MacMegasite

Sony has released a system software update to its PlayStation Portable (PSP) to version 3.30. This update adds support for several new video formats and supports more PlayStation Network titles. A new network setting, “Use Wireless Hotspot,” enables PSP users who want to utilize public Wi-Fi connections in order to play games against other PSP users online. What’s more, Sony and wireless service provider T-Mobile have announced a promotion that provides PSP users with six months complimentary service at T-Mobile HotSpot locations.

The PSP® system software version 3.30 update includes the following:

• Support for PLAYSTATION®Network titles has been expanded.
• Support for thumbnail images of items has been added under [RSS Channel].
• Support for thumbnail images of videos that are stored in the “VIDEO” folder of Memory Stick Duo™ media has been added.
• The following types of files can now be played in the “VIDEO” folder: MPEG-4/H.264 AVC Main Profile (AVC CABAC) video files sized 720 X 480, 352 X 480, or 480 X 272
• [Use Wireless Hotspot] has been added as a feature under [Network Settings].

[B]Hints[/B]

• If your PSP® system software version is 3.30 (or later), you do not need to perform this update. To check the version of your system software, go to (Settings) > [System Settings] > [System Information]. The information is shown in the System Software field.
• Depending on the software title, you may not be able to play without first updating the system software.
• This system software update includes all features contained in previous versions.
• Depending on the system software version, screen images shown here may be different from the actual product.
• To connect to the Internet using your system, you must be within range of a wireless access point (or hotspot) that allows connections to the Internet.

You can update your system software by any of the following methods:

• Update using a Mac or PC »
  Download the update data to your computer, and then save on Memory Stick Duo™ media. Start the saved update data on your PSP® system to perform the update. Select the link above for update instructions.

• Network Update »
  Use the PSP® system’s Network Update feature to perform the update. Select the link above for update instructions. Refer also to the instructions for the PSP® system.

• Update using a UMD »
  Use the update data included on a UMD™ to perform the update. Select the link above for update instructions.

For more information or to download the software visit: http://www.us.playstation.com/PSP/Downloads/SystemUpdate

The latest verion of the PSP firmware, v3.0, is now available to download from the portable’s built-in Network Update. Previously released in Japan, the update includes the following features:

• PLAYSTATION Network titles are now supported under [Game].
• [Remote Play] has been added as a feature under [Network].
• [Online Instruction Manuals] has been added as a feature under [Network].
• Timed recording has been added as a feature under [RSS Channel].
• A visual player has been added as a feature under [Music].
• 3-speed fast forward and fast reverse has been added as a feature under [Music].
• [Camera] has been added as a feature under [Photo].
• [UMD Auto-Start] has been added as a feature in [System Settings] under [Settings].

GamePro has uploaded the entirety of the 60 GB PlayStation 3 final retail manual. Interesting entries are highlighted in red.

Sony has released a new firmware update for the PSP. This appears to be a minor update addressing “security vulnerabilities in the system software” (in other words, preventing homebrew software from running with current methods).

Release notes:

• You can now download video and image content under [RSS Channel].
• You can now register devices via a wireless LAN access point under [LocationFree™ Player].
• The following game demo is available for download.
  • Download page for World Tour Soccer 06 demo: http://us.playstation.com/worldtoursoccer06demo

    To download directly to a PSP® system, go to http://psp.us.playstation.com/wts06demo using your system’s Internet browser.

• You can now play AAC files with the .3gp file extension.
• [Automatic] has been added as an option under [Network Settings] > [Infrastructure Mode].
• Support for the playback of content stored in [MUSIC], [PICTURE] and [VIDEO] folders at the root level of Memory Stick Duo™ media has been added.
• Included in 2.81 and 2.82: [B]Patches have been added to address security vulnerabilities in the system software[/B].

Hong Kong, October 24, 2006 – Lik-Sang.com, the popular gaming retailer from Hong Kong, has today announced that it is forced to close down due to multiple legal actions brought against it by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Limited and Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Sony claimed that Lik-Sang infringed its trade marks, copyright and registered design rights by selling Sony PSP consoles from Asia to European customers, and have recently obtained a judgment in the High Court of London (England) rendering Lik-Sang’s sales of PSP consoles unlawful.

As of today, Lik-Sang.com will not be in the position to accept any new orders and will cancel and refund all existing orders that have already been placed. Furthermore, Lik-Sang is working closely with banks and PayPal to refund any store credits held by the company, and the customer support department is taking care of any open transactions such as pending RMAs or repairs and shipping related matters. The staff of Lik-Sang will make sure that nobody will get hurt in the crossfire of this ordeal.

A Sony spokesperson declined to comment directly on the lawsuit against Lik-Sang, but recently went on to tell Gamesindustry.biz that “ultimately, we’re trying to protect consumers from being sold hardware that does not conform to strict EU or UK consumer safety standards, due to voltage supply differences et cetera; is not – in PS3’s case – backwards compatible with either PS1 or PS2 software; will not play European Blu-Ray movies or DVDs; and will not be covered by warranty”.

Lik Sang strongly disagrees with Sony’s opinion that their customers need this kind of protection and pointed out that PSP consoles shipped from Lik-Sang contained genuine Sony 100V-240V AC Adapters that carry CE and other safety marks and are compatible world wide. All PSP consoles were in conformity with all EU and UK consumer safety regulations.

Furthermore, Sony have failed to disclose to the London High Court that not only the world wide gaming community in more than 100 countries relied on Lik-Sang for their gaming needs, but also Sony Europe’s very own top directors repeatedly got their Sony PSP hard or software imports in nicely packed Lik-Sang parcels with free Lik-Sang Mugs or Lik-Sang Badge Holders, starting just two days after Japan’s official release, as early as 14th of December 2004 (more than nine months earlier than the legal action). The list of PSP related Sony Europe orders reads like the who’s who of the videogames industry, and includes Ray Maguire (Managing Director, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd), Alan Duncan (UK Marketing Director, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd), Chris Sorrell (Creative Director, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Ltd), Rob Parkin (Development Director, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe Limited), just to name a few.

“Today is Sony Europe victory about PSP, tomorrow is Sony Europe’s ongoing pressure about PlayStation 3. With this precedent set, next week could already be the stage for complaints from Sony America about the same thing, or from other console manufacturers about other consoles to other regions, or even from any publisher about any specific software title to any country they don’t see fit. It’s the beginning of the end… of the World as we know it”, stated Pascal Clarysse, formerly known as the Marketing Manager of Lik-Sang.com.

“Blame it on Sony. That’s the latest dark spot in their shameful track record as gaming industry leader. The Empire finally ‘won’, few dominating retailers from the UK probably will rejoice the news, but everybody else in the gaming world lost something today.”

ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA — October 10, 2006 — Lava Software is now shipping Kenbushi v6.2, a fast and efficient file sharing, data backup and remote media player product. This new version allows users to remotely control media playback using any PDA with Wi-Fi and offers wireless PDA slideshows, a simple integrated Web server, media bookmarks, a Skipmark(TM) system (sections of movies can be automatically skipped, such as credits, scenes unsuitable for children, etc.), and new mute, playlist shuffle and loop controls. Versions are available for Windows, MacOS X, MacOS Classic and Linux.

Users can now remotely control movie and music playback on the free Kenbushi media server anywhere within wireless range using any PDA with Wi-Fi capabilities, such as Pocket PC, Nintendo DS, PSP (PlayStation Portable), PalmPilot, mobile phone, etc. In addition to media playback control buttons, the currently playing playlist, media name, play position, length and other information is displayed on PDAs with Javascript-enabled web browsers.

Wireless slideshows allow users to easily set up multiple JPEG photo slideshows for viewing on any web browser on a laptop or PDA with Wi-Fi. Users can remotely view slideshows anywhere within wireless range, without ever actually storing the photos on these devices. Photos are auto-scaled to fit any user selected screensize from 30×20 to 1920×1200 pixels at the set update interval, with superb image quality provided by automatic anti-aliasing.

Kenbushi now offers a Skipmark(TM) system to enhance movie playback. Skipmarks are user selected sections of a movie which are skipped during playback, so that credits, advertisements, sections unsuitable for children, etc. are automatically and seamlessly bypassed without actually modifying the movie file itself. Alternatively, with looping, users can repeatedly play only selected sections of a movie. For example, this may be used during a 21st birthday party.

For parents of young children, Kenbushi provides a perfect way to manage the children’s movie entertainment: all movies are stored on the computer hard disk (so there is no DVD swapping, scratching and jamming), and playlists are remotely set up and controlled by the parent. In addition, parents can set movie Skipmarks to seamlessly bypass movie credits and jump straight to the action, as well as control exactly which parts of a movie their children see (eg. excluding unsuitable scenes, such as scary bits, etc).

The free Lite Edition of Kenbushi can be downloaded now from http://www.lavasoftware.com. The Lite Edition can play music and full-length full-screen movies (with wireless PDA remote control) without restriction, but has limits on file transfer size, data backup, and some media functions after 30 days. Prices for the Standard and Professional Editions start at USD14.95 per computer, with discounts for larger pack sizes. The MacOS Classic version offers file transfer and remote folder sync only. Integration of Kenbushi (previously called PC-Mac-Net FileShare) is available to Internet storage service providers, ISPs and ISVs. VARs and affiliates welcomed.

A whitepaper entitled, ‘Why you need your own home media/backup server’ can be found at http://www.lavasoftware.com/homeserverbenefits.html

About the Company

Lava Software Pty. Ltd., a company incorporated in the State of South Australia in 1997, offers software products across a range of key application areas for all popular computer platforms. More information is available from http://www.lavasoftware.com.

Sony has released a new firmware update for the PSP, 2.80, which is now available via Network Update. The major changes in this version include:

[list]
[*] You can now download video and image content under [RSS Channel];
[*] You can now register devices via a wireless LAN access point under [LocationFree Player];
[*] You can now play AAC files with file extension .3gp under [Music]; and
[*] You can now play content saved in “Music,” “Picture” and “Video” folders on a Memory Stick. (Apparently, this means you don’t have to rename video files, and you can play them without using special folders.)
[/list]

I found that it will play most video files with the extension .mp4 and unprotected video files for video iPod with the extension m4v, but not protected videos purchased in iTunes Music Store. It will not play WMV files or QuickTime movies.

Since I wrote this article there have been a few notable software releases.

While utilities such as ffmpegX give you a bewildering array of conversion options, Roxio’s Popcorn 2 and Techspansion’s VisualHub have presets to convert video to PSP, iPod, and other devices perfectly without a lot of fuss. Even ffmpegX’s PSP presets require some tweaking and I find that it often chokes on MOV files.

I find VisualHub 1.0.3, which was released yesterday, does the best conversions and is trouble-free. The current version of Popcorn has an annoying bug on Intel macs which garbles the name of the movie when viewed on the PSP.

LOS GATOS, Calif.–June 13, 2006–Mark/Space, Inc. announced today the immediate availability of their new synchronization software product for Mac OS X, The Missing Sync for Sony PSP. This latest product from the company known for connecting cool gadgets to the Mac provides a number of innovative features that PlayStation Portable owners are sure to enjoy, including Intel-native video encoding; offline web browsing; packaging of contacts, calendars, tasks, notes and Safari bookmarks into stylized web pages and integration with iPhoto and iTunes. All of the software’s capabilities are designed to enhance the PSP experience for Mac users.

“The PSP is an unbelievably cool device, capable of fulfilling multiple roles,” said Brian Hall, Mark/Space president and CEO. “By leveraging the PSP’s inherent strengths and providing Mac OS X integration, The Missing Sync for Sony PSP increases the usefulness of the PSP in many ways that are both useful and exciting. Never before has a device presented personal information, such as calendars and contacts, in as fun a way as we’ve made possible with the PSP. Our customers will be taking their PSP more places than ever.”

[B]Extending the PSP’S Capabilities[/B]

All of the features present in The Missing Sync for Sony PSP either increase the functionality or the fun-factor of the device. For example, the PSP does not provide applications for storing contacts or calendar information. The Missing Sync solves this problem by gathering data from Mac OS X’s Address Book and iCal apps–or any applications that employ Apple’s Sync Services technology in Mac OS X “Tiger”–and making it viewable in the PSP’s Web Browser. Memos from the bundled Mark/Space Notebook application are also downloaded to the device, putting useful information at its owners fingertip.

The start page for all of this information is then bookmarked, providing quick access from the PSP’s Web Browser application. This capability gives the PSP an electronic organizer-like capability, making it far more than just a multimedia game device. Mark/Space takes this feature one step further by providing interesting themes for presenting information on the device, allowing the user to personalize the experience to suit their own tastes. Themes range from simple, colored themes to more complex, photo-realistic themes with gorgeous background images.

[B]WebSnacks[/B]

The Missing Sync for Sony PSP introduces a feature that downloads web content for offline viewing. Called WebSnacks, this feature downloads web pages, blogs and RSS feeds to the PSP’s Memory Stick and bookmarks them for convenient offline viewing. Settings are provided for how deep to scan and how often to refresh downloaded content. WebSnacks provides access to favorite web pages, allowing the user to stay informed or keep entertained even when Wi-Fi Internet access isn’t available, such as on a commuter train or in the movie theater before the show.

[B]Video Encoding[/B]

The Missing Sync for Sony PSP includes video encoding capabilities for viewing movie previews, viral videos, home movies and other video content on the PSP. Dragging videos to the application tells The Missing Sync to prepare them for the PSP. The encoding methods provide native Intel and PowerPC support, so the user will enjoy the best possible encoding performance from their Mac. Quality and aspect ratio settings allow control over the process. The Missing Sync for Sony PSP does not provide video extraction from DVDs.

[B]Photos, Tunes and Podcasts[/B]

Complete integration with iPhoto and iTunes allows photos, music and podcasts to be downloaded to the PSP. The user simply checks which albums and playlists they want copied to the PSP, and The Missing Sync does the rest. The software is smart enough not to download protected iTunes Music Store songs that cannot be played on the device.

[B]Mark/Space Notebook[/B]

Mark/Space Notebook, a new standalone application for notes and memos is included for free with The Missing Sync for Sony PSP. In addition to supporting text and graphics notes syncing to the PSP via The Missing Sync, Mark/Space Notebook supports Spotlight searching and synchronization across multiple Macs via Apple’s .Mac service.

[B]Additional Features[/B]

The Missing Sync also provides complete Memory Stick backup and restore capabilities, with multiple restore points for added safety. There’s a Game Backup plugin that protects the user’s time investment in game playing by allowing them to restore specific game states to the device. The Folder Sync plugin enables a sort of digital briefcase capability, syncing the contents of selected folders back and forth between the Mac and the PSP. The Missing Sync even keeps track of multiple Memory Sticks independently, allowing the user to store different content on each. To learn more about The Missing Sync for Sony PSP, please visit [URL]www.markspace.com[/URL].

[B]Pricing and Availability[/B]

The Missing Sync for Sony PSP is available immediately for $29.95 as an electronic download from the Mark/Space Online Store ([URL]http://store.markspace.com[/URL]). A single installer provides a Universal application that supports both Intel and PowerPC Macs in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish. Japanese language support will be available by the end of June.

[B]About Mark/Space, Inc.[/B]

Founded in 1990, Mark/Space, Inc., [URL]www.markspace.com[/URL], develops and markets mobile and wireless software, including the award-winning Missing Sync products that connect a Mac OS computer to handheld devices from Dell, Garmin, HP, HTC, Motorola, Palm, Samsung, Sony and others.

Sony today released the latest version of the PSPs firmware, v2.71. The update brings several updates and improvements to the Location Free Player. The biggest feature of the new firmware is the ability to download playable demos directly from the PSP. Available as of today are a Loco Roco demo and a demo of Kazou (Sudoku). The new firmware is available from the Network Update option in the PSP’s menu or Sony’s System Update Page.

Detailed Info:
[list]
[*] Using the PSP™ system’s [Internet Browser] feature, game demos can now be downloaded and saved on Memory Stick™ media. The LocoRoco™ demo is currently available for download.

[*] Video can now be displayed correctly when an external tuner is selected in [LocationFree™ Player]. Affects LocationFree™ base station (a Sony product sold separately) model numbers LF-B1 (sold in North America/Taiwan/Korea) and LF-X11 (sold in North America). (Refer to the instruction manual for your LocationFree™ base station to locate the model number.) The issue that has been addressed does not affect LocationFree™ base stations sold in Japan or Europe. For additional information, contact SCEA Consumer Services at
1-800-345-7669.
[/list]