Why "install" PSN content?

Taken from this thread:

Except for Yoda for SC4 and videos, every piece of content I've downloaded from the PSN using the PS3 has always had one thing in common: an install. I mean, why do we need to "install" games and demos if they already exist on the HDD? Especially if they're PSP games, as all you need to do is just copy it to the PSP.

The PSP once had this issue, but it was done away with via firmware update, so why can't the PS3 do the same? To me it's ridiculous.

In addition, someone told me in that thread that it's to avoid HDD corruption. Well, on the Xbox 360, it requres no install prior to using the content. Why is this?

Because the games are in compressed files for much faster download and so people aren't on the servers so long downloading and installing at the same time which would take way longer.

[QUOTE="Ontain"]because you probably downloaded a compressed fine so that it would be faster to download. the install could just be decompression. they could always just hide that fact from you so that you still think it's just part of the download time.killerfist

Ask Sony then. We're not the ones in charge of this operation, sorry.

But with content like PSP games downloaded from PSN, I don't see why "install" is necessary. I mean, XBLA has zero installs....tjoeb123

If you don't download in background, it tacks the install onto the end of the download, which is the same way PC handles downloads of expansions/updates and such, and I would assume is the same way Xbox 360 does it, they just don't tell you that's what its doing.

If you background on PSN, it waits to do the install until you manually do it. I would guess this is because the decompression process requires more of the systems attention than the download itself, and they don't want the possibility of it causing problems with whatever other process you are doing while you wait on the download.

Either way, it's really not a big deal.

But with content like PSP games downloaded from PSN, I don't see why "install" is necessary. I mean, XBLA has zero installs....tjoeb123

Has never bothered me. It only takes a minute to install whatever you downloaded anyway.

But with content like PSP games downloaded from PSN, I don't see why "install" is necessary. I mean, XBLA has zero installs....tjoeb123

does the 360 have a handheld? no? ok.

[QUOTE="tjoeb123"]But with content like PSP games downloaded from PSN, I don't see why "install" is necessary. I mean, XBLA has zero installs....zero_snake99

They are a software company after all.

It's as if the download mechanism and the install are two wholly separate applications on the PS3, and they haven't figured out how to combine them or make them work together somehow. Purely speculation on my part, but that's the impression I get.

[QUOTE="zero_snake99"][QUOTE="tjoeb123"]But with content like PSP games downloaded from PSN, I don't see why "install" is necessary. I mean, XBLA has zero installs....VoodooHak

They are a software company after all.

It's as if the download mechanism and the install are two wholly separate applications on the PS3, and they haven't figured out how to combine them or make them work together somehow. Purely speculation on my part, but that's the impression I get.

[QUOTE="tjoeb123"]But with content like PSP games downloaded from PSN, I don't see why "install" is necessary. I mean, XBLA has zero installs....falldogout

I believe the "installation" is actually a decryption phase.

I believe the "installation" is actually a decryption phase.

UnnDunn

[QUOTE="UnnDunn"]

I believe the "installation" is actually a decryption phase.

110million

No, this would be very unsecure thing to do since you would have decrypted data on the disk that is removable, game data can be decrypted on the fly, same as Blu-Ray movies and SSL connections do

Yeah I don't like it, especially when you're downloading from the background. When you download from the background, you want to wait or leave just to come back to find out you have to manaully install the content and wait some more. I wish the installs are automatic when you download from the background. I believe it only does it automatically when you select "turn off your PS3 after downloading".

If compression is being used for the sake of quick download times...then Sony has failed at this, I've spent more time downloading any single thing from the Psn store then i have downloading every single update from the original xbox and xbox 360 combined.

Its insane the bad download times it takes on psn, But I think its mostly cause the psn servers reside in japan or something.

AS for why they install it, i dont know compression wouldn't be the answer becasue often or not stuff in the same size on both systems but it downloads far faster on the 360 and is available for play as soon as it does download.

If compression is being used for the sake of quick download times...then Sony has failed at this, I've spent more time downloading any single thing from the Psn store then i have downloading every single update from the original xbox and xbox 360 combined.

Its insane the bad download times it takes on psn, But I think its mostly cause the psn servers reside in japan or something.

AS for why they install it, i dont know compression wouldn't be the answer becasue often or not stuff in the same size on both systems but it downloads far faster on the 360 and is available for play as soon as it does download.

WilliamRLBaker

Packing my boy, packing, commpression is not a must in packing. Something that downloads in one file need to be unpacked. .

If compression is being used for the sake of quick download times...then Sony has failed at this, I've spent more time downloading any single thing from the Psn store then i have downloading every single update from the original xbox and xbox 360 combined.

Its insane the bad download times it takes on psn, But I think its mostly cause the psn servers reside in japan or something.

AS for why they install it, i dont know compression wouldn't be the answer becasue often or not stuff in the same size on both systems but it downloads far faster on the 360 and is available for play as soon as it does download.

WilliamRLBaker

Not true about the server thing, as each region has its own storefront. Therefore, Japan isn't the only server.

But I don't see why they could've just made it like Steam in that all files are installed at once (ie as if the game were already installed, with no separate install process to go through).

[QUOTE="tjoeb123"]But with content like PSP games downloaded from PSN, I don't see why "install" is necessary. I mean, XBLA has zero installs....falldogout

[QUOTE="VoodooHak"]

[QUOTE="zero_snake99"] That's where you're wrong. The thing about the 360 that's awesome (and I wish Sony would implement) is a progressive install during the download, I'm not sure exactly how they do it though.110million

They are a software company after all.

It's as if the download mechanism and the install are two wholly separate applications on the PS3, and they haven't figured out how to combine them or make them work together somehow. Purely speculation on my part, but that's the impression I get.

But they haven't done it in how many years? There's simply something going on in the background that we're not privy to.

End result: XBL-1 step, PSN-2 steps.

Taken by itself, it's not a deal-breaker, but in the whole scheme of things, it's just another little annoyance in addition to other little annoyances we have to live with.

[QUOTE="WilliamRLBaker"]

If compression is being used for the sake of quick download times...then Sony has failed at this, I've spent more time downloading any single thing from the Psn store then i have downloading every single update from the original xbox and xbox 360 combined.

Its insane the bad download times it takes on psn, But I think its mostly cause the psn servers reside in japan or something.

AS for why they install it, i dont know compression wouldn't be the answer becasue often or not stuff in the same size on both systems but it downloads far faster on the 360 and is available for play as soon as it does download.

tjoeb123

Not true about the server thing, as each region has its own storefront. Therefore, Japan isn't the only server.

But I don't see why they could've just made it like Steam in that all files are installed at once (ie as if the game were already installed, with no separate install process to go through).

This require special protocol because transfering via HTTP to FTP separate files is deam slow.

But with content like PSP games downloaded from PSN, I don't see why "install" is necessary. I mean, XBLA has zero installs....tjoeb123

[QUOTE="tjoeb123"]But with content like PSP games downloaded from PSN, I don't see why "install" is necessary. I mean, XBLA has zero installs....Sully28

Because the games are in compressed files for much faster download and so people aren't on the servers so long downloading and installing at the same time which would take way longer.

patriots7672

Which is ironic considering everything I have downloaded from PSN has been noticeably slower than files of the same size from Xbox Live. Add the install time and it's ridicolous.

[QUOTE="patriots7672"]

Because the games are in compressed files for much faster download and so people aren't on the servers so long downloading and installing at the same time which would take way longer.

rp108

Which is ironic considering everything I have downloaded from PSN has been noticeably slower than files of the same size from Xbox Live. Add the install time and it's ridicolous.

Well according to a test MTV did, the PS3 is faster. So i guess it's more to do with where you are in relation to the servers you're downloading from, hell i max out my connection on PSN with every download and i have a 20mb connection, so Sony's severs are no slouch.

[QUOTE="falldogout"][QUOTE="tjoeb123"]But with content like PSP games downloaded from PSN, I don't see why "install" is necessary. I mean, XBLA has zero installs....xhawk27

Maybe, just maybe you two have completely different Internet connections/speed.

Well on PC you need to install everything, I rly dont see the big deal. What people cant wait an extra 2 minits for their games now?