vivster said:
The problem is that I'm a network professional and I know where lag comes from and how to mitigate it. If the stream goes over the internet there is not much Sony can do to speed it up. It's not the bandwidth but the delay that's the problem. While Sony has the power to cut delay at their site by using faster hardware for video conversion they don't have power over the internet routes. Sony would need a deal with the local ISPs to guarantee priority for their packets but I don't see this happening. And even then there will be hiccups that are out of control of Sony and the ISP. Also there will be lots of players using wifi as a connection to their router, which will make it even worse. |
I am not a network professional like you; in fact, as a computer enthusiast this is one area that usually leaves me confused. However, as an individual living in Canada and knowing how internet speeds are here and having some (very brief) experience with US Internet speeds I wonder why Sony chose North America to start the role out of this service; our internet speeds and bandwidth in US and and especially Canada are very bad compared to a place like Japan even UK. As I understand Gaikai is the fastest network out there, but I feel Sony will get the same mixed reception that OnLive did simply because of bad ISPs.
I agree with what you say about the service improving over time (like many Sony products and services, their strategy and methods make more practical sense as time goes by), but I do not see launching this service in North America with such a large poplation and such horrible ISP restrictions would not get them the best first impressions.
