> Subject: Re: Is "Microsoft" Dead? > From: Vivec <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > How do you watch XVid videos or .wma videos on a PS3 as a 'remote' > Media Center device?
Well - the PS3 (after accepting a license agreement - the PS3 LOVES license agreements) already plays WMA (those are audio) files. It doesn't play WMV or XVid out the box however. Personally I use an AvelLink Networked DVD player. It plays everything, accepts both standard PNP and Windows Media streaming services and smiles while doing it. But if you want to use the PS3 there are at least three ways: 1) Use a compatible web-based service. Basically these take advantage of the (rather good, really) web browser to accept streams from local servers. The most popular (and best supported) one is "Orb" (www.orb.com) which also streams to XBox 360 (greatly improving it's abilities in this arena), the Wii (again, via the browser) and PCs. There are other tools like PS3Portal which provide PC file-system access via the PS3 browser (to transfer files and such) and connect with other services. Personally I've not used any of these services - my Avel Player does everything I need - but I've heard very good things about Orb. I've also heard, but can't confirm, that people have gotten the SlingBox to work via the PS3 but I don't have any experience with it. 2) Use the Sony Location Free player. This is a hardware solution that streams TV and video to compatible devices (like the PS3 or PSP). Personally I've never used it. I know that for my purposes I wouldn't need to stream TV and paying for a hardware solution to what, for me, is a software problem just irks. 3) Install Linux. This isn't for everybody to be sure, but it is - by far - the most functional solution. Anythng that can be installed can run and you, of course, get pretty complete access to the system hardware (networking, storage, etc). The process isn't completely simple, but easy enough (I don't think that any Linux install, for any device, is "easy"). Remember to that this is completely supported by Sony - you can install Linux without voiding your warranty, limiting access or reducing functionality (unlike, say, the original XBox). I've not done this myself but I've been very tempted to try. Still - what you end up with is a dual-booting computer. Boot into Linux for media center, general computing, web browsing with FireFox, whatever then boot into the PS3 OS for games and all the standard stuff. the primary limitation is that the PS3 has limited RAM for a general purpose PC (only 512 Meg) but it is really enough for most purposes - especially those that we're talking about. Sony's been promising, for a while now, that more substantial media center functionality will be released. I know that Home (the virtual world environment being released in the next few months) will support basic "presentation streaming" (you can play audio and video on virtual devices in your private "apartment" in Home and friends visiting you can hear/see them as well. Really at this point I think Sony could one-up MS remarkably if they just supported wide-CODEC streaming. Supporting just DIVx/XVID would give them a huge market lead in this area and supporting WMV as well (preferably through both standard PNP streaming services and MS Media Connect) would completely over-shadow MS current offering on the 360 (which currently only plays MS formats and MP3). I'm not sure if that will happen: Sony is still a media company after all and I'm sure that TV, Music and Film divisions are exerting substantial pressure to keep the PS3 from becoming a vile den of piracy and loose morals... but I can dream. ;^) Jim Davis ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Deploy Web Applications Quickly across the enterprise with ColdFusion MX7 & Flex 2 Free Trial http://www.adobe.com/products/coldfusion/flex2/?sdid=RVJU Archive: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/CF-Community/message.cfm/messageid:232145 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/groups/CF-Community/subscribe.cfm Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=11502.10531.5
