First off – the controls. One of the first thing that struck me (and many of you) about the PS3’s implementation of iView was that it was just a big-screen translation of the web interface, meaning you need to use the dualshock to manually drag a pointer around the screen to do anything. The Bluetooth remote doesn’t even work. Both Sony and the ABC are aware of this restriction, and will be working to fix it in future versions. In order to make that possible, they need to throw a layer of HTML code over the top of the service, a process that takes time and money.

The service itself has just been optimised for viewing on a big screen, but all the content is exactly the same. They guys at the ABC are currently in the process of transitioning their video content from flash video to H.264 encoding (running at 600kbps), a process that should be completed by the end of the year. At the moment there are both formats on the iView platform and although the H.264 can still appear a little blocky at 50-odd inches, it’s still a lot more fluid than the flash vids that are still up there.

At the moment, the ABC hasn’t ruled out a HQ stream for people with higher bandwidths, but it’s not something they’re planning in the short term. Essentially, this launch on the PS3 is a trial – the ABC have big plans to diversify how people access their iView service (the move to H.264 is as much about getting iView onto platforms that don’t support Flash as it is about smoother picture) and the PS3 is the first step in that diversification. There’s no commercial arrangement with Sony on this one. The trial is set to run until the end of March next year, at which point they’ll collate all the data and try and focus what works and what doesn’t into an even better service.

As such, they plan on fixing issues like the UI and the backlight (if your PS3 is set to dim after a period of time to prevent burn-in on plasmas, the iView app doesn’t override this) as time goes on. Also worth noting is that Sony are planning on using this as a learning experience as well, stating that they won’t be launching any more IPTV services until after the iView trial is over come March next year.

One other cool thing – you can apparently stream iView to your PSP via Remote Play. Hopefully that’ll work around any regional restrictions for international travellers too…

As the first real move from a desktop app to something you can watch on the TV, this is a good first step. But it’s hard not to look forward to the inevitable developments that will take iView on the PS3 from good to fantastic. Hopefully it’ll happen sooner than later…

I had a quick play with the service last night, watching the latest episode of Good Game on the big screen. First and foremost, I have to say that the video quality looked pretty good, even on the 50 inches of my plasma. There was no lag, no judder, and while it was far from being high-definition, it was more than just watchable.

The downside, from my very brief time playing with it, is that it doesn’t look like the UI has been customised for use through either a television or PS3 at all. The service goes full-screen automatically, but to actually navigate through the iView portal, it’s just like navigating through a webpage using the PS3’s internet browser.

Which is painful.

Seriously, scrolling through a list of shows requires you to navigate the browsing arrow to the scroll bar on the side, press and hold the X button, and then press down, like you’re dragging the scroll bar with a mouse. Tipster Sean tells us that you can’t use the PS3’s Bluetooth remote control to navigate it all all.

When Sony announced the iView partnership, I expected a dedicated app with customised controls for the PS3, not a version of the web browser that automatically scales to fill your HDTV. I’ll use this again – the actual video quality was really good – but it won’t replace my TV’s tuner any time soon.

For those wondering what the hell we’re talking about…

AARNet provides internet services for the tertiary education and research sector communities and their research partners. AARNet services over one million end-users, who access the network through local area networks at member institutions.

The best part about this is that the ABC has actually submitted this suggestion to the federal government in the hopes that they’ll actually make unmetered ABC content law. That would mean that ISPs like Telstra and Optus would have to offer iView unmetered, something that would probably never happen otherwise.

I for one hope the government jumps on board…

[News.com.au]

Obviously, the ball has already started rolling in this direction with the ABC announcing a special version of iView for the PS3 scheduled for later this year. But the idea that all the free-to-air networks will also begin offering their content through a single portal.

Mr Dalton reckons that we should have these kinds of services in Australia next year. But as much as I like the sound of that, I think the reality will be a bit further away. Considering you’ve got both Nine and Seven starting to push their own VOD through their respective MSN and Yahoo! portals, not to mention iView on the PS3, Seven’s TiVo and its VOD offering… the logistics of getting all the networks to agree on a singular format will be a real challenge.

On top of that, there’s also the question of who will pay for this content. Will it be subscription based, advertiser driven, or some horrible combination of the two? Knowing the FTA networks, they’ll probably push for intrusive ads every 5 minutes of a show, which will completely take away the appeal.

Still, if the networks are even thinking about this kind of way to give us punters the entertainment we want when we want it, then maybe they’re not as out of touch as we always thought…

[The Age]

[Lifehacker]

The trial will begin later this year, and is part of a greater push from the ABC to try and expand iView’s reach. The deal is non exclusive, so you could well see it appear on your Xbox or Apple TV in the near future, although there’s no word on that just yet.

This means you’ll be able to watch any of the 300 plus ABC programs on demand through your PS3 when the trial goes live. At this stage, it’s not clear whether this version of iView will remain unmetered with ISPs like iiNet, Primus and Internode, but if it is, this is a huge push forward for VOD in this country.

At the moment, only Adam Internet, iiNet, Internode, iPrimus and Westnet offer unmetered iView viewing, but this trial could potentially expand the audience massively. At the moment it’s Sydney only, but if successful, you could easily see it rolled out across the country.

As for iView itself – well, in June they averaged 158,000 visits a week, while they were offering 33 hours of catchup programming for adults and 2-3 hours for kids.

Considering those figures, it’s amazing that the commercial networks are still languishing so far behind the ABC in terms of VOD in Australia. No wonder bittorrent is booming…

[TV Tonight]

Sleek and sexy, this $US467.78 netbook looks good enough to slice cake with. Its design mimics that of Apple’s MacBook Air, right down to hidden monitor-out and USB ports. No word on how the lack of an optical drive is being dealt with though.

The specifications don’t have anything worth getting excited about except for that last item:

• Atom 1.6GHz processor
• 2GB RAM
• Intel 945 chipset
• 12.1-inch 1,280 x 800-pixel resolution
• 320GB HDD
• Two USB ports, mini-HDMI port, 2-in-1 headphone/mic jack
• 802.11b/g, 10/100 Ethernet
• Six-cell battery
• Windows 7 RC1 with Vista Home Premium license

Yes, the iiView A2 runs Windows 7 RC1, but comes with a Vista Home Premium licence so that you can upgrade to Windows 7 Home Premium when the time is right. iView explains that this OS decision was made because Vista just doesn’t “provide an adequate experience” on netbooks. (Does it provide an adequate experience on anything?)

This is the best looking netbook I’ve seen so far and a great deal for those craving the style of Apple’s line, but dreading the price tag. All that’s left is the wait until the iiView A2 hits US shelves. [CNET]