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Users have to pay to use important features on Sony Xperia. Photo: Android Authority . |
Sony has just made a controversial move by limiting one of the outstanding features of the Xperia line, which is highly appreciated by many photographers. This decision quickly became the center of discussion in the Sony camera user community.
The Xperia smartphone line has long been an unpopular choice for the majority of smartphone users. However, for the group of customers who use Sony cameras, this product has a special value. Through the Monitor & Control application, the phone can become a secondary touch screen to control the camera, much more intuitive than the small screen built into the camera.
The app is compatible with iPhone, iPad, and most Android devices, allowing monitoring of multiple cameras at the same time, displaying graphs, waveform color graphs, and can operate over both wired and wireless connections. Especially for professional videographers or photographers, the feature of transmitting high-resolution video over a wired connection almost eliminates latency, significantly improving the working experience.
However, the Monitor & Control 2.4.0 update released at the end of August significantly changed the way Sony offers this service. According to Reddit user super_hot_juice, the wired UVC (USB Video Class) feature, which allows you to connect your camera directly to your phone via USB-C, is now only available as a paid subscription.
Specifically, UVC is currently included in the basic package for $4.99 /month or $49.99 /year. For cameras without a USB-C port, users are forced to use an alternative solution when connecting via mini HDMI port with a UVC to HDMI adapter, but still have to pay a subscription fee to activate.
What’s more controversial is that Sony has limited the feature to certain Xperia models. Only flagships from the Xperia 1 IV and up can use UVC, even though the technology can theoretically work on devices that support USB-C Gen 3.2. This has led many to believe that the Japanese tech giant is using the feature to boost smartphone sales, rather than benefit the entire product ecosystem.
Before the update, UVC also worked on iPhones and iPad Pros with USB-C ports. However, Sony has removed Apple products from the support list. Users can still choose third-party UVC apps, but they will lose access to the dedicated tools that Sony has built into Monitor & Control.
In addition to the basic package, Sony also introduced a premium package worth $ 22.99 / month. This package allows monitoring of up to 20 live streams on Mac simultaneously, aimed at those working on large-scale projects.
Source: https://znews.vn/sony-khien-nguoi-dung-buc-tuc-post1581958.html
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