Help with CinemaNow

Sounds like an awful lot of hassle for $5.

My laptop came with cinemanow installed, that got uninstalled pretty quickly.

-Suntan

HD on CinemaNow is a recent addition to the service. Previously it was SD only. It is still SD only except for specifically equipped computers. Go check your laptop at Intel Core Processor Test.

HD CinemaNow is not available on any devices such as the Roku, Blu-ray streamers, media players, etc., at least not at this time.

Honestly though, how many options does a person need?

Netflix
Hulu
Vudu
AmazonVOD
Crackle
Youtube
Zune
Apple

Those are just the ones off the top of my head.

Do you have Google added as a streaming provider?

https://play.google.com/store/movies

-Suntan

It is BS, for sure. However, it's not that your hardware doesn't have the capability to stream CinemaNow HD, it's that their (over) protection scheme won't allow it. (IMO)

FWIW, I have seven movies owned in my CinemaNow library, and I haven't paid for any of them. Three were bought with the $5 credits that came with equipment purchased, and four were given to me from CinemaNow via e-mail notification before Christmas. Now free is a very good price, so I have no qualms about viewing something in my library when I feel like it, but I won't be spending any of my money with CinemaNow because even for SD the PQ is rather poor and their content in my opinion is overpriced.

The one good thing about CinemaNow is that their new movies are $3.99, $2 less than Vudu, and are of equivalent quality if played on their PS3 app. So if you have a PS3 then CinemaNow is the way to go if you intend on paying full price.

If anyone is thinking of buying a new Blu-ray player for streaming please note that for some reason Sony's 2011 Blu-ray line-up has a non working CinemaNow (CN) application. The CN app states "coming soon". I don't know if the 2012 Blu-ray players suffer from lack of CN but Sony for some odd reason has not released a firmware update for CN in the 2011 players. Ironically, Sony's 2010 Blu-ray players can stream CN. Go figure.

I noticed my S380 had a firmware update available. I checked the web site, and it's just the generic 'improved Internet services', along with the addition of Cinavia. I haven't tried updating yet.

A firmware update isn't always needed for services. I see services come and go without any firmware update, just an update of available services.

Hey andy, does your S380 have an internet browser? My S580 does and I was surprised when I could not find browser on my buddies S380.

My Sony S480 had an update notice last night so I let it do it and now CinemaNow works. They appear to have some movies the others don't and also Sony's VideoUnlimited may have some other studios movies that the others don't.

But, that latest update also includes Cinavia audio copy protection.

Thanks for info. I checked my S580 and VOILA! CinemaNow is up - finally. Perhaps my continuous recent volley of email complaints to Sony and Roxio customer service helped. The last reply from Sony on March 12 2012:

"I understand your concern regarding the CinemaNow Internet service for the Blu-ray Disc Player. I've forwarded your concern to our Sustaining Engineering(SE) regarding making of a Firmware Update that adds the feature to activate and playback CinemaNow Internet service in the Blu-ray Disc Player. If any update is released, it will be posted in our support website. Please bookmark the link provided below and check periodically, if any Update is released.

http://esupport.sony.com/US/perl/mod...d#/downloadTab

Thank you for your time.

The Sony Email Response Team
C2X7
Ana"

As andyross63 stated:


It appears that CinemaNow update or switch on 'did not' come from the latest firmware update. I updated latest firmware version M07.R.0615 last week and it did not correct CinemaNow. Nor is CinemaNow update listed in the firmware benefits.

I know some may not want Cinavia but that would entail never ever doing a firmware update in the future. I believe if you skip this one it will still add Cinavia later.

That would explain that when watching "The Skin I Live In" on Bluray Friday night that when I paused the disc when someone called and hit play a few minutes later, after about 30 seconds the audio stopped playing. I tried all kinds of things to get the audio back. I even tried some MP4 clips and their audio wouldn't play either. The only way I got it back was to restart the player. Fortunately I had bookmarked where I was and surprisingly on restart of the disc it asked if I wanted to restart at the bookmark instead of the usual time wasting rigmarole.

So Cinavia is very flawed, buggy and unacceptable. We should boycott any product with it. Industry executives are very tech illiterate and they buy into brute force methods and especially with their upcoming Copyright STASI we need to bankrupt their companies.