LOOT Shines Some Light on EOD
by BONZO, HSM team writer and artist
LOOT’s Portable EOD is poised to be one of the biggest content releases in the history of Home. Not only that, but their release coincides with Lockwood’s public premiere of Mercia; that is a huge boon for both of these developers. There will be quite a competition for our money, and our attention.
Questions have risen about why this is such an important commodity. Why would we log in to watch movies and shows when we can just watch them off our XMB, or even cable? The streaming quality and intermittent commercial interruptions don’t make it a more desirable viewing experience. However the ability to perceptually congregate with other users, whom we often consider friends, is worth the experience. Even when watching alone, sometimes we log into Home to gather together, and while waiting for the meeting time we kill time doing this in home, either in a personal space we own which houses an EOD system or the public LOOT theater.
There is a perceptual difference to watching any kind of programming alone or socially. This type of social network is something that television networks have taken into account, and even television developers. The so called “Smart TVs” which include internet access with live feeds from Facebook and Twitter are banking on the concept that we enjoy watching our entertainment more in some sort of socially interactive way.
Getglue is another social network site which has taken great steps into making TV watching more social by allowing users to earn stickers based on their favorite programs, making a game of it. You check in as you watch a show and you earn a limited-edition sticker, and as you watch you can comment on what you are seeing with other users simultaneously logged in.
The EOD system is no different. Yes, we can watch most of these movies on cable, or netflix if we don’t already own them. But watching alone and watching with a group of avatars we understand as surrogates of real people we know are on the other end changes the experience from passive to social. It is that communal experience that makes the biggest difference. Particularly when watching a live event like the Curiosity Rover landing. It allows us to share in that experience, and interactively respond to one another.
Introducing it as a portable item to place anywhere unbinds us from the few owners of specific estates, or the hassle of the public space. It adds an incentive for gatherings in club houses, or just personal spaces with friends.
The variation in screens, and the limitations announced for it, prompted HSM to ask LOOT some quick questions about the space; and Sara Stephens, Production Coordinator for LOOT, was generous enough to answer them for us, despite the intense schedule she faces as she prepares to leave her role at the end of this week.
Based on the twitter feed, the portable EOD will include EOD 3.0. What are the upgrades made from the existing EOD system in place now?
- Faster, more stable EOD
- New functions include:
- Rewind
- Fast forward
- Jump to main menu from any sub menu
- Hide Menu
- Avatars are hidden in Fullscreen
Will the public and the LOOT personal space EOD systems see the upgrade as well?
Yes; this is a global update to the EOD.
The LOOT twitter announcement mentioned a RadioIO jukebox and stereo, so will there be two separate items, or as expansive a variety as the screen has seen?
The audio-only EOD systems will come in different ‘skins’ like the different sizes for the TV. Same mini game in different looks: Jukebox, Boombox, radio, etc.
Will these items have a visual interface to navigate through the music channel?
Yes. There will be a menu interface similar to that in the EOD now.
How many memory blocks are you anticipating they will take up?
Approximately the same as the TVs.
Why the 22″ screen? That seems very small in comparison for a virtual item TV.
We wanted to cover the whole spectrum of sizes for users. If a user just wants the EOD and doesn’t care how it looks in their space, they can get the cheap 22” and enter full screen.
The wall mounted flat screens require the wall mount virtual item; what led to the decision to use two items instead of just mounting the screen directly to the wall?
Active items can’t be combined with wall hangings into one object.
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This portable EOD item may just prove a revitalizing element to some of the oldest spaces that have laid dormant for some time in our inventories. With only a few limitations, due to spaces which have screens you can’t turn off, this item is available to place in any space. While we fortunately will see a future introduction of an audio only portable EOD, it will take up as much memory as the screens. Placing two of these items will limit your decorative items to fifty in a personal space, half of what you are currently allowed. While it is substantially diminished, we have been there before. Unless you are very new to Home, only entering this platform within the last year, you may recall fifty was our limitation for a long time. We made due with that limit, but having access to internet radio and video entertainment from multiple channels will hardly give us call to complain over the loss.
EOD 3.0 is the latest update to the EOD system, with new options that may seem a standard in any other media player virtual or otherwise, but are an anticipated change nonetheless. The ability to rewind or fast-forward gives the user further control over the entertainment available and how and when we watch it.
The portable EOD audio only device will bring the internet radio access we are poised to lose from the video screens, and will come in a variety of skins as well. The option to have a jukebox, a boom box, radio or whatever other skin LOOT decides to include will just depend on your aesthetic preference. They will all have the same performance and access to the same content, which will finally be a substantial library of music.
The EOD system is still fairly new to Home. It evolved from only having the PSN blog, Blu-ray ads, the NASA channel and Crackle shorts to a full library of entertainment options. Full movies and tv shows, live streaming through UStream, internet radio and the most recent update, the PSTalent channel.
EOD is still evolving, and there is no telling what updates are still to come for expanding the EOD options. This expansion into a portable decorative item you can place anywhere is just the latest development. Where it goes from here is anyone’s guess; there are so many ways it could expand, and Crackle has updated its movie library since full movies were introduced.
LOOT’s EOD is not a static system; with such constant updates it ensures a long-lasting shelf life, and we have only to sit back and enjoy each new update that comes our way.
August 28th, 2012 by BONZO | 4 comments
BONZO is an editor and artist for HomeStation Magazine.
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So…the EOD 3.0 update will affect the current players in the Hollywood Hills, Sunset Yacht and Space Station personal spaces?
Does that mean that those players will lose their access to radioio? Or has that already occurred and I didn’t notice? That development would be quite annoying since the music channels were always my main purpose for using the EOD.
No those spaces still have access to the full EOD content. They are just getting an update on the interface and options. You still have internet radio, they are just going to support rewind, and fast forward now, and the other menu options. RadioIO will only be omitted from the active item EOD screens you will be able to buy in this week’s update, and that was due to a memory issue.
Thanks…the phrase “global update” had me worried.
Machinema is going to be the next big thing on the EOD screens, it will attract a mainstream audience if done right.. watch this space.