SCEE President dates PlayTV for the UK
by Alan Tsang 
{ Jul 18th 2008 at 12:00PM }
Eurogamer has learned from Sony Europe's David Reeves that PlayTV will debut in the UK on September 10th, with the rest of Europe getting the add-on "from September to December," while Australia and New Zealand will be joining in on the DVR fun in January or February. No word on pricing though, but Reeves previously stated the price would €99.
Even more exciting for Europeans, Aussies, and New Zealanders is that the digital video recorder add-on will allow users to record TV while simultaneously engaging in a game. Apparently there were some technical obstacles they had to overcome to achieve this, so kudos to Sony for that. Reeves states that the firmware needed for PlayTV was already included in update 2.41, "so in theory if your PS3 is up to date you're all set for the 10th September launch."
Of course, North Americans who use the ATSC digital standard will never see this, since PlayTV is a DVB-T tuner. We'd say if anything, this should bring some relieve to our PAL regions friends who are currently missing out on the PS Store video service.
[Thanks, jimb!]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Sora57 @ Jul 18th 2008 12:06PM
Very cool tech. Wish something like that could be done in the US for the PS3.
Moe-Ali @ Jul 18th 2008 1:54PM
yeah i agree .. is it region locked?
maroofh @ Jul 18th 2008 1:57PM
Probably not region locked but it just won't work in US.
Gunegune @ Jul 18th 2008 4:42PM
It wouldn't work if you imported it because the US uses ATSC standards whereas Europe uses DVB-T for broadcasting.
If you would like to learn more about "Digital Terrestrial Television" you can visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_terrestrial_television for more information.
Matt Froese @ Jul 19th 2008 2:09AM
Yeah, great for Europe. Sucks for Canada because we got nothing.
AnimaOnline @ Jul 18th 2008 12:08PM
Great news!
It's nice to see something good come of SCEE.
Look forward to PlayTV.
golden sapphire @ Jul 18th 2008 12:18PM
i wish sony was a little more unified. day and date release for both sides of the world, same things for everyone. etc etc. i mean its nice that europe finaly has something that didnt have to wait for a while for but we all want this as it is with other products...
Nerdkiller @ Jul 18th 2008 12:20PM
I wonder if its gonna be available anywhere here in Ireland? Oh yeah, Play TV will ROOL!!!!!
Nonhippyhippy @ Jul 18th 2008 2:07PM
We dont have Freeview Digital TV so no Ireland isnt gonna get this...
There is only certain parts of Dublin (Around Donneybrook
where the RTE headquaters are) that this will work in..
We get the short end of the stick, we have no Play TV or not video store... i wish this country wasnt such a backwards shithole....
Nonhippyhippy @ Jul 18th 2008 2:05PM
Sorry if this gets double posted...
Just to make it clear Ireland is not getting this.. We have no Freeview digital TV like the UK has, except for a small area in Dublin where the RTE are testing it, around donneybrook...
I wish this country was less of a backwards shithole...
master811 @ Jul 19th 2008 4:30AM
@Nerdkiller
Nope, what you may have been able to get HD during the trial, but you will not be able to get it when the switchover starts.
Its possible there might be the odd HD channel, but the majority of them will be using DVB-T2, and so you won't be able to get them. Sony may have tested it, but OFCOM changed it at the last minute (because there just won't be enough space for HD channels as well), hence why this is only a DVB-T tuner instead of a T2.
master811 @ Jul 19th 2008 4:40AM
oops wrong person in comment thread
I so hate this comment system
SparkyJ23 @ Jul 18th 2008 12:21PM
So the UK gets 80GB PS3 at £299 AND Play TV?
Bargain :-)
gblackwo @ Jul 18th 2008 12:40PM
"So the UK gets 80GB PS3 at £299 AND Play TV?
Bargain :-)"
You are aware that equates to around 600 US dollars right? You can now get the 80GB for 400-500$ in the US.
TheWakeUpCall @ Jul 18th 2008 5:18PM
But the UK price is with tax, whereas isn't the american price without? So that kind of closes the gap, but not completely.
Albanian_Killa @ Jul 18th 2008 12:25PM
Sure, the PAL friends now have PlayTV. What about the NTSC friends up north who don't have jack?
coster127 @ Jul 18th 2008 12:32PM
thats still really unfair. Im in UK but what about the rest of Europe? They arnt getting it till later? Why!? I'd rather UK get it as the same time as the rest of Europe and the rest of the world! Very unfair on Americans! I wish Sony was almost completely united...
ali_D @ Jul 18th 2008 12:30PM
hmm good idea i saw play-tv in action like i said, its good 2 record and play games while it recordin, i now want 2 know is this part of life of playstation with goggle we can record on save n upload 2 youtube dat b cool.
Lloyd @ Jul 18th 2008 12:46PM
the interface looks cool.. albiet it looks liek appleTV but that's cool :)
wisconsinista @ Jul 18th 2008 12:31PM
This fails to solve the real problem: there is nothing on american tv. Anyone who uses this to record america's fattest idol should have their ps3 rescinded.
geo2211 @ Jul 18th 2008 6:58PM
wtf why does every country have different features we should all be getting the full experience
DJCUEBALL @ Jul 18th 2008 1:11PM
Wish we had this for the US... but glad to see EU is getting this because they don't get a lot of good stuff. Lucky bastards!
benny boy @ Jul 18th 2008 12:59PM
This is great...
but there isn't actually any HD content on Freeview at the moment.
It would be great if it worked with Freesat as well. Then at least there would be a few HD channels and it would be a great alternative to Sky+.
master811 @ Jul 18th 2008 2:01PM
Except this tuner doesn't do HD freeview as far as I know as it requires DVB-T2 standard (which is used in the UK at least), not the DVB-T which this one uses.
It still seems pretty expensive for what it is though, and it better be no more than £75 (current Euro to £ exchange rate).
benny boy @ Jul 18th 2008 2:13PM
That's pretty annoying seeing as the PS3's built around the concept of HD and Freeview sill start getting HD channels over the next few years.
gooftroop @ Jul 18th 2008 6:11PM
@ master811
"Except this tuner doesn't do HD freeview as far as I know as it requires DVB-T2 standard (which is used in the UK at least), not the DVB-T which this one uses."
Wrong, the PlayTV team spent a lot of time with BBC, ITV, CH4, CH5 and DTV Services Ltd (the people who run freeview in the UK to get ready for HD broadcasts. Also only one multiplex is being converted to DVB-T2 standard in 2009, HD broadcasts will still be shown on the original DVB-T standard multiplexes. I personally received BBC HD broadcasts from the crystal palace transmitter during the tests on a non DVB-T2 receiver.
P @ Jul 18th 2008 3:59PM
Yeah, if it could pick up Freesat i'd buy it without a moments thought, and while they keep saying it can play HD content, it cant actually receive it under its own capabilities, it needs Satalite/Cable (which includes Freesat as it needs a dish still)
Would have been nice if it killed 2 birds with one stone, but as it is its something i might pick up at a later date, but probably wont unless it drops in price to around £50 about a year later or they release a DVB-T2 version.
master811 @ Jul 19th 2008 4:39AM
@gooftroop
Nope, what you may have been able to get HD during the trial, but you will not be able to get it when the switchover starts.
Its possible there might be the odd HD channel, but the majority of them will be using DVB-T2, and so you won't be able to get them. Sony may have tested it, but OFCOM changed it at the last minute (because there just won't be enough space for HD channels as well), hence why this is only a DVB-T tuner instead of a T2.
bluefrog @ Jul 18th 2008 12:59PM
"We'd say if anything, this should bring some relieve to our PAL regions friends who are currently missing out on the PS Store video service."
It's actually everyone outside of the US that is missing out on the PS Videos, not just people in PAL territories.
benjitastic @ Jul 18th 2008 1:07PM
This better come out in ireland at the same time as the uk! sony have no excuse, we speak the same language and use the same tv system!!!
Jakob Henner @ Jul 18th 2008 1:15PM
"No word on pricing though, though Reeves previously stated the price would €99." No the announced the price at Playstation Days in London.
When is this cool device going to see the dark Scandinavian Peninsula?
Ferdasyn @ Jul 18th 2008 1:05PM
How much will this tan me in pounds sterling?
ps3 rules @ Jul 18th 2008 1:25PM
maybe they will have an update so u can upscale what have recorded to 1080i / 1080p ?
Livi70590 @ Jul 18th 2008 1:28PM
YAY!
New HDD Here I Come!
sundby @ Jul 18th 2008 2:01PM
I hope "the rest of Europe" does not mean "France & Germany" like it does to Microsoft and Apple. :)
Brad @ Jul 18th 2008 2:03PM
What about us Canadians!? We don't get jack! No video store, no PlayTV!!
Come on Sony, give us the video store!
1664 @ Jul 18th 2008 2:27PM
You cant really compare this to the video store lol have you ever watched uk tv? its rubbish, dont get me wrong, im not saying its not a handy device especially if you watch alot of tv its just not comparable to HD films
ilike2game @ Jul 18th 2008 7:51PM
Shouldn't it be able to work next year when all networks are forced to switch to digital instead of analog?
uh-oh polio @ Jul 18th 2008 6:51PM
wow, this is like the first time im jelous of the UK. But i guess ill just have to stick with my tivo.
Gate @ Jul 18th 2008 11:14PM
Sweet Jebus. Finally something to get rid of the bitter taste in my mouth left from region locked Home, and no video downloads. Yeah that was pretty melodramatic...
Still, this is great news. I was considering shelling out $700 for a freeview decoder (NZ), and now I'll be getting that, plus a DVR, for what should be much less money. Fantastic!
Onna76_NL @ Jul 19th 2008 4:51AM
Justice has finally been served, only depends on when "we" in the benelux will get to see Play TV.
"Very unfair on Americans!"
Ow quit the whining, you Americans get everything sooner than the Europeans, games, consoles, video download store, so shut it.