Playstation update April 6 -- Remote Play

It will be interesting to see what is going to happen during this update, and what kind of support it offers.

An excellent early-adopter use of PicoP will be gaming - where gamers can use a very large playing screen that they can fit in their pocket.

SONY is doing a lot that will improve the ecosystem for PicoP adoption -- good remote-play functionality for games is one of those things.


Design Trend
Remote Play (PC and Mac): With this update, we're expanding PS4’s Remote Play capabilities to work with PC and Mac giving you more freedom and flexibility to play your PS4. Remote Play is compatible with the following system software: Windows 8.1, Windows 10 or later, OS X 10.10, OS X 10.11. The following resolutions and framerate options are available, depending on your internet bandwidth: Resolution options: 360p, 540p, 720p, Default resolution--540p, Frame rate: Standard (30fps), High (60fps), Default frame rate--Standard (30fps).

PlayStation Blog

Remote Play (PC and Mac)

With this update, we’re expanding PS4’s Remote Play capabilities to work with PC and Mac giving you more freedom and flexibility to play your PS4.

Remote Play on Mac / PC is compatible with the following system software:
Windows 8.1
Windows 10 or later
OS X 10.10
OS X 10.11

You’ll be able to select from the following resolution and frame rate options, depending on your Internet bandwidth.
Resolution options: 360p, 540p, 720p
Default resolution – 540p
Frame rate : Standard (30fps), High (60fps)
Default frame rate – Standard (30fps)

You can use one DUALSHOCK 4 as the controller for Remote Play, which needs to be connected via a USB cable.

Download the Remote Play app to your PC or Mac here.

PlayStation Vue & Binge-on

Not available on Android -- yet. 

But this is a perfect companion for PicoP.... the ecosystem gets better and better.

C|Net

THE GOOD PlayStation Vue has most of the features and channels you get from your cable or satellite TV provider, without hidden fees or contracts. Its cloud DVR lets you record, pause and rewind live TV, and fast-forward through commercials on recorded shows. Local ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC channels are available in seven US cities, and on-demand in others. It works with PlayStation consoles and Amazon Fire TV, as well as iPhone, iPad and Chromecast, and can stream to up to five devices simultaneously. It has an innovative, show-centric interface and offers profiles for different family members.

THE BOTTOM LINE Sony's PlayStation Vue lets you ditch cable TV and still enjoy tons of live channels and DVR features, and you don't even need a PlayStation.


USA Today

The program, which offers free, lower-quality video streaming to T-Mobile subscribers, now features YouTube and Google Play Movies & TV.

When T-Mobile launched Binge On in late 2015, it offered unlimited streaming of Netflix, Hulu and other Internet entertainment providers without those views counting toward a subscriber's monthly data limits. But YouTube, the world's largest video streamer, was noticeably absent.

YouTube content, instead, contributed to the user's monthly data use, but it was still downgraded to lower quality playback.

YouTube parent Google lashed out at T-Mobile for what it said was throttling. Others, such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation, joined in on the debate, resurfacing a fight over net neutrality, or the concept that Internet service providers should treat all content equally.


The beef between T-Mobile and Google is over, for now.

PlayStation VUE Live OTT national Rollout

Interesting timing for this, and great stuff!

HDGuru

The market for over-the-top delivered live pay TV services continued to evolve over the weekend as Sony revealed that its IP-delivered PlayStation Vue multi-channel video service is now available nationally.

The news of the service, which will limit availability of local live TV channels in most of the new areas, comes just a few weeks after AT&T’s DirecTV revealed plans to expand its direct-to-home satellite TV service with a multi-tiered IP-delivered version targeting homes as well as mobile devices.

In addition to providing live cable TV channels and sports events, the PlayStation Vue service also allows users to record shows to a “cloud DVR” and watch multiple TVs around the house from one account.

Like the forthcoming DirecTV OTT service, PlayStation Vue is not targeting so-called cord-cutters – which is a term used to describe disgruntled cable and satellite TV subscribers looking to drop multi-channel pay-TV services for cheaper alternatives. Instead, they are offering more flexible and more robust OTT solutions for live TV viewable on TVs as well as mobile devices.


All of the services are offering customers greater flexibility of choices and new pricing options to traditional cable, satellite and telco TV services. The services also provide an easier path to obtaining live TV channels on mobile devices and PCs in addition to traditional TV sets.

Sony’s PlayStation Vue service, which will now expand from 7 to 203 TV designated market areas, will include bundled channel tiers either including or excluding local live TV stations, indicated as “full” or “slim.”

The PlayStation Vue slim packages start at $30 per month. In place of live local TV, they offer on-demand next-day access to Prime Time content from ABC, NBC and Fox. CBS programming is not included at launch, but is expected to be added in live and on-demand versions in select markets later.

Sony Forming new Interactive Entertainment division

Out of context this may seem like very unrelated news to MicroVision -- it seems to me however,  that with a significant connection between PlayStation and their video content (playstation tv) and the original connection between MPCL1 and PlayStation, that this is something that deserves some attention.

Source - Sony Computer Entertainment

Tokyo, Japan, and San Mateo, Calif., January 26, 2016 – Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. (SCE) and Sony Network Entertainment International LLC (SNEI) announced the formation of Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (SIE), a new company that joins the forces of all business units belonging to SCE and SNEI, including hardware, software, content and network services operations. SIE will be headquartered in San Mateo, California, the United States, while also establishing key global business operations in Tokyo and London, beginning Friday, April 1, 2016.

“By integrating the strengths of PlayStation’s hardware, software, content and network operations, SIE will become an even stronger entity, with a clear objective to further accelerate the growth of the PlayStation® business,” said Andrew House, President and Global CEO of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. and Group Executive in charge of Network Entertainment of Sony Corporation. “Along with our business partners, SIE will develop pioneering services and products that will continue to inspire consumers’ imaginations and lead the market. We will work hard to maximize corporate value by coordinating global business operations across San Mateo, Tokyo, and London by leveraging local expertise.”

Background and Purpose behind Establishment of SIE LLC

SCE, established in November 1993, first launched the original PlayStation® system in Japan in December 1994, bringing a completely new market of entertainment through gaming. Since then, SCE has continued to innovate and introduce unprecedented features with every generation, including the current PlayStation®4 system, and has revolutionized the world of computer entertainment. Furthermore, SCE has delivered compelling gaming experiences to users worldwide on each PlayStation platform through features that are available on the high-performance hardware developed by the company, and brought to life by the wide variety of highly acclaimed software titles from SCE Worldwide Studios and third party developers and publishers.

SNEI, established in April 2010, has been providing a robust portfolio of unparalleled network services through the premium entertainment service brand, PlayStation™Network (PSN℠). SNEI’s offerings include game-related services, such as PlayStation®Store, a premier destination for users to purchase digital games and other gaming content; PlayStation®Plus, a membership service that provides a wide array of exclusive gaming features and content; and PlayStation™Now, a streaming game service that allows users to enjoy a wide range of PlayStation®3 games on various network-enabled devices. Other innovative network services available on PSN include PlayStation™Vue, a pioneering cloud-based TV service that reinvents the television experience; PlayStation™Video, a video-on-demand and transactional service that enables users to enjoy an in-depth catalog of movies and TV shows; and PlayStation™Music, a music listening destination that offers Spotify’s best-in-class music experience.

Since its launch in November 2013, PlayStation 4 continues to demonstrate record-breaking global expansion and growth, while PSN, which began full scale operation in November 2006, continues to expand with new offerings reaching millions of users every day. At the same time, the market environments of hardware, software, content and network services are ever evolving, and it has become important for both SCE and SNEI to unify their business strengths under one entity with a single focus, ensuring PlayStation continues to offer ground-breaking entertainment experiences to consumers around the world.

Through the formation of SIE, the companies combine resources across their hardware, software, content and fast-growing network businesses, positioning the company for enhanced competitiveness, continued expansion and market leadership in all areas. SIE will better respond to the needs of consumers and the evolving digital market to deliver unparalleled interactive entertainment experiences under the PlayStation brand.
Corporate Strategy and Financial Target

Key corporate strategies of SIE are: retain and expand PlayStation user engagement, increase Average Revenue Per Paying Users (ARPPU) and drive ancillary revenue. SIE will vigorously expand the PlayStation business by delivering an integrated experience built around best-in-class games and network services to consumers worldwide.

PlayStation Video Update - Download for offline viewing

One of the things I've been looking for to make the environment for PicoP most accommodating is a way to download desired content to the mobile device for playing later.

Streaming is not always convenient, efficient or possible. I've been eager to see that means of retaining some content on the mobile device is both possible and easy.

Looks like now we have that too.

Xperia Blog

A New PlayStation Initiative -- February 13 - Updated

Playstation upgrade.....

As portable gaming is one of the places we think PicoP could get a running start, this event has great potential. (It's something to watch... we have NO IDEA if PicoP will be featured, but the odds keep getting better.)

A possible PS Vita, and remember, their mobile TV & content they call PlayStation TV

Some of the snippets from the articles...

"...The event will take place on February 13, 2015 at Gotham Hall in New York at 3PM local time. According to the details in the email, there is a age restriction on attendees, he/she must be over 18 to attend the event, they will get to play some unreleased games and many more things..."

"...What this initiative could be is unclear, but with rumors swirling about a PS4 slim and a PS Vita successor, this could be a big deal indeed...."

PlayStation is also going to be SONY's CONTENT Hub.

@GAMESPOT

"Sony has elevated the PlayStation Network as the catch-all brand for its entertainment going forward, from movies to music, TV, and games."

"PlayStation Network's suite of services going forward are:

• PlayStation Store: the online merchant for games on PS3, PS4, and PlayStation Vita.
• PlayStation Plus: the membership subscription service that offers discounts, free games, and online multiplayer.
• PlayStation Video: the buy-or-rent service replacing Video Unlimited, offering some 200,000 movies and TV shows across PlayStation platforms, Sony devices, and PCs
• PlayStation Music: the Spotify-powered music streaming service coming this spring.
• PlayStation Now: The game streaming service that brings legacy PlayStation games to consoles and Sony devices, and select Samsung Smart TVs.
• PlayStation Vue: the new, cloud-based TV service for PS4 and PS3 owners, combining live TV with select network partners with on-demand and catch-up TV content. (This service is expected to launch in the first quarter of 2015)."

...more to follow as we hear

Keep track of this and other events we find on the Event Page -- if you are aware of events related or possibly related to Microvision, please let us know.

@Hardcore Gamer
@Segment   Next
@Gamepur
PlayStation Facebook Events Page

SONY, DISH & OTT (Over the Top TV Streaming)

From Rapid TV News

Will big moves from Sony, DISH change the OTT narrative?

Details

Michelle Clancy

| 11 January 2015

Over-the-top (OTT) TV streaming has become the Next Big Thing of late, with late-2014 announcements by HBO and CBS regarding standalone services making headlines in the cable world. But OTT could be a much more disruptive force than it has been to date.

Indeed both DISH Network and Sony made it clear during CES 2015 that, unveiling packages that threaten to underpin a movement to a la carte TV.

To date, OTT has been seen as largely complementary to existing cable subscriptions, with cord-cutting occurring at low levels at best. Mostly, this is related to the fact that plum content, like sports and a wide selection of content from beloved cable nets, has been largely kept out of the OTT picture. And even outside of this reality, for a cord-cutter to create their own streaming TV portfolio that contains any sort of content diversity, the price of putting together several OTT offerings often approaches that of a traditional cable subscription—with none of the convenience of traditional pay-TV.

US satellite powerhouse DISH has thrown a bomb into all of this with the announcement of its Sling TV OTT Internet TV service, which will price at $20 per month. The package includes content from ESPN, ESPN2, Disney Channel, ABC Family, HGTV, TNT, Food Network, Travel Channel, CNN, TBS, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim and short-form videos produced by Maker Studios.

Sling TV will require no commitment, contract, credit check or hardware installation. Users can sign up by the month and access content online and via Amazon Fire TV, Google's Nexus Player, some Samsung and LG smart TVs, Roku, Xbox One, and iOS and Android apps.

At launch, Sling TV will offer the core programming package and two optional add-on packs for $5 per month—making for a step closer to true à la carte TV, where consumers pay for what they actually watch. And that's a game-changer.

Sling TV expects to expand its programming add-on packs throughout 2015 but for now, the packs are for kids' content and news.

Meanwhile, in an announcement event at CES 2015, Sony president and CEO Kaz Hirai revealed more details about the PlayStation Vue service, set to debut in the first quarter of 2015. Playstation Vue will offer a wider bouquet of cable channels, plus broadcast fare from CBS, NBC and FOX. Analysts expect it to price out at $60-$80, suggesting that live sports will be a key piece of the proposition.

The service will stream only via a PlayStation 3 or 4 at first. But eventually it'll migrate to iPads and other non-Sony devices.  (And perhaps some NEW device for viewing media?)

.... More at the source

Read more: Will big moves from Sony, DISH change the OTT narrative? | Major Businesses | Business http://www.rapidtvnews.com/2015011136725/will-big-moves-from-sony-dish-change-the-ott-narrative.html#ixzz3OXfHIK7e

Sony PlayStation Experience - Saturday - Updated

Yes, those of us waiting for Microvision announcements or big news have been disappointed a number of times. 

Disappointment only happens when you're really sure something is going to happen however. If we knew that PicoP couldn't be done, we wouldn't pay any attention or feel any disappointment. I'm never disappointed when I wake up to discover that I can't fly.

I'll call the odds for the coming weekend excellent. (Note the use of the word "odds" we have no guarantees!)

Sorry if you're reading this and want to have it beautifully arranged. No time for that today.

WATCH IT LIVE HERE


The Quick Summary:

The PlayStation Experience event is this weekend.
& We can expect a surprise
From GameSpot  

Sony has a number of surprises to reveal at the show, including potentially an Overwatch-style surprise announcement.

Overwatch was Blizzard's big, surprise announcement at BlizzCon last month. It was notable because A) No one saw it coming and B) It was Blizzard's first new franchise in 17 years. Monacelli isn't so much promising a reveal of that caliber for PlayStation Experience, per se, only that he thinks what Sony does show might catch you off-guard just as Overwatch did.

Four things required to make a good mobile content delivery business: Content, Delivery Pipeline, Viewing platform & a market willing to pay for it.

• SONY has been working very hard on CONTENT for MOBILE devices (and announcing it.)
• They call it "PlayStation TV"
• PlayStation TV is grouped with the PlayStation VITA -- their portable gaming device.
• We are expecting a multi-year commercial agreement with SONY

CONTENT & Delivery

Seismic changes for Pay TV   <-- this is must reading from SONY

Content Partners

Cloud Based PlayStation Vue (live and on-demand TV without cable or satellite)

Don't forget that SONY has an enormous amount of content that it owns, creates and distributes.

"The company says the invite-only beta version of the streaming service will first be available on PS4 and PS3 in November, before rolling out to iPad, and later other "Sony and non-Sony devices." --- so it's being used somewhere NOW.

The content-purchasing and management system is already set up with the PlayStation Store. The PlayStation Store -- lots of Content -- including movies playing in theaters NOW.


Viewing Platform

PlayStation Vita TV

They have chosen the PlayStation Vue for the name of their television. Why?

If it were simply all for mobile devices, wouldn't a better, more inclusive name be more appropriate? 

Gamers are notorious early adopters. If you want a bunch of customers to show off the new laser projector -- gamers are your crowd.

Gamers = early adopters

"A quick search of early adopters’ online search histories reveals the “general” gaming keywords noted above in addition to keywords that indicate a heightened interest in new and developing technologies, such as 3D printing, Apple iWatch, Google Glass, Lytro camera, and iPhone 5S."

Willing Audience
Check out the Microvision Twitter Feed it is nearly all about the consumption of mobile media, and how the consumption of mobile media is growing rapidly.

So, where do you put a new technology, when you want it rapidly adopted and generating a lot of buzz?

Additional clues? Sony expects its devices division (which also houses its image sensor business) and we would expect houses it's PicoP division -- to increase sales by 70%!

There's more that I don't have time to compile at the moment. I think the chances are good this weekend.

Peter Jungmann