Archive for November 4th, 2005
Getting your music and video files from your PC to your PSP has not been an easy process, but that is all about to change with the launch of PSP Media Manager.
The PSP Media Manager allows users to take full advantage of the PSP’s ability to display various types of multimedia content by leveraging its capabilities as a portable music device, digital photo album, and movie viewer. With PSP Media Manager software, users can transfer videos, music, and still images, all via a USB-cable connecting their PSP system to a personal computer. A download-only version is immediately available for US $19.95 at www.sony.com/mediasoftware.
The boxed version, which will include a 6-foot USB 2.0 cable, sample media, and five free song downloads from the CONNECT music store (www.connect.com), will be available online at www.sony.com/mediasoftware or www.sonystyle.com on December 1st with an MSRP of US $29.95.
The PSP Media Manager software provides quick navigation and thumbnail previews to easily identify photos and videos to move from the PC to PSP system, and even lets users select among different quality settings (bit rates) for the transferred media. The PSP Media Manager application supports most popular video and audio formats, and also makes it simple to locate and subscribe to a variety of RSS feeds including podcasts, video blogs, and PSP- formatted magazines for automatic downloading to the PSP system. The software also provides a one-click option that lets users back up game saves, images, videos, and music files from the PSP system to their PC.
“With more then two million PSP systems sold in North America as of September 2005, the PSP system has established itself as the preeminent device for mobile entertainment and gaming. Now, with the release of the new PSP Media Manager software, we’re providing Sony technology that lets users easily optimize and transfer their content from the PC to their PSP system using a familiar drag-and-drop interface,” said Dave Chaimson, vice president of marketing, Sony Media Software. “Whether your source is 16:9 high definition video footage, a collection of photos from your latest vacation, or a PSP formatted publication, this new technology lets you view and share it anywhere you and your PSP system go.”
“Since its inception, the PSP system has quickly become the device of choice for portable entertainment. Whether it’s games, music, movies photos or Internet access, no other portable media device provides as much functionality and entertainment as the PSP system,” said John Koller, senior product manager, Sony Computer Entertainment America. “PSP Media Manager software enables consumers to easily manage and move their favorite media from their PC to their PSP. The PSP system, coupled with the new PSP Media Manager software, provides a complete solution for truly enjoying the PSP system’s portable entertainment capabilities.”
PSP Media Manager Features
General
Extensive video, audio, and image support
Easy drag-and-drop transfer to PSP
Photo and video thumbnail preview
Background processing
Video
Video support for .mp4, .avi, .mpg, .mov, .wmv, and more
High quality, Sony AVC (H.264) video encoding
Customizable target encoding settings
Music
Automatic album name folder creation
Audio support for .mp3, .wav, .wma, and other formats
Gracenote CD album identification
Customizable bitrate options for encoding and playback
Images
Automatic photo album name folder creation
One-click transfer of entire PSP-formatted magazines
Image support for .bmp, .jpg, .gif, .png, .tif, and others
Feeds
Built-in directory of popular RSS feeds including ACIDplanet.com podcasts
One-click refresh to get the latest podcast episodes on the PSP
Feed subscription, import, and export
Game Saves
Back up game saves on your computer or PSP
Move game saves between Memory Stick Duo media
November 4th, 2005
Electronic Arts has won the rights to produce a range of Simpsons games on next generation consoles.
“This is a great opportunity for our talented development team to collaborate with the brilliant minds of The Simpsons to bring original Simpsons material to videogame fans,” said Nick Earl, Vice President and General Manager, EA Redwood Shores Studio.
“This is something EA’s been interested in for years and now game development and technology is at a place where The Simpsons characters and world will really come alive in these games.”
“The Simpsons is our crown jewel and with every additional episode is creating a legacy of creativity and success unmatched in this industry,” commented Twentieth Century Fox President Gary Newman. “Its huge appeal among teens and young adults coupled with its seemingly limitless universe of memorable characters makes it a natural fit for videogaming, and we believe Electronic Arts is exactly the right creative partner to bring Springfield to life in this medium.”
‘Simpsons’ Executive Producer James L. Brooks, speaking on behalf of Gracie Films, stated, “I think this is a great opportunity for us, primarily because it brings with it the possibility of free EA games.”
Now that’s a sentiment we’re familiar with, but alas, have little experience of.
November 4th, 2005
SageTV today released SageTV Media Center Version 4.0 for Windows, an upgrade to its Media Center software suite that adds the ability to watch or record HDTV programs and stream them anywhere in the home.
The new edition also enhances the rich feature set built into earlier versions by providing an integrated electronic program guides for Canada and Europe, expanded support for music file types and playlists, and a new configuration wizard that simplifies the process of turning Windows PCs into complete PVR/media centers.
Version 4.0 also includes the long-awaited SageTV Studio Software Development Kit, allowing complete customization of the SageTV user interface and seamless integration of new applications and online content such as RSS newsreaders, interactive weather maps and IMDB browsers into the SageTV Media Center software by users, developers and OEMs. The SageTV Studio SDK personal license comes free with every registered version of SageTV 4.0.
With the addition of HDTV recording and programming guide support, SageTV Media Center now enables Windows users to record a single show or whole season of their favorite standard and/or high-definition television programs on PCs equipped with the appropriate tuner cards. Users can also pause, rewind and fast-forward live or recorded cable, satellite or antenna TV shows, and record multiple shows simultaneously because of the application’s multiple tuner support. HD and standard definition programs can also be streamed to any PC on the network using SageTV Client, and to any TV in the house with the SageTV Media Extender scheduled for release by the end of the year.
For end users, the software eliminates the need to buy a new Windows XP MCE PC or Windows XP MCE operating system to record HDTV programs and obtain other PVR/media center capabilities. For OEMs, the application makes it possible to build leading multi-stream standard and high-definition PVR products that also provide access to all music, photo and movies on the network from a single interface on Windows PCs or Linux PCs and embedded set-tops.
Other new features in Version 4.0 include:
Support for integrated Canadian and European electronic program guides, improving usability for Canadian and European users. All guides provide up to 14 days of television listings directly from the SageTV interface, eliminating the need to switch to a separate online application to plan one’s TV viewing and recording.
Expanded support for music file types and playlists, enabling users to import playlists they have created in any PC music application utilizing ASF, WMA or WMV file formats as well as the MP3 format supported in earlier editions.
Integrated weather reports, now available from the SageTV interface at the user’s option.
New configuration wizard, enabling easier setup of all SageTV Media Center features ranging from music and photo locations to video playback checks and channel tuning including a HDTV signal strength indicator. Clear and simple wizard prompts allow users to choose setup options and media preferences in minutes.
Support for additional tuner cards and other hardware, enabling the application to support most major tuner cards in North America, Europe and Asia.
The SageTV Media Center software and Studio SDK is also available in a Linux OEM edition that enables OEMs to create powerful, reliable, custom-branded consumer electronics appliances including media centers, media extenders, NAS media servers with TV recording, and IPTV and broadband video on demand products at breakthrough feature/price points on x86 as well as embedded hardware.
SageTV Media Center Version 4.0 for Windows is available immediately at www.sagetv.com. SageTV, the core PVR/Media Center application, costs $79.95. SageTV Client, an add-on that allows both live and recorded content to be streamed to other networked PCs, costs $29.95. Minimum system requirements for recording HD include a 3 Ghz processor or a lower cost processor in combination with a video card and decoder that support DXVA; Windows 98SE through Windows XP including XP MCE; 256Mb of RAM; and 60GB of available hard drive space to store recorded content.
November 4th, 2005
Optima Technology Solutions, a leading Australian computer manufacturer, has launched a new compact Media Centre PC designed for the lounge room that supports high-definition TV and electronic program guides.
The Optima Entertainment Media Centre is an all-in-one digital entertainment system that allows users to enjoy DVDs, television, music and digital photos through the use of a single remote control. Preinstalled with the latest Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 featuring Update Rollup 2, the system supports a range of new capabilities not available in original Media Centre PCs, including high-definition TV and video, and the Media Center Extender functionality of Xbox 360.
“Sized and shaped much like a traditional DVD player and sold to customers without a monitor, the Optima Entertainment Media Centre is more of a consumer electronic product than a standard PC – a central digital hub that’s perfect for the lounge room rather than the study,” said David Choi, Retail Product Manager, Optima. “By hitting a sub-$2,000 price point with this product we are delivering a unique value proposition to the local market, making Windows Media Center technology more affordable and accessible to Australian consumers.”
Unlike earlier Media Centre models, the Optima Entertainment Media Centre supports an optional built-in electronic program guide (EPG) – an application that provides users with an on-screen listing of all programming and content available to them on free-to-view television.
“Delivering leading-edge technology to our customers, we have bundled our new Entertainment Media Centre with a free 30-day trial of the IceGuide EPG, giving them the opportunity to experience first-hand the benefits of an EPG to the overall digital TV experience,” said Choi. “Using the IceGuide service, viewers can easily see what shows are scheduled for the coming week and select the TV broadcasts that they want to record - all at the touch of a button. Recorded shows can be played back from the hard drive, or burned to DVD for archiving or future viewing.”
An Intel Pentium D dual-core processor gives the Optima Entertainment Media Centre enough power to handle different tasks simultaneously, including video editing, downloading music and playing games. The processor is complemented by an Intel 945G chipset, which delivers outstanding system performance through a range of high-bandwidth interfaces such as dual-channel DDR2 memory and up to 1066MHz system bus. These advanced features help deliver exceptional performance for digital content creation and multimedia entertainment.
The Optima Entertainment Media Centre features a range of front and rear connections, including Firewire and SPDIF audio in/out, for working with a range of multimedia devices, monitors and displays. It is a versatile unit that can be fully customised to meet customer requirements.
“Making the most of an advanced cooling module, the new hub is also ultra quiet. In terms of both look and performance, it has been designed for lounge room use,” Choi said.
The Optima Entertainment Media Centre (RRP: A$1,999 inc GST) also includes a dual layer DVD+/- RW burner, integrated 10/100/1000 LAN, 7.1-channel high definition audio, wireless keyboard with built-in track ball mouse and a remote control. It comes with a three-year onsite warranty and is available now from Optima and its value-added resellers and retailers located throughout Australia.
November 4th, 2005