So, I downloaded the CanWest MediaWorks’ VideoPlayer for BlackBerry powered by SONA Mobile yesterday and have had a chance to play around with with it a bit. I know that it is currently in beta, however, my first thought is that VideoPlayer is quite horrible compared to what you get on Windows Mobile and Palm devices.
My first issue is with the quality of the video playback. It is quite grainy and difficult to see. Now, I am only running VideoPlayer on a BlackBerry 7130e and video quality may be better on the more powerful BlackBerry 8700, however, it is pretty darn bad on the 7130e. The sound quality is OK, however, I didn’t see a way to adjust the volume during playback.
Another big issue with CanWest MediaWorks’ VideoPlayer doesn’t stream content. This in itself isn’t all that bad, however, the limited memory on compatible BlackBerry devices will severely limit the amount of data that can be stored in your playlist.
I know this is the first multimedia player for the BlackBerry and that it is still in beta, however, RIM and it’s partners are going to have to “bring it” if they are going to start offering multimedia features on the BlackBerry that you have been able to get on other PDAs and smartphones for years.
{ 2 trackbacks }
{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }
Chris Whisonant 06.27.06 at 11:41 am
Video is not good on the 8700c either. I couldn’t figure out how to adjust the volume as well.
Jeff 06.27.06 at 12:53 pm
I’m just curious, does the audio come out the speaker or the headphones? Can you choose?
Robb Dunewood 06.27.06 at 2:11 pm
I haven’t tried it with the plug-in earpiece, however, it does not send the audio over Bluetooth to a wireless headset.
Jeff 06.28.06 at 12:27 am
Please try it with the plug-in earpiece when you get a chance. Thanx!
rid 06.28.06 at 9:11 am
I just downloaded the player and it doesn’t work at all for me I’m getting an error messages “Java.io.IOExcepyion could not open tunnel-failed” why is that???
Robert 06.28.06 at 10:20 am
The volume can be adjusted by holding the “alt” key while using the thumbwheel, I left feedback with the question and they responded within 5 minutes! That is a good sign. However I agree with the idea the downloadable content is going to suck. It took me more than 10 minutes to download the 90 second News clip.
I’m excited though.
Josh 06.28.06 at 11:48 am
Jeff,
VideoPlayer doesn’t send audi through the wired earpiece either.
Rid,
What model are you trying to run VideoPlayer on? It only works on 7130 and 8700 series devices.
rid 06.28.06 at 12:03 pm
t-mobile 8700g.. i downloaded the player, it didn’t work then i deleted it and downloaded the player again and i’m still getting this error “Java.io.IOException could not open tunnel-failed”
Chris Whisonant 06.28.06 at 1:12 pm
I found that Alt+Scroll wheel is volume too.
I just tried downloading the 1:21 business report and it took about 5 minutes on my 8700c.
T-Mobile Guy 07.03.06 at 3:32 am
Rid,
What you need to do is go into your Options>Advanced Options>TCP.
Your APN should be currently blank, type in wap.voicestream.com. Leave the Username and Password Blank. It worked for me, trust me in frustrated me too. Good Luck, hope that helped. Also has anyone had a problem downloading the Sports clip, and also I can’t seem to get rid of the clips I stopped. I’m not sure if they are taking up space or not. Thanks in advance for any feedback.
Overlord 07.03.06 at 4:02 am
Hey T-Mobile Guy,
tried your wap.voicestream.com fix it. No luck. Is that only with T-Mobile?
Any ideas?
bill Johnson 02.28.07 at 11:04 pm
Peeps,
Besides can west, is there any other free third party media that could play on the pearl 8100? The can west is also not working on my phone. Any suggestions will be appreciated.