New TiVoToGo automates PSP support; low-res still
by Christopher Grant 
{ Jun 23rd 2006 at 2:55PM }
TiVo has updated their TiVo Desktop software to make automatic transfers to your various portable devices (like an iPod or PSP) automatic, just like a Season Pass. The show records, notes that it's supposed to be on your PSP, automatically gets passed off to your computer to do the transcoding and voilå! Plug in your PSP, dump the latest episode of The Daily Show, and you're good to go. While the tech is certainly pretty cool (and easy), there are several notable shortcomings:
- For starters, this isn't free. TiVo owners will need to pony up $24.95 to cover software development and pricey codec-licensing. Yuck!
- Also, the videos will not playback at the PSP's native (delicious) 480x272 resolution. Not a problem for most shows, since they'll be 4:3 anyhow, but it's interesting to note that this isn't due to the frustrating resolution-cap of the PSP's video player. Rather, it's due to considerations made by TiVo to placate content owners. In a brief interview with our good buddies at Engadget last night, TiVo VP Jim Denney said, "TiVo feels by limiting transcoded files to a low resolution of 320 x 240, they further protect the rights of content owners while providing appropriately sized video for portable devices." Well, I guess it wouldn't have worked anyways. Pffft.
- This is Windows-only for now, folks. TiVo's been promising a Mac-client for TiVoToGo for some time now, and this latest iteration is no different. Denney reiterated that they are currently working on it, so that tune hasn't changed. Indeed, all Mac owners should know it by heart.
[Thanks, WebPimp]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Jay @ Jun 23rd 2006 3:03PM
that sounds terrible compared to the EyeTV2 software on a mac. It comes with the DVB-T receiver and offers PSP export options (as well as the obligatory iPod) without some silly extra fee. ho hum.
Sean @ Jun 23rd 2006 3:20PM
"Since the PS3 is expected to be a PVRing, PSPing, all-in-one entertainment device, should we expect similar functionality (at full-res even) from it sans PC"
Did the PS3 get a tv tuner when I wasn't looking? The PS3 doesn't have *any* video inputs.. I don't see how it's going to be PVRing anything.
The New Revelation @ Jun 23rd 2006 3:44PM
I don't think the resolution downgrade is much of an issue at all. We're getting 240 lines of vertical resolution as opposed to 272. That's not much of an issue.
C. Grant @ Jun 23rd 2006 3:51PM
Yeah, not out of the box. You don't need a tuner for PVR functionality, however. While Sony has been mum, there's been plenty of scuttlebutt. Anon. Sony rep at Ars a couple months ago:
"DVR functionality is going to be a big push for this thing. We don't know exactly how the video is going to get into the system, but it's a top priority for Sony," the source said. Furthermore, they said that "high def movie and TV episode downloads over the online service are a definite, kind of like the iTunes Music Store."
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060203-6110.html
GSI @ Jun 23rd 2006 4:10PM
...and the PSP takes yet another step back from being a gaming device. Seriously they should just be honest and admit that they screwed up with wanting to bring portable gaming "out of the portable gaming ghetto."
required name @ Jun 23rd 2006 4:28PM
GSI,
Pull your head out of the sand. The PSP has a lot of great games. See http://psp.ign.com/index/reviews.html?constraint.not_null.article.overall_rating=is_true&ordering.order=desc&ordering.attribute=article.review_date&constraint.max_rows=40&sort.attribute=article.overall_rating&sort.order=desc
just for fun, note how many fall below a 6 in contrast to the ghetto junk the DS offers:
http://ds.ign.com/index/reviews.html?constraint.not_null.article.overall_rating=is_true&ordering.order=desc&ordering.attribute=article.review_date&constraint.max_rows=40&sort.attribute=article.overall_rating&sort.order=desc
Jay @ Jun 23rd 2006 4:45PM
That's funny mr. too cool for a name ("required name"). I own both a DS fat and a PSP. I've tried frantically hard to get into the PSP I've spent way too much money on 10 of the so called "must have games" and found the bigger consoles to provide better versions. Xbox GTA walks all over PSP GTA where Mario Kart DS walks all over GC or any other Mario Kart game.
But I've given up. I'm flogging my whole PSP setup on eBay desperately trying at least a fraction of what I originally paid. Try and defend all you like. The PSP is a bad system. The sales figures, Sony dropping UMD films, people saying that "it's a multimedia device"... It's falling.
GSI @ Jun 23rd 2006 5:04PM
@ 'required name':
How about instead of making youself look like a complete fool and make assumptions you maybe think for a minute. Just b/c someone criticizes the PSP doesn't mean they don't own one.
I have a newsflash for you...I own one...I bought it the week it came out. I also have another news flash for you...all game reviews are OPINIONS and not the end all-be-all decision for me. Sure I may read the reviews but I don't make a decision until I can try out the game (hence why I use Gamerang...a service identical to GameFly.)
If I would have known that a lot of the PSP games were just direct ports of PS2 games (or near direct ports) before I bought the system then I wouldn't have bought it. I'm sorry but spending $250+ for a system to play $30-40 games that can be done on its cheaper bigger brother (PS2) AND have more and better games doesn't make sense. I would LOVE to wait until FF:CC comes out but as it stands, my PSP is collecting dust and I'm seriously thinking about selling it and using the cash for credit toward a PS3, the Wii or more X360 games (when they come out.)
epobirs @ Jun 23rd 2006 5:28PM
It is certainly possible to have full 480x272 video playback from Memory Stick. Some of Sony's own downloadable demos do it.
#3
If you cannot tell the difference you need to watch a good UMD and the same movie ripped from DVD and transcoded for the best available res on the PSP. You'll find that the ripped video file is markedly inferior.
480x272 = 130560 pixels
320x240 = 76800
A considerable difference in picture quality.
emmzee @ Jun 23rd 2006 7:21PM
Not owning a PSP, I haven't been able to try this, but I came across this free program called MediaCoder that's supposed to convert media files into tons of diff formats, including PSP. Might be worth a shot if you're lookin for a free way to convert your movies to PSP format:
http://mediacoder.sourceforge.net/
Battousai8728 @ Jun 23rd 2006 8:08PM
XD @ 'required name' using IGN as a source. Dude, atleast use a source that reviews ALL games. It struck me funny when I saw that IGN had a lot less games on both lists.
I then went on gamerankings.com and put a search with this criteria:
Platform: DS
Best to worst
100 results
There are exactly 46 games on the DS that have a 70% or higher (which means 7/10 or above).
Same criteria for PSP
Platform: PSP
Best to worst
100 results
While the PSP has 58 games going 7 or higher, none of them break 90%. That's quite odd, no? A large range of them fall in the mid 70s to 80s.
Here's its top candidate
1. Lumines PSP Ubisoft 76 7.8 89.9%
Another thing, a lot of these games can be had on the console in better, fuller forms. GTA Liberty Stories for one, Lumines for another. Why don't you give up the ghost and realize the PSP isn't really meant for gaming, rather it's meant for being a technological swiss army knife.
bobeotm @ Jun 23rd 2006 8:50PM
@Battousai8728
Since when has lumines been a port? The first title was on the PSP and sequels to it are planned on other platforms, including the psp. Where does this "better fuller forms" comes in when the game was designed for the PSP originally? Even your other example GTA:LCS, was a game specifically designed for the psp, with its own engine, and its own story. The port was the PS2 version. Of course if they make another Lumines game now its should be a better fuller game, if not why bother making a sequel in the first place?
The problem with alot of sites that review psp games is that they compare them to Console games, even when their isnt a console counterpart to compare it to. If that would done to ds games, they would suffer tremendously. If you compared a ds ridge racer to a PS2 version of ridge racer, it will always come up short. So Its a bit unfair to rate PSP games against console games just because the graphics are closer to the consoles. Rarely are PSP titles rated on their own merits without being compared to some console title. I read a Daxter review recently that constantly mentions Jak and Daxter, and although the game is highly rated, people don't hold it psp games to a handheld gaming standard, but to a console standard.
The truth is, there are alot of nice games to play, if there werent, I would have stopped playing a loooong time ago. The DS is nice, but the games dont appeal that much to me, and i find the controls for most games distracting.
Fan @ Jun 23rd 2006 11:01PM
@ required name
Just forget it. Saying anything positive about Playstation around here will get you flamed to hell. We must all fall in line and hate Playstation because all Playstation games suck and anything non Playstation is so much better. Even the Gizmondo is so much better than Playstation.
And dont even think about naming games like Loco Roco because it does not exsist. If its on the Playstation it either sux or it does not exsist because there are no good games on the Playstation. Its a UMD/DVD player and not a games console, it cant do both because it sux.
David @ Jun 24th 2006 1:18AM
Battousai8728 so you are practically saying that there are 12 MORE games, with a rating of 7 or more, than the DS. If that is correct then I don't see how you can say that the system is not meant for gaming. It's a pretty good score considering that it came later than the DS.
I believe both are great systems. The DS had an ultra low start and now developers are putting great games on it (not exactly groundbreaking games impossible to do on another system but great games nonetheless). The PSP is starting to pick up steam now and it should really bloom when developers realize they have to stop doing ports for the system. Granted the DS has maybe the same amount of ports as the PSP but since the DS are so inferior to the consoles versions maybe we don't even notice them. I really hope developers start doing some new stuff for the psp thats really designed with gaming on the go in mind. Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to make the psp with only one analog stick as this will maybe force developers to forget straight ports altogether someday.
The future looks bright for both systems and I'm looking forward to see what they will offer.On another note I can't wait for Loco Roco, MGS Portable OPS and Valkarie Profile for the psp.
GSI @ Jun 24th 2006 2:18PM
(IMO) There is one flaw in that argument David. With the DS they put in the ability to play games using a touch screen (something that has never been the main focus of a gaming device...PDAs don't count.) That was why it took developers a little while to get the hang of it and to think of new gameplay ideas.
With the PSP however, it was just a scaled down PS2 so there really shouldn't have been an excuse as to why they couldn't have had more 100% games for the system. One of the major flaws developers had to deal with was the battery life...and it IS a problem so don't give me the "4 hours of battery life on a PORTABLE is enough." Developers have to find ways to better utilize the battery life which takes resources away from other areas of development.
Agent X @ Jun 24th 2006 5:16PM
GSI said, "...and the PSP takes yet another step back from being a gaming device."
How do you figure? How does transporting TiVo video onto a PSP diminish the system's ability to play games?
Answer: It doesn't.
Also, we once again see how any good news for PSP evokes the usual anti-PSP trolls with their bitter, envious remarks. It's apparent that the PSP is the focal point of their lives, seeing how they spend so much of their time here obsessing over it.
GSI @ Jun 25th 2006 3:52AM
Perhaps you can't read 'Agent X' (see comment #8) but I previously stated that I HAVE OWNED A PSP SINCE THE WEEK IT WAS LAUNCHED(!!!)
...and (IMO...that means "In my opinion" in case you don't know) I think this is yet another step back for the PSP. Why? B/c so far the things I keep hearing about the PSP for 'new features' (whether it be firmware upgrades or things like this) have NOTHING to do with games.
So tell me again why if someone criticizes the PSP (ESPECIALLY if they OWN THE DAMN THING) why that makes them a troll? What is wrong with being bitter about spending $250 for a system that has (most) of the more notable titles being PS2 ports (there are exceptions obviously.)
Agent X @ Jun 25th 2006 10:32AM
GSI said, "...and (IMO...that means "In my opinion" in case you don't know) I think this is yet another step back for the PSP. Why? B/c so far the things I keep hearing about the PSP for 'new features' (whether it be firmware upgrades or things like this) have NOTHING to do with games."
How is it a "step back"? Yes, this has nothing to do with games...so what? This is IN NO WAY a detriment to the system's ability to play games. It isn't some magical black hole that causes existing PSP games to permanently vanish out of stores or out of your personal collection.
Another thing is that this isn't even really a "new feature" at all, just a THIRD PARTY (TiVo) leveraging an ALREADY EXISTING function of the PSP (video playback) to come up with a solution that benefits people who happen to own both devices. That's all it is. This type of "news" is no different than finding out that some THIRD PARTY has created a new carrying case for a handheld, or some THIRD PARTY is distributing a Web browser on a cartridge. It changes absolutely NOTHING for better or worse regarding gaming functionality, yet you insist on using warped logic to make a fuss over it.
There are plenty of new games and game-related features (such as persistent downloadable demos) being announced all the time for PSP...just look around you. If you truly only care about the games, then you should just focus on aspects related to games, and ignore news like this that evidently doesn't pertain to you or your needs.
GSI @ Jun 25th 2006 2:06PM
Games being 'announced' and 'good' games being RELEASED are 2 different things. Plus if you take at the release date posts from Joystiq about PSP games coming out, they are 'spectacular.' As for 'game related features'...WTH is that supposed to be?
...and I'm not stupid...I know this is a THIRD PARTY doing this.
Oh and you still look like a fool for saying I'm some anti-PSP troll. :-P
phipscube @ Jun 26th 2006 3:52AM
GSI, Why bother posting then? Just shut up and go sell your PSP.
I'm happily playing my PSP and doing all the other things too. It's cool that more and more features are available for PSP apart from JUST gaming, I'm all for that. I can't wait to see how it will connect with the PS3 for media.
GSI @ Jun 26th 2006 4:45AM
B/c I'm going to wait until the end of the year and see what comes out. If games like Ace Combat (my all-time favorite arcade-stye flight sim) can't even make me keep it then I'll be selling it.
Regardless though...it still doesn't excuse people like 'Agent X' from trying to make me look like a fool since he can't read before making comments.