PlayTV saved files no longer transferable Comments by Robert Purchese
Sony: HD signals not recordable at launch.
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Poster
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The whole thing just reminds me of the PS2.
Don't get me wrong, I loved my PS2 and played many many games on it, but the console never realised the things it was supposed to be going to do, and I think herein lays part of the problem. Things that are integral to your console when it releases are great. You can be sure everybody has them, your developers can make your games around them, and the add-ons you release for your console later on can take advantage of them. The PS2 was going to be a 'media centre' - even before launch there was talk of the HDD revolutionising the living room, and its firewire and USB ports possibly even allowing it to have some of the features of a PC, and certainly allowing you to plug other media-related USB things into it. But the HDD never really came to Europe, and there was support neither from Sony nor Developers for so much as a simplistic word processor or set of printer drivers. I still had a great time playing games on it, but the promised 'network gaming' future of the PS2 also never really got off the ground in any way comparable to something like Live or to some extent PSN. A half-assed attempt at a PVR is not the same as a solid, thought-through approach to the media centre concept, and whilst I will indubitably one day enjoy playing games on my PS3-that-I-haven't-bought-yet, the date of that purchase is less immediate every time one of these 'sounds like the plans for the PS2' features is announced, butchered and eventually slopped onto the market with a fanfare akin to a wet fart. I suppose I am disappointed more than anything. The word 'potential' has carried over, as far as I am concerned, from the PS2 to the PS3, but so has the approach that never saw the PS2 realise its own potential, and I would really rather that it hadn't. |
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rhinoxious
13/08/08 @ 17:59
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Not a popular decision then.
Media Center has always struggled in this country again teh Sky behemoth, PlayTV could have been the final nail in the coffin. MS must be most pleased. |
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@ seasidebaz
The MPEG thing has nothing to do with it. DVB-T2 is the transmission standard if the set top box can't decode the transmissions then the actual picture regardless of what it is encoded in is useless. Imagine it this way: You own a computer that can show images encoded in both MPEG 2 or MPEG 4. Every week I sent you a movie on a disc (sometimes MPEG 2 sometimes MPEG4) To make sure that the disc reaches you safely I place the disc inside a metal box that you have a key to. The key to the box has the serial number DVB-T When you receive the box you use the key to unlock it and watch the movie. After a while I decide to send you two discs per week To make room for the extra disc I use a different box The key to the new box has the serial number DVB-T2 You haven't got a DVB-T2 key because the man that is making them says that they won't be ready until the end of 2009. I deliver the box to you but because you don't have a key you can't unlock the box and watch the movie. Do you understand what I'm getting at. The There are two things at work here MPEG AND DVB-T2. Some devices can be patched from MPEG 2 to MPEG 4. Tuners cannot be patched from DVB-T to DVB-T2 (except for very expensive ones that would more than double the price of PlayTV) |
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SpaceMidget75
13/08/08 @ 18:39
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How about I have a dig at clearing up the HD thing!
I've been picking up the Freeview HD channels since the World Cup with my DVB-T tuner in my PC. Why? Because my playback software was updated to decode the MPEG 4 signal. You CAN and WILL* be able to receive HD channels IF your DVB-T player allows you to upgrade the decoder to support MPEG4. That should be fine for things like PC cards (like mine) and probably the PS3 but not likely most Set top boxes. BUT...there is only space for 4 HD channels (Only BBC and C4 were broadcasting signals on DVB-T via my tuner. ITV & C5 had holding screens in HD.) When DVB-T2 becomes available this will increase capacity by 30%. However, THAT is a hardware change and will require new hardware for almost everyone. http://www.freeview.co.uk/help/faq/id105... My TV software: http://www.nebula-electronics.com/news/h... *EDIT: That whole thing reads very cocky. My point was that HD is possible via DVB-T as I've had it running on my own set-up and doesn't technically require DVB-T2. However it is incredibly presumptuous of me to assume that any of the stations will actually broadcast via DVB-T when the time comes. EDIT: Spelling!! Arrrgh
Edited 3 times,
most recently on 13/08/08 @ 20:01
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So no people thinking "Fantastic, being able to save stuff elsewhere sounded like a pain!"? Like almost everyone else, that was the must-have feature for me. No more, I'll just get a PC dongle. Mainly so I can type dongle. Twice.
Thanks for explaining that SpaceMidget, but I fear it'll be in vain and someone will pop up and tell you you're wrong. Not me, I believe what you say after having done my own reading up, as well as those great links you posted. |
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@SpaceMidget75
" ... assume that any of the stations will actually broadcast via DVB-T when the time comes. " That is the nub of the matter. You've been able to get HD via DVB-T because the test transmissions (which include BBC HD) have been made using DVB-T In June OFCOM decided that DVB-T2 would be used for Freeview HD. Hence the confusion, DVB-T can pick up HD but it won't be doing so in the UK due to the use of DVB-T2. |
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lots of whinging her from the eurogamer crowd, and a normal i agree with nearly all of it.
Unfortunately the world works like this Sony says something really cool about one of their produts People like us say that amazing, i really want one of those, everyone else (a much larger umber of people) never hear it Sony say that the really cool thing is not going to be any where as cool as it was People like us say "sony suck" i'm never going to buy anything sony, everyone else still has never heard about it Sony release substandard product People like us say "it's nowhere near as good as it shoudl have been", everyone else says "how cools is that, i didn;t know there was something that did that" (even though there has been a device that does that cheaper and better for ages Everybody buys one (so do the people like us) |
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crazyeighty8
13/08/08 @ 21:25
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The file transfer was never the big deal for me, although I am disapionted by the news. My confusion is What's the difference between PLayTV and "freesat"- The free to air HD service developed by the BBC/ITV and already available in the UK?.
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crazyeighty8
13/08/08 @ 21:30
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Right it says it "will not record a HD signal" at launch. Will it be able to RECEIVE and DISPLAY a HD signal at launch?. I may keep my pre-order set it up and tune in to BBC HD if I get a picture it stays if not it going straight back.
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crazyeighty8
13/08/08 @ 21:33
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FUCK IT then im getting freesat, already have standard sky and dish. I thought Sony ps3 was all about HD.
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Because....
it's the same exact reason they promised Mandatory Managed Copy for Blu-ray and then pulled/banned it after HD DVD died. it's the same exact reason they put rootkits on CDs & said it didn't matter to Sony, customers are evil & not to be trusted. They are the giant media corporation, they control the electronics; & they don't want you to have freedom of choice. That simple.
Edited 1 times,
most recently on 13/08/08 @ 22:35
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Ah, it doesn't seem like random idiocy, more like "we want to make money out of you, not give you stuff for free":
http://www.goview.tv/vod/page/promoPage.do which, to be fair, is what anyone else would do... its just on paper it was sounding awesome for a bit. :( With the existence of this, no way they would allow anything transferable. Sky would just tell them to fook right off.
Edited 1 times,
most recently on 14/08/08 @ 07:35
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bad idea Sony (again!), do they actually pay people to think of ways they can mess up potential?
I already have Sky+ and saw this as pretty pointless TBH, but at the cheap price (now we know why it's cheaper than expected) i was part interested PURELY for the transfer to PSP feature. Potential customer lost, 3 cheers for the copyright obsessed Sony Corporation \o/ |
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Me thinks they realised just how much freedom being so 'open' offered people and they paniced about all the copyright issues that may arrise in the future... I mean the tech involved must be there for the original announcement to be made so it feels like they've effectivly removed a few menu options at the last minute...
It's very sad though, I thought it sounded great and was looking forward to using it along side my Sky+ box simply to record shows that I wanted to transfer to my PSP so I could watch them at lunch times or on the train or where ever.... Can't see the point in getting one now... Well done Sony, tell everyone about a fantastic product then cripple it just before launch and hope no-one notices. |
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rufus_the_stunt_bum
14/08/08 @ 07:44
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bugger... and only yesterday this was on my list to buy... not anymore, would have been better if I could transfer to psp... streaming is no good for me.
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Hello? Did you lot miss the link to the Sky TV service for the PSP? Its not so much being open thats the problem, its that it would directly hammer their relationship with Sky and that service.
That is the way you're going to get transferable service to your PSP, by paying for it via Sky.
Edited 1 times,
most recently on 14/08/08 @ 08:55
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It's so annoying they don't seem to get the partnership of the PSP and PS3 right (although remote play is cool).
Not only this cool feature on PlayTV now lost, but imagine being able to burn a file of your own legally bought DVDs and Blu to PSP. If they did that my PS3 would have been snapped up long before it was, and I'm sure sales of both PS3 and PSP would go up. It's a real shame my PC (*cough* and Bittorrent *cough*) works better with my PSP than my PS3 when it comes to media and (like the loss of B/C - sorry had to get that dig in) a missed opportunity for a fantastic USP for the machine. Sometimes I wonder what these companies are thinking..... |
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Sony, I dont get a WiFi connection on the train to work which was when I wanted to watch recorded programs I had copied to my PSP ... you remember the PSP eh? it's one of YOUR devices!
So lloking forward to this, now, forget it Sony, you've just screwed your own market. Streaming does not work 100% of the time so most people would copy recordings to their PSP to watch. Ah well back to recording on HDD recorder, burn onto DVD-RW, take to PC and rip to psp mp4, slow but works. |
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'Your link doesn't work, what's the deal with Sky then?'
Sky run GoView TV, which is the pay-to-view telly show download service for the PSP (go here). I think this is a bit of a red herring TBH - the vast majority of the programs available on GoView aren't available to view via freeview (and therefore PlayTV) anyway so there's little crossover in that regard. It obviously might be an issue that people would be happy with one or the other and not want to have both but I honestly don't think people who were likely to sub to GoView were looking at PlayTV as an alternative to that anyway. If you think about it, Sky aren't likely to allow anything they own that they think is even vaguely attractive onto freeview in any case and PlayTV is just a freeview tuner at the end of the day. To put it simply I don't think the two are in direct competition with each other; they actually complement quite well - use PlayTV to get people used to the idea of putting telly shows on their PSP and watching them on the train and you're actually more likely to get them then subscribing to GoView to get more content. This is simply Sony panicing about the idea that they could in any way be accused of encouraging copyright infringement and using a sledgehammer to crack that particular walnut. The appropriate phrase seems to be 'throwing the baby out with the bathwater'. Jon |
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bodypopper
14/08/08 @ 09:26
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The trouble is jonbwfc that Sony has now nixed the transfer directly to PSP feature.
If I was a conspiracy nut, I'd say that Sony is pushing PSP owners towards Go!View instead. The trouble with that is that a) You have to subscribe to it and b) you can't take last night's telly on the train with you unless it's been uploaded on the site. I'll stick with my Sky+ and Pinnacle Video Transfer instead. http://www.pinnaclesys.com/PublicSite/uk...
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most recently on 14/08/08 @ 10:28
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I would say that, I mean look at one of the things on sale. Mighty Boosh season 1 for £1.50 an episode.... thats £12 right there, £12 lost if you sit and record it off BBC3 at some point and move it to your PSP. (of course I've got the umd!)
The content on TV will be ahead of the service but I don't think that will matter. You can almost see the client relationship meeting between Sky and Sony in your head... absolutely no way that Sky would let anything come into fruition that could eat into their sales and we all know how much Sky love to have your $. Obviously remote play isn't considered a threat... but as I say, unless wifi really hots up, its not that great a substitute. Ok, you've not in effect lost much, how many PVRs out there allow file exporting with a recognised standard format, not many I'm sure. Still it would have been a wonderful thing to have! Is that Bluray -> PSP transfer thing still going ahead? |
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KingOfMyCastle
14/08/08 @ 09:51
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A real, real shame, mainly about the High Def for me. I don't have a HDTV yet, nor will we get HD signals until years later in Brighton. But I did want to futre proof my setup. I suppose Sony were unprepared for that DVB-T2 changeover.
I sold my DVD Recorder and was even going to get a new aerial (currently dodgy) and a new Hard Drive to get the best out of PLAY TV. Now I'll go the Sky/Virgin/Freesat/Orange/BT route for a year or two I think. |
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Mattattattatt
14/08/08 @ 10:37
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As noted, the biggest reason, sadly, could be so you have to buy stuff from their video store if you want to transfer it to a PSP for wifi-independent viewing. Conflicting interests with the content providers for the store might have pushed this decision.
If ever pushed far enough to give an answer, they might wheel out copyright infringement as a reason. I'd forgotten that Sony BMG were the ones who put rootkits on their CDs :( |
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RandomTerrain
14/08/08 @ 11:03
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Disappointing. But as pointed out, at least I get to save £70. Always a silver lining.
But in this case, not for Sony. Come on Sony, give us the feature, or just bin PlayTV altogether. |
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spamjavelins
14/08/08 @ 13:32
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will it upscale?thats what i want to know.100 quid in argos,i can get a recordable freeview box,that upscales to 1080p.if it upscales,i'll get play.tv,but.if theres something better out there then i'll get that
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elephant_stone
14/08/08 @ 20:18
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As a lot of people have said, this was the sole reason why PlayTV was appealing in the first place...now I am not sure if I wanna get it (although im a sucker for gadgits!).
Can someone please confirm that it will still recieve HD Freeview and its only the recording that is disabled!? |
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actionfitz
15/08/08 @ 08:58
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agree with Kotaku.com:
"Sadly, it is back to tense-buttocked business as usual." :/ |
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