I used it for 2 weeks during the trial and decided that it was too much of a "Beta" product to pay $40 for. I purchased it at $20 realizing that at that price I could tolerate some of the unfixed features.
My main gripes are:
-I can't view my hulu queue at all
-audio sync gets off by about a full second
-only able to view one Hulu account
-When it can see Hulu, it only sees your bottom 30 items.
I apologize if my 2 cents seemed scathing, but that really wasn't my intention. I've joined these forums as well as those of your competitors because streaming media is a topic of interest to me. This weekend I went to a friends house who purchased PlayOn when it was last available for $20. That $20 price point was what made him buy, otherwise he wasn't interested. He has had a great amount of success with using PlayOn for Hulu, but I noticed he also had TVersity running for his media streaming.
I'm not going to badmouth PlayOn because it does offer things that others do not at all and your company really does have my respect. Any software developer that offers an unrestricted trial of their product(without having to exchange credit card information) immediately earns my respect, and The Media Mall does this for PlayOn which to me is the most important thing for gaining an unsure buyers trust and potential business.
In all reality, I'll likely be purchasing it in the next month or so because I'm interested in what future developments you guys add and I've done the same with all of your competition. I blog and have a couple of tech resource sites where I do reviews and PlayOn is definitely of high interest to many. When I do write a review on all of the ins and outs of your software and your competitors I'll be including every variable, as well as price and support. I like the fact that you listen to the community and give genuine responses to the concerns of your users.
I still do feel that your software really exists as more of a gateway than a software package to connecting to other ways of doing things. It's like an emulator, browser or Media player in that regard. I find $40 to be twice as high as what the majority is willing to pay. Do you see people paying $40 for JRiver media player when Windows Media Player, RealPlayer and others all play mutliple video types for free? Even with advanced features it doesn't justify the price point to playback media you can view online for free in a more convenient way. Lot's of people do pay for it. But you will find that LOT'S more will likely bite on a lower price. Do you guys have any discounts to reviewers? Or maybe a trial extension?
I just finished my 2 week trial, and I was very impressed overall, but I did run into problems with my Xbox 360, especially the weird messed up screen with the diagonal line running through it on some video( I am willing to overlook that one). I was very excited to try out the plugins feature, but it seems that at least half of them have stopped working, such as NBC, Adult Swim, South Park Studios etc.., leaving only a few that I would even consider using, ( left me wondering how long it will be if and when those die as well. ) I know you are not responsible for those, but you do advertise that this is a "Feature".
Another stopping point for me is the fact that as fast as this technology is moving, who is to say that there will be something else out there in 2 months? I would risk a $10 investment on that, but not much more.
Your Game Fly half off promotion left me feeling rather insulted. I understand that business is business, but I am a 38 year old who is interested in a great media center experience, not renting games. I do not like the fact that I would have to join another pointless service just to get deal on your product.
Lastly, you are charging money for something that is supposed to be free, such as Hulu, thus defeating the purpose (though I understand what it is you are doing with the software, I would say at least some do not understand what your software actually does, they just want to see video on their system). Right off the bat the $40 price tag is creepy because it appears that you are trying to piggyback off of someone else's work.
I was willing to drop $10 on this product, hell maybe even $20, you do after all have to make a living, but if I were you guys, I would take another long hard look at your business model here. You say that people have stated that they would pay your asking price, but I consider myself pretty indicative of your target consumer, and there is no way I will pay $40 for a product that, though superior to other media servers, can be had for free.
It is strange that people will pay more money to get a box that will only let you do one thing, such as view Netflix movies, but they gripe about paying much less for something that is much more flexible and has more potential with plugins.
They probably pay much more per month for those colesterol/fat laden pizzas that they choke down while watching their favorite movie.
I'm thrilled to pay one fee for a lifetime product. We've used PlayOn for many months and feel it is a great value. I was so pleased there was no monthly or annual fee. Updates have come on a regular basis, the software is reliable, easy to use, and we use it almost daily. Our TV use has been very little over the years (5 hr/wk) but now we use PlayOn to watch selected programs and movies at our convenience. We couldn't be more pleased with the features and the price.
Everyone gets time to test the software out, before you buy. So, you know before you buy if your hardware/software situation will work. Also, if something breaks, they work to get things resolved. No software is bullet proof. Considering what the software does and how it works various websites and online media, is just plain amazing.
What other streaming software is bringing LiveTV, JustinTV, latest movies, VLC, Sopcast, StreamTorrent, 400 + vodcasts? It's pretty amazing to watch any NFL team you want on any given Sunday. Wasn't that a movie? :)
I would suggest anyone using the software, to enjoy the plugins/scripts that do work as issues get resolved, in most cases over time.
When it comes down to it - $40 dollars is really a steal for this software.
This is my 2 cents worth ;)
Happy Streaming!
This program was well worth the original $30.00 that I believe I spent on it almost a year ago. It keeps getting better and better and better.
The only complaint that I have is that Play-On hasn't added an of their own video stuff in a long time. The only "official" plug in is with 1 video service. I would think by now the would have some more "official" plug-ins themselves.
The plug-ins that are available at the other side are great. I've written an OPML file myself for others to download.
Yes, this is money well spent. Especially because this company is quick to fix major bugs and is always updating their software.
I use this, TVersity for some feeds that I can download to my PS3, PS3 MediaServer, and the new Netflix disc, as well as Windows 7 and WMP 12.
This is really a non-issue. Assume for a moment that nothing about this software works... nothing. Each individual is given an opportunity to test drive it for 14 days. If you like it and want to pay for it, that option is available to you. If you don't like it, there is no obligation to purchase it. You simply uninstall it and move on.
The argument that its worth this much, but not that much, is nonsense. The company sets a price point for its product. It either sells or doesn't, then the company has to determine if its sales objectives are being met and it either maintain the current price point or sets a new one. This happens thousands of times each day. You, the potential customer don't get a vote. You either want it or you don't. Even as a paying customer you don't get a vote, but you do gt an opinion... was it money well spent, or not. Nobody, except the company, knows what it requires to recoupe its investment. How can any of us pretend to know what the proper price should be?
Is this beta software? Its a long way from beta software. The main issues/complaints I've seen on this forum have been stated as known issues by the developers. They readily admit that local shares aren't ready for primetime. Fortunately, there is pleanty of free software available to fill the gap until PlayOn gets this feature set working correctly.
It seems to me the biggest complainers are those who believe they have some entitlement to free software, and of course they do. They have an entitlement to freely use any and all software that they themselves develop. Beyond that they should view all freeware as the gift that it is. While PlayOn isn't free, its pretty cheap and works pretty well. Most of us who engage in this sort of activity easily waste this kind of money in a weekend and probably would have a difficult time accounting for $40 out of $100 spent on entertainment.
I'm just about to finish up my trial period. As a value shopper, I hope to see a "sale" come up soon. If not, then even at the full $40 price, this software is a bargain... throw in the added value of a thriving add-in community, its a steal.
As others have aptly noted, there is no single silver bullet for meeting the streaming needs of everyone. That day will probably come sometime in the not too distant future, but you can bet it won't be free, and it won't be anywhere near $40... and PlayOn is probably a lot closer to becoming that silver bullet software than anyone else at the moment.
I have to say, this is the best software I've come across so far. I've tried TVersity, TunerFree, Orb and Nero MediaHome and none compare. I love the way the everything is ordered logically, and the thumbnails for everything. I also think the plugins and constant updates and new features and channels for this make it amazing. So thankyou and welldone for creating this gem.
I do have to say I'm with the too expensive crowd though. I'm based in the UK so all I can really take advantage of is youtube and the BBC iPlayer. I wanted to get the iPlayer on my Xbox as I have sky and I'm looking to make the most of the Xbox's media capabilities. Because I'm outside the US I can't use the amazing Hulu and other services that this great peice of kit supports.
I've tried to get the Hulu content but all I can seem to get is the thumbnails and video names after using a US based vpn service, no videos seem to play.
$40 seems a lot to pay {about £25} just for the BBC iPlayer, and Hulu at a push if I mess around with the vpn settings, especially when TVersity is free.
Again, that said, TVersity is very poor. Everything takes ages to load, no thumbnails, very very poor unchangable folder heirarchy amongst many other faults and flaws.
Another feature I love about this program is that it still works with my windows media sharing on. I prefer to use Media Centre or Media Player to stream content from my laptop but I can still use Playon with out switching any settings. When using TVersity or Orb I had to switch the Media Sharing off to use either, and when I wanted to access my Windows Media I had to turn sharing back on (because of the poor folder structures and lack of thumbnails). I had to create a batch file to switch one off if the other was on just so I didn't spend 2minutes changing settings all the time. But I don't have to do this with PlayOn.
I can't justify paying that much for just the iPlayer, and Hulu at a push with loads of faffing, but I have signed up to the newsletter and I have every intention of purchasing it if the price comes down or there is an offer.
BUT, for users in the states, this is a great peice of software and compared to the costs for cable or other similar media hardware this is really great value for money. I would be happy to pay a one off fee of $40 if I could get all the services available in the states.
Any chance of doing a reduced price/promotion for UK users at least? I think we'd all appreciate it, especially as the majority of the content available we can't get without messing around with vpn's.
Keep up the good work Media Mall!
p.s. Can anyone suggest a decent vpn for the UK. I've tried a few, Hotspod Shield for one, but theyre very slow and everytime I find a video I want to watch I get "Lost connection to PC" messages. Any ideas?
Playon is priced right, IF, it worked properly. I got tired of sending support requests, and just accepted that it will only work half the time. Corrupted data, unexpected pausing and freezing/stuttering, or it just never started the movie at all. It was a 50/50 prospect for me. HULU did the exact same thing. I don't remember it working through an entire episode without stopping playback.
I got PlayOn for $30, and it was NOT worth it. Why? Because something that works 50% is more of a hassle then it is a good thing.
I recently received the Netflix disc for playing movies on my PS3 and it's worked every time (knock on wood), and, it's included with the Netflix subscription.
If I could get my $30 back from PlayOn, I would. It was NOT worth it.
I used it for 2 weeks during the trial and decided that it was too much of a "Beta" product to pay $40 for. I purchased it at $20 realizing that at that price I could tolerate some of the unfixed features.
My main gripes are:
-I can't view my hulu queue at all
-audio sync gets off by about a full second
-only able to view one Hulu account
-When it can see Hulu, it only sees your bottom 30 items.
I apologize if my 2 cents seemed scathing, but that really wasn't my intention. I've joined these forums as well as those of your competitors because streaming media is a topic of interest to me. This weekend I went to a friends house who purchased PlayOn when it was last available for $20. That $20 price point was what made him buy, otherwise he wasn't interested. He has had a great amount of success with using PlayOn for Hulu, but I noticed he also had TVersity running for his media streaming.
I'm not going to badmouth PlayOn because it does offer things that others do not at all and your company really does have my respect. Any software developer that offers an unrestricted trial of their product(without having to exchange credit card information) immediately earns my respect, and The Media Mall does this for PlayOn which to me is the most important thing for gaining an unsure buyers trust and potential business.
In all reality, I'll likely be purchasing it in the next month or so because I'm interested in what future developments you guys add and I've done the same with all of your competition. I blog and have a couple of tech resource sites where I do reviews and PlayOn is definitely of high interest to many. When I do write a review on all of the ins and outs of your software and your competitors I'll be including every variable, as well as price and support. I like the fact that you listen to the community and give genuine responses to the concerns of your users.
I still do feel that your software really exists as more of a gateway than a software package to connecting to other ways of doing things. It's like an emulator, browser or Media player in that regard. I find $40 to be twice as high as what the majority is willing to pay. Do you see people paying $40 for JRiver media player when Windows Media Player, RealPlayer and others all play mutliple video types for free? Even with advanced features it doesn't justify the price point to playback media you can view online for free in a more convenient way. Lot's of people do pay for it. But you will find that LOT'S more will likely bite on a lower price. Do you guys have any discounts to reviewers? Or maybe a trial extension?
My Vote?, too expensive.
I just finished my 2 week trial, and I was very impressed overall, but I did run into problems with my Xbox 360, especially the weird messed up screen with the diagonal line running through it on some video( I am willing to overlook that one). I was very excited to try out the plugins feature, but it seems that at least half of them have stopped working, such as NBC, Adult Swim, South Park Studios etc.., leaving only a few that I would even consider using, ( left me wondering how long it will be if and when those die as well. ) I know you are not responsible for those, but you do advertise that this is a "Feature".
Another stopping point for me is the fact that as fast as this technology is moving, who is to say that there will be something else out there in 2 months? I would risk a $10 investment on that, but not much more.
Your Game Fly half off promotion left me feeling rather insulted. I understand that business is business, but I am a 38 year old who is interested in a great media center experience, not renting games. I do not like the fact that I would have to join another pointless service just to get deal on your product.
Lastly, you are charging money for something that is supposed to be free, such as Hulu, thus defeating the purpose (though I understand what it is you are doing with the software, I would say at least some do not understand what your software actually does, they just want to see video on their system). Right off the bat the $40 price tag is creepy because it appears that you are trying to piggyback off of someone else's work.
I was willing to drop $10 on this product, hell maybe even $20, you do after all have to make a living, but if I were you guys, I would take another long hard look at your business model here. You say that people have stated that they would pay your asking price, but I consider myself pretty indicative of your target consumer, and there is no way I will pay $40 for a product that, though superior to other media servers, can be had for free.
It is strange that people will pay more money to get a box that will only let you do one thing, such as view Netflix movies, but they gripe about paying much less for something that is much more flexible and has more potential with plugins.
They probably pay much more per month for those colesterol/fat laden pizzas that they choke down while watching their favorite movie.
I'm thrilled to pay one fee for a lifetime product. We've used PlayOn for many months and feel it is a great value. I was so pleased there was no monthly or annual fee. Updates have come on a regular basis, the software is reliable, easy to use, and we use it almost daily. Our TV use has been very little over the years (5 hr/wk) but now we use PlayOn to watch selected programs and movies at our convenience. We couldn't be more pleased with the features and the price.
Retired semi-conductor test engineer.
Add icing onto the cake @ http://www.playonplugins.com/ makes it priceless in my world.
What other streaming software is bringing LiveTV, JustinTV, latest movies, VLC, Sopcast, StreamTorrent, 400 + vodcasts? It's pretty amazing to watch any NFL team you want on any given Sunday. Wasn't that a movie? :)
I would suggest anyone using the software, to enjoy the plugins/scripts that do work as issues get resolved, in most cases over time.
When it comes down to it - $40 dollars is really a steal for this software.
This is my 2 cents worth ;)
Happy Streaming!
This program was well worth the original $30.00 that I believe I spent on it almost a year ago. It keeps getting better and better and better.
The only complaint that I have is that Play-On hasn't added an of their own video stuff in a long time. The only "official" plug in is with 1 video service. I would think by now the would have some more "official" plug-ins themselves.
The plug-ins that are available at the other side are great. I've written an OPML file myself for others to download.
Yes, this is money well spent. Especially because this company is quick to fix major bugs and is always updating their software.
I use this, TVersity for some feeds that I can download to my PS3, PS3 MediaServer, and the new Netflix disc, as well as Windows 7 and WMP 12.
Fantastic!
This is really a non-issue. Assume for a moment that nothing about this software works... nothing. Each individual is given an opportunity to test drive it for 14 days. If you like it and want to pay for it, that option is available to you. If you don't like it, there is no obligation to purchase it. You simply uninstall it and move on.
The argument that its worth this much, but not that much, is nonsense. The company sets a price point for its product. It either sells or doesn't, then the company has to determine if its sales objectives are being met and it either maintain the current price point or sets a new one. This happens thousands of times each day. You, the potential customer don't get a vote. You either want it or you don't. Even as a paying customer you don't get a vote, but you do gt an opinion... was it money well spent, or not. Nobody, except the company, knows what it requires to recoupe its investment. How can any of us pretend to know what the proper price should be?
Is this beta software? Its a long way from beta software. The main issues/complaints I've seen on this forum have been stated as known issues by the developers. They readily admit that local shares aren't ready for primetime. Fortunately, there is pleanty of free software available to fill the gap until PlayOn gets this feature set working correctly.
It seems to me the biggest complainers are those who believe they have some entitlement to free software, and of course they do. They have an entitlement to freely use any and all software that they themselves develop. Beyond that they should view all freeware as the gift that it is. While PlayOn isn't free, its pretty cheap and works pretty well. Most of us who engage in this sort of activity easily waste this kind of money in a weekend and probably would have a difficult time accounting for $40 out of $100 spent on entertainment.
I'm just about to finish up my trial period. As a value shopper, I hope to see a "sale" come up soon. If not, then even at the full $40 price, this software is a bargain... throw in the added value of a thriving add-in community, its a steal.
As others have aptly noted, there is no single silver bullet for meeting the streaming needs of everyone. That day will probably come sometime in the not too distant future, but you can bet it won't be free, and it won't be anywhere near $40... and PlayOn is probably a lot closer to becoming that silver bullet software than anyone else at the moment.
That's my $0.02 anyway.
I have to say, this is the best software I've come across so far. I've tried TVersity, TunerFree, Orb and Nero MediaHome and none compare. I love the way the everything is ordered logically, and the thumbnails for everything. I also think the plugins and constant updates and new features and channels for this make it amazing. So thankyou and welldone for creating this gem.
I do have to say I'm with the too expensive crowd though. I'm based in the UK so all I can really take advantage of is youtube and the BBC iPlayer. I wanted to get the iPlayer on my Xbox as I have sky and I'm looking to make the most of the Xbox's media capabilities. Because I'm outside the US I can't use the amazing Hulu and other services that this great peice of kit supports.
I've tried to get the Hulu content but all I can seem to get is the thumbnails and video names after using a US based vpn service, no videos seem to play.
$40 seems a lot to pay {about £25} just for the BBC iPlayer, and Hulu at a push if I mess around with the vpn settings, especially when TVersity is free.
Again, that said, TVersity is very poor. Everything takes ages to load, no thumbnails, very very poor unchangable folder heirarchy amongst many other faults and flaws.
Another feature I love about this program is that it still works with my windows media sharing on. I prefer to use Media Centre or Media Player to stream content from my laptop but I can still use Playon with out switching any settings. When using TVersity or Orb I had to switch the Media Sharing off to use either, and when I wanted to access my Windows Media I had to turn sharing back on (because of the poor folder structures and lack of thumbnails). I had to create a batch file to switch one off if the other was on just so I didn't spend 2minutes changing settings all the time. But I don't have to do this with PlayOn.
I can't justify paying that much for just the iPlayer, and Hulu at a push with loads of faffing, but I have signed up to the newsletter and I have every intention of purchasing it if the price comes down or there is an offer.
BUT, for users in the states, this is a great peice of software and compared to the costs for cable or other similar media hardware this is really great value for money. I would be happy to pay a one off fee of $40 if I could get all the services available in the states.
Any chance of doing a reduced price/promotion for UK users at least? I think we'd all appreciate it, especially as the majority of the content available we can't get without messing around with vpn's.
Keep up the good work Media Mall!
p.s. Can anyone suggest a decent vpn for the UK. I've tried a few, Hotspod Shield for one, but theyre very slow and everytime I find a video I want to watch I get "Lost connection to PC" messages. Any ideas?
Playon is priced right, IF, it worked properly. I got tired of sending support requests, and just accepted that it will only work half the time. Corrupted data, unexpected pausing and freezing/stuttering, or it just never started the movie at all. It was a 50/50 prospect for me. HULU did the exact same thing. I don't remember it working through an entire episode without stopping playback.
I got PlayOn for $30, and it was NOT worth it. Why? Because something that works 50% is more of a hassle then it is a good thing.
I recently received the Netflix disc for playing movies on my PS3 and it's worked every time (knock on wood), and, it's included with the Netflix subscription.
If I could get my $30 back from PlayOn, I would. It was NOT worth it.