TAG | ITWire by request: PS3 PlayTV preview |
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| by Mike Bantick | |
| Saturday, 03 May 2008 | |
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Page 2 of 2 The PlayTV box can be programmed to record TV, and interested folks will be keen to know that the PS3 need only be in standby at the moment of recording, it will power up at the appointed time to store the broadcast. So far so good, the small PlayTV box sits okay next to the PS3 as an additional component, but the real kicker that gives PlayTV the edge over other stand alone PVR solutions is the PlayStation Portable (PSP) integration. For the die-hard Sony fan, hooking up your PS3 to a Bravia LCD HD screen with PlayTV humming away and the PSP warm in your hands, you are set for some portable TV action, including live TV. With a quick selection the PS3 can be controlled from the PSP, allowing live TV to be streamed to the PSP. This can be done over the internet from any Wi-Fi spot in the world. The PSP can also be used in this fashion to set up PlayTV programming. In essence that is the PlayTV offering. Nothing that isn't available at the moment from other manufacturers; companies such as BeyonWiz, SlingBox and Apple (with Apple TV) all provide similar features in the PVR space. But the added ability to take your recorded, or live programs with you on PSP gives Sony the edge (albeit and expensive one) on the competition. There are also some outstanding questions about transferrence of recorded files, and whether there will be an option to save programs onto a USB attached Hard Disk Drive. Initial rumours were that PlayTV would kick off in July this year (at least in Europe), it seems that tech issues sorting out codecs during recording are delaying that to a possible October 2008 time frame. However, Sony Australia have tentatively given a more positive Q3 2008 release date for the feature, when we hope to get hold of, and a more intense play with PlayTV – this will require me to stop playing GTA IV for a moment.
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