A comparison of PS3 and 360 as media players

[bkilian]

Yeah saw that, so that's makes it easy Zune pass which I've been playing with is really good, in some ways better than spotify, but the lack of multiple machine support is a deal breaker for me. Now the challenge is to actually buy a windows phone. After going to 5 stores now I've learned that the worlds most difficult things to do are:

1) Cure cancer
2) Put a man on the moon
3) Buy a windows phone

Man I've tried, really hard, but every store is a sea of android phones, and if you even ask about windows phone they all try to steer you to android anyways. Some places like Best Buy never even heard of the HTC Titan, and literally no one has any clue about windows phone. One lady actually rolled her eyes when I asked about windows phones! Looks like I may have to just buy it online as I've just about given up on trying in brick&mortar stores, I'm leaning to the Titan but its not out just yet, the Focus S looks cool as well.

Damn. that's sad. On a related note, Android phones tend to have a higher volume bonus to salespersons. (The companies involved give kickbacks to stores based on meeting volume targets, and from what we saw when we were trying to get Kin some mindshare, the Android bonuses were 2-3 times the other manufacturers.) It's good use of promotion dollars, since you don't have to convince millions of people, you just have to convince the thousands of people who gate those millions.

 

[patsu]

NetFlix lauching in UK and Ireland. No mention of devices, but it'd be stupid not to support the same devices supported in NA!

Netflix, MGM strike licensing agreement ahead of launch in the UK, Ireland
http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/07/netflix-mgm-strike-licensing-agreement-ahead-of-launch-in-the-u/

When Netflix makes its debut in the UK and Ireland next year, it'll do so with MGM Studios by its side. Today, the two companies announced a new licensing agreement that will give Netflix exclusive regional streaming rights to "most first-run feature films from MGM." Included on that list of movies are The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the prequels to Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy and 21 Jump Street, among others -- all of which will be available across multiple platforms within one year of their theatrical release. Netflix will also stream a selection of catalog MGM titles, including Fargo, The Usual Suspects, and (snap) West Side Story. Netflix has yet to announce a launch date more specific than "early 2012," and exact pricing remains a mystery

...

 

[patsu]

Disney and YouTube Make a Video Deal
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/07/b...be-make-a-video-deal.html?_r=3&pagewanted=all

Two powerful media companies, the Walt Disney Company and YouTube, are betting that a new partnership will help them surmount separate but equally worrisome hurdles as they each strive for greater Web dominance.

The deal, set to be announced on Monday, is small on its surface: Disney Interactive Media and YouTube, a division of Google, will spend a combined $10 million to $15 million on original video series; those shorts will be produced by Disney and distributed on a co-branded channel on Disney.com and YouTube. The channel will also include amateur video culled from the torrent uploaded to YouTube daily.

But the alliance is striking because of what it tacitly acknowledges about each company’s weaknesses.

Disney, currently working on yet another overhaul of its Web site, is conceding that its own brand is not a powerful enough draw among children looking for video online; YouTube is viewed as being cooler.

So in a reversal of a go-it-alone Web strategy, Disney will go fishing for youngsters on YouTube in addition to making YouTube a prominent part of its own site — something that the company hopes will coax children to stay longer.

“It’s imperative to go where our audience is,” said James A. Pitaro, co-president of Disney Interactive. He added that the idea is to “bring Disney’s legacy of storytelling to a new generation of families and Disney enthusiasts on the platforms they prefer.”

...

 

[joker454]

On a related note, Android phones tend to have a higher volume bonus to salespersons. (The companies involved give kickbacks to stores based on meeting volume targets, and from what we saw when we were trying to get Kin some mindshare, the Android bonuses were 2-3 times the other manufacturers.)

Ahhh well that explains it, I figured there had to be kickbacks in play.

 

[patsu]

Blockbuster Express Rolling Out New Pricing
http://www.homemediamagazine.com/bl...kbuster-express-rolling-out-new-pricing-25555

No. 2 kiosk vendor incorporating simplified pricing designed to entice consumers with new DVD movies on street date while also absorbing higher acquisition costs for the titles

...

On the heels of a price increase from competitor Redbox, kiosk company Blockbuster Express beginning Nov. 8 will implement new pricing across its base of 10,000 kiosks throughout the country — a move that should guarantee street date availability for most new DVD releases.

New DVD releases on retail street date will rent for $3 plus tax for the first night and $1 per night for the second night during the first 28 days of release. Thereafter, the releases will be available for $2 plus tax for the first night and $1 per night for the second night.

All DVD titles will be available for $1 plus tax after 90 days of release. Blu-ray titles will cost an additional $1 plus tax (across all distribution channels) for the first night rental.

...

The new pricing comes as studios such as Warner Home Video seek to widen the embargo of new releases to the rental channel (including for the first time video stores) in an effort to buttress sellthrough and nascent cloud-based digital locker UltraViolet.

The move also comes on the heels of Redbox’s new price increase to $1.20 from $1 a night for DVD rentals.

The reduced access to new releases on street date from distributors means that kiosks (and video stores) are forced to acquire titles through retail channels such as Walmart — a more costly strategy that is allowed under provisions of the First Sale Doctrine.

...

Essentially, if you want to rent newly released BR movies, Blockbuster will have them at $3 for first night. Redbox and Netflix both have a delay of 28 days (Same as most other streaming services). The only exceptions are Warner movies, which are delayed for all 3 companies.

 

[NavNucST3]

It appears that xbox.com will finally get back to being an integrated site.

In the coming days, the familiar “My Xbox” section of Xbox.com is going away. Fear not: It’s being replaced with a significant update that will make it even easier to see what your friends are doing on Xbox LIVE. My Xbox is being superceded by the new “Social” section, which not only lets you see at a glance what your friends are up to, but also gives you early access to one of the coolest features coming in the next Xbox 360 dashboard update. That’s right: Xbox.com users will be the very first to try the new Beacons feature, which lets you mark games you want to play with others, making it easier to find friends who want to play the same games.



That’s not all we have in store: Other site enhancements are on the way, including the ability to search the Zune video catalog and buy movies and TV shows right from your browser.

If you’re used to clicking “My Xbox” to get to the page, note that the Xbox.com navigation menu is undergoing some changes to make room for our new Video page and some other new items. The new link to look for is “Social.” The good news is that, if you’re signed in to Xbox.com, you’ll be taken right to the Social page when visiting Xbox.com.



At the top of the social page, you’ll see a group of tiles in the new Microsoft style we lovingly call Metro. Watch this spot for links to Xbox LIVE events, preview articles with all the juice details on the hottest new items on Marketplace, new video and game releases, Gamer Spotlight, and more. To the left of these are quick links that show you how many friends are online, and how many messages you currently have.

...

There is more at the link including pics.

 

[patsu]

Torne PlayStation Vita Update Coming in December
http://andriasang.com/comyy0/

Today, Sony detailed a firmware update that will make the Torne device Vita compatible.

The free update will take Torne to Version 3.50. With the update, you'll be able to write video to your Vita Memory Card and also use Vita as a local playback device, functions that are currently accessible to PSP owners. It's unclear if the Vita will have additional functionality over the PSP, although Sony's announcement did stress the higher resolution of the new portable.

While the Vita can, like the PSP, access some remote play features outside of the home via the internet, these features will not be accessible via 3G.

Sony did not give a specific date for the availability of the version 3.5 firmware update, only listing a general December.

 

[patsu]

Sony Considers Internet Rival to Cable TV
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204323904577040433936477866.html

Sony Corp. is considering launching an Internet-based alternative to cable-TV service, people familiar with the situation said, posing the latest threat to the cable and satellite operators that dominate pay TV.
The Japanese electronics and entertainment company has approached several big media companies to negotiate the rights to offer their TV channels over the Web in the U.S., the people said.

...

(Subscription required to read full article)

 

[Shifty Geezer]

PS Blog lists today's Euro PSStore as having soundtracks for Uncharted available at £4. Are these integrated with Music Unlimited, or just standalone products (at which point how do you use them beyond just PS3)?

 

[tuna]

You can copy the soundtracks to USB storage. They are ususally mp3s, do not remember bit rate though....

 

[Shifty Geezer]

No DRM at all?!

 

[patsu]

More details on Flixster's UltraViolet implementation and the studios' desire to keep people interested in purchase (rather than pure rental)

A Bid to Get Film Lovers Not to Rent
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/12/b...in.html?_r=3&pagewanted=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

“We must move consumers in mass numbers toward collecting movies digitally, and this is a path,” said Kevin Tsujihara, president of Warner Home Entertainment.

Retailers like Wal-Mart are working on UltraViolet access sites, but the only way to use the cloud-based service for now is via Flixster. Once consumers buy an UltraViolet-enabled DVD or Blu-ray set — say, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2,” which arrived in stores on Friday — they can set up an account on Flixster and type in a code provided on the disc packaging to claim their digital rights.

That may seem complicated for consumers in the age of Netflix and iTunes. “We recognize that the product is not perfect today,” Mr. Tsujihara said. “We don’t have the luxury of waiting a year until we have everything perfect.”

Some analysts say Warner is moving too quickly. Rank-and-file consumers are still hazy about what cloud storage even means. There will be only 10 or so titles for UltraViolet by Christmas. And large swaths of the UltraViolet system are still incomplete.

“It remains far, far easier for DVD-buying consumers to pirate a digital copy of their movie,” said Richard Greenfield, an analyst for BTIG Capital, adding that, “moving forward with UltraViolet before it is ready for prime time risks pushing consumers increasingly toward rental-priced options where they do not need to deal with the hassles.”

...

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Isn't that backward? Wouldn't they make more money long-term by having everyone rent the same movie over the years rather than buying it once outright? I mean, £15 on a BRD now watched 10 times over the next forty years, or £2 per rent every 4 years to watch the film - it's obvious which'll make the most money. IMO they should make steaming content easy and disposably cheap.

I guess contrary to that are rental packages that provide 20 films for £15 or whatever, where the price per rental is pretty minimal. If that's the alternative then I suppose an outright sale will make more cash. If videos are freely available on demand though, I don't see the value of ownership. Ownership was necessary when we didn't have the internet. Now it's an option that many could live without.

 

[tuna]

No DRM at all?!

No, just checked. Also, 256 kbs mp3.

 

[patsu]

Isn't that backward? Wouldn't they make more money long-term by having everyone rent the same movie over the years rather than buying it once outright?

Yes and no. Rental will cheapen and limit the studios' work + future in the long run.

If more people buy a movie, it may mean they value the contents more and want to keep a copy. In many of these cases, the customers may have watched the show in the cinemas or online, and decided that it's for keep.

 

[patsu]

I upgraded to a Hybrid HDD and poked around XMB last night.

Didn't realize CinemaNow (from BestBuy) is already available on PS3. It looks like another version of Vudu, with $0.99 movie rental. How did I miss it ? ^_^

 

[patsu]

Yes and no. Rental will cheapen and limit the studios' work + future in the long run.

If more people buy a movie, it may mean they value the contents more and want to keep a copy. In many of these cases, the customers may have watched the show in the cinemas or online, and decided that it's for keep.

Harry Potter would be a good example:
http://www.homemediamagazine.com/research/potter-finale-casts-a-sales-spell-25648

Warner Home Video’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2 easily took the top spot on the national sales charts the week ended Nov. 13, even though it was released on a Friday instead of the customary Tuesday and thus had only three full days of sales instead of six during the week’s sales tracking period.

The final installment in the eight-film “Harry Potter” franchise proved so popular that it not only debuted at No. 1 on both the Nielsen VideoScan First Alert and Blu-ray Disc sales charts, but it also sent six of the seven previous films back into the top 20 on First Alert (Goblet of Fire was No. 21), and all seven onto the Blu-ray chart. Meanwhile, the newly issued Harry Potter Complete 8-Film Collection debuted at No. 8 on both charts, despite a steep list price of just under $100 for DVD and nearly $140 for Blu-ray Disc.

“Potter” films in general accounted for 66.7% of all top 20 disc sales and 73.3% of all top 20 Blu-ray Disc sales, according to Nielsen. Nearly half of all Deathly Hallows — Part 2 unit sales were on the Blu-ray Disc format.

...

 

[patsu]

Vudo promo to encourage movie ownership...

Vudu-To-Go Lets You Download Movies to Watch Later
http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/s..._Lets_You_Download_Movies_to_Watch_Later/8133

Today VUDU launched VUDU-To-Go, a new feature that allows customers to download purchased movies and television shows to their computers and watch them later. Any purchased title within VUDU’s catalog of 40,000 blockbusters, Hollywood classics, independent films, and TV shows can now be downloaded to your PC or Mac to watch at a later time.

In addition to VUDU streaming, now customers can also enjoy their VUDU movie libraries on their computer whenever they want – and without an Internet connection. Perfect for plane trips, car rides and more, the new feature allows you to take your VUDU entertainment with you.

To download your purchased VUDU content, simply visit www.vudu.com/movies, navigate to purchased movies and television shows and click the “Download” button. VUDU movie purchases start at $4.99 and TV show purchases start at $1.99 per episode and start at $7.99 –for a complete season. There is no additional download fee.

Also new and in time for the holidays, VUDU has special offers on more than 25 DVDs and Blu-ray titles at Walmart stores. Specific offers include:

$5 Credit: VUDU offers a $5 credit on select DVD or Blu-ray purchases at Walmart. Beginning on Dec. 2, families purchasing The Smurfs at Walmart stores will receive a $5 VUDU credit. Additional movies with a $5 VUDU credit include Megamind (through Nov. 30), No Strings Attached (through Nov. 30), Ghostbusters, Spiderman, Men in Black and more.

Digital E-copy: Families who purchase a variety of Blu-ray Discs or DVDs including When Harry Met Sally (through Nov. 30), Scream 4, and Stake Land will also receive a digital copy of the movie.

BOGO: VUDU has a “Buy One, Get One” offer for families who purchase Despicable Me, Crazy Heart or any of the X-Men movies (including X-Men I, X-Men II, X-Men III, X-Men Wolverine). After purchasing one of these DVDs or Blu-ray Discs at Walmart, customers can choose from a selection of free VUDU rentals.

 

[patsu]

Namco Bandai Begins PlayStation 3 Karaoke Service
http://andriasang.com/comz2k/ps3_karaoke/

... Xing, maker of the Joysound system, and Namco Bandai have developed a PlayStation 3 version of Joysound called Joysound Dive, and it's available today!

To use Joysound Dive, you'll just need a PS3, a USB mic and a copy of the Joysound Dive app. The app is available through PlayStation Network as a free download.

Once you have the app, you'll have access to a library of over 78,000 songs. You'll need to buy usage tickets to access the library, of course. Tickets include a 24 hour all access option for ¥300 and a 30 day all access option for ¥1000. As part of a promotional campaign, Xing is making all songs available for free through December 19.

The Joysound Dive software includes advanced functionality for music and video playback. The program uses WB-DRIVE, through which PlayStation 3 units exchange data between one-another. This allows the system to retain 12Mbps average and 30Mbps max data transfer speeds for HD video. Additionally, the system's CELL processor is used for high speed encryption.

The software offers advanced karaoke features. You can use a "Layer Mixer" feature to create your own stylish backgrounds, mixing multiple video feeds straight from your PS3 hard disc. The program also allows you to check your tone in real time and record and replay your own singing.

...

 

[rabidrabbit]

I fired up the updated VidZone the other day, and the UI really has improved tremendously! It actually is very useable now.
A nice service if you like music videos.