PlayTV Preview

By Oli Welsh Published 4 March, 2008

They're not playing games.

Will you want to buy a PlayTV? We can't answer that just yet. Although we recently had a first-hand demonstration of Sony's digital TV tuner add-on for PlayStation 3 - and came away impressed - there are still two enormous and probably yellowy-orange question marks hanging over the device's future. How much will it cost? And - crucially - will you be able to play games while it's using the PS3's hard drive to record TV?

The first question is important because you can now go down the shops (well, navigate to your favourite online retailer) and pick up a Freeview tuner/recorder that will do almost everything the PlayTV allows you to do for as little as GBP 100. It probably won't be very good - and Sony's own 80GB recorder costs GBP 180 - but still, an extremely competitive price point is vital for a device that only works in conjunction with a GBP 300 games console. We were pleased to learn that HMV's GBP 99.99 price tag wasn't necessarily accurate, and we think 100 Euros (GBP 70 or thereabouts) is much more likely. But Sony needs to sell PlayTV as cheaply as it can possibly afford if it's to do its job - which is to help make the PS3 a viable multimedia hub, to compete with Media Centre PCs, AppleTV and the like. Sony won't even confirm a ballpark price for the unit at present; we await that announcement with interest.

'PlayTV' Screenshot 1

What's that? Liverpool 2, Inter Milan 0? (This is what happens when you let Tom do your captions.)

Another argument for a low price is that - physically at least - PlayTV does not invite aspirational gadget lust. It's a small and unassuming thing, about six inches by two inches in footprint, very light, made of dark grey plastic with a matte finish and a curved top like the PS3's. It's inoffensive to look at and the compact size is definitely welcome, but it looks and feels cheap, and the unsightly USB cable that connects it to the front of the PS3 doesn't help. On the plus side, it draws all the power it needs from that cable, freeing up some no doubt much-needed space on the plug board behind the telly. Its only other features are a power LED and a standard RF connector for your TV aerial.

An answer to the second question - can you record TV while playing games? - is vital because, for all its multimedia affectations, the PS3 is still a games machine, and there's every chance PS3 owners will be looking to record TV because they're playing a game. This is also unconfirmed, but the good news is that Sony understands the importance of this very well, has implemented the feature, and is testing it thoroughly.

'PlayTV' Screenshot 2

This doesn't appear to crash every time you toggle mute, which makes it better than our Freeview box.

"It's no secret that we want to do it, but we can't jeopardise gameplay," says Mark Bunting, a producer at Sony's Cambridge Studio, which is working on the software for the PlayTV device. "Every game known to man is under test. At the moment, out of all the testing we've done, we haven't found anything go wrong." It's no exaggeration to say the fate of PlayTV hangs on the outcome of these tests, but as it stands the signs seem very positive.

If PlayTV can clear these hurdles, though, there's nothing to stop it being a roaring success. Based on our demonstration we would recommend all Freeview-using PS3 owners snap one up. PlayTV is fast, HD-ready, with a slick, attractive and highly usable interface and some powerful features. About the only thing it doesn't offer that a Sky Plus box does is the ability to record two channels simultaneously; although it has two receivers, one is dedicated to recording, and the other to live TV.

However, that does mean that you will always be able to watch one channel while you record another, and even pause the live channel or watch previously recorded programmes while a recording is taking place. Setting recordings is simplicity itself - or you can use Select as a one-touch record button - and there's no need to leave your PS3 on for timed recordings. PlayTV will wake it up from standby just before the appropriate time.

Naturally, PlayTV also offers a couple of features that no standard video recorders do: support for PSP remote play, allowing you to control the device and watch TV anywhere, and the ability to do anything you like with your recordings.

PlayTV installs itself as a new group in the PS3's home menu, and clicking on that instantly brings up a circular menu of the tuner's seven modes: live TV, library (all your recordings), settings, a manual, a TV guide, a schedule of recordings and favourite shows, and the rather nifty find-and-record feature. The latter can search TV titles and descriptions with any keyword - our Kiwi host Bunting demonstrated this by searching for any and all programmes about New Zealand in the coming week. A definite plus over regular tuners, there.

The control scheme with a PS3 pad is sound, if a little fiddly - not the fault of the designers, but an inevitable side effect of using a game controller for something it wasn't designed to do. Sensibly, they've included an on-screen remote keypad that you can bring up at any time and move around with the right stick. Nevertheless, picking up a Blu-ray remote as well would seem like a wise move, and if Sony and/or retailers have any sense, they'll be planning to bundle the two.

'PlayTV' Screenshot 3

There are only so many jokes you can do about EPGs.

True to convention, the Sixaxis' start button acts as a pause button for both recordings and live TV. The default setting of the machine is to only start buffering live TV when you hit pause, although if you think you're likely to want to rewind on a whim, you can set it to keep a buffer at all times - this is only turned off to save strain on the hard drive. (Bunting claims that the vast majority of Sky Plus returns are due to knackered hard drives, and points to the superior reliability of the laptop units used in the PS3.) The buffer holds up to two gigabytes' worth of TV in memory at any time, which is an hour and a half to two hour's viewing, depending on the signal. A progress bar across the top of the information box shows where you are in the show, and how much of it is in memory.

The PS3's processing grunt has been put to good use: the load time for interactive features like news multiscreen is noticeably faster than with a standard tuner, and there's a fancy depth-of-field blur applied when you bring up menus over the picture. In contrast to PlayTV's physical presence, its on-screen interface oozes quality and class, even by Sony's own high standards. Sony's Bravia teams have had a lot of input in PlayTV, and it shows.

'PlayTV' Screenshot 4

I apparently can't think of any though.

Last but by no means least is picture quality. Again, this has been tested against the built-in tuners in Bravia TVs, and is as good as you'd expect, although even a PS3 can't manage to make a compressed standard-definition signal look all that good on a large high-definition screen. That said, one of the most appealing aspects of PlayTV is that its future-proofed for the full HD signals that will eventually come to Freeview and its European equivalents. Bunting says the BBC's test signal looks "incredible", and every one of PlayTV's features works perfectly in high definition. The PS3's power and high-quality HDMI output hand PlayTV a big head-start in this area, and it's comforting to know it won't be outmoded any time soon.

So we're praying as hard as Sony must be that those testers in Liverpool - mucking around in Resistance while their PS3's record hour after endless hour of Fern and Phil - don't find any faults with gameplay during recording. If this last piece falls into place - and if the price is right - PlayTV is looking very tempting indeed.

Picture of Oli.

About Oli Welsh

Oli is Eurogamer's acting deputy editor and reviews editor and likes to take things one word at a time. He is among the best dressed people in South London.

Read more articles from Oli by visiting the Oli Welsh archive page.

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Comments (99) Latest comment 4 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • andromeda #1 4 years ago

    poo

  • lambtron #2 4 years ago

    "Will you want to buy a PlayTV?"

    In my case no.

  • rascoj64 #3 4 years ago

    in my case yes

  • Huddy #4 4 years ago

    Nah, would rather spend the money equivalent on Curly Wurly's. Mmm Chocolate.......

  • Greebo #5 4 years ago


    If I wasn't moving to a non-Freeview part of the country this month, I'd definitely have grabbed one at £70 odd.

  • GamesProgrammer Verified Games Team Programmer, Eutechnyx Ltd. #6 4 years ago

    In my case possibly in a year when my Sky contract is up, as i still dont watch much thats not on normal terrestrial TV.

  • Cujo #7 4 years ago

    I may have to get a 160gb hd for this!

  • tesco #8 4 years ago

    looking forward to the confusion over the name http://www.playtvu k.com/playtv.php well done sony....

  • morriss #9 4 years ago

    Sounds excellent.

  • bushwod #10 4 years ago

    If I ever leave Virgin I'll probably get a PS3 with playTV to watch Blue-Ray and Telly.

    Doubt I'll play any games on it though.

  • X201 #11 4 years ago

    @ tesco
    It's also the name of a Brazilian TV channel

  • Big-Swiss #12 4 years ago

    Really amazing!
    i'm all set to go since a few days:-)) just need that satelite.......
    I think this will be some of the best, next generation has to offer, I'm very happy how Sony at its PSP/PS3 turnes out to be great.
    Don't get me wrong, i can care less if Nintendo and Microsoft have same stuff, that is totally fine with me, for me is just important, that my horse is healthy! The PS3 has a lot to offer, don't miss the chance guys!

  • neilmw #13 4 years ago

    Excellent preview, thanks. I'm looking forward to this and you covered all the points I wanted to know about (standby, remote, HD, twin tuner).

  • Darren #14 4 years ago

    Not too keen on this... the fact that it's another add-on that connects to the front USB port makes it ugly in my book (I refused to buy the 360's HD DVD add-on too). If I wanted something like this, I'd rather buy a standalone recorder to be honest and use my PS3's HDD for game downloads and music only. The trouble with these kinds of add-ons is they're rarely as good as the standalone units anyway because they often have features missing.

  • kestral #15 4 years ago

    The replacement for your ps3 (ps4) would probably come sooner than the replacement for your freeview, which means you can buy the same gadget for your ps4 again pretty soon if you want to keep using the features. which is ofcourse always the case with all-in-one products but is worth considering.

  • Tweakmonkey #16 4 years ago

    You actually have to plug something in? That's a bit clumsy.

  • moggsy #17 4 years ago

    About the only thing it doesn't offer that a Sky Plus box does is the ability to record two channels simultaneously;

    Or series links, or chase play, or an 80GB drive as standard, or the ability to record Sky channels, or remote recording via a website or a text message, or an equivalent to Sky Anytime...

    The interface does look nice though.

  • Milk #18 4 years ago

    "the unsightly USB cable that connects it to the front of the PS3 doesn't help"

    Urgh! I am very interested in this but the USB thing sounds a bit naff. I also don't think I will be keeping the 40gb HDD in my ps3 for long if i get this.

    I wonder if they could hit a sub £50 pricepoint? That would make it interesting . . .

  • moggsy #19 4 years ago

    @ Darren

    The 360's HD DVD drive rather neatly plugs in the back (the Wi Fi dongle then connects to the HD DVD drive instead of the 360).

  • DFawkes #20 4 years ago

    I've been holding off on Freeview to get a PC dongle, but if this is in the same general price range (say£40-£70ish), I'd get this, especially when free HD channels start appearing and everyone is buying new Freeview boxes to get them, assuming they want HD of course.

  • manuel_garcia #21 4 years ago

    I'll pick one up for £70 or less, I've been holding off from buying a tuner card for the PC in case this works decently, and apparently it does \o/

  • Beano #22 4 years ago

    Is there anything on TV worth recording?

    When there is, please let me know...

    /bitterness_off

  • Psychotext #23 4 years ago

    /wants this to take a cable / satellite input

    =(

  • Big-Swiss #24 4 years ago

    just imagine, you are somewhere on vacation, remoteplay to your PS3 and watch the six o clock news and Sportshow of your local channel! That would be cool! turn it off and go swimming again.............

  • kangarootoo #25 4 years ago

    "You actually have to plug something in? That's a bit clumsy."

    That is sarcasm right? I kind of figured it must be, but I'm not 100%.

  • Killerbee #26 4 years ago

    Apart from being HD ready, there's nothing here that my Humax 9200T can't do, and one pretty major flaw: 40GB is nowhere near enough storage for a PVR, let alone the fact that it's also got to cope with game saves and downloads. I'd say 160GB is the minimum (that's what my Humax has) and even that is pretty easy to fill once you start series linking lots of things.

    Yes, it's possible to upgrade the HDD, but how many ordinary users are going to want to do that?

    Offering twin tuners but only having one record is a bit of a let down, but I imagine they can probably fix that with a future firmware update.

    All in all, it's a nice idea for people who own a PS3 but don't have a dedicated PVR - as long as they get the price right. I reckon £69.99 tops.
    Edited by 1 at 04/03/08 @ 14:19

  • lambtron #27 4 years ago

    ""You actually have to plug something in? That's a bit clumsy."

    That is sarcasm right? I kind of figured it must be, but I'm not 100%."

    I'm guessing not. What with my Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3 already taking up way too much space with way too many wires the last thing I want is something else to attach and get in the way. I think he just means he would prefer it came as part of the PS3 rather than a an addon no?

  • GamesConnoisseur #28 4 years ago

    I got the space on my 250 gb hdd in PS3 for this, but isnt most HDTV will already have the ability to watch Freeview?

    Mine does and the only thing left is to record the programmes, but heck I got SkyPlus in the lounge. So what the plus points for me?! Watching HD programmes via Freeview? That isnt available as of today, and I understand would have issue as digitial terresitial broadcasting do have limit on the 'broadband' of sending out the HD digitial signals for the limited number of HD enabled Freeview receivers which would limit the ceiling number of the digital channels?

    Certainly it can be attractive for those without PVR and do take PS3 closer as a complete jack of all trade but it is still a game machine at the end of day.

  • Big-Swiss #29 4 years ago

    @killerbee

    how do you do the remite play thing?? Cellphone??

    I mean that is the real cool thing about it, everythign else can be done otherwise........

  • tonynibbles #30 4 years ago

    YES.

    This is going to stream hot, steaming piss all over my VBox, which will whimper and die under a cloud of SD, heavily MPEG encoded dust.

  • MuppetThumper #31 4 years ago

    i'll get a PS3 when i can get this in with it in a bundle deal.

  • XRichX #32 4 years ago

    F*** i cant wait to pick up a Play TV tuner. Thats the most anticipatet gadget in my book, even though i also want an Iphone, im defently gonna use my hard earned money on the Play TV tuner first. :0)

    So PLEASE Sony......get moving and release it on the scandinavien market as soon as you can.

    Q: Does anybody know if the UK version of the Play TV device is the same as the one that they are gonne put out in scandinavia...?
    (because then i dont have to wait for it to be released in scandinavia, then i just can order it on the net from england)

  • Psychotext #33 4 years ago

    @tonynibbles

    You don't really think freeview has a higher picture quality than cable do you?

  • bdaggers #34 4 years ago

    Reminds me of when I was talking to a Sony rep in an Oxford St Megastore on the day PS3 launched. He kept on trying to sell me a multimedia hub, all I wanted to see (and play !) were the games.

    Nintendo seem to be targeting everybody, Sony are chasing us gadget freaks, while Microsoft get busy with the actual games.

    This doesn`t get me interested in a PS3, Little Big Planet does. Shut up about multimedia hoohaw Sony, show me the innovation and the must have games.

    Go on, make me want one !

  • Foundry #35 4 years ago

    Just download anything you want to watch off the internet. Or buy a dedicated PVR.

  • presh #36 4 years ago

    so... would I be able to record from cable TV? Or is it purely a replacement for a Freeview box?

  • Totoriko #37 4 years ago

    If it records only Freeview, it's useless

  • dose #38 4 years ago

    Killerbee:
    "40GB is nowhere near enough storage for a PVR, let alone the fact that it's also got to cope with game saves and downloads. I'd say 160GB is the minimum (that's what my Humax has)"

    Sure, more space is better, but it totally depends on what formats the PS3 and the Humax store record in.
    Edited by 1 at 04/03/08 @ 15:05

  • X201 #39 4 years ago

    @Totoriko "If it records only Freeview, it's useless "

    for you, maybe.

  • X201 #40 4 years ago

    @everybodyknowsadave
    Nope, Just the A/V, Network & Power sockets

  • The_Inquisitor #41 4 years ago

    I didn't think I'd be interested but it does sound good and even though I have Sky+ downstairs, I'd like the option to record TV in my room and in HD, which I don't have downstairs. So yes, I'd be very interested to see how the tests turn out. If only there were more decent tv programs on free view, but alas, you can't have it all.
    Edited by 1 at 04/03/08 @ 15:37

  • Commodore75 #42 4 years ago

    I'm interested in if it's supposed to work for the non-[France,Germany,Italy,Spain,UK] people.
    There are a few of us in Europe.
    Don't imagin it will, but it would be nice to know.
    Come on EuroGamer

  • wyli #43 4 years ago

    Would be nice if the USB cable it will come with has a right angled head on it so it could sit flush.

  • Killerbee #44 4 years ago

    @Big Swiss:

    Yeah, fair point - I can't remote play (unless I copy my video files from the Humax to my PC via USB link and then burn to DVD or put on a memory stick or whatever), but tbh that's not something I really wish I had on a regular basis, and it's the reason I didn't buy a DVD recorder when I was looking at PVRs. Most of the time I just watch something, then delete it. The real bonus of these things is being able to press "series link" and then (almost) never miss an episode of a show; chase play (start watching a recorded programme whilst it's still recording the end) and the ability to pause/rewind live TV - for when the phone goes in the middle of watching something.

    It sounds as though Sony is most of the way there, but as I say - this doesn't seem to me as though it's a direct replacement for a dedicated PVR.

  • wa_uk #45 4 years ago

    sounds great!

    my question is what are microsoft doing about this for their loyal customers?

  • rmg #46 4 years ago

    @ wa_uk

    err, Media centre? IPTV? Native xvid playback? M$ are on the ball with the media shizzle.

  • kangarootoo #47 4 years ago

    "If it records only Freeview, it's useless"

    /sigh

    Dumbass comment.

  • kangarootoo #48 4 years ago

    @lambtron

    "I'm guessing not. What with my Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3 already taking up way too much space with way too many wires the last thing I want is something else to attach and get in the way."

    Well that is why I figured it might not be sarcasm, but how else would anyone imagine you might add TV tuner functionality to a device? I mean its not something you would expect could be patched in the firmware. It just seemed an odd critisism.

  • kangarootoo #49 4 years ago

    "Would be nice if the USB cable it will come with has a right angled head on it so it could sit flush."

    +1

  • bioreit #50 4 years ago

    I'm interested, but ~£70 seems a little steep to me for what it offers. I'm interested also in the IPTV for 360, probably more so, actually, because Freeview reception around here is appalling. For me (and those in my position), paying an extra £70 to get the same poor signal doesn't seem like a good idea. Mind you, having to use BT for broadband (*shudders*) and subscribing to the Vision service is also unappealing, especially as it would come on top of either a 120GB HDD or 360 Elite purchase.

    Looks like my search for watchable, recordable, replayable Freeview at a reasonable price will have to continue for a while longer. Ho hum.

  • kangarootoo #51 4 years ago

    @wa_uk and rmg

    I think each company is focussing on slightly different aspects of the whole media thing, which is great. However much support MS put into their video on demand service, its not a lot of help for those that just want to watch TV programmes. And vice versa if HD films are your thing, PlayTV won't help you if the films aren't on Freeview.

    Horses for courses says me. I'm glad of the choice.

  • Grayvern #52 4 years ago

    £70 isn't that unreasonable, a normal pvr with decent space will set you back £150 and then it perhaps won have future proofing in being able to recieve hd signals when freeview starts outputting them. And the ease of file shifting means that its easy to transfer stuff to pc negating most complaints of those with 40gig machines who doesant have a relatively large pc hard drive nowerdays.

  • LetsGo #53 4 years ago

    If you have a PS3, £70 makes it one of the cheapest recordable review boxes on the market?

  • NewYork #54 4 years ago

    Would have been perfect if it could receive input from outside video sources, allowing you to record Sky.

  • Tiel #55 4 years ago

    Anyone know definitively if it has the equivalent of series links?

    If not it is rubbish. If so I will buy it.

    Next iteration of ps3 to have usb ports on back? The trouble with early adopting.

  • kangarootoo #56 4 years ago

    @Tiel

    Sounds like it allows you to set up repeat or one off recordings, but that isn't quite the same as proper series link (never heard of series link, but I can guess what it entails in its full rendition).

    http://uk .ps3.ign.com/articles/854/85494...

  • Ultra238a #57 4 years ago

    Can you put a USB hub on to one of the front USB ports on the PS3? If a USB hub would work then there has to be a market for a tiny USB plug connected to a flat cable moulded to go under the PS3
    Edited by 1 at 04/03/08 @ 17:09

  • sandys #58 4 years ago

    This was sounding like a superb bit of kit until you couldn't record two channels at the same time, hopefully this will be fixed via software, seems a waste to two tuners otherwise, end of the day to record one channel it has to decode a transport stream which carries many surely it could save channels that were on the same stream at the very least and if I am not watching TV on the PS3 which shouldn't it use that to record 2 shows.

  • niz #59 4 years ago

    "Sure, more space is better, but it totally depends on what formats the PS3 and the Humax store record in."

    Humax, like most (or maybe all) digital DVB-T/C PVRs store the recording as it is (MPEG-2 I think). Decompressing and recompressing the stream again at the same resolution is not worth it.

    I don't think PlayTV is any different in this respect.

  • drxym #60 4 years ago

    This could be a killer feature but Sony should really bundle it with a larger HDD PS3 model. Being able to use the PS3 to play games AND CDs AND DVDs AND Blu Ray Discs AND MP3 / AAC / DIVX etc. AND live TV AND streaming from a single box really is awesome.

    All that is missing is video on demand / downloadable content. Sony have been curiously silent on that front.

  • X201 #61 4 years ago

    "All that is missing is video on demand / downloadable content. Sony have been curiously silent on that front."

    er... the front page ... this morning
    http://ww w.eurogamer.net/article.php?art...

  • moveteam #62 4 years ago

    This is freakin' awesome, both the features and look of the interface.

    My only concern is if it will support pay-channels via a small hard/soft-upgrade?
    E.g. in Denmark there are only about 4 channels at the DVB-T net, with about 10-15 more to follow in 2009. The rest 25-35 of them cost. It would just be nice to have all the HD-sport channels.

    PlayTV supports subtitles, thank you very much Sony. I think this feature is only for Scandinavia, or am I completely wrong?
    One last thing: Very unlikely, but would be very cool if you could use the Remote Play feature on other WiFi devices than the PSP (iPhone, anyone?)

  • Nabokov #63 4 years ago

    "Just download anything you want to watch off the internet. Or buy a dedicated PVR."
    Dedicated are expencive and shit. Seriously. Most buggiest HW ever sold for 400-500€ (yes you can get one for 300€, which of course are even worse (reporting from Finland)). There is no way PS3 could do it worse. I have 80GB version which has been plenty for my purposes, maybe I could even manage with 40GB.

  • Stormflood #64 4 years ago

    Just checked the Freeview website, and all the channels I watch regularly are there. To think, I was considering upgrading to a virgin V+ box - sod that, I'm getting a PlayTV.

  • GitSomE_UK #65 4 years ago


    I want this now! IMO Sony have got it right with this, my TV already has a built in Freeview tuner but that sucks balls. I'm looking forward to this. As for unsightly cable just bend the fucker back a bit and it behind the PS3 who's going to notice?

    WipoutHD, MGS4, PTV, LBP all this year... Yes!

  • MightyMouse #66 4 years ago

    Worth buying a larger hard drive for this you think? Currently 60gb, not sure how much you need really.

  • drxym #67 4 years ago

    @X201, I wasn't aware of that article so thanks for bringing it up. I've often wondered why Sony haven't done anything with video content. Maybe the April revamp to PSN is the herald that they're finally doing something. If they do produce VOD I wonder if they employ the services of someone like Apple or Amazon. It might be the smart thing to do.

  • Carlo #68 4 years ago

    I would *really* like to have this as a replacement V+ box.

    Without being able to accept these channels, I will probably pass. Having said that, if it has faster menus it could well be worth getting. The V+ box is shit in that respect.

  • CosmicFuzz #69 4 years ago

    Hope this will work ok on a US PS3 though....

  • Peew971 #70 4 years ago

    @ wa_uk: Actually the 360 has been doing that since day one. It's called Windows Media Extender. Granted your PC has to be on but at least you can record a programme while playing.

  • Mashum #71 4 years ago

    Kudos to Sony for doing something with media that is more than just opening up a premium channel of tat (I'm scowling at my, currently broken, 360).

    I love the way you will be able to write the recorded files to a USB device so you can watch them later on your phone or laptop or whatever mpeg-2 compatible thing you want to use. This is typical of the difference between the fairly open PS3 and the DRM'd up 360.

  • 3william56 #72 4 years ago

    Pity there's not an option to connect it via the network cable instead - does it supply power too? But I've had an external HDD connected for ages, and it doesn't look bad at all if you tuck the cable underneath. Right angled USB would be nice though.

  • Tiel #73 4 years ago

    @kangarootoo.

    Thanks for info.

    That's me out.

    when you have used a real series link you will never want to go back.

    It follows progs around the schedule, and starts recording new seasons as they come and go without any firther work.
    Tivo/Sky Plus and Media centre pc's all do this. It is the single best thing about a pvr.

    All done with good guide data and software though, so they can add it in, and when they do I am sold.

  • fuzzyfelt #74 4 years ago

    It'll be a real pity if Sony don't have full Freeview playback support at launch. Series link and the like are required for any serious entry into the DVR market at the moment.

    Surely Sony will spend a little bit of time to design a decent USB connector to reduce the visual impact at the front of the PS3? I have a nasty feeling that they won't - remembering their HDMI cable FU.

    I'm a PS3 owner and really want this to work - sadly it looks like someone had an idea and they ran with it before thinking it through.

  • mcwildcard #75 4 years ago

    @Oli: What was the boot up time like? I recall from the BBC blog footage of PlayTV in action that it took an aeon to load up, i was wondering if that was still an issue?

  • Andy247 #76 4 years ago

    I have a media center pc and sky hd, i can already do everything that Play TV can offer. If it's in the region of £70 it's robbery, the hard drive is the expensive part in a freeview recorder and the ps3 already has that £30 is reasonable, £50+ is a joke.

  • corzair #77 4 years ago

    £70 for twin tuner sounds very reasonable but only if you can actually record tv and play games at the same time for sure
    also HD ready dosnt mean much until DVB-T broadcasts in HD a common - which there not and when they will be in the UK we may need new TV card as they will in the UK have to (prob) be able to deal with Mpeg4 for HD

    @mashum

    what do mean exactly?
    granted you cant put a media centre recording on a dvd and play it on the 360 but why would you want to when you can stream it to the 360 at any time you want over your hame network?
    any media centre ms-dvr can be played back on any pc with Windows media player unless i think it copy protected and I havent seen a copy protected programme broadcast for ages.
    also I think the open video-lan-client vlc can play the files now too!

  • mkreku #78 4 years ago

    I'm sorry to say but this add-on really makes me want a PS3. :(

    I bought a PS2 back in the day because I needed a DVD-player.. and now I need a PVR.. and I'm a gamer.. DAMN IT!

  • bdc #79 4 years ago

    Where can we see pictures of the actual PlayTV hardware itself?

    edit: sorry, found it: http://ww w.threespeech.com/blog/wp-conte...
    Edited by 1 at 05/03/08 @ 11:46

  • mischief #80 4 years ago

    Nifty gadget. Will get it to replace my brontosaurus of a DVD recorder. One thing that will hack me (and more importantly, the mrs) off is if we will have to switch on the ps3 every time we just want to watch the telly. Does anyone know if it will be dependent on the power from the usb just to let the signal through or if you only need to switch on the ps3 for recording functions?

  • AtomicBanana #81 4 years ago

    Pfft, I'll stick with myth tv thanks ;) But of course I accept I'm very much in the minority there :)

  • brokenkey #82 4 years ago

    How can it be HD ready when they haven't defined the Freeview HD standard yet?

  • Pooley #83 4 years ago

    Sounds a nice bit of kit, pity my area isn't getting Freeview until 2010.

    Oh well...

  • dsmx #84 4 years ago

    The thing I'm finding funny about the whole freeview HD thing is that they may go back to the analogue signal to transmit it. At present there is only enough bandwidth to get 4 HD channels on digital, so we may see analogue returning.

  • Emale1999 #85 4 years ago

    Does anyone know what format the recordings will be in? Mpeg2? Mpeg2.TS? Mpeg4? If its Mpeg2 will there be a way of converting it to Mpeg4 before sending it to a memory stick etc.,.?


    Thanks

  • moveteam #86 4 years ago

    @Emale: Probably just the codec the stream are, so I think MPEG-2, until some countries switch to 100% MPEG-4.

  • XRichX #87 4 years ago

    Can anybody comfirm this: (taken from an officiel Sony tekst about Play TV)

    * Two High Definition-ready TV tuners: both able to view, record and play TV in High Definition as well as standard definition.

    "as well record standard definition TV"

    Does this meen that i will be able to record my ordenary Cable TV signal, that is in SD and outputted to my televission by a standard RF connector, just like the one that the Play TV box uses.

    So if anybody from the Eurogamer Play TV review crew or one of you users can confirm this, it would be so great. # :0)


  • Mashum #88 4 years ago

    @corzair

    "...what do you mean exactly.."

    ...that the PS3 is more based on open standards, given that you mentioned the media server functionality the 360 wants you to use Windows Media Player on XP with SP2 or above (there may be ways around it, if so then good!) while the PS3 uses an open standard called DLNA allowing it to be supported by multiple OS's and multiple brands of media server from the off.

    Just my 2p

  • moveteam #89 4 years ago

    @XRichX: No, ONLY DVB-T, unless Sony puts an extra port into it (S-video, Composite or Compenent for example)

  • Widge #90 4 years ago

    Sounds great to me, its going to be HD compatible I believe too?
    Means no need to fork out for a £200+ quid skybox and subscription. I especially hate the way Sky want to lure you in to take their complete packages. I'll keep my rather decent 24mb net package thank you.

    RE: Media servers. I'm using Media Player 11 at the moment, purely because its what happened to be on my laptop. Its not as good as Tversity though, which as well as being faster, can transcode non-native files on the fly. Dead handy.

    I THINK Tversity also works on the 360, but don't quote me on that. Check it out.

  • RedDragan #91 4 years ago

    Those who are saying Microsoft's answer to PlayTV is IPTV is completely deluding themselves.

    Trust me on this, IPTV is a scam! You will get to see about the equivelent of 4 of your normal daily usage before your ISP will throttle your broadband connection due to the "Unfair Usage" smallprint in your contract.

    IPTV will fail in the UK because after 20 hours of IPTV you will be over the your GB/month allowance when it is combined with online gaming etc.

    MS do not know what they are talking about expect when talking about pure profit

  • RedDragan #92 4 years ago

    some infor regarding series linking.

    I would expect that the PlayTV software will have the ability to perform this, as most software already on the PS3 is updated. Folding@Home, firmware, Playstation@Store etc are all updated (The store being properly updated, not just adding a few extra software title's but it is having a complete refit and should be ready for automatic download in 2 weeks from now).

    I can't see any reason why PlayTV would not incorperate this series linking feature via an update if it is not already being put into the code ready for lauch. An added bonus of PlayTV being on PS3, is that no matter what nifty new features Sky could come up with you would likely see it also come to the PlayTV software. What the hardware lacks the PS3 has the power to more than make up for, in fact PlayTV could evolve to pioneer new way of watching TV.... here is one example that ran off my brain:

    We all know how TV programs give their web addresses, PS3 in theory has the power to turn that into a hyperlink allowing the viewer to instantly go to that website and say get that ingredient list for the dish he/she just saw that celebrity chef make
    Edited by 1 at 06/04/08 @ 18:02

  • Drumstix #93 4 years ago

    tesco wrote:
    looking forward to the confusion over the name http://www.playtvu k.com/playtv.php well done sony....

    Commodore75 wrote:
    I'm interested in if it's supposed to work for the non-[France,Germany,Italy,Spain,UK] people.
    There are a few of us in Europe.
    Don't imagin it will, but it would be nice to know.
    Come on EuroGamer

    Agreed !!This will be interesting indeed. I hope it's compatible in many european countries and at a FAIR price.

  • PureG #94 4 years ago

    sorry guys but here in the UK we are going to be using DVB-T2 for our HD tv signals and PlayTV will not be able to decode them.
    in some EU countries it will be HD but not here

  • rprince #95 4 years ago

    Not sure I like the separate menu screen. Why not just make it part of the XMB?

    I really want this though. I've been putting off buying a Freeview box since it was announced!

  • Autocoder #96 4 years ago

    It seems to mee that Sony have missed the boat on this one. Who wants a tuner for limited choice and HD content of Freeview with Freesat on the near horizon? I suggest they modify their tuner very quickly before they release a limited life offering!!!
    Edited by 1 at 30/05/08 @ 00:28

  • hyper95 #97 4 years ago

    play TV is £70 out on sept 10th

  • hyper95 #98 4 years ago

    PlayTV will be £70 on it's release on the 10th Sept 08

  • RocKtheCasbaH #99 4 years ago

    Looks good but I'll only get it if it can redorc TV with the PS3 in stand-by and whilst playing games.

    But why RF-in but no RF-out?

    I was wanting to chain this in between my Sky HD and TV.

    Now I have to deicde between running an ariel to my TV or the Play TV box.

    Also the box itself looks like a concept model more could be done with the styling.