Stream media content on your PS3 or Xbox 360 with Rivet

Video game consoles, specifically PS3 and Xbox 360, have the capability of playing music, movies, and photo slideshows from your computer.  Although I’m not familiar with the PS3 , I know that Xbox 360 requires the user to have Windows XP Media Center in order to properly play this media content.  Mac users, no need to worry because  Rivet is the newest and easiest way for Mac users to stream their media content from their computer to their TV via their Xbox 360 or PS3.

Rivet has many unique features that combine its simplicity with its effectiveness.  First and foremost, when you launch Rivet, the application does not appear in your dock.  Rather, a small Rivet icon appears on the top of the menu bar (this where the time, date, and menu options are found).  I think this is significant because it saves space in the dock and given that it’s such a straightforward application, there would be no need for the application to appear in the dock.  A second appealing feature of Rivet is that you can choose whether or not you want to stream your music, photos, and/or movies to your video game console.  Within these categories, you can narrow down which specific items you want to stream to your console.  For example, suppose I made three different music playlists on iTunes.  I have the option of selecting whether I want all three playlists or only one to appear in my console.  This is also with the case with photos, since I can decide to share photos from iPhoto, Aperature, and/or other folders containing photos.  With movies, I can choose whether or not to play movies from iTunes, from iPhoto, or from other folders.  Besides these features, Rivet allows you to start the application every time you power on your Mac.  Furthermore, you can schedule when you want Rivet to be updated.  Also, because this application is protected by a license, the developers were smart in developing a special format for licenses to protect any form of piracy.

Now after selecting which content your want your Xbox 360 or PS3, you simply have to look in the console’s media library, look for your computer, and then you can immediately begin streaming.  In the case of an Xbox 360, you simply have to go to “My Xbox” and go to “Video Library” to view videos, “Music Library” to listen to music, and “Photo Library” to view photos.  Once you select the content you wish to view, it doesn’t get any easier.  It’s just like doing the same functions on your computer, except it is projected on a bigger screen.

I knew that Rivet would be a hit when I looked at the details of the product on Apple’s Downloads page; based on my testing of this application, it was indeed a great find.  I viewed photos that I stored on my computer in iPhoto and the picture quality was stunning, especially since I have my Xbox 360 hooked up to my HDTV.  Additionally, the video quality was stunning.  From the HD video podcasts to full-length feature films (in HD quality), the video was not gritty and the sound quality was stunning.  Unfortunately, I was disappointed with the music aspect of this product.  However, this is not Rivet’s fault by any means.  As you know, iTunes music is formatted in AAC format and even if you’ve purchased songs from iTunes that are DRM-free, Xbox 360 will not play the audio.  There’s something about the coding in AAC that restricts the console from playing such music.  Just make sure this was true, I played music that I purchased from the iTunes Store as recently as a week ago and music that was downloaded from another CD.  As expected, the music that I ripped from a CD played on my Xbox, not music I digitally downloaded from the iTunes Music Store.  This proved to be a huge disappointment and I hope that the developers of Xbox make advances in trying to correct this problem, given that the majority of people these days use iTunes as their primary music client and they use the iTunes Music Store to purchase their favorite albums or songs.  Fortunately, after being in contact with a sales representative from Cynical Peak Software (the company that created Rivet), listening to music on a PS3 is not a problem.

You can download Rivet on their website.  You have the option of downloading the demo, but you are limited to 1 video and 10 songs per session, but you have unlimited access to your photos.  If you want to take full advantage of the product, however, you can purchase a license for $18.95.

Having said all of this, I highly recommend Rivet, especially if you don’t own an Apple TV.  In fact, Rivet has the same functions as Apple TV in that you can watch your videos, view photos, and listen to music that come straight from your Mac.  The only difference is that you can’t rent moview or watch YouTube videos with Rivet.  Nevertheless, I think that Rivet was an incredible find and I’m slowly becoming addicted to it.