Play On

[Mendon]

Not sure if anyone has posted about this before so forgive me if it has......

 

One of the features of the Xbox360 that gets a lot of attention is the Netflix connection. But now there is a program that allows PS3 owners to not only use Netflix on their PS3's, but also Hulu, ESPN, CBS, Amazon VOD, and more! Its called Play On.

 

I discovered it the other day and decided to give the 14 day free trial a test drive. Was easy to download and install and my PS3 recognized the program the minute I started it on my computer. I entered my Amazon, Netflix, and Hulu usernames & passwords into the Play On interface and then went to the PS3 to see if the program worked.

 

I selected Netflix from the Play On menu and saw my Instant View Q was intact. Plus I could browse all the Instant View movies that were available and either watch them or add them to my Q.

 

I went to Hulu and the same thing. I saw my Q, could browse all of Hulu offerings, and either watch instantly or add more to my Q.

 

I went to ESPN and CBS and again could view any and all of their offerings.

 

It was quick, easy, and best of all, it WORKED!

 

 

Not everything is perfect as the Play On menus/interface are clumsy.... sort of like using the telephone to call a company and having to go thru 15 menus before you get to person/department you want to talk to. And a couple of times I've had to soft reboot the program on my computer before it communicates with Netflix and my PS3. But overall, the program works and works well and its nice to have all these new TV shows and movies available to me on my big screen TV.

 

You get a 14 day free trial of the program and if you like it, you pay a onetime fee of $39.99. I'm on Day 3 of using it and am almost certain I will purchase the program.

 

Plus, it works on the Xbox360 (I've tried it and it works just as good) and even the Wii (if you have the internet channel installed.. I haven't tried it on the Wii yet).

 

You can try it yourself by going To This Website

 

 

Mendon

[moycon]

I've used it. It's pretty cool, however it wont work on my wireless consoles (Neither the 360 or the PS3) Basically when you go to play something it just loses the connection to the PC. Might be some setting in my network, I also noticed my PCs CPU went to 100% when using it so mabey that has something to do with it. On my wired consoles I'd often have to click on the title to play a few times (especially for longer videos) before it would get going.

 

There was a thread abut PlayOn a while back maybe a year ago or so. It's been around for a bit..even before the Netflix. One of the biggest drawbacks is that you couldn't pause or fast forward/rewind movies or take up where you left off if you quit watching or got disconnected, also the picture quality is often pretty bad. Neat to play around with, but I couldn't see myself forking over the $39 to keep it.

[Mendon]

I've only tried it using wireless to both my PS3 and 360 and didn't have any trouble, other than a soft computer reboot that I spoke of. Not sure about CPU usage on the computer as I haven't looked.... but I will. I used my PS3 remote and was able to Fast Forward and Rewind using that.... maybe the latest version of Play On supports more features.

 

You are right about picture quality. I watched The Devils Own and the picture quality wasn't too great. It was very watchable but after viewing HD and Blu-ray, I really noticed the difference. But then I watched a couple of old TV shows and the picture quality didn't seem so bad on them.

 

As for cost, I don't think a one time $40 cost is too bad. I believe that you have to have a Gold Membership on XboxLive to use Netflix, and if this is so, then you are saving $10 by using Play On ... especially if you don't online game and have always had a Silver Membership. And Play On is more than just Netflix as it adds Hulu, CBS, ESPN, YouTube, and more. I guess it comes down to what each individual thinks something is worth.

 

There is supposedly another program, TVersity I think is the name, that is available and is free and I might check that one out also. But for now, while Play On isn't perfect by far, its nice to have a big catalog of movies and TV shows to choose from any night of the week... especially after Hulu dropped PS3 support a couple months ago.

 

 

Mendon

Edited August 30, 2009 by Mendon

[moycon]

I used my PS3 remote and was able to Fast Forward and Rewind using that.... maybe the latest version of Play On supports more features.

 

Ooo That is certainly a plus. There was nothing worse than losing you connection completely, and then when you went to restart whatever it was you were watching, it started back at the beginning with no way to get back to where you were except by re-watching! Very frustrating. If this feature is now available I might have to take a second look at PlayOn.