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Wednesday, January 21, 2009	Permalink
Apps, Apps, Apps - all different
With the new firmware update we once again got a new app: the Photo Gallery. Well, it's free so we can't complain, right. Actually, the Photo Gallery is a pretty nice add-on to the photo section with some nice features like the grouping function, but what I am observing more and more during the last couple of updates is the fact that the PS3 is obviously missing a consistent UI concept for it's various apps. Just look at the last three apps that have been released on PS3, Life on Playstation, PlayTV and now the Photo Gallery. All three have completely different controls, menus and overall UI concept what makes it kind of difficult to use them. For instance, I always find myself pressing the go back button on PlayTV even though I want to press the menu button. There are numerous examples where the same function is implemented differently in all of those three apps and I am missing the XMB consistency I like so much about the PS3. So, here is my suggestion: give us more of those apps but make sure you guys use the same style guide. Keep in mind, that this is not a computer but a simple consumer device. What do you think? P.S. Before I forget, once again no Flickr integration. I don't manage my pics on PS3 but on the net. And yes, there is an API that could be used.
by Mutsch at 21:27	Categories: Development \| Firmware \| PS3

Zta on 01/22/2009 13:41

You're absolute right on the UI consistency. PlayTV is a good example of something done nearly perfectly wrong. Of course the main purpose of the application is nice: You can watch and record tv. But the UI is horrible.

Mutsch on 01/22/2009 15:54

I remember back in the good old days when I was programming my Amiga I already had an UI Style Guide book that made sure that programmers achieve at least a certain level of consistancy across apps. That was more than 20 years ago!

Btw, do you have HD support with DVB-T in Denmark?

Zta on 01/23/2009 8:30

I don't think so, though it is better quality than traditional tv. We don't have that many channels broadcast with DVB-T yet; only the national channels. But these are the only ones I watch anyway, because of their good quality stuff, so I'm fine =)

Mutsch on 01/23/2009 15:31

Kind of same situation here were I live, only non-commercial TV is available in this state, whereas the area around Berlin has about 32 channels mixed commercial and non-commercial. In general, Germany has SD only due to the fact that we were pretty fast in moving to DVB-T and they didn't upgrade to HD standard.

Btw, I am still looking for a tool to handle the MPEG2 streams PlayTV creates. So far I can play them on my PS3 only.

Zta on 02/01/2009 16:41

Hmm, come to think of it, I have actually never moved the PlayTV-content out of the PS3. Have you tried mplayer on Linux? It usually eats everything. Wouldn't it be preferable if PlayTV 1) recorded in MPEG4/H264/AVC, 2) recorded directly into the PlayTV video folder instead of having its own annoying library?

Apps, Apps, Apps - all different