[MW Forums]

Sony plans to launch an online video download service next year, according to reports in both the Financial Times and The Wall Street Journal newspapers. more

[CloverTAC]

Wow, big deal.
The Xbox 360 already has this through Xbox Live.
Sony's just a tapestry of desperation these days...

[Machound]

Do you think this will be as successful as Sony's ATRAC audio format?

[aestival]

The strength of Apple's iTunes store has always been that the music is portable and broadly accessible -- it can be recorded in non-proprietary formats starting with being burned to a CD. Any video service that doesn't permit burning to a DVD is completely worthless, because it will always be safer long term to start with the DVD and work backwards, and HD formats are not essential for non-videophiles. Very few people are looking to waste money on video purchases that are only as long-term as the service, because services come and go far faster than CD/DVD standards.

[MacGod]

Poor Sony. They always have this internal battle that limits the extent of what they can do. I'm sure that the Sony electronics branch that makes the PSP would like nothing more than to be able to release a piece of software that lets you automatically convert a DVD to a MemoryStick-stored movie file to play on the PSP. The PSP has a pretty decent screen and would make for a great portable movie device.
Alas, Sony also owns Sony Entertainment, who (like all the rest of the media cartel) want movies, music et al. to be as locked down as much as possible. The PSP is a decent device and I have no doubt sales would be boosted by a one-click iTunes-esque program that amounted to "Insert a DVD and plug in a Memory Stick and we'll do the rest". But that will never happen, because of the internal conflict inherent within Sony. Such a waste.

[Machound]

Sony has such phenomenal engineers, really second to none in several consumer electronics categories. I love my Sony HC3 high def camcorder and my P200 still camera. But all the engineering in the world cannot overcome stupidity at the top. Why on earth did Sony just decide to EOL their HC3 camcorder only two weeks before Christmas?... and with nothing to offer in its place!
Don't tell me the UX1 and SR1 are HC3 replacements because they're not. Those use the currently unplayable AVCHD format. SR1/UX1 video quality is inferior to HC3's in every review. The HC3 was only released 7 months ago. It's pure foolishness to stop making HC3 now, just at a time Sony has cornered the HD cam market. Like so many other Sony decisions over the years this one reeks of stupidity. Make something really great, then replace it with something else that's fatally crippled and which costs more. That's how you give your competitors the edge they couldn't possibly buy with unlimited advertising.
Where's Panasonic?

[Rugby]

Quote:

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Wow, big deal.
The Xbox 360 already has this through Xbox Live.
Sony's just a tapestry of desperation these days...

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ah yeah but you couldnt exactly say that the Xbox is very portable... /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
that said I think they, Sony, are a little late launching this service. PSP was too expensive at launch for what it is, if you want a portable music player its oversized, want to look at movies it is a little too expensive.... They should have had, at the launch more products: car LCD connection etc...