Sony Pushes Unique Xperia Camera Monitor Feature Behind Paywall
In a rather unpopular move, it has been decided to move a key feature on its Xperia smartphones to paid subscription. The feature allowed, among other things, an Xperia device to act as a low-latency external monitor for Sony cameras and is now on a paywall.
Monitor & Control App's Subscription
The change affects the Monitor & Control application of Sony. While the app provides all sorts of connecting options for any device having iOS or Android to connect to Sony Cameras with features such as waveform & multi-camera views, the Xperia smartphones had a clear upper hand when it came to wired USB connection with almost minimum latency, which is a primary requirement in professional photo and video work.
This wired connection feature is now only through a subscription:
- Monthly Price: $4.99
- Yearly Price: $49.99
This step created unhappy users, as this low-latency wired monitor capability was one of the defining features that set Xperia devices apart from all others in the photography and videography community.
Other Device Restrictions
Next to the payment walls, Sony has also cut down the number of officially supported devices. Wired monitor mode is now officially limited to the flagship models, starting with the Xperia 1 IV.
This limit is currently being questioned since UVC, the underlying technology, is technically supported by any device with a USB-C Gen 3.2 port. In addition, iPhones and iPads with USB Type-C, which worked previously with the feature, have now completely lost support from Sony's official app.
Are There Alternatives
Users can also turn to one of the third-party applications, which do bypass some of the restrictions, but none of these alternative solutions would provide anywhere near the full extent of features offered by Sony's homegrown Monitor & Control app.
