Review Horizon

You know, we keep telling you that Sony is becoming a force in the media streamer world and Sony keeps proving us right with every move they are doing. First Hulu Plus, then Netflix without a disk and with one of the best interfaces around and surround sound (read our Sony PS3 Netflix Review) and now, Sony just announced that VUDU is coming on their consoles starting November 23rd.

Impressed? If you only want one box for your media streaming needs, PS3 might just be it and, unlike XBOX 360 you don’t need any extra subscriptions like XBOX Live Gold to access the goodies.

VUDU was not too long ago purchased by Walmart and offers on Demand HD content with 1080p and Dolby Digital Plus surround sound in 5.1 glory. There is no subscription involved, you’ll have to pay per each movie you watch, however the movies will be available for streaming before they go on Netflix.

While on November 23 VUDU for PS3 will come with its old, well known interface, starting in December they’ll release their brand new UI, featuring ratings, recommendations, a layout improvement and PS3 Move controller support.

With this flurry of announcements right around holidays, it is obvious Sony wants to sell as many boxes as they can, and considering the Hulu Plus, Netflix, VUDU, DLNA support plus GAMES and a pretty good list of HD video codecs supported, they might actually have a point! The Sony PS3 160GB is available at Amazon for only $299 (no taxes, free shipping) and at this price they might leave other media streamer boxes in the dust.

Check after the break for additional screenshots of VUDU’s new user interface and full press release.

Read More…

As you might know, Sony’s PS3 got its disk-less Netflix client two days ago, as soon as Microsoft exclusivity for XBOX 360 expired. Because Sony had some time to spend for their implementation, they had the chance to do it right, but did they? Let’s take a look and let the screenshots speak for themselves.

One of the pre-requisites of the new Netflix client for PS3 is the firmware 3.50 which also enables support for 3D Blu-ray content. After you upgrade to the latest firmware, you will see a red Netflix icon in the Xross media bar. Selecting it will prompt to download the Netflix applications and a minute later you are in business. The activation is a tad different that other Netflix media streamers and it doesn’t prompt you to go to a PC to input a code. Instead, you’ll have to input your Netflix user name and password. Upon sign in, the new Netflix client is waiting for you. Read More…

We know Netflix’s agreement with Microsoft will soon expire and everybody expected to have Netflix on their PS3 consoles without the need of the annoying disc. Well, wait no longer, it will come next week. No later than October 18th Netflix’s new user interface will come on PS3 and even better, some movies will get the 1080i treatment, subtitles and 5.1-channel surround sound…Impressed? You should be, it is the most advanced Netflix implementation to date. Apparently Netflix will use the same Dolby Digital Plus audio codec used by VUDU HDX and let me tell you, it works really well.

That being said, if you are one of the few that still didn’t get a PS3 yet, now it might be a good time, for holidays. Combined with Blu-ray and Hulu Plus, PS3 just might be one of the best media players / streaming boxes on the market. The 160GB model is available at Amazon for $299 with no taxes and free shipping while the PS3 Move 320GB bundle goes for $100 more.

Check after the break for SOny’s press release and a presentation video of the new PS3 Netflix user interface…Really nice and fluid. Read More…

A while ago we reviewed the Seagate FreeAgent DockStart Network Adapter, a small and very cheap NAS with 4 USB ports, containing PogoPlug technology so you can access your files from outside your home.

The PogoPlug runs on Linux and it is highly hackable. Today, a new unit was launched – the PogoPlug Pro. The functionality is pretty much the same like in the old version without the Pro-oriented features like sharing controls, multiple users and various usage statistics, destined to appeal to the business oriented users. The four USB ports are still available with an added bonus: Wireless access (802.11 b/g/n). And, if the PC is not enough, there are readily available applications to access your content (music, photos, video) from Android, iPad, BlackBerry, and webOS platforms. The MSRP price is set at $99 which makes it a competitor to the DLNA capable WD My Book Live. If you intend to watch the movies stored on your hard drive  from the Internet, remember: The quality will be limited by your Internet connection’s  upload speed. PogoPlug Pro accepts NTFS, FAT32, HFS+, EXT2, EXT3 formatted USB hard disks and sports a fast Gigabit Ethernet Connection. Not directly advertised, but PogoPlug also has some sort of DLNA functionality embedded since it can be configured to feed media to both XBOX 360 and PS3 (it won’t transcode your videos though, so you’ll be able to play only the video formats supported by XBOX 360 or PS3)

Well, everybody expected (and eagerly waited) for this: Sometime by the end of this months we’ll be able to throw away our Netflix streaming disks for PS3 because native PS3 Netflix streaming is coming!!!!! No date was provided but we can wait one more month, can we? And if the new interface will somewhat resemble Windows Media Center or XBOX 360 Netflix interface will even throw a party.

Well folks, firmware version 3.50 for your PS3 console is live now and among other things, 3D movie support has arrived. The less important (for some) updates contain Facebook integration for games, so you’ll be able to brag about your high scores on Facebook and be annoying as hell in the process. And for those that are annoying as hell, you can report them via the new Grief Reporting Function in XMB and hopefully have them banned from Playstation Network.

Now, for the bad part, and this concerns audiophiles: While playing back 3D Blu-ray movies, PS3 won’t be able to output high resolution sounds (Dolby Digital TrueHD and DTS master). Why? We have no clue but that’s the way it is. Maybe in an upcoming firmware release, or maybe never if the HDMI interface doesn’t support it.

A little bit earlier than the official release, the Sony PlayStation Move controller  already found its way to the retailers shelves, together with a new PS3 bundle that Sony just released. There are three main packages available, the Move Starter Bundle that includes PlayStation Move motion controller, PlayStation Eye camera peripheral and a game – Sports Champions. All these are selling for $99 (free shipping and no taxes). If you prefer the standalone PlayStation Move controller, it sells for $49 and the new Sony PlayStation 320GB bundle sells for $399 and includes a Navigation controller, a Move Controller, the PlayStation Eye camera and the Sports Champions game.

In a move that will put them in direct competition with Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo (although in China only at the beginning), Lenovo announces their entrance on the game console market with a new console called eBox (xBox knockout anybody?) we find in an article in The Wall Street Journal. Not only that, but it look like the new game console will feature a technology similar with XBOX 360 Kinect to provide a controller free experience.

The development will be performed by a Lenovo spin off company called Beijing eedoo Technology Ltd.

No other details are available though we would like to know how many horse power (or Gigahertz) the beast will have under its cover. Also interesting to know if what kind of developer support will Lenovo able to secure and what type of DRM protection will the box contain. Chinese made devices (and the Chinese market as a whole where piracy is rampant) aren’t famous for their security and this particular aspect would make the big gaming houses reticent to release their games for the new platform.

Long live the exclusivity game…not! As an answer to Netflix exclusivity for XBOX 360, PS3 is enjoying exclusivity for Hulu Plus so the world is in balance again. Hulu Plus is available only for the ones that signed for Playstation Plus as well for now, but soon the availability will be extended to every PS3 owner with an internet connection (and living in US, of course). The monthly price is set at $10. The only question that remains is: Will the XBOX 360 get Hulu Plus on a DVD ?

Now that Sony got the exclusivity, wouldn’t be a nice gesture to offer the standard Hulu for free? After all, they certainly have the software available.

See the full press release after the break. Read More…

Heavily rumored for the past several weeks and widely expected, Hulu just announced the launching of a new premium tier for $9.99 a month. The new premium plan will allow subscribers access to  an entire TV season. The free tier will also be still available.

Hulu Plus will initially be available on Apple’s iPad and iPhone as well as XBOX 360 (early 2011), Samsung TV and Blu-ray players and Sony PS3, TV and Blu-ray players and Vizio. Initially the service will be rolled out based on invitations.

Check after the break for additional images / video. Read More…