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View Full Version : Media streaming from PC... PS3 vs. 360


frosty
07-01-2007, 07:09 PM
Which is better? I do not have a 360, so I haven't been able to play with it's abilities. However, based on what I've heard PS3 seems to have the edge for the following reasons...

1. 360 can only stream media from a Windows machine.

2. PS3 uses DLNA for it's streaming, giving you a choice of a number of programs on the PC to do this with. IIRC 360 doesn't give you this freedom.

3. The ability to transcode unsupported formats on the fly to a format PS3 can play. This feature can be updated in the future as well, because it depends on the software being used to stream the media.

4. Direct integration into the XMB. Normally this wouldn't matter much, but the XMB makes it so damn easy to navigate and copy your media that I had to throw that in there.

5. Being that it is DLNA compliant, it is compatible with devices other than PC's as well that conform to that standard. So, in the future you could see network enabled ipods or PDA's that can stream media directly to your PS3. 360's method doesn't have this flexibility due to it not being standardized.

Now, it isn't perfect. It has it's flaws.

1. Streaming of certain formats with certain programs could be better. Tversity seems to do perfect for me, however I've heard complaints about it from other users. They will then say their program (which sucked for me) works better for them.

2. Some programs support more media types than others, so you have to poke around a bit to find the right one.

3. It can be a bit difficult to set up on your PC depending on the software you are using. Though Tversity was a breeze, I've heard WMP11 can be a real pain in the ass.

4. Some programs do a bad job of transcoding the video. Tversity was perfect, but I've been told Nero converts videos to Mpeg-1 (yuck) before streaming. That sucks. In time, as more software and updates come out, that should change, but for now I hate it for the people who got the Nero setup.


Your thoughts?

woundingchaney
07-01-2007, 07:38 PM
I know many devices are recognized through the 360 outside of the pc, as far as a list Im unsure honestly. In the end is kind of an options verse usability and Im not sure which I would give the nod to. DLNA verse an inherent OS support is going to be done on a opinion basis. If anything the 360 does have a plug and play advantage with about 98% of the userbase. XMB interface is also a matter of opinion it handled through the 360 dash and in a limited sense is available during game play.


I really cant see it being an issue either way for most users only the complete anal retentive ones. I could definitely see the more tech savvy of us giving the nod to the PS3, although Im not big for media streaming to consoles as I spend considerably more time at my pc than my tv. And even there most my time is spent on hardware tweaking apps. and reading than on media specifically.