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Posts with tag PlayTV

Sony's PlayTV begins European rollout September 10th in UK


So much for early 2008 or even July for that matter. Sony's David Reeves now confirms that PlayTV -- the €99 PS3 TV tuner / DVR add-on -- will hit the UK on September 10th. The service will then march onto the continent before completing the European rollout in December -- Australia and New Zealand get theirs in January or February. Notably, the service will in fact record television in the background without interrupting your regularly scheduled gaming regimen thanks to the recent 2.41 firmware PS3 update. Phew, for a moment we felt threatened by a lack of manufactured distractions.

[Via gamesindustry.biz]

Sony's PlayTV set for July release, UK pre-order now available


For those of you lucky, lucky folks in Europe (or the UK, more specifically), it looks like your wait for the PlayTV rollout is coming to a close. According to Amazon's British wing, you can now pre-order the PlayStation 3 add-on for £59.99 ($120) with an expected release on July 31st. Over here we'll just continue to twiddle our thumbs, watch paint dry, and check out our Blu-ray version of The Song Remains the Same... again

[Thanks, Mighty Zoltar]

Sony's PlayTV for PS3 gets shown off, still only for Europe

Sony's been relatively mum on its Slingbox-like PlayTV add-on for the PlayStation 3 since it announced it last fall, but it's now finally starting to show it off for all to see and, thanks to the BBC's dot.life blog, we now have a pretty good idea of what European PS3 users can expect. As you can see in the video after the break, the PlayTV software appears to be straightforward enough, and includes the usual program guide, and options to pause and rewind live Freeview TV, as well as the ability to record one channel while watching another (thanks to the dual tuners in the device itself). Also on display is the PlayTV's ability to work with your PlayStation Portable via Remote Play, which'll let you watch live TV (or recorded programming) from anywhere with a WiFi connection. One of the few things it can't do, it seems, is record programming in the background while you're playing a game, although the developers are apparently "working hard" to add that feature. Still no word on a price or exact release date though, so you have a bit longer to be spared the inevitable bragging from your European friends.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

More details on Sony's new PlayTV


The info is flying fast today as Sony's launches a multi-tiered attack on the entertainment community. Luckily, we've got some additional info on the just announced PlayTV TV tuner / DVR for the PS3, and we'd like to share it. The unit will apparently be coming to Europe "early in 2008" with other territories to follow (PAL only for now). The new box will feature two 1080p tuners, which utilize the European Digital Video Broadcasting system (DVB-T) -- which should dash any US hopes for the time being. The system will allow you to store recorded broadcasts on your PS3 drive, and also transcode and transfer the saved files to your PSP. Additionally, you'll be able to use the PSP's "Remote Play" feature to program and watch your PlayTV away from home. Sony reps also make the bold pronouncement that the PlayTV architecture will "never be out of date" due to automatic network updates from the company. We're gutted that the US gets no love from Sony on this one, but it's a good time to be a European PlayStation 3 fan, that's for sure.

Sony's PlayTV turns your PS3 into a TV tuner / DVR, plus VoIP on PSP, DualShock 3 rumors


The PS3 rumor mill is working overtime today, delivering not one, not two, but three whoppers that should have fans and foes alike feeling alive with pleasure. The first top-secret super-rumor comes direct from the BBC, a small, but fairly trustworthy news organization, who is reporting that Sony's game box will be getting a digital TV tuner (at least in the UK) which allows you to record your favorite shows à la TiVo, called PlayTV, which will also let you transfer those shows onto your PSP. Of course, this news was announced by Sony at their not-so-secret Leipzig Game Convention keynote, so you can probably bank on this one. Additionally, Sony has partnered with Britain's BT Group to bring video and voice telephony to the PSP via the Go!Messenger software, which is set to launch in January of 2008. In other, less official PS3 news, word on the street is that the DualShock 3 -- not the infamous SIXAXIS -- will be compatible with Gran Turismo 5 Prologue, at least based on a second-hand report from the Japanese game magazine Dengeki PlayStation. The report has fueled suspicion that the new controller pictured in silhouette in recent GT5 ads is actually the DualShock 3, and that the controller will be made available coupled with a GT5 demo. We'll have to wait and see on this one, so try and stay tuned.

Read -- LGC07: SCEE announces PlayTV for PS3, "watch, record and replay TV shows"
Read -- BT, Sony unveil PlayStation with video calling
Read -- DualShock 3 rumbles with GT5 Prologue, Japanese gaming mag claims



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