The PSP Video 9 development team has informed us that a new version of Red Kawa's PS3 Video 9 program is now available for download. PS3 Video 9 is a video conversion application that lets users convert video files like avi, divx, mpeg, and others into formats that are playable on the Sony PS3.

If you already have an earlier version of PS3 Video 9, you'll have to download this new full installer as there's no upgrade available. The full installer will overwrite all of your old settings and profiles, and since an additional setting was added to the settings, you also can't import your old settings.

Here's a short changelog as well as the release notes:

v2.15 Changelog:

• Fixed: Decimal in MP4Box Framerate
• Updated: FFmpeg rev8435
• Fixed: Audio Bitrate Units

Release Notes:
There was a localization bug present in the last version causing an incorrect framerate to be encoded for some European users. This bug should now be fixed. We have also updated the conversion core.

Click on via link below to get PS3 Video 9.

Damons2k2's Vilvic Media Center is a new media app that rivals Red Kawa's own media centers, allowing users to share their own media from their PS3 to PCs running the Vilvic Media Center. It's still in beta stage though, so expect some work to be done before you can fully explore everything this app has to offer.

One thing you'll have to remember though is that since this can be accessed from any web browser, this can work just as easily on the PlayStation 3 or the Wii. Make sure you read the Vilvic Media Center readme though, because the process to set it up does take while to complete.

In any case, Here is the release information for this application:

• Fixed the problem with streaming mp3's.
• Added support for very large files - should be able to handle files up to 8388607 terrabytes!. (in theory)
• When the PS3 sends a request to VMC for a file there is a header placed at the beginning of this file. In this header it specifies the size of the file. It appears if this number is 4294967296L (4gb) or bigger then the file fails to download. So the solution to the problem is to not return the file size for files equal to or bigger than 4gb. What happens for files of 4gb is that the progress bar goes straight to 100% but you will notice that circle thing in the top right is rotating. It is actually downloading at this point. When it has finsihed you will get the usual message that the download has complete. The strange thing is that it reports that the file is 0k but fortunately it is lying. Go to the video menu on the PS3 and check the file size and it's the correct size.
• Out of interest on my local PC the through put is approximately 4Mb per second.
• Removed the attribute replacespaces from directories and folders (it served no purpose).
• Added new attribute filesystemicon to the server for Unix and Mac users where it is unable to retrieve the file system icon. This has added two new images that can be skinned (folder.png and file.png). It is also worth mentioning that if you have large directories and it is taking a while to load the page set this option to yes and you will see an improvement in performance. The changes made in this release appear to make the icons load quicker (but atleast you have the option to switch it off).
• Fixed the problem on Unix (and hopefully Mac) where the file server was struggling to locate files.
• Removed the attribute replacespaces from directories and folders (it served no purpose). Added new attribute filesystemicon to the server for Unix and Mac users where it is unable to retrieve the file system icon. This has added two new images that can be skinned (folder.png and file.png).
• Added parameter to vmc.jar to specify the location of the server.xml. Now works properly with Unix and Mac.
• Initial release

Download: Vilvic Media Center v1.0.4

 

The folks at Red Kawa recently informed us that PS3 Video 9 is now on version 2.13, fixing some rather problematic issues with their previous build that made video conversions fail if done on PS3 Video 9's default settings.

Unfortunately, this PS3 Video 9 v2.13 isn't an upgrade but an overwrite of the previous version. They note that all your old settings and profiles will be lost in the process, and advise that you start from scratch, seeing as your previous settings and profiles were buggy as a result of using the previous version.

In any case, here's the changelog. You'd best read their notes on the source link as well, just in case you want to know what's up. Their new feature, called QuickTime HD Input Profile boasts conversion at 100 times the normal rate without any loss in quality, seems very exciting, and now seems to be a mainstay of PS3 Video 9. Enjoy!

Changes:

• Added - QuickTime HD Input Profile
• Added - Sort profile names in combo boxes
• Fixed - Short Duration Times in PS3 Profiles
• Fixed - Creating PS3 Video Ouput Directories

Download: PS3 Video 9 v2.13

Wow, Red Kawa's been doing a lot of stuff lately, and they've got some new programs and updates that PS3 and Wii owners may want to try out.

First off is SofaTube. SofaTube works with the Wii to let owners watch YouTube and Revver videos on the television rather than on the PC. While using the PC is nice and all, watching streaming versions of your favorite YouTube videos seems so much more worthwhile when you're lounging around on your couch, and you don't have to squint at your TV screen to see the vids since the program resizes them for you.

Their next set of programs are PS3 Media Center X and Wii Media Center X. These apps let you stream specific video, image, and music files from your computer to the respective console. Combined with the PS3 Video 9 and Wii Video 9 video formatting apps, these should open up some more options for people hoping to make the most out of their console. They're still in alpha stage, however, so input on how they work on your computer and console would probably help them in making a full-fledged 1.0 build.

Speaking of the Wii Video 9, they've also come out with version 1.93, which adds Wii and PS3 FLV Support to the program. However, it's a full install rather than an upgrade, so you have to install it over the version you currently have. It'll also overwrite your profiles or settings so you might want to backup the proper XML files before installing. Enjoy!

One thing Red Kawa found out when working on their PS3 video format converter and player was that swapping out all those Memory Sticks, memory cards, USB HDDs, and so forth, was a tedious and annoying workout. So no one could blame them if they wanted to create something to parallel their video converter: a file server program that could make a PC and a PS3 talk over a wired or wireless net.

Now, after installing this program, the Red Kawa File Server (and for free, too!) onto their PCs, the PS3 can view, access, and copy files stored in the PC HDD using the PS3's web browser. The way we see it, it can be particularly useful if you're the type to hot-swap files between your PS3 and the PC.

We're looking at video format conversion and upload, and homebrew development mainly. It would be interesting to note if this can work the other way, too: copying files from the PS3 HDD to the PC HDD. Nothing said about that.

Second bonus: apparently the PSP can also directly access the PC-server. Not many details are offered in the Red Kawa site, but it's safe to assume that you could use the PSP's web browser to access the PC, just as with the PS3.

Red Kawa's working on a tutorial guide at the moment, so there are no detailed instructions to go with on this one (either for the PSP or PS3). Other than the fact that you install this on the PC, anyway. Just remember to open up port #8192 on your router. As details surface later, we'll post updates (and additional downloads, if necessary). These Red Kawa boys do know how to work fast when they twig on something, after all...

Download: [Red Kawa File Server]

Sony's piece of next-gen hardware isn't even formally out in the US yet, but already we have companies making apps for the PlayStation 3. One such company was Red Kawa, which made video conversion software to make your movies compatible with the PlayStation 3. Now, Fire International is stepping into the ring with its own new app: the Xploder PS3 Movie Player.

Dubbing itself the iTunes for the PS3, the Xploder PS3 Movie Player acts as a media manager for both your console and your PSP. It converts your videos for the best playback on both PS3 and PSP, as well as letting you choose what format it will convert your videos into. It also allows you to export your iTunes lists from handheld to console and vice-versa and converts your CDs to mp3s. It even manages your photo galleries.

Perhaps of more use to gamers is how it can inform the user of gamesaves. As their press release states,

Access, download and manage the latest gamesaves for PS3 and PSP from the Xploder database. The in-application RSS feed sends alerts as new gamesaves become available for download to keep you ahead of the game.

It definitely sounds like a handy app just for the power to get the most out of your gaming fun.

Of course, since we haven't all seen what the PS3's current interface can do, we might as well wait to see if its a worthwhile purchase once we get our hands on and understand the limitations of the PS3's existing systems. Unlike Red Kawa's PS3 Video 9, Xploder isn't free, so better to make an informed decision than to rush in blindly, right? The Xploder PS3 Movie Player will be available for download on November 17, with an in-store release on December 1.