LOS ANGELES — Fans of Sony’s breakthrough PlayStation VR and Pro model entertainment consoles received a premium porn-friendly update today, with the update of the device’s Media Player app that now enables better-than-4K video playback from USB sources.
According to PlayStation Brand Marketing VP John Koller, the console’s Media Player app now supports MP4 video playback in 4K, streamed from a USB stick or home server.
“Your home server will appear as a media option in the Player automatically” Koller explains, “so finding your media is simple and quick.”
This seemingly innocuous move opens up a world of extended opportunity for digital media marketers that are unable to use a manufacturer’s proprietary content distribution system.
While the best example of the problem is Apple’s banning of adult-oriented apps from its App Store, other companies such as Google, Microsoft, and yes, Sony, have enacted similar restrictions. This not only hampers app deployment but affects the distribution of VR content — something the industry is pinning its future hopes on.
The use of USB devices such as memory sticks allows paysites, for example, to distribute 4K and VR content as a non-streaming download the user saves to the stick and then plugs it into the PS4 to view, bypassing official content channels — a workaround that may also overcome users’ bandwidth and streaming limitations.
Because of their special formatting, USB devices used as extended PS4 storage for games and apps cannot save or play videos, so be sure to use a fresh stick or another USB device — and of course, to view this content at its full quality, a 4K-compatible display is required.
“For those of you that own PlayStation VR in addition to PS4 Pro, Media Player will also update to support playback of 4K VR video content,” Koller adds. “PS VR’s display resolution is 1920 x RGB x 1080, so 4K VR videos will be displayed in a higher image quality compared to HD VR videos.”
The move points to the continual evolution of VR even as it pushes to gain traction with its early offers.
“Capture stunning 360 degree 4K footage, and then immerse yourself in that footage in VR at home — just as if you’re right back in the scene you shot,” Koller concludes, noting that in addition to its native 4K capabilities, PS4 Pro users can also make use of streaming video apps including Netflix, YouTube, and Hulu that all have 4K content available.
For 4K and VR content producers and marketers on the front lines, reading through the comments on the PlayStation blog announcement of this update will prove enlightening, with notes on bandwidth concerns and technical requirements that might prove useful.
One thing seems certain: the home media playing field is rapidly evolving, and the consumer touchpoint for 4K and VR is increasingly becoming a Sony gaming console — a platform that will see porn, one way or another.
