Request Please remove the awful, giant PINBALL ARCADE watermark from video recordings. Thanks

[spoonman]

I've been looking forward to using the PS4's sharing feature to share videos of The Pinball Arcade.
I'm really annoyed when watching it back on YouTube to, not only see a large square watermark on the screen, but also see that it covers a large part of the DMD. Why?!

Here is an example http://youtu.be/jND62Qbyi-Y (Star Trek TNG - PS4)

Most PS4 games I've recorded have no such watermarks or logos covering the screen and there is no need for it here.

There are two major pinball games on the PS4. One has unrealistic, and for the most part, physically impossible tables (ZEN) and one is based on real tables (This). I see no need for a large logo planted on the END.

Farsight, PLEASE remove this! Thanks.

 

[spoonman]

I'm even getting negative comments and dislikes on my YouTube channel because of this.

O kurka

Next time you upload a video don't use a logo that's covering the DMD.

 

[mpad]

Why does it cover half of the DMD?
Because as usual someone only halfway thought it though.

 

[spoonman]

Why does it cover half of the DMD?
Because as usual someone only halfway thought it though.

This would be an easy fix if they would be so kind as to fix it.
If they don't want to just remove it, which they should do since most games don't do this, they could shift it to the bottom.

 

[DanBradford]

I agree, it's godawful isn't it.

 

[FlippyFloppy]

This would be an easy fix if they would be so kind as to fix it.
If they don't want to just remove it, which they should do since most games don't do this, they could shift it to the bottom.

Currently It is required by Sony PlayStation. However I'll try and get in contact with a Sony Rep regarding the issue.

 

[spoonman]

Currently It is required by Sony PlayStation. However I'll try and get in contact with a Sony Rep regarding the issue.

Can you elaborate on why it's required by Sony? I've recorded quite a lot of PS4 games to YouTube using the internal capture & share function and have yet to find another game with an identifying watermark of any type.

Did they do this to keep people from possibly confusing all of the different pinball games on the PS4? [Joke]

Thanks for looking into it Flippy.. I appreciate it.

 

[Tann]

Can you elaborate on why it's required by Sony?

Yep, I'm curious too about this. Because it sounds weird.

I could understand that Sony requires a watermark "Pinball Arcade on PS4" or something like that... But a watermark with only the TPA logo on it, what would be the point for Sony?

 

[mpad]

And why does Sony want it to cover half of the DMD? Basterds

 

[spoonman]

Yep, I'm curious too about this. Because it sounds weird.

I could understand that Sony requires a watermark "Pinball Arcade on PS4" or something like that... But a watermark with only the TPA logo on it, what would be the point for Sony?

Yeah, and no other games I've made videos of have any watermarks to be seen. So... hmm.

 

[Worf]

We may never know - Farsight probably has an NDA with SIE and disclosing any more than "Sony requires it" would probably violate it which would cause TPA to be removed from the PS4 and severe financial penalties.

That's just the way consoles work.

 

[spoonman]

We may never know - Farsight probably has an NDA with SIE and disclosing any more than "Sony requires it" would probably violate it which would cause TPA to be removed from the PS4 and severe financial penalties.

That's just the way consoles work.

Have you seen any other PS4 game with a forced watermark covering the screen when sharing a video?
It sounds like it's perhaps a miscommunication if they think Sony required this because no other game that I've seen has one.

I just can't think of even one thing Sony would have to gain from such a thing. Maybe if it said [Only on PlayStation!] or something silly like that, but it's just stating the obvious, as well as blocking the DMD in the process, which seems to trigger anger in viewers.
It also automatically adds "Pinball Arcade", "PS4" in the YouTube auto-tags. That part if fine and actually very useful.

 

[Worf]

Doesn't matter if you don't see it on any other game or not. Every NDA and contract is negotiated separately and independently of each other. Maybe Farsight got early access to PS4 hardware? It was a launch title, after all, while it came later on Xbone (and it was only on playstation for a while). Maybe as a condition for early access development, SIE asked them to do it. Heck, the contract that Farsight has may demand it, and the clause for that may have been removed in 2014, just Farsight is too small for SIE to care about and update their contract.

Heck, it could be a whole host of factors, too, including table licensing restrictions forcing any use of the built-in DVR to advertise that it isn't the real thing. I think at one point its use was restricted early on.

Thing is, Farsight can't say, and we can only guess. Why is a matter between Sony, Farsight and the licensors. We, as players, are privy to none of those contractual details and confidentiality clauses prohibit Farsight from revealing why.

Personally, rather than hoping they'd fix it anytime soon, I'd just do what everyone else does and use a capture card.

 

[smbhax]

Hm... If you stream it to Twitch, you could then export it to YouTube from Twitch. Wonder if it might not have the watermark if done that way.

I shared some videos of an earlier version of the game, didn't get watermarked. I think that was before PS4 had direct sharing to YouTube, though? So did I share them to twitter and then...wait...this is making no sense. Well I don't remember at all how that worked. : P

 

[spoonman]

Personally, rather than hoping they'd fix it anytime soon, I'd just do what everyone else does and use a capture card.

So rather than just fixing it, as Farsight said they will try to do, I should buy a $100-$200 capture device just to get rid of the logo blocking the DMD?
Not to mention possibly adding possible lag. Then the added time to edit the video and upload to YouTube.
Where as the PS4 is built to record HD video from the ground up, is always recording like a DVR, and in 3 seconds plus a button press can automatically upload in the background.

Sorry, but I'm not sure I see the logic there.

Anyway, if their logo truly must be present at all times then all they really have to do is move it from the top corner to the bottom corner.
I'm not sure why a company such as Williams would insist that their DMD be partially blocked from view.

Heck, it could be a whole host of factors, too, including table licensing restrictions forcing any use of the built-in DVR to advertise that it isn't the real thing. I think at one point its use was restricted early on.

No disrespect to Farsight, but it's highly unlikely someone will confuse a table from The Pinball Arcade with a video of a real pinball machine.
We can dream that the lines between video pinball and a real pinball machine will be blurred some day. I'm thinking maybe on the PS7.

Hm... If you stream it to Twitch, you could then export it to YouTube from Twitch. Wonder if it might not have the watermark if done that way.

I shared some videos of an earlier version of the game, didn't get watermarked. I think that was before PS4 had direct sharing to YouTube, though? So did I share them to twitter and then...wait...this is making no sense. Well I don't remember at all how that worked. : P

I don't really use Twitter, but I will look into this. Thanks!

 

[Crepello55012]

They could move it to the top right hand corner. We wouldn't be able to see all of the wall properly if they did that though. Perhaps they've thought about that and decided that seeing the wall is more important that seeing the DMD. Benefit of the doubt to Farsight on this one.

 

[FlippyFloppy]

They could move it to the top right hand corner. We wouldn't be able to see all of the wall properly if they did that though. Perhaps they've thought about that and decided that seeing the wall is more important that seeing the DMD. Benefit of the doubt to Farsight on this one.

I'd rather it be removed all together which is what I requested from the programmers.

 

[spoonman]

I'd rather it be removed all together which is what I requested from the programmers.

Awesome! Thanks bud.

 

[FlippyFloppy]

Just an update regarding the watermark, It should be removed in the next PS4 update. I currently don't have a date on when the next update is but when I get a general idea, i'll make another post.

 

[PeacemakerPIN]

Just an update regarding the watermark, It should be removed in the next PS4 update. I currently don't have a date on when the next update is but when I get a general idea, i'll make another post.

Thanks!