PlayStation 3 movie downloads creates another Apple TV competitor

By Adam Turner
Tuesday, 20 February 2007 18:37

Opinion and Analysis

When the dust settles after the Apple TV blitzkrieg, the few competitors likely to be left standing are those riding into the lounge room on the back of existing hardware.

The Amazon/TiVo deal puts them in a strong position, but the big players to watch are the games consoles which - like the TiVo - have already established a presence in the cut throat digital lounge room. If you've already spent good money on one (or more) of these devices and use their video download service you're far less likely to shell out more money on an Apple TV player. Movie download services not affiliated with existing hardware will be swept aside unless they offer playback via a games console, as several do with the Xbox 360.

Now Sony has indicated the introduction of a movie download service for the PlayStation 3, to match the Xbox 360, the console war has moved into new territory - territory Apple has already marked as its own. I don't think Sony or Microsoft are stupid enough to make an "Apple TV killer" in the same fashion they keep rolling out "iPod killers" which fail miserably. They should realise their games consoles are the best chance they have stealing a small slice of the pie Apple is preparing to devour. Microsoft is delusional if it's pinned its hopes on Vista-powered media centers making much of an impact. The fact is most people don't want a computer in their lounge room, unless it's disguised as a games console or media player.

The reason why Microsoft and Sony MP3 players fail to kill the iPod is because they put copyright paranoia before useability. Apple is as obsessed with digital rights management as anyone, but the iPod/iTunes combination is idiot proof enough to appeal to the masses. Assuming Apple finds that same balance in the Apple TV, few competitors will survive.

If someone is looking for a killer application in the digital lounge room, they need look no further than YouTube. The ability to take Flash-based videos from services such as YouTube and watch them on your television will grab the public's attention and help take media players mainstream. Considering the legal quagmire YouTube is wading through - and its tumultuous relationship with the movie houses that Apple, Microsoft and Sony rely on for their download services - it will be interesting to see if anyone has the guts to offer YouTube playback via their devices. If the games consoles want to be "Apple TV killers" it may be their only hope.