Sony Set to Announce Video Download Service

[Dr.Finger]

The venerable Wall Street Journal (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118885177843416106.html) is reporting that quietly preparing a video download service, using the PS3, PSP and Bravia HDTVs, to challenge Apple's iTunes service. Earlier this year, Sony introduced a module for its U.S. television models that can download Internet content. It will roll out a similar device in Japan this fall that will let consumers download videos from a number of Internet services. Meanwhile, Sony's PlayStation unit last month launched new features for the PS3 and PSP in Europe that let consumers use their game machines to record television shows onto their PS3s and transfer them onto their PSPs.Many companies have tried to unseat Apple as the king of digital content sales, but none have really succeeded yet. Sony however is one of the few entities that has both the muscle and the penetration to really challenge Apple's dominance.

Found via Joystiq (http://feeds.joystiq.com/%7Er/weblogsinc/joystiq/%7E3/152244162/).

[mkelehan]

Sony however is one of the few entities that has both the muscle and the penetration to really challenge Apple's dominance. They certainly do... if they use the PS2. But since you'll need either a PS3 or a Bravia, this seems like it'll be a little smaller than the Xbox Live Video Marketplace.

[Watership]

So.. they're not going to challenge Xbox Video Marketplace? :)

[violentp]

Sweet. Whens this supposed to kick in? I sent in my 360 today so not much console gaming for me.

[CaptStu]

I think Sony would sell just as many movies, maybe even more movies, if they put their stuff on the Live Marketplace. Never going to happen, but it would be a nice revenue stream for them.

[Zanch]

Seems like they oughtta be going after the Xbox Live Video Marketplace, not iTunes. Seems to me like Sony has bigger problems on their hands without trying to do the impossible.

[Gorvi]

This has been rumored for months with nothing coming of it. Am I alone in not caring at all about downloading movies to my console? I'm just not a big digital distribution fan for anything other than small games and demos.

[TrackZero]

The more the merrier I say, competition will bring those prices down. Kudos Sony! (A rare comment from me.)

[TrackZero]

This has been rumored for months with nothing coming of it. Am I alone in not caring at all about downloading movies to my console? I'm just not a big digital distribution fan for anything other than small games and demos.

Personally I've been dying for MS to get their act together and launch the video marketplace in Canada. Ours has been complete and utter balls ever since the U.S. one launched, they dedicated all their resources to it and ignored the rest of the world. Apparently it launches this month, wish they'd bloody well hurry up.

"This forum requires that you wait 60 seconds between posts. Please try again in 3 seconds."

Gah! It strikes again.

[inmostlight]

I wonder if they've learned anything at all from their music store that they just shuttered.

Anybody want to place bets whether they'll (a) come out with something easy to use, convenient, and with a good selection? Or (b) horrible interface, lousy software, and a whole new proprietary file format?

[violentp]

I wonder if they've learned anything at all from their music store that they just shuttered.

Anybody want to place bets whether they'll (a) come out with something easy to use, convenient, and with a good selection? Or (b) horrible interface, lousy software, and a whole new proprietary file format?

The way I see it, anything can happen. I mean look at MS. They did a bang up job on the 360 but one cannot purchase video on the Zune marketplace. There really is no telling anything these days.

[Yeti2005]

I'm a sucker for HD content so if they have HD movies that would be awesome. If they don't release HD movies because of a fear of hurting their blu-ray market then they should be kicked in the bean bag...hard.

[SunTzu]

"Oh, hey guys! I like the video content you're offering, can I play too?"

Lol, Sony

[Grimmjow]

"Oh, hey guys! I like the video content you're offering, can I play too?"

Lol, Sony

:confused::confused::confused::confused:

[violentp]

:confused::confused::confused::confused:

Don't stare.

[SunTzu]

:confused::confused::confused::confused:

Are you confused about being confused caused by confusion that was created by the confustion caused by my comment?

Or, do you have OCD OCD OCD OCD? (4)

[rein]

This has been rumored for months with nothing coming of it. Am I alone in not caring at all about downloading movies to my console? I'm just not a big digital distribution fan for anything other than small games and demos.

I will be interested if it is a purchase and not a rental. Especially if they will transfer back and forth from the PSP and PC. In fact, I just downloaded the first season of Torchwood and will transferring them to my PS3 for viewing.

[violentp]

I will be interested if it is a purchase and not a rental. Especially if they will transfer back and forth from the PSP and PC. In fact, I just downloaded the first season of Torchwood and will transferring them to my PS3 for viewing.

What do you use for encoding? I tried PS3 Video 9 but it fucks with the colors.

[Grimmjow]

Don't stare.

I have to stare!

I'm lost in translation!

[Grimmjow]

What do you use for encoding? I tried PS3 Video 9 but it fucks with the colors.

also I found the best program for encoding, it also use multiple cores if you have a dual/quad cpu :)

try this out.
http://www.planetdvb.net/staxrip/

[violentp]

also I found the best program for encoding, it also use multiple cores if you have a dual/quad cpu :)

try this out.
http://www.planetdvb.net/staxrip/

Vunderfells. Thanks.

[LilAbner]

They're about 2.5 years too late for PSP video downloads. Talk about missing the boat.....

[Dr.Finger]

They're about 2.5 years too late for PSP video downloads. Talk about missing the boat.....
To be fair, 2.5 years ago even Apple wasn't doing video downloads yet. Sony put all of their eggs in the UMD basket for too long, and they're only now starting to (try) and catch up.

[KingGorilla]

First one to offer Downloadable HD wins.

[rein]

What do you use for encoding? I tried PS3 Video 9 but it fucks with the colors.
I have not tried anything but animation so far with PS3 Video 9. This makes me sad that it may not work. I guess I will join you in trying out the software recommended by Grimmjow.

[violentp]

I have not tried anything but animation so far with PS3 Video 9. This makes me sad that it may not work. I guess I will join you in trying out the software recommended by Grimmjow.


Ironically, the one animated movie I've done came out perfect. The Thing on the other hand....

[Grimmjow]

The Thing!!

I love that movie its awesome! but yeah try that program, its the best I used so far, it even lets you know what codecs your missing andpretty much auto locates it for you, and notifies you that you need todownload it by pressing the "okay" button :D how easy is that!

[jamaicanrage]

I guess after After Apple's falling out with NBC, pretty much everybody is trying to take that #1 spot.

[TeeCakes]

What do you use for encoding? I tried PS3 Video 9 but it fucks with the colors.

I haven't found a good PS3 .mp4 encoding program yet, and even the lackluster ones take like hours to encode one HD movie file over an hour in length, and like, fuk dat.

I suggest installing v5.0.1 of Yellow Dog Linux. You can just use mplayer to play any video file (even HD files) without having to encode, and they look/sound great if you've got HDMI + HDTV setup with your PS3. I've been using my PS3 to watch my entire collection of videos from my PC (even though the movie files have to physically be on the PS3's harddrive to play, v5.0.1 comes with wireless support, and it makes snagging files off my PC a very fast breeze.)

The best part about it is I actually learned something from my obsession with my videogame system! It's seriously a humbling experience to realize how much Microsoft spoils Windows users with the "interface for idiots" OS, compared to the initial impossibility of trying to do even a simple task in Linux that was probably shit-easy to accomplish in XP. I seriously hadda read 3-5 FAQs online just to figure out how to get my SNES emulator working (the PS3 provides the best SNES emulation performance hands-down, btw, and you can actually use the Sixaxis with it!). But this is a good thing, IMO. I've actually been using my PS3 more often than my PC nowadays, and I'm actually typing this message in my firefox browser on the PS3-- seriously I think a functional 'computer' with built in wireless, a frickin BLU-RAY drive, AND it plays games (that aren't released yet) for $499 is really the best bargain to come on the market in a long time. But then again, I'm obviously biased towards The Tres so second opinions from other YDL users will go a long way.

And and and, with rumors of SONY actually thinking about lifting their Other OS limitations in future firmware updates (ATM, you can't fully access many of the more powerful parts of the PS3 like the GPU, while you can in the Game OS), coupled with the fact that Vista blows like the Big Bad Wolf, it's so the perfect time for PS3 owners to teach themselves Linux and figure out why OEM engineers swear by the versatility of it over Windows and Mac OS's.

Just don't pay for it-- you should be able to find the image file for free online if you search for it.

[violentp]

The Thing!!

I love that movie its awesome! but yeah try that program, its the best I used so far, it even lets you know what codecs your missing andpretty much auto locates it for you, and notifies you that you need todownload it by pressing the "okay" button :D how easy is that!

Ima test it out tonite. Thanks.

[Micasa]

First one to offer Downloadable HD wins.

Xbox Live Marketplace...ages ago?

[Ted Huge]

Personally I've been dying for MS to get their act together and launch the video marketplace in Canada. Ours has been complete and utter balls ever since the U.S. one launched, they dedicated all their resources to it and ignored the rest of the world.

I, too, have noticed the similarity between the video marketplace in Canada and a pair of enlarged moose nutz. It's clear that Canada is just an afterthought for them. Fuck 'em. Bring it on Sony. If you offer a slightly inferior service, you'll still get my dollars.

[KingGorilla]

Xbox Live Marketplace...ages ago?

Not on that hard drive, the horrid bandwith. Granted, bandwith is expensive. I am talking about two companies who have a legitimate chance of bring consumer friendly Hi Def Downloads. I get most of my video podcasts in about 20 minutes, for a television episode length Enhanced Def image. Less for SD content. I pay for my high bandwith for that, and gaming. It would not take much longer to get a 720 p, and a bit longer for a 1080p file. In the right format, h.264 for example, the file would be smaller than a dvd. And that is the beauty of file compression on a PC, or Media Center. The processing, RAM, and video card are of so much higher quality, that they can decompress these files without the artifacts that we see in Cable, Satellite, and discs. To give you an example, not that I am promoting its use, but you can get HD movies off of the Pirate Bay, they are under a gig, and can be downloaded in a few hours at 50k, most often. Picture a service like Itunes, or Sony, offering 720 p and 1080p movies, at 200 k, 300, 400 k downloads?

There really needs to be someone to go after apple, hardcore, in this market. Sony may as well be that someone. Or Netflix, or Gamesnflix. There needs to be a serious competitor keeping the giant honest.

[rein]

Ironically, the one animated movie I've done came out perfect. The Thing on the other hand....
That is what I meant, I have done animation with PS3 Video 9 and it worked great for that. I have not tried anything else. It made me sad to know that it was not going to be perfect for other types of movies.

[violentp]

That is what I meant, I have done animation with PS3 Video 9 and it worked great for that. I have not tried anything else. It made me sad to know that it was not going to be perfect for other types of movies.

Yeah. Im gonna try Grimmjow's suggestion and see how that works out. For me it needs to be near perfect. Blade Runner could really be no other way.

[Norse]

What file system does the PS3 HDD use? If it's a "standard" file system it would be easy to rip a downloaded movie straight of the PS3 drive since it uses a standard 2.5" SATA drive.

[D.D.D.]

...both the muscle and the penetration to really challenge Apple's dominance.

After work that was amusing...:p

[DangerousDaze]

I hope they don't write their own software. The Connect software for e-books (and previously also for music until that part was shut down) sucks donkey balls.

[Swiper]

Not on that hard drive, the horrid bandwith. Granted, bandwith is expensive. I am talking about two companies who have a legitimate chance of bring consumer friendly Hi Def Downloads. I get most of my video podcasts in about 20 minutes, for a television episode length Enhanced Def image. Less for SD content. I pay for my high bandwith for that, and gaming. It would not take much longer to get a 720 p, and a bit longer for a 1080p file. In the right format, h.264 for example, the file would be smaller than a dvd. And that is the beauty of file compression on a PC, or Media Center. The processing, RAM, and video card are of so much higher quality, that they can decompress these files without the artifacts that we see in Cable, Satellite, and discs. To give you an example, not that I am promoting its use, but you can get HD movies off of the Pirate Bay, they are under a gig, and can be downloaded in a few hours at 50k, most often. Picture a service like Itunes, or Sony, offering 720 p and 1080p movies, at 200 k, 300, 400 k downloads?

There really needs to be someone to go after apple, hardcore, in this market. Sony may as well be that someone. Or Netflix, or Gamesnflix. There needs to be a serious competitor keeping the giant honest.

You may want to give the Xbox Live video marketplace another try. I just downloaded the first episode of Heros in hi-def, and it didn't take long at all. It also didn't take up that much room on my 20 GB hard drive. Really.

[Narcissus]

Hurrah for a future where nobody has to even move!

I, for one, embrace tripling my body weight on a comfortable couch before an early death due to heart disease!

[DangerousDaze]

[human Bender]Whoooooooo![/human Bender]

[CoachCrazyMcScot]

If Apple is the 3 ring circus, and Sony is the sideshow carnival, is MS the guy at the end of the pier juggling cats?

[Dukefrukem]

The venerable Wall Street Journal (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118885177843416106.html) is reporting that quietly preparing a video download service, using the PS3, PSP and Bravia HDTVs, to challenge Apple's iTunes service. Many companies have tried to unseat Apple as the king of digital content sales, but none have really succeeded yet. Sony however is one of the few entities that has both the muscle and the penetration to really challenge Apple's dominance.

Found via Joystiq (http://feeds.joystiq.com/%7Er/weblogsinc/joystiq/%7E3/152244162/).

Maybe i should return my 60GB for an 80GB then...?

[KingGorilla]

You may want to give the Xbox Live video marketplace another try. I just downloaded the first episode of Heros in hi-def, and it didn't take long at all. It also didn't take up that much room on my 20 GB hard drive. Really.

That would require my buying another 360, which is not gonna happen. If I still had one, I have no doubt that I would utilize the service, to an alarming degree. MS has made a moderately successful platform. But locking it to the single device, which can burn up if you look at it weird, and having to buy with MS points is a big barrier to entry. Part of the Itunes or Netflix model's is that it is real cash tender. Also, as I said having a strong independent 3rd party is necessary to the success as well. Not to mention our archaic ideas of region locking TV and movies. There is no real fucking reason why I cannot get Dr. Who and people in the UK cannot get Galactica. I am beating down doors to get this more readily to my media center PC, with the terabytes of storage and all that. I am too much of a video snob as well, the 360 is such an atrocious movie player.

[Micasa]

I guess that makes it more clear why you dismiss the Marketplace, which is already doing what you hope someone will one day do...

[Jack B]

First one to offer Downloadable HD wins.

I guess Microsoft already won then, because I watched a bunch of HD video movies on the 360. :)

The latest was "300". And it only took 20 minutes from the time I purchased 'til we were watching it. So, much for the day long downloads people talked about a few months back.

[Jack B]

Not on that hard drive, the horrid bandwith. Granted, bandwith is expensive.

KingGorilla, what are you talking about?

I just replied to your other post just above. I watched "300" in HD. It took 5.6gb and horrible bandwidth isn't an issue for many people these days. Certainly not for me. I was watching "300" in 20 minutes. As for your "not on that hard drive" comment, as with Comcast On Demand or any other service, I just deleted to movie after I watched it. I'm just renting anyway. Just delete. No big deal.

I used to think the 20gb drive was too small, but I just delete things, so after about 18 months I realize, I'd like a bigger hard drive (ie see Elite 120gb), but deleting things works fine too.

I think you're distaste for the 360 clouds your comments. You're not completely educated on some of these 360 topics. Or at least you're very out of date. I find that with a lot of people who "hate" on one thing or the other. They don't research or don't care, so the enemy is always viewed as much worse than it really is...