Correct me if I am wrong but for the fourth time nothing in that document points out that Sony was implementing anything to PS3 in particular in anyway.
Yup, just the Sony HMD glasses at CES and
TV glasses displayed at CES by SONY. Remember this is a September 2012 before we see it technology with the PS4 to be released in 2014.
Talk of sensor equipped technology and the AR toys being released soon point to this as a big coming feature
BEFORE the PS4 is released. WebGL technology is being leveraged to support this.
Because Sony is Super Secret we most likely won't get any direct proof or a Road Map.
One of the slides mentioned WebGL has to be 100% secure and that requires webkit2 which will be done (webkit2 GTK API) before the end of March. Another slide mentions leveraging HTML5 technology to support applications. IF they are not stand alone but running from a browser desktop it is VERY important that HTML5 technology or webGL be secure.
Look at Google+ applications in a Chrome browser (webkit2), you can inspect the elements that make up a Calender for instance. It's a very small script using SQlite to store the user data locally with Google creating cloud storage for the user to sync a Calender on every platform the user owns or logs into. Look at how small the script is. Some logic is supplied by Google but a Calender could be created the same way by Sony or with 100% local but having PS+ required to sync between Sony platforms. Another feature supported by PS+ justifying it's yearly cost.
Technical but interesting links relating to Gstreamer - OpenMAX Not necessary for anything other than background info.
April 2006 Khronos PDF on using OpenMax Integration layer with Gstreamer. (
Applies to PS Suite and porting Gstreamer to the PS3 and Vita >> GST-OpenMAX)
The purpose of this document is showing how the OpenMAX Integration Layer API can be used in the Linux GStreamer framework to enable access to multimedia
components, including HW acceleration on platforms that provide it.
GStreamer is a fully featured Multimedia framework for the Linux operating system. The purpose of this white paper is to discuss how access to multimedia components - as offered by the OpenMAX Integration Layer (OMX IL) API - can be exploited by GStreamer. Adding support for OMX IL inside GStreamer has the advantage of enabling access to multimedia components in a standardized way. Applications using the GStreamer API would take advantage of hardware acceleration on platforms that provide it, when OMX IL support is integrated.
Although the OpenMAX Integration Layer API may initially look similar to GStreamer (core and codecs) in terms of concepts, it is aimed at a different purpose and lacks many advanced features that can be found in GStreamer. This white paper briefly discusses the main concepts of the GStreamer framework, then it analyzes the main differences with OMX IL in terms of data structures and methods. A simple approach for using the OpenMAX IL API with GStreamer is suggested, which does not require modifications to the GStreamer core framework.
http://lists.linaro.org/pipermail/linaro-dev/2011-February/002464.html
http://marc.info/?l=gstreamer-devel&m=114839371909901
http://gstconf.ubicast.tv/videos/a-new-openmax-il-integration-layer-for-gstreamer/?html5=on
Points gleaned:
Openmax is a set of "standards" routines written in assembly language to API support hardware from a hardware vender like Qualcomm. Included with the APIs are codecs written in assembly language that use the features built into the hardware. This allows a vender like Qualcomm to support multiple different CPUs, GPUs, Audio and Video interfaces in a standard that others can use.
1) Sony believes in Standards and is part of multiple Standards organizations. They are a member of Khronos and followed standards outlined by Khronos at the launch of the PS3.
2)
The Openmax IL API standard and free codec routines allowed Sony to provide free not for commercial use (free use only) support for several audio and video formats. Codecs could have been provided to Sony by IBM but only using the PPU. Sony probably rewrote the OpenMAX codec to use SPUs-RSX in 2007-2008 when we saw a dramatic performance increase for Flash video in the Netfront Browser.
3) GST-Openmax: Khronos members were (2006) investigating using Gstreamer (Linux and Unix) and Directshow (Windows) as players supported by lower level openmax APIs. There are issues in using Gstreamer on an Openmax API that were partially addressed with the new Gstreamer 1.0 API. Gstreamer 1.0 will work better with Android Openmax 1.1. With some custom code, Gstreamer can use the Openmax API and provide advanced support beyond the Openmax minimal specs.
Sony with the PS3 as a one-off closed platform has no need to keep with a standard meant to provide support for a hardware vendor with multiple different versions they are selling.
Will Sony support/use Gstreamer in the PS3...that seems to be yes as the PS3 webkit disclosure has Sony maintained libraries listing Gstreamer in the PS3 Webkit DIFF files. Collabora was sent a PS3 Developer kit late 2007 after Collabora integrated Gstreamer into GTKwebkit and provided bindings to Cairo to support HTML5 <video>. Both Opera and Firefox started using Gstreamer for HTML5 <video> at about the same time in the 2007-2008 period.
When Sony is integrating Gstreamer into the PS3 is an issue we can only guess at. My SUPPORTED guess is that Sony did this with Firmware 3.0 just like they did with Cairo. Video unlimited was written in 2009 using Cairo, Webkit and most likely Gstreamer but to this date only Cairo and webkit are used in the "preview version". You are not allowed to stream AV which would require Gstreamer and in addition would violate the Free use only codec provided by OpenMAX. I found a Marlin DRM PDF that discussed a Gstreamer DASH player with Marlin DRM that could have been part of a 2009 proof of concept.
Is Gstreamer being used in the PS3 now for non-commercial use? Massa says no because Sony would be legally required to disclose their use of Gstreamer; he may be correct. It makes sense to use Gstreamer for everything AV but OpenMAX provides the same type of plugin support for lower level Core feature of Gstreamer and codecs. Sony probably wrote a player to use OpenMax to support AV features. When Sony goes commercial and provides their own IPTV streaming for movies they can not use the Free OpenMAX codecs...they will have to pay a licencing Fee to Mpeg-LA and this creates a point where it might make commercial sense to switch to Gstreamer.
Why has the developed in 2009 Video unlimited streaming not been used by Sony? Hulu is using the framework...Netflix is also using SOME of the framework as the Netflix app has dropped from 21 megs to less than 16 megs; both are commercial IPTV. Netflix is QTwebkit and Hulu is GTKwebkit; both use Cairo, Gstreamer and webkit. Sony has disclosed Gstreamer and Cairo on their networked platforms (TV, Blu-ray and Google TV) but there is no Gstreamer disclosed on the PS3 or Vita but the Vita is not supporting HTML5 <video> yet. IF Sony is following the rules and disclosing LGPL licensed Open Source Software then they are probably using OpenMax codecs and Sony player on the Vita to play MP4 720P only non commercial video. Will that change Spring 2012 when it appears the PS3 is getting a major firmware update to support commercial IPTV which coincides with webkit2 GTK API being finished and Gstreamer 1.0 being finished (Collabora is admitting to being 2 months delayed).
I think yes, Spring 2012 will see the release of Playmemories Studio, Sony commercial IPTV, a new Browser, new DLNA server, new Chat program and Rich Internet Applications. The above logic would, with Gstreamer being used for AV in the PS3 and needed for AV in a new browser require Gstreamer before a new browser could be implemented on the PS3. There is also that security requires webkit2 and it's not API integrated with the GTKwebkit port yet.
There is also that discussions and lectures have SOME Khronos members dissatisfied with the current OpenMAX API. Gstreamer requires custom changes to
fully integrate with OpenMAX APIs but is a more powerful standard. Augmented Reality is requiring multiple forms of sensor metadata to be synced and used with Video streams so changes to Gstreamer need to be made (talks have been underway to do this for 6 months now).
Sony not (yet) disclosing Gstreamer on Vita and PS3 coupled with PS Suite on and off again statements for the PS3 might indicate Sony going with their own or a custom OpenMax API player totally rewritten to support AR rather than use Gstreamer.
Mono currently uses Gstreamer and webkit to support Moonlight for Linux and Unix commercial IPTV applications. PS Suite applications on Sony networked blu-ray, TV and Google TV would use these old Mono-Moonlight standards with a MS Playready DRM Sony purchased the rights to use. But it's possible for Mono to use OpenMax codec support (likely GST-OpenMAX is going to be used for PS Suite) and in addition use Androids Stagefright player provided by Android not Gstreamer. I doubt this as current job postings are still mentioning both OpenMAX and Gstreamer experience needed for Android.
Sony is an innovator of standards and is closely working with Google who bought widevine so PS Suite could diverge from Mono touch - Moonlight.... Come to think of it, that would create issues with Windows (Microsoft also supports OpenMax) and ios (if that happens) so back to PS Suite will use Gstreamer (GST-OpenMAX) as most likely.
Question? who is paying Mpeg-LA for the commercial IPTV use of codecs?