Google goes back to the future with the PlayStation 3

By Davey Winder
Saturday, 28 June 2008 14:58

Entertainment

Google Media Server puts everything on your PC on your TV, via your PlayStation 3. Everything, plus adverts of course.

So, how cool is that?

The answer is fairly tepid, to be honest. Owners of an Xbox 360 will no doubt be scratching their heads and wondering what all the fuss is about while chanting 'Media Center Extender' over and over again.

Microsoft has been enabling users to access digital entertainment data from their Windows PC, via their games console, for yonks. If you have an Xbox 360, then you also have Extender for Windows Media Center hardware. Simple as that.

Google appears to have been playing catch up though, and has now announced the availability of the inevitable Beta version of its own Google Media Server.

David Garcia, a Google Software Engineer, writes in the official Google Desktop blog that this is a "Windows application that aims to bridge the gap between Google and your TV. It uses Google Desktop technology such as Desktop gadgets for the administration tool and Google Desktop Search to locate media files."

"All you need" Garcia continues "is a PC running Google Desktop and a UPnP-enabled device."

A UPnP-enabled device such as a PlayStation 3.

Hook them up and you can then join your Xbox 360 owning buddies in the 21st century of digital entertainment and access videos, music and photos stored on your PC. As a neat additional bonus, you can also view web photo albums courtesy of Picasa, and stream YouTube videos on to your TV.

But has Google just gone back to the future? Read on to find out...

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