This is pretty much why I bought a PS3. Before I learned that it was also going to be out for the 360. It will however come out a year after the PS3 version.
New TV! Sony KDS-50A200
I got a new TV on Friday. It’s Sony’s SXRD rear projection TV. I went to CompUSA that was closing on a whim. I wanted to go and see what was left, maybe pick up a good deal on a TV to replace the one I sold. When I went there, I became very excited. They had a row of really awesome TV’s at really low prices. They were all at 60% off and 1080p. Mine happened to be even lower than that. These were all display models so I was scared that the bulb life has been worn down or the TV might not work at all. When I got it home and plugged it in, I got very excited, again.
Sony TV division is the only part of Sony I like. They just make good quality TV’s. It’s not their Bravia line but the WEGA video processor works really well. I’ve never seen this before but the TV has a sensor on the screen that detects sunlight and adjusts the picture accordingly. I’m guessing it brings the brightness or the gamma levels up.
PS3 In Europe
Looks like the PS3 is finally going to come out in Europe in March and it is going to cost £425. £425 is $840 US! Seriously, I don’t think Sony really wants the PS3 to be successful. They might be giving up on the division like they did with most of their other divisions. Sony’s pride is going to destroy them slowly.
For awhile, Sony’s SCEA division was the only profitable part of Sony. Now it has shifted to their TV’s. They have some of the best displays out there. The Sony Bravia video processor chip is probably one of the top 5 chips out there. Maybe they don’t believe that they can maintain two successful divisions at once, even though they have very talented people working and more resources than most. It might also be that they want the PS3 to be an HDTV accessory. If you look at it that way, the PS3 is a great accessory to your Sony SXRD HD televsion, but the Xbox 360 is just as good, if not better, and more importantly, cheaper.
Sony’s EULA
I’ve been hearing a lot about the Sony Rootkit situation. Everyone’s been talking about it, so I won’t go into the details. CNet‘s Buzz Out Loud podcast mentioned Sony’s EULA and how it’s equally ridiculous. I guess Sony thought no one would read it so they’ll put whatever they want in there or to cover themselves in any situations.
Some of the “highlights” are that you can’t put the music on your work computer, when you leave the country, you can’t bring the music with you and if you go bankrupt, you give up rights to the music you bought. Here is BoingBoing‘s article on Sony’s EULA.
Here is some updates to what is happening with Sony’s Rootkit:
- Sony lied about its rootkit. They said it didn’t phone home with information about your deeds. It does. When they were caught in the lie, they said that they didn’t pay attention to the information it sent back, so it’s OK
- Lawsuits against Sony are already underway in Italy and the US (CA and NY so far, others will likely follow)
- Microsoft is building a Sony rootkit-remover into its anti-spyware product (They’re likely sue as well leading to a possibility of the two giants going head-to-head, even though they’re already doing so with the Xbox 360 and PS3)
- At least one piece of malicious software that exploits Sony’s rootkit has been discovered in the wild
Experimental Interface
This is an experimental graphic user interface that someone in Sony’s labs has created. It’s almost Minority Report. Not as big. I’m still frustrated that technology is taking so long. I just want personalized mall advertisements. Am I asking too much?
Here is another link to download the video (29.6MB).
