

 

[patsu]

For people looking for cheap Blu-ray rentals:
http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Redbox/_Redbox_Adds_a_Blu-ray_Search_Page_/5155

the folks who want your $1.50 a night have decided to make it a little easier for you to give it to them. Redbox has added a page that allows you to search for Blu-ray discs. It's a boon to potential renters, though it does reveal that the spread of Blu-ray toting Redbox kiosks is a bit limited.

 

[-tkf-]

http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/34182/ps3-3d-photo-update-october



I'd love to have a 3D camera on phones and pads.

I had the pleasure of trying a 3D TV, with Shutter Glasses, that is a marked improvement over Avatar at the cinemas. I must admit that right there, i saw a future for 3D i didn´t expect

 

[RobertR1]

For people looking for cheap Blu-ray rentals:
http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Redbox/_Redbox_Adds_a_Blu-ray_Search_Page_/5155

Good. Now I can get rid of Blockbuster completely. As they're close to collapsing, their inventory is taking a major hit. Getting an anticipated title in BR day one or even week one is becoming more and more rare.

At one point the blockbuster deal was much better for us than Netflix. There's a store close by and I'm able to do 5 in store swaps a month. It worked well but now there's just no value in it due to lack of inventory.

 

[patsu]

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Redbox/Blu-rays_Coming_to_All_Redbox_Kiosks_by_Fall/5171

That’s a total of 23,000 kiosks, all stocking Blu-ray discs. Finally.

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Redbox is making the big Blu-ray push starting today. 13,300 kiosks should have them today, with the full 23,000 all sporting Blu-ray options by this fall.

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Selection will be a bit limited at first, since Blu-rays will have to compete with DVDs for the 630 disc space inside the machines. Among the Blu-ray launch titles are films like 'The Book of Eli,' 'Brooklyn's Finest' and 'Green Zone.'

 

[RobertR1]

There's quite a few in my area that do BR as it turns out. Going to give it a shot this weekend.

 

[Mastperf]

Keep in mind that like Netflix, Redbox has a 30 day wait for some new releases.

 

[AzBat]

I signed up for what I thought would have been a free preview of Hulu Plus when it was first announced. Today I got the invite only to find it still costs $10/month to use. Screw that. Anybody want it? I think I can send just the link. Send me a PM and I'll pick a random person tomorrow about this same time(7pm CDT, GMT -5).

Tommy McClain

 

[BRiT]

From what I thought... might not match reality.

The free preview is for the PS3 Hulu App. The Hulu Plus features are not free. Can the app not be used to view normal Hulu features entirely for free?

 

[AzBat]

Looks like the apps themselves are free(iphone, ipad, PS3, etc), but you still have pay for the $10/month Plus service fee. Evidently this was known day 1, but I just found out today. Oh well. Send me a PM if you're still interested. Just realize I don't have a referral code, just a URL link to get into the preview which you still have to pay for.

Tommy McClain

 

[vab]

Hey AzBat how do i PM you to get the code?

 

[patsu]

The free preview is for PS+ subscribers who got accepted into the preview program.

 

[patsu]

PlayTV Live Chat Hands-On:
http://gamescom.gamespot.com/story/6273741/playtv-live-chat-hands-on/?sid=6273741

Not so useful IMHO...

The latest version of the PlayTV interface will allow you to share your thoughts and recommendations with the world right from the PlayStation 3. When you're watching a programme, you can create a private, public, or invite-only chat room and use text chat to air your thoughts on the current show to up to 63 other people. You can also recommend programmes to your friends either on the PlayStation Network or over Facebook.

Very useful:

One of the other cool social features is being able to crowd source the most popular programmes using the data from the network. There's an option in the main menu to check out the most watched programmes, so you can get a feel for what people are enjoying right now, as well as the programmes with the most scheduled recordings, so you can see what they're looking forward to. Of course, it then only takes a couple of seconds to watch the current most popular content or schedule in recordings of your own.

On top of this, a new series link feature will be enabled for UK users of the new PlayTV software, meaning that you can automatically have the PlayStation 3 record every episode of your favourite show. This is a big deal for Sony, as it satisfies one of the most requested features for the device since its launch. Sadly, the UK won't be able to receive high-definition broadcasts thanks to Freeview's decision to use satellite transmission technology, but HD will still be watchable on PlayTV in Spain, France, and Australia.

PlayTV Live Chat Edition won't be free, sadly. You'll have to pay a small premium for the update, according to Liebl. It will be compatible with all PlayTV hardware already out there, but Sony is considering whether it will issue a new bundle to herald in the first major revision to the software.

 

[patsu]

Cable Video On Demand Hitting Sony Blu-ray Players:
http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/s...o_On_Demand_Hitting_Sony_Blu-ray_Players/5285

Sony says the new deal may include the PlayStation 3 as well.

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Thanks to a deal between Sony, Clearleap and Related Content Database Inc, cable VOD content may be heading to Blu-ray players.

Apparently, integration of VOD services to Blu-ray players wouldn't be terribly difficult, since VOD services and Blu-ray players use many of the same technologies. Of course, the stream would come over the internet, rather than through cable or satellite.

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