I had no idea that the ps3 didnt hit Europe until March of this year. It already feels like it has been out in the US for a long time. I am now feeling pressure to move into the next gen, but am torn between the two experiences I want to receive from my next gen hardware. As far as gaming is concerned, I believed from the beginning that the ps2 was a superior console due to the fact it had a far better library of games. But the day I was able to turn my Xbox into a multi-media extender, my ps2 has become a paper weight. You are now starting to see a role reversal during this generation of hardware. The 360 is the superior gaming machine due to its superior online experience combined with its better game lineup. If the ps3 can pull off being a media center extender as well as the original xbox, that could be what decides the next gen console race. So if you cant afford both the 360 and the ps3, what will be the deciding point for the consumers between the ages of 18 and 35(the consumer that sony is obviously targeting with this strategy) will be what other applications can your machine perform besides playing hd formats and games. In certain markets in the US within the next couple of months a new application for streaming video to wireless devices will be unveiled and if either Sony or Microsoft can latch on to this application soon enough, then that could mean a huge boost to console sales in the future.
For those who dont know, in the US the FCC is now regulating all cable and satellite companies and forcing them to use one standard for their encryption and distribution of their RF signals. How this is achieved is, you will either have to purchase a cable card TV or cable box, or you can rent a cable card box from your cable provider, or lastly, just rent the cable card itself from your cable provider and install it to your cable card tv. Where the card would then be married to that specific tv's serial number, a concept that was "borrowed" from Microsoft. What this means for the ps3 is that it will somehow have to comply with the FCC cable card restrictions in some manner in order to decrypt whatever the signal bandwidth it is receiving. Meaning since most cable providers now use a technology called QAM 256, the ps3 will need a cable card that can be married to its serial number, along with the constellation updates from the provider so it will know what the points of references are for each RF bandwidth. Then if it supports live streaming to wireless devices, including all cell phone models over a specific cell phone provider (I cant name who the provider is or who is implementing this technology due to insider trading restrictions) you can essentially record any program to the ps3 hdd that you have the constellation for and stream live to any model cell phone you are using that has a screen. All you would have to do is basically "dial" into the cable card and choose your program and it will start streaming. No more missing any live sporting event due to the fact you are stuck in the office during the weekend. Apple is trying a service similar to this, but it is limited to just the iPhone and YouTube, no live tv streaming. I guess I've said enough, I doubt anyone will even bother to read my ridiculously long post, oh well.
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Topic: No Announcement for US PlayStation 3 DVR - Tivo Compatible? (Read 79 times)