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 creates "Viable Cable Killer"

This could turn out to be really big. It's different, and it could be an excellent part of the PicoP ecosystem.

SONY JUST TURNED ITS PLAYSTATION VUE STREAMING SERVICE INTO A VIABLE CABLE KILLER

From PopularScience


From TechCrunch


Today at Sony’s E3 2015 press conference the company announced that it will unbundle its Vue streaming channels and offer the stations a la carte. In doing so, Sony becomes the first provider to offer (at least some) TV stations to the American consumer without bundles.

Details are still a bit fuzzy but it seems clear-cut. Subscribers will be able to choose which stations they want in their lineup although at first the selection is very limited.

Sony Computer Entertainment President and Global CEO Andrew House took the stage and described Playstation Vue as more than a streaming service. “It’s a complete live TV experience,” he said, “designed for the gamer, making it simpler and easier to find the television they want.”

House stated that service will be available in July and Sony is rolling the PlayStation Vue to San Francisco and Los Angeles tonight.

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

Sony PlayStation TV

From the Financial Times

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/e60b8d4a-773d-11e4-a082-00144feabdc0.html#ixzz3Kg6kzxku

PlayStation will receive a promotional boost from a two-day event in Las Vegas this weekend marking 20 years since Sony’s games console first went on sale. 

This month will also see Sony begin small-scale testing of its new cloud-based television service, PlayStation Vue, which will eventually work with 35m PS3 and PS4 consoles in the US.

Sony has signed up American content partners including CBS, Fox, NBCUniversal and Viacom but is still in talks with holdouts including Time Warner and Walt Disney. 

Mr Layden said that convincing traditional media companies to participate in what he described as a radical departure from previous internet TV efforts was a “long road”. 

NOTE THE USE OF THE PAST TENSE

“There is no one of meaning that we are not talking to. Those conversations continue apace,” he said. “We know the cornerstone for live TV is news and sports, so we have to have the full complement of those channels.” 

PlayStation Vue promises a personalised content selection and a new interface unlike any current US cable TV service. “No one has done what we are trying to do,” Mr Layden said.

For more about Sony Changing TV format, refer to their IR presentation (my summary here.)