Please note: This is a guest article from Neowin Most Valuable Contributor StevoFC. You can also submit news via our submit news section.
When I saw this software on the Neowin CES 2009 blog, I thought it would be a useful program. Unfortunately, I was wrong.
I will start off with a brief description of the software taken directly from GoldenSignals.com
"Install DisplayShare software on your PC in the home network. With the TV displaying the PS3 welcome screen, an icon identifying the PC appears on the TV screen. You may then use the PS3 remote or game controller to select the PC icon, and whatever is on that PC display screen will appear on the TV. A wireless link between the PC and the home entertainment system is automatically established.
With DisplayShare, everything displaying on a PC screen can be streamed. You do not have to navigate complex interfaces or overcome file format issues to wirelessly send a display to a TV. Likewise, any PC audio, regardless of format, can be played through a home audio system."
I downloaded the 30 day trial and installed it on my laptop from work. The specs are fairly good: 3gb of ram, a Core 2 Duo processor and a gigabit network card.
I loaded up the program and almost instantly it found my ps3 and added an icon, as shown in the first (very low quality iPhone photo) screenshot.
Basically, it makes your ps3 think of it as a file and the software "streams" whatever is on your screen through your network.
Upon my initial use I noticed there was a 1 or 2 second delay between what I did and when it streamed through my ps3. I didn't consider it a major problem so I figured I would load up Youtube and try a video through there. The first video I tried skipped. I instantly thought to myself, if this doesn't work I highly doubt a high quality video will work either. And unfortunately, I was correct. I loaded up VLC and tried playing a 720p video. All that showed on the ps3 was a black box where the video should be playing.
At this point I had enough and decided that there was no chance of me paying for this software because it just flat out doesn't work as advertised. You can't tell from my photo, but the video doesn't actually fit my entire tv screen either due to the slightly different proportions of televisions and monitors.
After my first impression, I wouldn't recommend even wasting your time installing this software. Let's hope that a new version is released soon that actually works, because in theory this could become a very useful application.
Screenshot 1: >> Click here <<
Screenshot 2: >> Click here <<
News source: StevoFC.com
When I saw this software on the Neowin CES 2009 blog, I thought it would be a useful program. Unfortunately, I was wrong.
I will start off with a brief description of the software taken directly from GoldenSignals.com
"Install DisplayShare software on your PC in the home network. With the TV displaying the PS3 welcome screen, an icon identifying the PC appears on the TV screen. You may then use the PS3 remote or game controller to select the PC icon, and whatever is on that PC display screen will appear on the TV. A wireless link between the PC and the home entertainment system is automatically established.
With DisplayShare, everything displaying on a PC screen can be streamed. You do not have to navigate complex interfaces or overcome file format issues to wirelessly send a display to a TV. Likewise, any PC audio, regardless of format, can be played through a home audio system."
I downloaded the 30 day trial and installed it on my laptop from work. The specs are fairly good: 3gb of ram, a Core 2 Duo processor and a gigabit network card.
I loaded up the program and almost instantly it found my ps3 and added an icon, as shown in the first (very low quality iPhone photo) screenshot.
Basically, it makes your ps3 think of it as a file and the software "streams" whatever is on your screen through your network.
Upon my initial use I noticed there was a 1 or 2 second delay between what I did and when it streamed through my ps3. I didn't consider it a major problem so I figured I would load up Youtube and try a video through there. The first video I tried skipped. I instantly thought to myself, if this doesn't work I highly doubt a high quality video will work either. And unfortunately, I was correct. I loaded up VLC and tried playing a 720p video. All that showed on the ps3 was a black box where the video should be playing.
At this point I had enough and decided that there was no chance of me paying for this software because it just flat out doesn't work as advertised. You can't tell from my photo, but the video doesn't actually fit my entire tv screen either due to the slightly different proportions of televisions and monitors.
After my first impression, I wouldn't recommend even wasting your time installing this software. Let's hope that a new version is released soon that actually works, because in theory this could become a very useful application.
Screenshot 1: >> Click here << Screenshot 2: >> Click here << News source: StevoFC.com
If you wanted to play a 720p movie, why don't you just stream it or play it directly on the PS3 itself? Or use the PS3 web browser to goto youtube? geez.
This program is for the stuff you generally can't do on a PS3, like setting up a headless encoding box or torrent box, and you can check on the ps3 what it is doing.
Mind you, most people that have their PS3 setup, they also have a vga input, and most likely have their computer setup with the vga input.
But it is handy for people who have computers in another room.
I probably didn't make much sense, but like I said, very one sided review. 1 out of 5.
As for the 720p file i tried to play; It was a .mkv file which isn't supported by the ps3. I have a media server on my imac that can transcode the file with no problems, but the whole point of DisplayShare is to not have to do those things.
It is advertised that it will show whatever is on your computer on your ps3...we all know that you can hook up the pc via vga to your tv (if available). But not everyone can do that. I can and do. But I wanted to give this software a try.
This program is not handy for a computer in another room, because first off it doesn't work. And secondly, you still have to control the computer itself. You can't control the pc with the ps3. That's not what this is for. It only shows the display. That was the whole point of the short "review."
It's not one sided at all. It's initial impressions. When the 2 things i tried didn't work I quit and uninstalled it.
Last edited by StevoFC on 17 Jan 2009 - 15:32
I didn't try disabling it, because like i said, this was just initial impressions. The average person willing to pay $50 for software like this wouldn't have any idea about that though. This seems targeted to people with little to no knowledge of how to get video to their tv in other ways.
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