Sony ramps up PlayStation 3 video content

By Ty Pendlebury on 24 November 2009

Gamers will be able to download movies to rent or buy directly from their PlayStation 3 within the next few months, Sony Computer Entertainment announced at the launch of its first television offering in Sydney today.

PlayStation

PlayTV and ABC iView will now become pieces of the PlayStation puzzle. (Credit: Ty Pendlebury)

Michael Ephraim, managing director of Sony Computer Entertainment Australia, today officially launched ABC iView downloadable content via the console and the brand new PlayTV recorder.

Ephraim also announced that the 250GB PlayStation will be bundled indefinitely with the dual-tuner PlayStation 3 for AU$599 from 26 November.

Sony Computer Entertainment is currently running a direct link to ABC's iView service, which allows PS3 users to download ABC shows directly from the net. The service is a part of an extended IPTV trial, Ephraim said, and new services would be launched by the trial's end in March 2010.

"Next year, we will deliver video-on-demand services with new releases and back catalogue titles for PlayStation 3 and PSP," he said.

The new services fit within the company's "vision for PS3 [that] has always been about more than 'just gaming'," said Ephraim

Arul Baskaran, ABC's head of multi-platform production said the new service will continue to be monitored and tweaked, including adding compatibility with Sony Blu-ray remotes.

"It's just the start of the trial. We'll make improvements to the service over the next few months," Baskaran said. "Today, IPTV moves from PCs to where it belongs: on your television."

Ephraim said the company had decided to delay the launch of PlayTV till now because it was initially only a standard-definition unit.

The PlayTV unit is Freeview compatible and Freeview head Robyn Parkes announced at the media briefing that the Freeview EPG will be released in 2010.

Topics: playstation 3, sony, abc, iview, television

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Comments (9)

  • lena112 commented on 02/12/2009 23:45

    i like it i want it ok

  • PMStrojan commented on 25/11/2009 13:43

    aw123 that sucks!!

    it's like when I got my first nano, they released the next generation of them a couple of months later, had slashed the price, put in a video player and kicked up the hard drive! bastards - they probably knew you were buying a ps3 and did it just to spite you haha

    I'm an xboxer myself, however it seems like Sony is cornering the digital tv/freeview share of things early on which may benchmark it as the console to have, much like Apple have done with their iPods first, and now their smartphone iPhone!

    I love my xbox, love the controls, but I may invest in the PS3 once their trials settle down, if only so I can have the best of both worlds (xbox and ps3 only games :) )

  • ant_twax commented on 25/11/2009 11:40

    @anon1980 ah yeah mate $939 is real close to $1000 isn't it also i dont want 500GB hard drive i want 1TB and the harmony remote that i want is harmony one 900 if your going to do something you might as well do it right from the start so i think that goes well over $1000

  • anon1980 commented on 25/11/2009 11:11

    @ant_twax $1,000? I am doing that and it will cost $939.
    Harmony 785 for $92, Harmony adapter for PS3 for $99, 500gb HDD for $100, PlayTY for $148 and the PS3 and cables for $500.

  • Spelling police commented on 25/11/2009 10:44

    @concerned - "till" is a word and if you were to pick up a dictionary or perhaps even googled the word before writing that comment, you'd realise your mistake and saved yourself the embarrassment.

  • Gav commented on 25/11/2009 10:21

    @aw123 - try going back to the store you bought it from and talk to them. You'll probably find that they'll do something for you without hesitation.

  • Concerned commented on 25/11/2009 10:04

    Does this Journalist know that "till" is not a word?

  • aw123 commented on 25/11/2009 08:12

    oh how sucky, i just upgraded form the 60Gb to the 250GB 2 days ago, for this playtv thingy, and now it comes bundled with the ps3 tomorrow :( for the same price i payed!

  • ant_twax commented on 24/11/2009 21:28

    i would love a PS3 not for games but as my media centre but for the price its just not good value for money upgrading hard drive and and purchasing a universal remote and stuff like that i would spend over $1000 and thats just a little crazy at the moment cant wait till a media centre that comes out like the PS3 that has a great price and dose the job easy!

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