A comparison of PS3 and 360 as media players

[Arwin]

Weird, my Spotify costs 9.95 eur and does not require facebook at all. I can run it on my phone or on my PC with dedicated Spotify apps and login, and on PC I can also cache music locally (like Music Unlimited but that's still not available in my country)

 

[joker454]

Weird, my Spotify costs 9.95 eur and does not require facebook at all. I can run it on my phone or on my PC with dedicated Spotify apps and login, and on PC I can also cache music locally (like Music Unlimited but that's still not available in my country)

Same here, I use Spotify for $9.95/mt and don't have facebook associated with it, Spotify has it's own login. Works perfect on 2 pc's and my phone. Songs are all downloaded right to the phone so I can play them even without a data connection like when on a plane. Then again I signed up the first day they were available in the usa, maybe they require facebook now?

 

[-tkf-]

The OP is from a danish guy (Gubbi), in Denmark Spotify uses facebook login and it´s 100 DKR pr month.. 100.00 DKK=17.9454 USD

 

[Shifty Geezer]

The article was rather misleading and off point. The fact of the matter remains that the music industry currently is raking in more money than they ever had in the history of their industry. That doesn't happen by slumping sales in both the digital and physical formats as the article tries to outline. There's no difference overall in buying an album at $10 as compared to 10 single purchases at $1.

I'm seeing different data here. The above graph shows decreasing sales. This one shows revenue from singles outstripping what albums used to get. I don't know where you're getting that the music industry is at an all time high, though; I'm only reading that it's dropping, and is all of a half what it was in the 90s.

 

[-tkf-]

I'm seeing different data here. The above graph shows decreasing sales. This one shows revenue from singles outstripping what albums used to get. I don't know where you're getting that the music industry is at an all time high, though; I'm only reading that it's dropping, and is all of a half what it was in the 90s.

There is more to music than just selling tracks, as seen in http://www.techdirt.com/skyisrising/ but in regards to our discussion i think it´s ok to stay with simple CD and Digital sales But the music industry is not in a bad shape, at all.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

I can agree with that, but regards ordinary content consumption (CDs and downloads) aren't revenues down and dropping? Although regardless, isn't it all shifting to download, the same way all media will be going and impacting how consoles are going to handle media in future? The whole console war thing was about establishing a beechhead for these download services, after all.

 

[RobertR1]

HBO Go and Comcast/Xfinity on Live tomorrow. Just in time for Game of Thrones Season 2. Can't wait!

 

[Gubbi]

The OP is from a danish guy (Gubbi), in Denmark Spotify uses facebook login and it´s 100 DKR pr month.. 100.00 DKK=17.9454 USD

Free spotify only works with Facebook, why is that an obstacle? You need to be online anyway to listen to free Spotify. The premium service offers stand alone apps.

Yes, the price here in Denmark is higher than the U.S., we also pay $100 for new console games. We're priced very similar to the U.K. ($1=£1).

If price is a problem for you, you can always charter a U.S. IP for $4 / month, lots of people do that to get access to NetFlix and U.S. iTunes.

As for poor platform support for TDC Play, WTF are you on ? Windows XP/Vista/7, OSX, Linux, iOS, Android, Windows Phone and a ton of Symbian phones are supported.

Cheers

 

[joker454]

HBO Go and Comcast/Xfinity on Live tomorrow. Just in time for Game of Thrones Season 2. Can't wait!

Well I have to admit, I had relegated the 360 to an infrequently used room since I rarely used it anymore, but with Hbo Go I've moved it back to the main tv room. It's pretty cool!

 

[RobertR1]

Well I have to admit, I had relegated the 360 to an infrequently used room since I rarely used it anymore, but with Hbo Go I've moved it back to the main tv room. It's pretty cool!

Luck you! I'm relegated to that piece of shit company, Comcast, who won't allow HBO Go access on the Xbox.

 

[patsu]

Free spotify only works with Facebook, why is that an obstacle? You need to be online anyway to listen to free Spotify. The premium service offers stand alone apps.

Yes, the price here in Denmark is higher than the U.S., we also pay $100 for new console games. We're priced very similar to the U.K. ($1=£1).

If price is a problem for you, you can always charter a U.S. IP for $4 / month, lots of people do that to get access to NetFlix and U.S. iTunes.

As for poor platform support for TDC Play, WTF are you on ? Windows XP/Vista/7, OSX, Linux, iOS, Android, Windows Phone and a ton of Symbian phones are supported.

Cheers

The last time I checked, Spotify supports offline download up to 3333 songs on 3 devices. I'm still testing Music Unlimited's limit. Will wait for the iOS version. We have 3 iPhones, 2 iPads, 2 PS3s, and 1 Vita. ^_^

EDIT:
Not sure if I have posted this...

Sony's Music Unlimited coming to iOS in a 'few weeks'
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13506_3-57403162-17/sonys-music-unlimited-coming-to-ios-in-a-few-weeks/

Sony Entertainment Network chief operating officer Shawn Layden said at the IP&TV World Forum recently that his company plans to launch Music Unlimited on iOS "in the next few weeks," according to TechRadar, which was in attendance at the event.

 

[patsu]

MLB.TV is Ready for Opening Day 2012 on PlayStation Network
http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012...-for-opening-day-2012-on-playstation-network/

You can view a walk through of the application highlights here and read more about what you’ll see with this year’s MLB.TV service below:

* High Quality HD Streaming – Speed detection technology gives users HD video access depending on available bandwidth.

* Enhanced Audio – In-game alternate audio selection allows users to overlay the home or away team’s broadcasters over the live video or use the “Park” option to include the ballpark’s natural sounds.

* Home and Away Feeds – Choose to watch either the home or away broadcast feed.

* Live Broadcast DVR Functionality – Use the live video overlay to pause and rewind live games or fast-forward to return to live game action.

* Quick-Access Stats – View player cards with full career stats, league leaders, and in-game stats.

* Event Navigation – Select in-game event types, such as home runs, hits or stolen bases, to show on a progression timeline and jump directly to the at bat where they happened.

* Season Archive – Watch games and relive great moments from earlier in the season.

* Scrollable Linescore – Go directly to any half-inning to watch only that portion of the game.

* MLB Scoreboard – Scrollable league-wide scoreboard for each day’s games in three modes: Pre-game with scheduled starting pitchers; Live with up-to-the-moment game status; and Post-game with final pitching decisions and archived feed selection.

* Favorite Team Selection – Pick a favorite team or teams to be featured first on the daily scoreboard.

* Calendar Schedule – Scroll through the entire 2012 Major League Baseball schedule in calendar format or the user-designated favorite team’s schedule.

You can download the application now from the “Media & Apps” category on PlayStation Store, and launch it from the TV/Video Services icon of the XMB. For the 2012 MLB season, MLB.TV Premium is available for a one-time fee of $124.99, and can be used on the PS3 system.

...

 

[patsu]

I'd like to know if anybody has ever made a good DRM application or if DRM has ever helped a business.

Best example is Apple's FairPlay.

As bkilian pointed out above, Blu-ray's BD+ got Fox on-board and helped BDA overcome HD-DVD.

360 and PS3 consoles both support closed platform model, so tight DRM is important too. The Vita DRM is probably too tight ! 8^/

 

[-tkf-]

Free spotify only works with Facebook, why is that an obstacle? You need to be online anyway to listen to free Spotify. The premium service offers stand alone apps.

Because i don´t want to tie my Facebook account with anything else, including Spotify, is there a pay version without Facebook login, i searched but did not find anything.?

Yes, the price here in Denmark is higher than the U.S., we also pay $100 for new console games. We're priced very similar to the U.K. ($1=£1).

So the price is $18 not $10

If price is a problem for you, you can always charter a U.S. IP for $4 / month, lots of people do that to get access to NetFlix and U.S. iTunes.

There was no problem, just a correction. And i got a cheap US IP adress, that is how i use/used google music and rdio.

As for poor platform support for TDC Play, WTF are you on ? Windows XP/Vista/7, OSX, Linux, iOS, Android, Windows Phone and a ton of Symbian phones are supported.

I am on Squeezebox, Wimp works, TDC play does not. The support for each of the platforms you mention is via a special TDC App, it´s fair enough, but it´s not a elegant solution, TDC Play is using a Windows DRM scheme, so outside the app you are bound to windows DRM. iPOD is no go.

Besides that, TDC play is limited to TDC customers, unlike Wimp that is free to choose for everybody.

Btw, original subject was losing your online library, not loosing the place where you rent your music

Cheers

Skål

 

[patsu]

PlayMemories Studio on PSN Today: Organize and Share Your Photos, Videos
http://blog.us.playstation.com/2012...-today-organize-and-share-your-photos-videos/

PlayMemories Studio lets you manipulate your memories on PS3 today
http://www.joystiq.com/2012/03/27/playmemories-studio-lets-you-manipulate-your-memories-on-ps3-tod/

(Press release inside the second link).


IMHO, the product marketing manager(s) in charge of PlayMemories need to be changed. He or she or they can't articulate PlayMemories' proposition.

I played with it for a short while. App is functional and reasonably fast. Unfortunately, the controller is simply not the right input mechanism for this sort of apps. Would have paid extra $$$ for touch and mouse input instead of (or in addition to) RemotePlay. Fortunately, it's free for PS+ members. It's a missed opportunity nonetheless.


PlayMemories has built-in support for a multitude of family media. An average Mac/PC setup usually does not include AVCHD support (from HD cameras). So you'll need to buy software or download open source ones to handle these media. 3D media management is also lacking in most setup.

Besides standard HD photos and videos, PlayMemories supports stereoscopic 3D, panoramic, multi-angled photos and videos. My Europe trip 3D videos have been stuck in my Bloggie for a year+. I finally have software to manage and view them properly. The 3D UI is sexy but as I mentioned, controller input is still limiting. One nice detail... When you use RemotePlay to play 3D media, they play in one full-width 2D frame instead of left-and-right halves on PC and Macs.

Editing is simple but upload to FaceBook is limiting. It only allowed me to upload to a new album or to the latest album. I couldn't seem to see my other albums.



My enhancement wish list is:

* Touch and mouse input

* Combine the nice AI search features in PhotoGallery into PlayMemories

* Add YouTube viewing and upload to the app. Also support YouTube 3D channel please !

* Add export/convert options to the media (e.g., 3D --> 2D and vice versa)


The PlayMemories Online portion is supposed to land in April. It should include 5Gb of free space. They need to tell me what's so different about PlayMemories Online (No ads ?). I don't have time to discover the features on behalf of Sony all the time. ^_^

 

[Arwin]

That is one of the worst aspects of Sony currently: they cannot communicate their features and change lists. Once they can do this, we know they've completed the transition list to becoming a software company successfully.

 

[-tkf-]

That is one of the worst aspects of Sony currently: they cannot communicate their features and change lists. Once they can do this, we know they've completed the transition list to becoming a software company successfully.

I just gave up i have no idea what Curiosity,Mubi, Music Unlimited etc offers me, except confusing.. ohh vidzone.. that is like Youtube on PS3, except it´s not always very fast

Seriously, does Music Unlimited offer anything but Sony/BMG? or is just as limited as other services

 

[patsu]

I just gave up i have no idea what Curiosity,Mubi, Music Unlimited etc offers me, except confusing.. ohh vidzone.. that is like Youtube on PS3, except it´s not always very fast

Seriously, does Music Unlimited offer anything but Sony/BMG? or is just as limited as other services

Should be similar to Spotify's library. They all claim 15 million songs worldwide, from major and indie labels.

Qriocity is Music Unlimited's past life. ^_^

VidZone is ad-sponsored music video.

Mubi and Lovefilm are VoD services in EU right ? I remember Mubi focuses on indies.

EDIT:
Yeah, I want to add one more feature request to PlayMemories.... it's the ability to access media on popular network file systems.

 

[patsu]

That is one of the worst aspects of Sony currently: they cannot communicate their features and change lists. Once they can do this, we know they've completed the transition list to becoming a software company successfully.

I think they still have a lot to learn in software business and ops !

Also, Kaz' new "One Sony" structure seems to ignore the contents side of the group completely. The music and movie folks are not really represented. -_-

What's up with that ? Looks more like a "Half Sony" at this point.

EDIT:
Holy crap ! The visual effects apply to 3D media. I can blur and apply other filters to my 3D photos and videos on-the-fly. That's actually pretty neat when you see it in-person.

 

[Arwin]

Yeah, I want to add one more feature request to PlayMemories.... it's the ability to access media on popular network file systems.

Me too. Hoping that will come when Cloud storage is added.