Extra storage has vastly different uses all over the world...
On the PS3 some games need to be installed onto the hard drive, but you still need the game disc to play! This very very much reminds me of PC game glory. So that is where the extra storage on the PS3 might be used for - simple disc caching so you can have the same data in your house twice. Once on blue ray and once on the ps3 hard drive. Now that is handy ;) In the US the extra storage can at least be used for VIDEO!
In Europe we have no real need for the bigger hard drive for film-media content, neither on PS3 nor on xbox360. We have no real use for a wonderful tool like AppleTV as most of the digital media content is very much not available outside of the US apart from music! The PS3 store, Xbox marketplace and the Applestore are devoid of interesting video - very much like the empty shelves in the former East Block countries prior to the fall of the Berlin Wall. TV shows that we are able to watch on our TVs we cannot buy and obtain digitally from these online stores, which might enable us to to finally watch a COMPLETE series in the PROPER ORDER for a change - without being interrupted by commercials every 15 minutes. But hey at least music seems to be moving across the globe without so much hindrance but moving pictures seem to be rather difficult when it comes to marketing/copyright etc!
So the European market will actually have no real use for this extra storage on consoles or the AppleTV other than caching/installing the odd game, housing an ever expanding live arcade game collection or streaming your mp3/mp4 coded cd-rips/applestore music.
Now what I find rather amazing is the fact that Apple is actually offering the AppleTV in Europe, it's out there in the stores but you can only use of for internet radio and streaming your own mp3/mp4 music well I see no need to hook it up to a telly for that! Wierd marketing scheme that is. Now I am not surprised if the AppleTV is going to be less than popular in Europe, but perhaps as a cheap hackable (Hackintosh) mini PC using VLC it might still be interesting for the technically versatile amongst the European population. So that it can at least stream ripped DVD's and divx movies across to your telly so it still has some real use.
I think a lot of European customers will be more than willing to pay what the Americans are paying for their TV series and digital content on PS3, Xbox360 and the apple store. But as things are now it's easier to Hack your AppleTV and download ripped/divx'ed TV series from a torrent site or from Usenet.
Now that is a European-rant!
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Mark Vergeer - Editor / Pixelator
Armchair Arcade, Inc.
Xboxlive gametag
========================
On the PS3 some games need to be installed onto the hard drive, but you still need the game disc to play! This very very much reminds me of PC game glory. So that is where the extra storage on the PS3 might be used for - simple disc caching so you can have the same data in your house twice. Once on blue ray and once on the ps3 hard drive. Now that is handy ;) In the US the extra storage can at least be used for VIDEO!
In Europe we have no real need for the bigger hard drive for film-media content, neither on PS3 nor on xbox360. We have no real use for a wonderful tool like AppleTV as most of the digital media content is very much not available outside of the US apart from music! The PS3 store, Xbox marketplace and the Applestore are devoid of interesting video - very much like the empty shelves in the former East Block countries prior to the fall of the Berlin Wall. TV shows that we are able to watch on our TVs we cannot buy and obtain digitally from these online stores, which might enable us to to finally watch a COMPLETE series in the PROPER ORDER for a change - without being interrupted by commercials every 15 minutes. But hey at least music seems to be moving across the globe without so much hindrance but moving pictures seem to be rather difficult when it comes to marketing/copyright etc!
So the European market will actually have no real use for this extra storage on consoles or the AppleTV other than caching/installing the odd game, housing an ever expanding live arcade game collection or streaming your mp3/mp4 coded cd-rips/applestore music.
Now what I find rather amazing is the fact that Apple is actually offering the AppleTV in Europe, it's out there in the stores but you can only use of for internet radio and streaming your own mp3/mp4 music well I see no need to hook it up to a telly for that! Wierd marketing scheme that is. Now I am not surprised if the AppleTV is going to be less than popular in Europe, but perhaps as a cheap hackable (Hackintosh) mini PC using VLC it might still be interesting for the technically versatile amongst the European population. So that it can at least stream ripped DVD's and divx movies across to your telly so it still has some real use.
I think a lot of European customers will be more than willing to pay what the Americans are paying for their TV series and digital content on PS3, Xbox360 and the apple store. But as things are now it's easier to Hack your AppleTV and download ripped/divx'ed TV series from a torrent site or from Usenet.
Now that is a European-rant!
========================
Mark Vergeer - Editor / Pixelator
Armchair Arcade, Inc.
Xboxlive gametag
========================
Armchair Arcade Editor