So I decided to buy a license for Playon as we pretty much have been using it everyday and my trail time ran out.  With the latest updates they now allow 420p HD streaming for Hulu which makes a big difference and its nice to finally watch some of our shows in HD as it looks a ton better.  Using it a lot I have come across a few lessons:

1) Disable the ‘Always Process Entire Video’ – this seems to cause some issues and may cause the application to freeze.  This was the case when we were watching Jumanji and it kept freezing every 20 minutes or so.  This was really annoying because it was a pain to have to scroll back to where the movie was when it lost its connection.

2) Set the video output to Max.  This will ensure that you receive the highest definition picture.

3) If watching multiple movies/shows from playon be sure to run something like CCleaner through before running the next show.  This will clear up a bunch of space that was taken up by the buffer while streaming from the computer to your PS3.

4) For smooth playback ensure you are not doing anything too intensive on the PC that is running Playon Desktop.  It is fairly resource intensive on your computer while it is streaming.

5) When streaming Netflix start the movie and then pause it for at least 10 minutes and then let it play.  This will keep you from running into jerkyness as you reach the end of the buffer.

6) Hardwire the PC with Playon Running as well as the PS3, this will ensure that you have the fastest connection speed

MediaMall is saying that they are planning a lot more upgrades for Playon including other applications to be included, I wonder if they are going to include Slingboxes new streaming website.  Also I would like to see all the networks HD streams available as CBS is the only network available and that isn’t an HD stream.  This is a huge step in the right direction for online TV and worth the $30

I was really excited to see a new version of Mortal Kombat come out for the PS3 as that is one of my all time favorite games to play.  Great part about this game is no skill is required and everyone can play without it being too difficult.  Combinations are greatly simplified in this version compared to that of the last version as there is no more idea of ‘fighting styles’  The DC comic characters are a nice addition to the game as they add in some new moves and some pretty entertaining animation.  As expected the joker seems to have the best tricks and the best combinations.

One thing that was kind of new in this version was the story mode.  I managed to play though this and as the reviews say about 3-4 hours later I was done.  Basically you choose a side (MK or DC) and then you fight against everyone else.  As the levels change you rotate through characters and get a very good feel for all of the characters actions.  The only thing I didn’t like is there is no way to save your progress basically its an all or nothing shot.  But that’s alright as I did not buy this for the storyline mode I bought it just for 2 player Kombat.  I we saw with Laura’s parents this past weekend anyone can take the controller and beat the crap out of anyone else occasionally throwing a bomb or doing a special move which they have no idea how they did but loved it.

This is one that I am glad I bought and will get played a lot as it never really gets old.  I am still trying to track down a site that lists the fatalities but because the game is still so new I haven’t had any luck finding anything yet.

So this game came to me highly rated and the graphics looked like the would be fun.  The storyline was definitely there and was entertaining.  The characters were dynamic and easy to follow.  The moves in the game were relatively easy to accomplish and it was fun.

The issue with this game is it wasn’t very hard.  You could go in any room and just stand in the middle and mash the keypad and see people being thrown around.  There really was not skill to this game but it was fun to play.  At least for a short time.

This game was one I never completed because I sort of lost interest in the game after a while and just like LEGO Indiana Jones I wanted to trade up for the new games that just came out.  Maybe thats the problem playing older games right before the holiday’s when the release all the new games.

LEGO Indiana Jones is similar to Ratchet and Clank and fun to play with multiple puzzles and mazes to get through

Battlefield: Bad Company is a great, funny shoot em up war game.

So for Laura’s birthday I bought her Rock Band 2.  As expected it is awesome.  It has 80 new songs with 20 free songs available for download upon registering.  I registered but aparently they haven’t released the 20 free songs yet.  For $4.99 I was able to transfer all the Rock Band 1 songs to the new game.  A nice thing to notice was that all the songs I downloaded were already available to play on the new game.  We were a little bumbed to see other than the new songs and a new interface change to the song lists (so now it looks like the store) the game is pretty much the same.  But that isn’t a drawback, as we love the game and it is highly entertaining.  I was glad to see that copying the songs to the new version was so easy and that there were a ton of new songs to download.

Lets say I have spent a lot of money adding songs and whatnot to this game along with buying a second guitar.  I am glad to think that I am solely keeping the economy going!

Replacing your PS3 hard drive is really simple and works as expected with no loss of data!

PlayOn bridges the gap between your laptop and your PS3 allowing you to stream Hulu, Netflix, CBS, YouTube and others straight on your TV

PlayOn brings Hulu streaming to PS3 and possibly Netflix in the future

I absolutely love this video! It goes to show you how far video game trailers/plots have come with the new generation of consoles!