It?s got to be easy. Or at least work, in an easy sort of way. I?m fed up with fiddling about with new technology. But I know (or guess by the reviews I often read!) that Sony pride themselves on functional yet quality design and ease of use rather more than most other companies. Most of the time, when I say I want technology to be easy and functional yet also look nice, I?m talking about all technology that I am going to want to use, but right now I?m talking about downloading movies on the Playstation 3 ? and that?s what everyone else is talking about.
It?s a big thing for Sony, the PS3. I suppose because each time a new games console is developed, it costs millions more than the last version, and the competition gets more intense. Maybe. Maybe that?s just the hype. But I did get a PS3.
I didn?t queue up at midnight or whatever it was people did when it was launched. I just waited for a bit, read some stuff about the PS3 online, reviews about movie downloads, or free downloads, or something to do with the net, so I figured the PS3 was going to work with the internet or be wireless or something cool like that. Then I went out and bought one.
So far I?ve been impressed, but also very much aware that I could have gone out and bought an equally brilliant console from one of the other manufacturers. But now Sony has announced the launch of a movie download service, and after reading the reviews, I?m very keen to find out more. This sounds like something to rival Apple TV!
So, if the movie download service doesn?t require any extra hardware, then I?m saving money already. Not to mention saving on any free downloads that might be on offer though the Sony PS3 movie download service.
The fact is that the advantages and disadvantages of the new Sony Playstation 2 movie download service will be largely based on convenience. Few of us like fiddling around with wires, having to type stuff in web browsers, when watching a movie should be no more than turning on a television and pressing a couple of buttons to play the film.
I quite like the idea that the PS3 could be able to download live television in high definition. HD Movie Downloads on the PS3 is fantastic, but high definition television on the Sony playstation could make things a lot easier ? less boxes and wires to fiddle about with. A few weeks ago, Sony launched a
PS3 HD Show (Qore) signalling that Sony are planning more original high-def programming.
Again, it all comes down to convenience. I?m not going to be frustrated if movie downloads or television, or anything else for that matter, can be achieved with a few simple clicks of a button. Otherwise, I?m going to stick with what I know. But what I do know so far is that the PS3 performs wells for the services it has provided so far.
The PS3 is a powerful piece of equipment, so it?s great to see more services like movie downloads being offered by Sony. Seamless control via one unit is definitely what the big computer companies are trying to achieve, because customers not only want to save money, but save time and energy in getting the stuff to work!
It?s not just movie downloads, music, or whether they are pay downloads or free downloads, but the Sony PS3 looks like it?s heading for an all in one entertainment system for the lounge.
My living room has always been computer free. It?d take a lot for what seems to be formerly known as a games console to make the transition from a bedroom or study bound machine to that sacred communal living space! It?s psychological as much as physical. As a society we tend to regard computer type stuff as things that really don?t belong in the living room. Even games consoles, in the days when households maybe only had one television, were quickly put away out of sight after use.
But modern consoles, like the Sony PS3, can look eloquent, minimalist, or just look nice, and importantly, be part of the living room space. With wireless capabilities, there is even more reason not to have to stow them away in a cupboard. Making the PS3 part of the furniture I guess is one of Sony?s goals with this apparently versatile product.
So, am I going to replace my DVD player with the PS3? I guess it?s a possibility, likelihood even. Movie downloads via the PS3 will almost certainly be easier than renting DVDs, or lugging the computer into the front room to download a movie online instead. Computers still don?t quite look good enough, or work in a suitable way, for them to be convenient living room devices. Basically, it?s a bit too fiddly. Televisions you can just switch on and watch, but computers need to boot up, open applications, then spend a while downloading. And television screens are much better to watch in the living room.
Movie downloads on the Sony Playstation 3 are more likely to be an easy to use service because the whole system is set up for easy access entertainment. As with gaming, the PS3, and other consoles for that matter, are geared especially to get straight to the things you want. So any services that are provided with the consoles are going to be as available and easy to access ? at least that is what you?d hope for!
What I?m hoping the PS3 movie downloads service won?t do is waste my time and money, such as waiting too long for downloads, or blips in the connection ? although it?s important to remember that conventional television isn?t 100 percent reliable either. And how many times have you tried to rent a DVD and found it?s already been hired out, or gone to the cinema, queued, only to be told all the seats have been sold?
But I?m trusting that the PS3 movie downloads service will be, at least, brilliantly convenient but until then, I'll continue to use Vizumi.com and watch
movie downloads on my laptop.
