PS4 will not support media servers, DLNA functionality

[BajiRav]

Going by Sony's records on PS4 features. if they don't have a huge press conference about the feature to tell you how awesome it is, and probably how much better it is that a nameless competitor. well it's a fair assumption to say it doesn't exist... :/

Going by their record, even announced features are not guaranteed. :p See instant resume of games. Made a big deal about it at reveal but won't be available at launch.

[firey]

It definitely sucks for those wanting to use the features off the bat.  However, for me, I bought the ps4 for the games and the console as a game system.. I still don't get the "Oh.. can't play a movie from an external device? CANCELLED" logic.  To me it's like you aren't buying the console for it's intended use.

Comparing it to the XBone's DRM is silly.  The XBone drm directly affected playing games and game play.. not having DLNA and MP3 playback doesn't affect the games at all. 

I get that some people want a game console as a media center.. then by all means go buy a media center.. not a game console... the media use on PS3 is convenience.. but to not buy something just because a secondary use is not immeditaley available means you didn't really want it that bad in the first place.

[The Evil Overlord]

It definitely sucks for those wanting to use the features off the bat.  However, for me, I bought the ps4 for the games and the console as a game system.. I still don't get the "Oh.. can't play a movie from an external device? CANCELLED" logic.  To me it's like you aren't buying the console for it's intended use.

Comparing it to the XBone's DRM is silly.  The XBone drm directly affected playing games and game play.. not having DLNA and MP3 playback doesn't affect the games at all. 

I get that some people want a game console as a media center.. then by all means go buy a media center.. not a game console... the media use on PS3 is convenience.. but to not buy something just because a secondary use is not immeditaley available means you didn't really want it that bad in the first place.

to be honest it did ###### me off somewhat, after years of trial and error getting that godforsaken media centre to work, I gave up, bought a usb hub, a hard drive and a power caddy (home built external hdd)

now unless they re add those features, all the money I spent will be on now, unusable gear

[firey]

to be honest it did **** me off somewhat, after years of trial and error getting that godforsaken media centre to work, I gave up, bought a usb hub, a hard drive and a power caddy (home built external hdd)

now unless they re add those features, all the money I spent will be on now, unusable gear

In my opinion.. again.. just my opinion.. if streaming is that important...

Buy a PS4 for the gaming, and the awesomeness that it is.   Costs 400$.

Buy a Raspberry PI for full 1080p streaming via XBian (external HDD abailable too)  35$

Or buy the XBox One for 500$ for it's games and streaming.  

To me it makes more sense to spend less, get more (two devices.. each awesome in what they do), and have to change from HDMI 1 to HDMI 2.

There are options available but people get all caught up in: "But the old one could do it..." 

[game_over]

I can see it being a big problem for Sony simply because a lot of people do use the PS3 to play movies, and they are going to expect the PS4 to do it as well.. i can understand them cancelling their pre-orders when they find out it doesn't if they previously relied on it to do just that, why think about getting a separate media centre pc device when they can just get an XBOX instead?

[The Evil Overlord]

In my opinion.. again.. just my opinion.. if streaming is that important...

Buy a PS4 for the gaming, and the awesomeness that it is.   Costs 400$.

Buy a Raspberry PI for full 1080p streaming via XBian (external HDD abailable too)  35$

Or buy the XBox One for 500$ for it's games and streaming.  

To me it makes more sense to spend less, get more (two devices.. each awesome in what they do), and have to change from HDMI 1 to HDMI 2.

There are options available but people get all caught up in: "But the old one could do it..." 

partly that argument and partly not having enough hdmi ports on my tv

but you raised an idea I hadn't thought of.

How hard is it to build an rpi media streamer?

[HawkMan]

In my opinion.. again.. just my opinion.. if streaming is that important...

Buy a PS4 for the gaming, and the awesomeness that it is. Costs 400$.

Buy a Raspberry PI for full 1080p streaming via XBian (external HDD abailable too) 35$

Or buy the XBox One for 500$ for it's games and streaming.

To me it makes more sense to spend less, get more (two devices.. each awesome in what they do), and have to change from HDMI 1 to HDMI 2.

There are options available but people get all caught up in: "But the old one could do it..."

Sometimes more is less. What if the hdmi ports are used up. A raspberry pi is hardly straight forward and there's sound issues and performance issues either full HD and high quality audio.

[Houtei]

It definitely sucks for those wanting to use the features off the bat.  However, for me, I bought the ps4 for the games and the console as a game system.. I still don't get the "Oh.. can't play a movie from an external device? CANCELLED" logic.  To me it's like you aren't buying the console for it's intended use.

Comparing it to the XBone's DRM is silly.  The XBone drm directly affected playing games and game play.. not having DLNA and MP3 playback doesn't affect the games at all. 

I get that some people want a game console as a media center.. then by all means go buy a media center.. not a game console... the media use on PS3 is convenience.. but to not buy something just because a secondary use is not immeditaley available means you didn't really want it that bad in the first place.

Well just me personally i cant justify spending money right now on JUST a game system.  The reason being I have a family and work and i cant spend 400 dollars on something that would get played one day of the week and then collect dust till the next chance i get to play.  However we watch movies and what not together every night so a media center is exactly what i need and the bonus of having awesome games to play.  I have every system there is since atari all in my attic lol though these days i dont get to play as much as i want to.  Also the thought of getting rid of ps3 i use for blurays and my xbox i use for netflix mainly and streaming from my pc sounds wonderful. By getting rid of i mean put up in attic with the rest of my collection until one random day i want to play something on it.

 

On the other side of that coin though my friend has all the time in the world to play and he is 90% games and 10% netflix and streaming off pc. And he is getting a xbox as well mainly cause of the ecosystem on live vs psn and he typically sells his old stuff the second he upgrades.

 

Don't get me wrong though I WILL get a ps4 just next year and not now.

[game_over]

In my opinion.. again.. just my opinion.. if streaming is that important...

Buy a PS4 for the gaming, and the awesomeness that it is.   Costs 400$.

Buy a Raspberry PI for full 1080p streaming via XBian (external HDD abailable too)  35$

Or buy the XBox One for 500$ for it's games and streaming.  

To me it makes more sense to spend less, get more (two devices.. each awesome in what they do), and have to change from HDMI 1 to HDMI 2.

There are options available but people get all caught up in: "But the old one could do it..." 

 

I doubt anyone outside of technology knows what a raspberry pi is, of course there are better solutions out there to cancelling a pre-order but you got to think about how the masses are going to react it and it could end up being a nightmare for Sony. If this is something they can patch in there is no reason it shouldn't already be in there.

[trooper11]

It definitely sucks for those wanting to use the features off the bat.  However, for me, I bought the ps4 for the games and the console as a game system.. I still don't get the "Oh.. can't play a movie from an external device? CANCELLED" logic.  To me it's like you aren't buying the console for it's intended use.

Comparing it to the XBone's DRM is silly.  The XBone drm directly affected playing games and game play.. not having DLNA and MP3 playback doesn't affect the games at all. 

I get that some people want a game console as a media center.. then by all means go buy a media center.. not a game console... the media use on PS3 is convenience.. but to not buy something just because a secondary use is not immeditaley available means you didn't really want it that bad in the first place.

I think we get that not only do you not care about these features, you don't understand why others would care about it.

I mean you have pointed this out a couple times now so far. Nothing wrong with feeling that way of course, but everyone has their own reasons for buying consoles.

Why not just accept the fact that some people have different tastes than you when it comes to their gaming console? Some people like these 'little' extra features that allow them to have a great gaming consoles and handle stuff that would otherwise require another box.

As far as people cancelling a preorder because of these omissions, let me help you there. If a person is not excited by the launch lineup of either system, they are going to look for other reasons to buy one on launch day. Those reasons might include media-related features. I refer you to the ps3 launch, where many were bought solely for bluray playback. If those features go away, even if they are promised to come back later, those people suddenly have no reason to buy a console at launch.

Its not like they are saying they will never own a ps4. It just means that their reasons to buy one on launch day fell too much. Now maybe they wait for more games they want or for these features to be added.

As far as comparing it to the DRM issues on the X1, your right, that was directly related to games and this stuff is not. The only small connection is the ability to stream or play your own music on a ps4 while your gaming. The PS4 will only support this if you buy into their Music Unlimited service, so that kind of sucks. But I don't think the point was that these features are tied to gaming like the DRM stuff was, rather it was about the idea of Sony listening to customers and potentially doing a '180' in order to fix it for us. I'm interested in the reaction that follows that since MS has been beat up on the internet with the whole 180 thing, as if it was a bad thing they did.

[firey]

partly that argument and partly not having enough hdmi ports on my tv

but you raised an idea I hadn't thought of.

How hard is it to build an rpi media streamer?

 

Dead simple.  All you need is: 1 Raspberry PI (I would say Rev B 512mb),  1 SD Card (I used a 16gb one.. cost 15$ on sale), 1 linux certified wireless adapter (or ethernet).   Then pick which distro to use.. there is a native XBMC one, XBian (XBMC based), or Open Elec.   XBian is what I used.. all you do is download the ISO.. install it to the SD Card.. put it in the pi, boot the pi and follow the setup.

I stream from my desktop to the pi nearly every night and have 0 issues.

 

Sometimes more is less. What if the hdmi ports are used up. A raspberry pi is hardly straight forward and there's sound issues and performance issues either full HD and high quality audio.

 

Uhm.. the PI is super straight forward.. using XBian I can control the media playback with any web enabled device, mouse/keyboard, or if you buy an IR Reciever.. then a remote.   I play full HD MKV Movies I have 0 sound or video issues.  

 

Well just me personally i cant justify spending money right now on JUST a game system.  The reason being I have a family and work and i cant spend 400 dollars on something that would get played one day of the week and then collect dust till the next chance i get to play.  However we watch movies and what not together every night so a media center is exactly what i need and the bonus of having awesome games to play.  I have every system there is since atari all in my attic lol though these days i dont get to play as much as i want to.  Also the thought of getting rid of ps3 i use for blurays and my xbox i use for netflix mainly and streaming from my pc sounds wonderful. By getting rid of i mean put up in attic with the rest of my collection until one random day i want to play something on it.

 

On the other side of that coin though my friend has all the time in the world to play and he is 90% games and 10% netflix and streaming off pc. And he is getting a xbox as well mainly cause of the ecosystem on live vs psn and he typically sells his old stuff the second he upgrades.

 

So you won't spend 400$ + 35$ but you will spend 500$ ?? Makes no sense to me.   I get that people use the media aspects.. just saying more can be done for less is all.

[The Evil Overlord]

I'll

 

Dead simple.  All you need is: 1 Raspberry PI (I would say Rev B 512mb),  1 SD Card (I used a 16gb one.. cost 15$ on sale), 1 linux certified wireless adapter (or ethernet).   Then pick which distro to use.. there is a native XBMC one, XBian (XBMC based), or Open Elec.   XBian is what I used.. all you do is download the ISO.. install it to the SD Card.. put it in the pi, boot the pi and follow the setup.

I stream from my desktop to the pi nearly every night and have 0 issues.

 

 

Uhm.. the PI is super straight forward.. using XBian I can control the media playback with any web enabled device, mouse/keyboard, or if you buy an IR Reciever.. then a remote.   I play full HD MKV Movies I have 0 sound or video issues.  

 

 

So you won't spend 400$ + 35$ but you will spend 500$ ?? Makes no sense to me.   I get that people use the media aspects.. just saying more can be done for less is all.

I'll have to look into that, and possibly buy a switcher or something,

[Max Norris]

So you won't spend 400$ + 35$ but you will spend 500$ ?? Makes no sense to me.   I get that people use the media aspects.. just saying more can be done for less is all.

 

Could be the "hassle factor".. setting the thing up, extra wiring, having to switch devices, no integration, etc.  For some people convenience is worth extra.  (Me, I don't care, that functionality is built into my central DVR, more convenient than both.)

[firey]

Why not just accept the fact that some people have different tastes than you when it comes to their gaming console? Some people like these 'little' extra features that allow them to have a great gaming consoles and handle stuff that would otherwise require another box.

As far as people cancelling a preorder because of these omissions, let me help you there. If a person is not excited by the launch lineup of either system, they are going to look for other reasons to buy one on launch day. Those reasons might include media-related features. I refer you to the ps3 launch, where many were bought solely for bluray playback. If those features go away, even if they are promised to come back later, those people suddenly have no reason to buy a console at launch.

Its not like they are saying they will never own a ps4. It just means that their reasons to buy one on launch day fell too much. Now maybe they wait for more games they want or for these features to be added.

As far as comparing it to the DRM issues on the X1, your right, that was directly related to games and this stuff is not. The only small connection is the ability to stream or play your own music on a ps4 while your gaming. The PS4 will only support this if you buy into their Music Unlimited service, so that kind of sucks. But I don't think the point was that these features are tied to gaming like the DRM stuff was, rather it was about the idea of Sony listening to customers and potentially doing a '180' in order to fix it for us. I'm interested in the reaction that follows that since MS has been beat up on the internet with the whole 180 thing, as if it was a bad thing they did.

I do accept it, Im just baffled by peoples logic.  I guess I don't just plop down a bunch of money for something if it's not what I really want.  I waited until after E3 when I knew the game line up, when I knew what to expect.  To buy a game console for something other than a game console just doesn't make sense.  Ah well, doesn't matter it's an opinion that clearly other people don't agree with.

As for the 180 bit.. sony is playing it off like: "oh.. we didn't know you wanted that.. we just never did it.." Meaning that they aren't really doing a 180 they are just implementing something that wasn't really there.   Whereas with MS they said: "No this is how it is, this is how it was designed we want it to be like this." Then after the outcry MS Said "Okay fine.. I guess we will reverse it.. "  That's where the 180 is.

[trooper11]

In my opinion.. again.. just my opinion.. if streaming is that important...

Buy a PS4 for the gaming, and the awesomeness that it is.   Costs 400$.

Buy a Raspberry PI for full 1080p streaming via XBian (external HDD abailable too)  35$

Or buy the XBox One for 500$ for it's games and streaming.  

To me it makes more sense to spend less, get more (two devices.. each awesome in what they do), and have to change from HDMI 1 to HDMI 2.

There are options available but people get all caught up in: "But the old one could do it..."

Why ignore the option of using the ps4 in that manner @ $400? If the ps4 had such support, then a user could avoid having to build and setup a Raspberry PI and could get away with a single, $400 consoles that did games and their media support.

This is about wanting certain features on the ps4. Why is this being attacked? Why the resistance to the ps4 being used in that way?

Look, I have a couple small htpcs that I use with my tvs in order to play back local media and they work great. What I was hoping with next gen consoles would be that I could supplement that function to them either via the DLNA support or maybe an app. Maybe even get to phase out one my htpcs in the process.

The Raspberry PI is a great device, I've been playing around with one myself, but its not perfect either. Both consoles support bluray disc playback, something I wont get with a PI build out of the box. I can see myself being quite happy with using one of my consoles for media playback instead of having to buy another box.

For me personally, this isn't a reason to not buy either consoles. It would merely be added value, something I could use. I would be happy to see the support. Its disappointing for it to not be there, but again, I'm not buying consoles for that. If they can do it, I'll use it.

[firey]

I'll

 

I'll have to look into that, and possibly buy a switcher or something,

I'd look into it.. I mean it may not be the perfect solution.. but it works for me, and even my less than tech savvy SO can figure it out.

[Ironman273]

It's not clear though.

 

The blog states that the PS4 does not support an external hard drive to expand storage on PS4

 

It does not say that it does not support hard drives, at all.

 

Don't get me wrong i'm swaying towards no, but it certainly isn't clear unless i've missed something.

 

?I know 2 people who have cancelled their pre-orders already because they think they can't plug in an external drive to play movies.

Holy crap, you are right.  That does leave it open to interpret that media could be stored externally.  I could see why they wouldn't want game data stored there.  

[BajiRav]

In my opinion.. again.. just my opinion.. if streaming is that important...

Buy a PS4 for the gaming, and the awesomeness that it is.   Costs 400$.

Buy a Raspberry PI for full 1080p streaming via XBian (external HDD abailable too)  35$

Or buy the XBox One for 500$ for it's games and streaming.  

To me it makes more sense to spend less, get more (two devices.. each awesome in what they do), and have to change from HDMI 1 to HDMI 2.

There are options available but people get all caught up in: "But the old one could do it..." 

 

I see people saying Sony is more focused on games yet it turns out Xbox One has "more" gaming related features than PS4, go figure.

 

These two that stand out to me,

 

Your friend downloads a game to your console on his account, you both play it. You like the game and want to buy it?

PS4 - delete the game, purchase and download it again.

XbO - Just purchase the license and unlock the game that was already downloaded.

 

Suspend resume games?

PS4 - Not supported at launch

XbO - supported

 

Then there is this additional feature that I am not really sure if PS4 supports at launch - background downloads. The console doesn't support a low-power mode at launch which essentially kills automatic updates (unless I completely misunderstood their FAQ and in that case just laugh at my post).

[The Evil Overlord]

Guys please, keep it civil, he was just trying to help me.

[Houtei]

Dead simple.  All you need is: 1 Raspberry PI (I would say Rev B 512mb),  1 SD Card (I used a 16gb one.. cost 15$ on sale), 1 linux certified wireless adapter (or ethernet).   Then pick which distro to use.. there is a native XBMC one, XBian (XBMC based), or Open Elec.   XBian is what I used.. all you do is download the ISO.. install it to the SD Card.. put it in the pi, boot the pi and follow the setup.

I stream from my desktop to the pi nearly every night and have 0 issues.

 

 

Uhm.. the PI is super straight forward.. using XBian I can control the media playback with any web enabled device, mouse/keyboard, or if you buy an IR Reciever.. then a remote.   I play full HD MKV Movies I have 0 sound or video issues.  

 

 

So you won't spend 400$ + 35$ but you will spend 500$ ?? Makes no sense to me.   I get that people use the media aspects.. just saying more can be done for less is all.

Well the thing is if i was going to do that i would spend 35 and nothing else.  I want a game system but I will not buy one for JUST a game system.  Basiclly the 400 would collect dust cept for the few times i get to enjoy it which not that much since no games are really coming out that im excited about.  I actually have a different android device that plugs into a tv and lets me use xbmc but i much prefer using my xbox or ps3 over it.   And nothing beats the netflix app on xbox 360 accept maybe the apple tv comes close. I also have a wdtv live but i still end up using my xbox or ps3.

 

Also just a side note: I use kinect a lot for voice commands to get to my movies and what not as my remote is always coming up missing lol

[trooper11]

So you won't spend 400$ + 35$ but you will spend 500$ ?? Makes no sense to me.   I get that people use the media aspects.. just saying more can be done for less is all.

Why is this all about comparing it to the X1?

Again, if the PS4 supported these things, it would be $400, not $500.

People that want to buy a ps4 or xb1 mostly for their media features, are already not in the same group of buyers that you or I are in. They are tech enthusiasts, basically the same people that bought a ps3 early just for bluray support.

But, for the people that already want a ps4 or x1 for gaming, its nice to get more features that you know you will use. For that group, its not about spending $500 or $400 for those features, its about getting a game consoles that can also be used instead of another box. I don't think that's illogical at all.

 

 

I do accept it, Im just baffled by peoples logic.  I guess I don't just plop down a bunch of money for something if it's not what I really want.  I waited until after E3 when I knew the game line up, when I knew what to expect.  To buy a game console for something other than a game console just doesn't make sense.  Ah well, doesn't matter it's an opinion that clearly other people don't agree with.

I with you on that point. I don't see the reasoning around buying a console with no intention of gaming, just to use the media features. You can build a raspberry pi or small htpc for less and get an excellent home theater media experience. That's what I current do.

But for those that are already buying for gaming, its a welcome extra that could be used. I know I would use it in lieu of an extra box if it works well. I know I'll try to use my X1 in that way if my ps4 can't do it, and vice versa.

As for the 180 bit.. sony is playing it off like: "oh.. we didn't know you wanted that.. we just never did it.." Meaning that they aren't really doing a 180 they are just implementing something that wasn't really there.   Whereas with MS they said: "No this is how it is, this is how it was designed we want it to be like this." Then after the outcry MS Said "Okay fine.. I guess we will reverse it.. "  That's where the 180 is.

Oh come on now, lets not split hairs here. Sony said they didn't think people would mind the lack of DLNA support but then hint that it could return after feedback. MS said they didn't think people would mind the DRM and then remove it after feedback. The act of posting a lack of support for something and then hinting that it would return is the same as posting support for something and then removing it.

Its a 180 in both cases, and its not a bad thing. In both cases, a company makes a choice, people tell them they made a bad choice, and then they change their minds. In MS' case, that change has already happened and is behind them. In Sony's case, its only rumored that they will bring some or all of the features back in an update down the road. MS' case was most definitely more public and more directly affecting gaming.

[trooper11]

Guys please, keep it civil, he was just trying to help me.

Yeah, no one needs to make silly attacks.

I do think its a useful discussion though. Firey brings up good points.

[Melfster]

The problem is people don't want multiple boxes with multiple remotes.     I don't understand why people want the either PS4 or Xbone right why not wait a year.  Both consoles aren't that great. 

[DPyro]

Then there is this additional feature that I am not really sure if PS4 supports at launch - background downloads. The console doesn't support a low-power mode at launch which essentially kills automatic updates (unless I completely misunderstood their FAQ and in that case just laugh at my post).

It's supported. PS4 has standby mode with automatic updates at launch, just not suspend/resume.

[Houtei]

To me if your single and under 30 then multiple devices and all that is no big deal.  Media stuff is no big deal.  If you have a family though all that stuff becomes a big deal. Convenience suddenly becomes super important.