PSN Video store is region locked

by Jem Alexander { Jul 16th 2008 at 12:15PM }

Sorry, Europe. The video store will be heading your way at some point in the future, but in the mean time you're going to have to live with without some awesome non-interactive downloadable content. The video store is ip locked to the US, which means that even if you set up a US account in Europe, you're going to be locked out. There are probably ways around it using proxies, but for most people that's going to be more hassle than it's worth.

The question is, if Sony can region lock the stores like this, why don't they? Surely it prevents cross-region purchases far better than just crying "don't do that!" On the other hand, it makes sense considering that the PS3 is region-free for Blu-ray games, but locked for Blu-ray movies. Maybe the game stores remain unlocked because they know what a shambles the EU Store is. Whatever the reason, we're glad for it. Hopefully we'll hear about the EU rollout for the video store soon.

Tags: PlayStation-3, PSN-video-store, SCEE, Sony

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

adolson @ Jul 16th 2008 12:23PM

Canada can't get in either...

DIGoPeNuMbRa @ Jul 16th 2008 12:26PM

Im in Brazil, using American PSN Account, and, here, doesnt works the video store.. =(

Me @ Jul 16th 2008 12:24PM

The answer is simple, without region locking, Sony would not have been able to bag 8 big name movie studios...

Mo @ Jul 16th 2008 12:46PM

yep!

browntown @ Jul 16th 2008 1:09PM

Ya, since different studios produce the same movies for different terrotories. So the Euro movie studio would not get the money if euro psn users bought the us version.

Kspraydad @ Jul 16th 2008 12:25PM

The studios sell their rights in different countries and regions...Sony CAN'T allow these movies into Canada, for instance, as MGM/Paramount/Warner etc do no distribute in Canada.

SONY has to negotiate with each and every distributor on a region/country basis.

iTunes was delayed.
Live was (is still) delayed.
PSN will be delayed.

Simple.

Captain_Canada @ Jul 16th 2008 1:23PM

What do you mean by "distribute". Like I can buy those companies movies at stores.

robjennings @ Jul 16th 2008 1:46PM

@ Captain_Canada:

I think he means just that - "distribute". As in the middle link of the retail chain. There's a manufacturer or producer who sells their product to distributors, who in turn sell and ship it to retailers. Those retailers being the "stores" where you can buy "those companies movies."

The studios are the producers, but they aren't necessarily the distributors of the product in countries like Canada.

Kspraydad @ Jul 16th 2008 1:57PM

@Captain Canada....look at the back of the DVD case. You'll see the Canadian distributor listed (in MANY cases it is Alliance Films)...

SomeonePR @ Jul 16th 2008 12:26PM

I'm really angry with sony really... I live in Puerto Rico, we are part of the US... hell, even xbox live marketplace let us download anything since day one... why not sony? We can even use our credit cards in the US accounts!!!

Justin @ Jul 16th 2008 12:29PM

Till you guys vote to accept becoming a state, you are not part of the US.

Vincent @ Jul 16th 2008 12:38PM

Same here, I'm in South America and I can't download anything from the PSN. Please Sony let me spend my money!!

And Jem, 'we're glad for it'? What for, exactly? Less people having access to the store and thus not being able to give it money is something good now? Did I miss anything? o_o

SomeonePR @ Jul 16th 2008 12:43PM

Ok... I never said we are a state #51... but we receive everything of the US even federal money and all.

Anyway beside that, the thing is that the xbox marketplace let me buy any movies/tv shows since day one

Stoo @ Jul 16th 2008 12:49PM

@Vincent

Yes you did miss something. If you read again what Jem said he is glad that the store is region free due to the Euro store being a shambles.
He didn't say he is glad the video store is locked.

Xan @ Jul 16th 2008 12:27PM

its probably because unlike games and trailers, countries like Canada have laws that get in the way of download services for movies and tv shows. This is why you can't access the XBOX live dl service up here. Just a fyi.

MatthewJ @ Jul 16th 2008 12:31PM

The better technology gets, the stupider and stupider these artificial delays that movie studios impose on the world outside the US become.

And I hope they know that its probably firing the coals of the majority of movie piracy internationally.

Stoo @ Jul 16th 2008 12:31PM

As was shown with the Uncharted Demo a while back, Sony isn't bothered about their own stuff being accessed.
When it comes to Music and Film though they are obviously going to lock it otherwise they upset the studios.

Ashkental @ Jul 16th 2008 12:33PM

Yeah... i'm in brazil and i can't download a thing in the movie store...

And there i was... Waiting paciently for something i didn't get... When joystiq anounnced that it was live i was happy, but when it didin't turned on my PSN Store i was pissed...

Jerses @ Jul 16th 2008 12:54PM

Agree. i live in Mexico...waited for the only good anouncement from e3...and now they tell me its region locked? I just dont get it...if i can buy games with my credit card ( even if mexico isnt in the psn network) why not buy movies with the same credit card? Im not asking for a Mexico PSN store but don´t tease us with this service if its not coming to every country... yeah i know it was only for US. but for non-us residents we have a big big add "MOVIES &TV ON PSN STORE"... -___-u that cant be viewed

Marc @ Jul 16th 2008 12:34PM

It really annoys me that Canada can't get the video service. I was really looking forward to it last night. Do you think they'll work on making it available here?

Popfrogs @ Jul 16th 2008 12:59PM

I don't know if they'll work on it for Canada. The market for Red Green Show isn't really that lucrative.

;)

wicko @ Jul 16th 2008 7:11PM

Agreed, it is annoying. But we always get shafted for things like that. Places like Amazon not shipping games to canada but they'll ship DVD's and books.

Prices differences even when our dollar is equal.

I guess they don't want our business?

Dahk @ Jul 16th 2008 3:15PM

Lmao popfrogs, I don't even know what that is lol.

That said, I was kinda disappointed =(. Come ooooon SCECANADA!

Straider @ Jul 16th 2008 12:37PM

Why God! Why did you programm me to feel pain?? ;)

John Giotta @ Jul 16th 2008 12:54PM

Because he knows things feel good too ;-)

Kornkid @ Jul 16th 2008 12:56PM

It's not even that fact that I can't get videos.. It's more of the fact that during the press conference when he was announcing the new video store.. he failed to mention it was only going to be accessible in the United States. lol.. at least then I wouldn't have gotten my hopes up.

HAAS599 @ Jul 16th 2008 1:35PM

E3 is an american gaming conference.

just like when Sony talks about something during the Tokyo Game Show it doesnt mean its coming to America.

MexicanTerrorist @ Jul 16th 2008 12:58PM

Us living in Canada get shafted yet again.

Popfrogs @ Jul 16th 2008 1:01PM

As explained earlier, this isn't Sony's fault. They have to follow the rules that the studios all agree to.

However I do think it's weird that alot of TV shows that have been HD for years are only available in SD via the store.

adolson @ Jul 16th 2008 2:31PM

Popfrogs, why doesn't Sony just release their own content in Canada? At least give us SOMETHING..

Kspraydad @ Jul 16th 2008 3:05PM

@adolson...

It very likely needs to be localized to work in Quebec as well...unless they plan on filtering Quebec IP addresses they will need to build a bilingual store front (the rules are different for movies vs games in this instance)

Popfrogs @ Jul 16th 2008 3:26PM

@adolson:

Settle down Dana, it may not be Sony who handles distribution to Canada for Sony productions.

adolson @ Jul 16th 2008 6:09PM

Dana's my middle name, but congrats on being able to use Google. Why'd you say "settle down" anyhow? I was asking a simple question, not freaking out. I'm disappointed we have nothing here, and I think I'm allowed to be let down.

Kurai @ Jul 16th 2008 1:03PM

Heaven forbid I want to pay these big named studios for their movies up here in Canada :/

Kspraydad @ Jul 16th 2008 1:24PM

If you want to YELL at someone, yell at Alliancefilms.com and http://www.cmpda.ca/index.jspa ... those are the people that hold the key to the majority of video digital distribution in Canada.

Evan @ Jul 16th 2008 5:19PM

Whether or not it's Sony's fault, Sony will be taking most of the anger from fellow Canadians. Does Sony not even care about their public image in Canada?

infekt @ Jul 16th 2008 1:32PM

Seriously guys. If you want to take action, write into cmpda and let them know to hurry things up, POLITELY. http://www.cmpda.ca/index.jspa

adolson @ Jul 16th 2008 2:37PM

I did write them, thanks for the link.

infekt @ Jul 16th 2008 6:19PM

Thank Kspraydad above.

adolson @ Jul 16th 2008 8:42PM

Yeah, I noticed that I clicked the wrong reply button after I had submitted the comment. :) Thanks K-dog.

Kraill @ Jul 16th 2008 2:06PM

I agree with kornkid, that it is dumb they failed to mention that it is only u.s accessible. Sure the conference is in America but really Canada is part of the North American Division everything always comes out the same time as it does stateside for the PS3. With this said however, because dealing with movie distribution I didn't give my hope up. It didn't surprise me when I couldn't access the video store. I just agree that it is dumb they failed to mention.

Kherka @ Jul 16th 2008 2:10PM

Thanks for info,

I was trying to figure it out because on both PC and PS3 PSN Stores didn't allowed me to buy movies...

Taustin Powers @ Jul 16th 2008 2:27PM

I dunno. You need to enter an American address to access the AMerican PSN Store. That's easy enough for people all over the world. But in order to PURCHASE things, don't you need a credit card with an American billing address? Shouldn't that be good enough for the movie rentals?

MikeGold @ Jul 16th 2008 2:30PM

ok, so once again, have anybody tried proxies?

Brice @ Jul 16th 2008 3:34PM

ok, once again have anybody tried other ways to download videos?

and I mean region free videos...

Sony is bit late on the market... and I won't even mention free streaming... and some more illegal ways to get videos on your console... who will pay for that? If only Sony could offer a subscription...

Brice Harel @ Jul 16th 2008 3:36PM

ok, so once again, have anybody tried other ways to get videos?

... Sony is a bit late on the market... and there are better ways to get region free videos... Sony will never understand why people choose the illegal way...

Kspraydad @ Jul 16th 2008 3:07PM

Proxies work...you need to have a PSN ID that is Americanized (address etc) and be paying from US source.

Ultrasurf works well.

BTW...as far as pirating ... could you not put this on your PSP and then have the video signal out copied...DVD quality but still.

aldo @ Jul 16th 2008 2:32PM

If the PC's PSN Video Store is not IP locked. Why is Sony blocking the PS3 and making us angry? This is a very incoherent policy.

I personally don't see any sense in they doing it. In any case, you should have an U.S debit/credit card to be able to download a movie.