First unofficial PlayOn media server plugin caught in action

by Richard Lawler posted Mar 18th 2009 at 9:58AM

Taking advantage of the latest update to the PlayOn media server software, this YouTube video claims to capture the first unofficial plugin which enables users to easily browse GameTrailers.com trailers on their TV. Greater functionality should make the $39.99 fresh-out-of-beta pricetag a little easier to swallow, seeing GameTrailers (and its overcompressed "HD" videos) listed on a PlayStation 3 menu next to ESPN, Hulu, Revision3 and other supported services may not be incredibly impressive off the bat but it does bode well for the future of this DLNA streaming package.

[Thanks, Jackson]

Filed under: Media streamers, Other hardware

Tags: dlna, gametrailers, gametrailers.com, mediamall, playon, playon media server, PlayonMediaServer, playstation 3, Playstation3, plugin, ps3

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Neutral

Mike @ Mar 18th 2009 11:07AM

Where can we download the plug in...being as its unofficial and the youtube description has nothing. I love PlayOn

Neutral

skywalker @ Mar 18th 2009 6:05PM

The youtube video description was updated with a download link:

"Download here: http://www.sendspace.com/file/peudc1

Copy the .plugin file into the plugins directory of your media mall directory. (usually C:\Program Files\MediaMall\plugins)."

Neutral

TVGenius @ Mar 18th 2009 11:21AM

I was leery after spending hours on multiple occasions trying to get WMP and my PS3 talking with no luck, but I installed PlayOn last night and it works great. Good chance I'll end up springing for the full version...

Neutral

bt @ Mar 18th 2009 11:50AM

easy integration with the ps3 makes it worth it. Yeah you can go directly to hulu.com with the built in browser but playon makes it easier and the streams look much better (since your pc buffers and transcodes it) than the direct flash stream. Playon coupled with something like Tversity or Orb to stream your local media makes a great set-up. Now only if Playon would allow you to transcode to a format playable on the iphone like Orb then it'll be perfect.

Neutral

thedankone @ Mar 18th 2009 12:20PM

TVGenius it's really easy to do...you just have to enable sharing in the wmp than turn on your ps3 search for it, than you have to go back to your pc and tell it to allow then connection of ps3 will say "unknown device". Check out some blogs it's cut and dry...works best with win7...you can even use nero to transcode files on the fly like flac or mvk

Neutral

skywalker @ Mar 18th 2009 1:32PM

Show your support for third party plugins on MediaMall's user feedback forum. http://www.themediamall.com/forum/1

Hopefully, we can get them to officially open up the API. Then we'll really see an explosion in new content on PlayOn.

Neutral

Ordeith @ Mar 18th 2009 3:21PM

To Media Mall.

PlayOn was too expensive for what it does at $30.

It is robbery at $40

Please make it $20 and sell over 2x the ammount

KthanksBai.

Neutral

Louis @ Mar 18th 2009 6:07PM

Everyone always wants something for nothing. Really? $30 was too much?

Neutral

John @ Mar 19th 2009 9:42AM

uhhhhh yea!!!! $40 bucks is way to much for something that just streams and it is not just $40 bucks once. It is $40 bucks for every NEW MAJOR release. So yes it begins to add up.

Also not everyone always want something for nothing. Because if I really thought about it, I can take my laptop and through HDMI or VGA I can watch everything Playon streams for the price of what I pay for my ISP.

At 20 bucks I would consider it but most likely would not do it because the PS3 Media Server I use, which is free, does everything that Playon does with an exception of Hulu and Netflix.

Neutral

$30.00 was great @ Mar 21st 2009 1:50AM

The price is a ONE TIME ONLY price!

Where in the world does it state that you have to pay for each major upgrade?

ONE TIME ONLY PRICE!
Fre trial!

Neutral

John @ Mar 19th 2009 9:51AM

@$30.00 was great.

now fallow me, step by step

1) read where is says buy now and that say "Buy now only $39.99
2) click on it
3) scroll down to "What you get for buying a license"
4) read this part

"Your license will be valid forever for all patches and bug fixes for the current major version of PlayOn. All functionality and feature enhancements to PlayOn will be free for existing licensed installations, unless a NEW MAJOR VERSION IS RELEASED, at which point A NEW LICENSE may be REQUIRED to access newer functionality."

That is where is says is. For your easy and pleasure I cap locked the words in bold where it says it since it seems that even after my pose you were to lazy enough to go to their website and read. I really doubt that you are going to read this too.

Neutral

JBDragon @ Mar 18th 2009 11:28PM

I thought it was a great deal at $30 for what it did and it just gets better and better. To me, it's $30 well spent.

Neutral

nowork @ Mar 19th 2009 12:22AM

Doesn't work. States I need to updated the plug in.

Neutral

nowork @ Mar 19th 2009 12:23AM

Doesn't work. States I need to update the plug in.

Neutral

nowork @ Mar 19th 2009 2:36AM

We will be releasing the plugin API very soon (in the next few weeks) at which time anyone will be able to write new
PlayOn plugins.

Thanks so much for contacting MediaMall Support. And - thanks for using PlayOn.

Regards,

MediaMall Support

Neutral

Divx User @ Mar 19th 2009 2:41AM

The price is a ONE TIME ONLY price! Where in the world does it state that you have to pay for each majorupgrade? ONE TIME ONLY PRICE!Fre trial!

Neutral

John @ Mar 19th 2009 9:53AM

@DIVX User

as i pointed out to $30 was great

now fallow me, step by step

1) read where is says buy now and that say "Buy now only $39.99
2) click on it
3) scroll down to "What you get for buying a license"
4) read this part

"Your license will be valid forever for all patches and bug fixes for the current major version of PlayOn. All functionality and feature enhancements to PlayOn will be free for existing licensed installations, unless a NEW MAJOR VERSION IS RELEASED, at which point A NEW LICENSE may be REQUIRED to access newer functionality."

That is where is says is. For your easy and pleasure I cap locked the words in bold where it says it since it seems that even after my pose you were to lazy enough to go to their website and read. I really doubt that you are going to read this too.

Neutral

Hearsay @ Mar 19th 2009 12:36PM

I have been using PlayOn for months. I got it when it was still in beta and I loved it so much I payed for it then. There have been huge improvements to the program since I got it in beta. I would say that if you are using PlayOn its best to have your computer and the DLNA device (i.e. PS3, XBox360, etc.) wired for the best quality. I works just a well wireless just not a good quality. (Not a huge deal since most of the content you get with it is SD)

I think the $40 is completely reasonable if you already have the hardware needed to play the DLNA content on your TV. I think the price is justifiable if you want to stream netflix your next cheapest solution is Roku which is $100 which is 2x the price. PlayOn also does Hulu, CBS, Youtube, and now GameTrailers.

I don't see why you don't see the value. Many people are paying Microsoft $50 a year for a gold subscription just so they can watch Netflix on there XBox. That is yearly PlayOn is one time. So what if you have to pay again for a major revision update. It will most likely be worth it. You don't have to update you can stick with older software just like you can Use Windows XP even though Windows Vista is out.

Have not tried the plug in yet but I definitely will.

Neutral

Ordeith @ Mar 19th 2009 2:20PM

Many people are paying MS $30 - $35 every 13 months for Live Gold, which gets you Netflix and everything else Live has to offer.

I don't know ANYONE that acually pays $50.

For 360 owners that already have Netflix all PLayOn give you is CBS and Hulu.

Some of that content is also on Netflix

The 360 is also a MCE, and there are new extender plug ins in development that will bring Hulu, etc. for free.

$40 is a couple of Live! arcade games. and I am sorry but Castle Crashers>PlayOn.

Neutral

John @ Mar 19th 2009 5:24PM

I don't see the value because, like i said, i can do everything that playon does with PS3 Media Server, with the exception of hulu and Netflix. If i want to watch any of those on my big screen tv, i just hook up my laptop via HMDI and get Netflix and Hulu.

Yes you are correct many people do pay 50 bucks a year for xbox live gold membership. I call those people 'wasting money'. Even at 35 dollars I think is to much for a service that should be free. I am not saying that because this is what Sony is doing with their crap. I am saying that because I genially believe that service should be free.

As for paying a one time fee for playon, for you, that is great. But thats for now. The creators of playon has reserved the right to charge people again if their is a new major release. So if people want to take that change, than far be it for me to say no to people who want to pay for playon. But their are better solutions than playon that give you the same type of experience that are free.

Neutral

Hearsay @ Mar 20th 2009 3:28AM

@Ordith
I can completely understand what you mean about priorities using the $40 for Game and not some product that you don't see much use having. If you already have an XBox360 with a gold acount and you don't see the need of having the other channels that PlayOn gives you then by all means don't get it. I think the XBox Live interface for Netflix is nicer than the XMB interface through a PS3 (no reason to use an inferior interface if you don't need to).

I don't have a XBox so my solutions for Netflix on my TV is limited. I felt that PlayOn was the perfect solution and the price was a justifiable one time cost. (Till the next major version)

I think the news that out side plugins can be developed is great this opens up PlayOn to more posible content than any other media streamer.

UPDATE: I tryed to user the GameTrailersPlugin it is not compatable with the newest version of PlayOn. I was able to get the Revision3 plugin working. The difference is that I was able to get the Revision3 plugin from MediaMall's web site and. I am not suprised that the plugin is not working MediaMall's web site says that plugin support at this point is still in beta and that only limited people are getting the API for plugin development.

Neutral

Jay @ Mar 26th 2009 8:56PM

It also streams from Redtube (18+ only) so now you get those adult pleasures we all need in life.

Neutral

His family must be so lucky @ Mar 19th 2009 7:18PM

For the rest of us, excluding John of course, didn't we have to pay when the next version of Windows or Nero came out? John must be super lucky to have bought Windows 95 and then never had to pay for another major release of Windows again. Windows XP for free! Windows Vista for free! And when Windows 7 comes out? Wow, that must be free also!

From playon themselves:

"It means... what it says, really. Your license for the current versions of PlayOn will never expire. New features that we add to PlayOn over the next year or so will be free. But if and when we create a new major version (again, probably about a year from now), we may decide to add new functionality that won't be available in the current version line. And we may require folks to pay a new license fee or upgrade fee of some kind to enable that new functionality.

But any bug fixes and patches to maintain existing functionality in the current version line of PlayOn will be free. In other words: you may need to pay for getting new functionality that comes out in approximately a year from now, but not to be able to keep using the functionality of the existing PlayOn."

I just get tired of hooking up my laptop to my TV all the time. I used to do that before Playon. But everyone has their own choice, just like some people have the choice to be a douche on forums such as these.

Neutral

Hearsay @ Mar 21st 2009 1:06PM

@John
Wow john no need to get mad. The guy made a small comment to stress that the difference between a MAJOR and MINOR release. Unfortunately he used your name in his example when clearly you do understand the difference.

That does not mean you should go about using verbal obscenities. You must be really easily offended.

The Windows comparison is a valid comparison. It is a piece of software that gives you a certain functionality. When the newer version comes out is gives increased functionality. If you fill that increase is worth the cost the get the new software. The same rule applies to PlayOn.

To top that off PlayOn is not simply a media streamer only. I is a transcoder it takes video information mostly flash format and changes it to another format that can then be understood by a DLNA server. That is a functionality beyond what most media streamers do. That is the functionality that we are paying for.

Since I use PlayOn on my Desktop computer it would be a little ridiculous to unplug move and plug back in that computer every time I wanted to see Hulu on my TV so no every one are I quote "so fat and so fuckin lazy that you just can not get off of that sofa just to plug in one cord into your laptop"

Every laptop I own does not have a video out that is compatible with my TV should I go out and find another laptop when i could get a $40 program that does what I want in an elegant and simple way?

Neutral

paulqnyc@hotmail.com @ Jul 6th 2009 1:19AM

Guys!! problem solved. I too felt 39 bucks was too much. especially when sony should be working hard on getting an api done for netflix instant watch subscribers. I do agree, you can use many programs like tvversity, tvgenius, etc etc. BUT they dont work with Netflix. playon is the only one i found that works with netflix. So, heres the simple solution. Go to Trailpay.com, or themediamall and click on the playon offer. i choose to buy over 50 bucks of stuff from The gap and 1 week later, I received my free playon license. its that easy.
note: it doesnt have to be the gap , there are alot of other companies making deals with trialpay. its safe and hassle free.

Neutral

Steve Jesse @ Mar 27th 2009 11:46AM

You know what I like to use PlayOn all the time since it can access Hulu you can use it like nearly unlimited DVR. Not to mention that Hulu looks great using PlayOn and my XBOX 360. I can't speak for the Netflix usage because I don't feel that Netflix offers enough streaming movies to justify to cost yet.

One thing I'm waiting for is that PlayOn has stated that they are working on a way to stream content that you have stored on your local hard drives. That way you only have to have one media streaming service running on your computer.

Since I'm a grave yard shift employee I use Hulu all the time to catch up on programs that I miss because I have an unusual sleep schedule. I was glad o pay the $30 and if they can finalize there work on the streaming locally stored content I would be willing to pay more.

Neutral

mrmostly @ Mar 29th 2009 12:58AM

I just gladly paid for PlayOn myself after my gleeful 14-day trial. Hulu and Netflix work wonderfully and you can get access to streaming content on Neflix by signing up for their lowest plan ($5.99?). Netflix has started to add much more streaming content, including DVD sets of TV shows, new & old movies, and even current seasons of TV shows (like Heroes). It's come a long way in the last 6 months.

I also use TVersity (free) to stream the codecs/files that my 360 doesn't support natively. Double also, I use a vga to video converter hooked to a laptop that's devoted to tv use to watch the sites / shows not currently supported by PlayOn, Hulu, or Netflix (e.g., ABC). I even got a nifty wireless keyboard with mouse built-in for $30 to make it couch-compatible.

My setup allows me watch all my H.264's, Xvids, TV shows, & instant Netflix. My objective when I set all these things up was to cancel my cable / DVR. I'm happy to say I haven't looked back. Now I'm saving $100 a month in cable bills having spent about $100 on cables, a converter box, and PlayOn. $40 for PlayOn seems a pittance from my perspective, I'd be willing to pay more since it's saved me from TWC.

Someone is going to break into the mainstream market with a set-top box that streams tv for the masses and get very, very rich. Convincing the studios & media owners to partner in an effort like that is what's holding it up, I'm sure.

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