PSX Details

[cybamerc]

I hope they announce a price. I want a harddisk recorder but anything half decent here in Europe costs a small fortune.

 

[London Geezer]

I hope they announce a price. I want a harddisk recorder but anything half decent here in Europe costs a small fortune.

Or you can set ur PC up to do just that at a fraction of the price, and loads more functionalities and flexibility... That's what i "could" do (not doing it cause there's not much worth recording here in England, if you know what i mean)...

 

[cybamerc]

london-boy:

> Or you can set ur PC up to do just that at a fraction of the price, and
> loads more functionalities and flexibility

Yeah, but I don't want a PC in my living room. I want something that looks and acts like a regular a/v component.

 

[London Geezer]

london-boy:

> Or you can set ur PC up to do just that at a fraction of the price, and
> loads more functionalities and flexibility

Yeah, but I don't want a PC in my living room. I want something that looks and acts like a regular a/v component.

Yeah i guess... Or you can wire everything up... I mean if you just can't afford it, try to work around it...

 

[Guden Oden]

Yeah, but I don't want a PC in my living room.

Uh, stick a wire splitter on the incoming TV signal cable and run an extention to wherever your PC is residing... It's not that difficult, and as long as you use good quality coaxial, the quality shouldn't really suffer (unless you add like 60 meters or something of cable, hehe).

 

[rabidrabbit]

I'd find it very cumbersome if my recorder/playback device was on another room where I watch my TV. I want to be able to use it from my sofa, don't want to go in another room to push play, and run back and forth if I want to rewind.
A radio frequency remote solves some of it, but still, dedicated systems are nicer to use than clumsy Windows.

 

[London Geezer]

I'd find it very cumbersome if my recorder/playback device was on another room where I watch my TV. I want to be able to use it from my sofa, don't want to go in another room to push play, and run back and forth if I want to rewind.

U might need the exercise!!

 

[cybamerc]

Guden Oden:

> Uh, stick a wire splitter on the incoming TV signal cable and run an
> extention to wherever your PC is residing... It's not that difficult

No, but it isn't practical.

 

[Guden Oden]

Why do people have this silly fixation that TV can only be watched from a sofa in the living room??? Man, that's so limited!

 

[rabidrabbit]

Why do people have this silly fixation that TV can only be watched from a sofa in the living room??? Man, that's so limited!

I could move my sofa and TV to the bedroom, but then I'd have to move my bed somewhere else.
If I had a bigger house, I'd build a dedicated home theatre room.
I don't watch tv in bedroom (much) as imo in the bedroom you do other things than watch tv (ok, occasionally I might have some video running on background...)

 

[ChryZ]

I don't wanna be a party-pooper, but please don't stray too far away from the topic. Thanx!

 

[London Geezer]

*wonders what the first thing Rabid would play (and then copy and sell to make a profit) in his PSX in his bedroom, all while doing other things...*


OK BACK TO TOPIC.

 

[maskrider]

http://pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/2004/0326/sony.htm

The 2nd software update to PSX on 3/31
(can be updated via Internet or CD-ROM)

Features (major ones that were discussed before)
- Now supports DVD+RW Record/Playback Media
- Support CyberShots (non-animated) GIF and movies replay
- Support JPEG,TIFF,GIF,MPEG-1 for CD-R based Cybershot
- Support 99 MP3 songs per folder

 

[ChryZ]

http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/docs/20040616/sony.htm

Sony will release a refined line of the PSX series at the 1st of July:

- the old models DESR-5000/DESR-7000 will be replaced with DESR-5100/DESR-7100
- open priced (suggested price are: DESR-5100 = 74000 Yen, DESR-7100 = 95000 Yen)
- default color will be white, but more colors willl follow soon (e.g. silver)
- new GUI
- enhanced DVD creation software
- videotape-recording mode (I am not 100% sure about this)

There are more details, but my japanese capabilities are limited. Anyone feel free to add points, that I've missed.

All new software functions will be made available for the old series (DESR-5000/DESR-7000) too via software upgrade (CD or online). The update will be available at the 15th of July.

A few screen shots of the new GUI:

 

[cthellis42]

Pretty funky. The ability to add similarly-styled menus to your own created DVD's with personal content is neat, too.

 

[Vince]

Sony updates PSX range in Japan
Rob Fahey 13:44 16/06/2004

After a rocky start, Sony hopes new features will win consumers over

New versions of Sony's multi-function games console, digital video recorder and DVD burning device, the PSX, are set to arrive in Japan at the start of next month - with a host of software changes to add extra functionality to the device.

Both versions of the PSX - the DESR-5000 and the DESR-7000, sporting 160Gb and 250Gb hard drives respectively - will be upgraded, with new version numbers 5100 and 7100 being slapped on the chassis.

However, the actual hardware will remain exactly the same - the only difference will be that the DESR-5100 will be available in a limited edition silver model as well as the standard white colour, and more splitter cables and antenna cables will be included in the box to work around the system's lack of pass-through sockets for TV signals.

The difference in the new PSX is all under the hood - with a massive overhaul of the system's software promised which will introduce all of the features originally promised for the device (which current PSX owners can already download as firmware updates for their systems) as well as a host of new functionality.

The DVD burning functionality of PSX is where the bulk of the improvements are headed - with the company now allowing users more choice in terms of what quality they record their video to disc at, and giving them the ability to select audio channels when dubbing to a DVD rather than recording both in VR-mode, thus improving compatibility with other DVD players greatly.

The most interesting new feature, though, is the ability to create interactive menus for your DVDs - with fifty different templates available for the creation of attractive menus for your digital video creations. You'll also be able to split recorded footage into chapters, a fairly essential feature for creating useful DVDs.

Outside of DVD recording, the company is also promising a host of new user interface improvements, the ability to browse pages on the PlayStation BB broadband service (although you still won't be able to download content) and a number of vital bug fixes.

Owners of existing PSX models will be able to add all of these new features to their existing consoles with a firmware update, effectively turning them into new model devices in every way bar the number on the back of the box.

As such, this move is more a chance for Sony to relaunch the PSX to the public than anything else. The new devices - which will probably retail for a slightly lower price than the original PSX versions - will be hugely competitive DVD / HD recording devices, and if Sony can restore confidence in retailers and consumers alike with this relaunch, PSX should be able to recover from its slightly disappointing performance this year so far.

PSX is due to be launched in the USA and Europe before the end of the year. It's expected that the new PSX models (5100 and 7100) with their updated firmware will be what eventually ends up on US and European retail shelves.

 

[Qroach]

I want one of these! Forget the DVDR burning IMO, I just what the TV recording, Mp3 playback (no atrak conversion SONY!), and photo storing. Can i copy video files to it from my PC? that would be cool.

Also the TV recording quality needs to be really good. Does anyone know what it's like?

 

[aaaaa00]

Last I checked (end of May), the PSX was selling a couple hundred units a week in Japan.

Frankly, I didn't expect it to tank that badly.

 

[cthellis42]

Would like to see some actual sales numbers at some point. Plus other similar units to compare it to. Certainly one can't take these things and look at them like consoles, so the only way to really check their penetration and relative success is to look at the other set-top DVD recorders/HD PVR's and the like.

Exact sales numbers of those, however, are few and far between if ever. :?

 

[rabidrabbit]

Last I checked (end of May), the PSX was selling a couple hundred units a week in Japan.

Frankly, I didn't expect it to tank that badly.

Still, it's selling about the same as xbox