Google plugs YouTube into Playstation 3
Ross Fleming
So... what's better? #
Posted Friday 27th June 2008 23:06 GMT

I'll probably give it a go, but currently Nero, WMP and a couple of open sauce apps manage just fine at streaming to my PS3 - aside from YouTube (I think I'll cope with the absence), what's the appeal to switch?
Mectron
What's better? #
Posted Friday 27th June 2008 23:42 GMT

Try Orb, FREE and it work like a charm. (and can stream to any device (including a PS3) that as a browser.
Paris? because Orb is so easy to use that even she can use it.
Nick
UPnP Warz... #
Posted Friday 27th June 2008 23:42 GMT
Hmm, another one to join the UPnP selection - WMP is a bit sucky and TVersity is currently the best, but I'm interested in seeing if Google will allow Youtube streaming to xbox360 - could be interesting.
Nexox Enigma
Re: So... what's better? #
Posted Friday 27th June 2008 23:49 GMT
None of the others have 'Google' in the name, silly! Thats why this version is so much better...
Seems that since it only runs on Windows... it's actually quite a lot less useful than some of those 'open sauce' apps out there, though I haven't exactly found one that I really like yet.
Phil Hare
Er... #
Posted Saturday 28th June 2008 04:21 GMT

...I've been watching YouTube videos on my PS3 for quite a while now via the PS3's built in browser; I think Sony updated it to handle them at around firmware 2.0. It even opens them in a full screen window if you ask it to.
Add that to upgrading the internal HDD to a 320GB device (there are instructions on the web, it's safe and simple to do) and I see exactly no point in this offering from Google. Music, Video and Photos can all be stored on the PS3 itself or on any wireless NAS running UPnP software (which is most of them) and accessed via the PS3.
The only advantage that Google's offering may have is that the PS3 doesn't handle YouTube playlists (yet).
Tammer Salem
Stop the press? #
Posted Saturday 28th June 2008 18:12 GMT

When i first came across this article I thought "great"! Google has finally done a built in PS3 app to view you tube content. And wouldn't it be great if it had some kind of upscaling? Minutes later, I realise that they've added themselves to an already exhaustive list of upnp software. Hardly news shattering stuff.
btw TVersity is definitely the best windoze upnp software. My preference is media tomb on Ubuntu.
Filippo
Er... x2 #
Posted Saturday 28th June 2008 18:12 GMT
I too have been watching YouTube on my PS3 for a long time via the browser. As for streaming generic media, there are plenty of programs that do that (even WMP). I don't see the point of this.
Tim Lake
To agree with Phil... #
Posted Saturday 28th June 2008 18:12 GMT

The hard drive upgrade on a PS3 is actually documented in the manual that comes with the console so there is no question about it being any kind of hack, I agree too that we can already watch YouTube through the PS3 browser and WMP can handle any media sharing you might want anyway. That's only Windows but so is this!
Ron Eve
@So... what's better? #
Posted Saturday 28th June 2008 18:13 GMT

"open sauce" - that'll be a choice between tomato and brown will it?
<sigh> yes the one with the gravy stains on the front...
Daniel Bennett
Winamps Orb #
Posted Saturday 28th June 2008 18:13 GMT
Does the job perfectly, freely, and most probably better too.
ratfox
Nice stab at the networks #
Posted Saturday 28th June 2008 18:13 GMT

"Nowadays, all the stuff worth watching and listening to tends to be stored on or accessed through a computer."
TV has jumped the shark some time ago... ^^
Jerome
Simple solution #
Posted Saturday 28th June 2008 18:13 GMT

I tend to "stream" video from my PC to the TV using a clever invention known as a "cable".
Seán
Real world #
Posted Saturday 28th June 2008 20:23 GMT
In the real world there are two candidates for the job Mediatomb and Twonkyvision. Twonky seems to work OK except it doesn't do transcoding which means the ultra picky PS3 will not play the vast majority of movies including some h264 jobbies. Twokyvision will also kill your network if you have it scanning large directories (even on a tiny 320GB drive).
Mediatomb will use VLC to transcode on the fly to a suitable format. So they say. To set it up, especially to install it on a NAS is erm quite fiddly.
I'm happy enough with my XBMC on an XBox for the moment but without doubt PS3 and HDMI is the better solution, just not quite yet. This google thingy may be the solution but until it transcodes and runs on linux/osX it won't be a killer solution. Still it does give Google Desktop a reason to exist.
Tom
But this is just a Google beta. #
Posted Saturday 28th June 2008 20:23 GMT
So it should go final in about 2013 if it's like past Google betas.
Anonymous Coward
Strangely ... #
Posted Sunday 29th June 2008 06:46 GMT

I seem to have been doing this with no software other than Windows Vista ... why release software for something that is already built into an OS and works fine ...
TimM
Universal Plug and Pray #
Posted Monday 30th June 2008 08:46 GMT

Does it have to be UPnP?
UPnP goes nowhere near my network. Somehow I have an issue with a system that can open up holes in my network without my knowledge.
Other than that, it's a shame it's on Google Desktop. Huge resource hog and despite trying it a few times thinking it's a neat idea, I've really never had any use for it that justifies the resource hogging. The gadget novelty wears off very quick too (makes me wonder what Mac fans love about their gadget stuff or is it just more eye candy without a purpose).
Andy Worth
Re:Real world #
Posted Monday 30th June 2008 08:46 GMT
Sean, as a couple of others have mentioned, if you want a good media server (free) for your PC, try TVersity. It does transcoding and I've not had any issues with it murdering the network.
For others, it also works much better for general browsing as it properly supports the standards for media servers (I cannot remember what it is called - I think it is DNLA) whereas Windows Media Player for example, does not. Personally I found that this caused WMP to crash itself when I was trying to browse files and access file properties (and thumbnails) through the PS3.
It may be that this Google tool offers some additional functionality but then I personally find that Youtube videos are such poor quality on a HDTV that I prefer to just watch them on my laptop. Besides which, I'll never install Google Desktop as long as I still have control of my limbs.
Simon Says
TVersity #
Posted Monday 30th June 2008 08:46 GMT
My preference for streaming from PC to PS3 is TVersity as it is free, regularly updated to keep up with PS3 firmware updates and it also does transcoding for the filetypes that the PS3 sticks its nose up at. On the face of it there doesn't seem to be anything particularly special about this Google version. Heck even Windows Media Player includes a DLNA server (albeit without transcoding).
Jiminy Krikett
@AC re: vista #
Posted Monday 30th June 2008 08:46 GMT

Why? Probably because world+dog that have a clue, don't run vista?
Anonymous Coward
provide the sauce please ! #
Posted Monday 30th June 2008 08:46 GMT
Sauce is good, open sauce should only be kept in the fridge for no more than 3 weeks, otherwise it goes rotten.
Anonymous Coward
Why? #
Posted Monday 30th June 2008 10:21 GMT
To agree with a few others, WHY???
I guess it's in keeping with the Google tradition of doing stuff that others already do but really, there's a browser on the PS3, you can watch YouTube on it. So unless this will be a integrated app with it's own indexing /playlists/faves type thing then I don't see the point. That I'd be reasonably pleased about, as the browser is a pain to use really.
Mike Dyne
Media Server #
Posted Monday 30th June 2008 10:21 GMT
I think I'll stick to Winamp Radio as my home media server!
FlatSpot
@Simon Says #
Posted Monday 30th June 2008 11:08 GMT
Regular updates for TVersity??? They have only just released their first update this year and its July (almost)!
RC1 - Which also has this beauty; "We are also including in this release a web surfing toolbar from our partner Ask.com"
That said, it is the best of a bad bunch.. though I've not installed RC1 yet :s
Junait Chakman
PS3 #
Posted Monday 30th June 2008 11:08 GMT
Am I missing something here? I have a PS3 and can go to You Tube and Google videos using it's own browser.
Why would you want to stream from your PC???
Andraž Levstik
@TimM #
Posted Monday 30th June 2008 12:42 GMT
Only if it's on you router/firewall :)
me I prefer ushare as my UPnP server of choice...
Anonymous Coward
Nero #
Posted Monday 30th June 2008 12:42 GMT

I personally prefer Nero Media Home server, I have tried all the other DLNA complient apps but nothing has beaten Nero yet.
It'll even copy my fully purchased Bluray rips from server to PS3.
Sometimes being a freetard just doesn't pay. Eh?!
John Robson
Ummm #
Posted Monday 30th June 2008 12:42 GMT
"Nowadays, all the stuff worth watching and listening to tends to be"...
Reruns, because no-one makes anything decent any more.
Our attention span is slowly being... umm, where was I ?
Mark
UP YOURS XBOX 360!!! #
Posted Monday 30th June 2008 13:06 GMT

PS3 forever!!
Now i can watch streaming gay porn on my PS3!!!
Alistair MacRae
WMP11 media sharing sucks #
Posted Monday 30th June 2008 13:34 GMT

It constantly messes up on my xbox360, the PS3 is actually more reliable using WMP11 than the MS Xbox360!!
The most annoying thing is I when i got my xbox years ago, i converted all my videos to WMV format so the xbox could play them, and it never seems to be able to find the PC
Then I get my PS3 does it perfectly, but no decent WMV support!
Simon Says
@Flatspot #
Posted Tuesday 1st July 2008 08:51 GMT
What I meant was that they tend to update pretty quickly if a PS3 firmware update changes the streaming behaviour and/or causes issues with TVersity. There haven't been many major PS3 firmware updates this year and most of them seem to have been just stability tweaks for particular titles.