Sony’s Play TV DVR unboxed and tested

Like TV? Like your Playstation 3? Enjoy jumping through all kinds of unnecessary hoops? Then Stuff says Sony’s Play TV is just for you.

For the most part, the device functions like a normal DVR, but with a few caveats:

“In order to allow recording while you’re doing other things on your PS3 (say, playing Haze) you have to allow ‘background recording’, and there’s a warning that this may cause slow-down and effect gameplay.”

And, in order to watch recorded shows on your PSP, you’re forced to record through Remote Play, because DRM disallows normal transference to a memory stick.

Seems like quite a hassle.

Play TV lands on September 10.

By Nathan Grayson

Rumour: Sony tested “PS3mote” earlier this year

Sony video teaches you how to play Warhawk

BioWare Sonic RPG played and tested

3 comments

Vavatch
20/08/08, 10:19 pm

I’d love to get one, but they are not available for the US market since the US does not have DVB-T broadcasts but rather ATSC (and NTSC through to Feb 29th ’09). If Sony makes an ATSC version or a Clear-QAM (Unencrypted Digital Cable), I’d get it, even though I do already have a Series 3 TiVo.

Quiiick
21/08/08, 12:13 am

The “T” is the greatest problem here in central europe.
“T” is standing for “terrestrial” so your cable-TV won’t do, you need an antenna! And digital-terrestrial signals (usually bundled together) are a.) not wide spread and b.) often carry only a few channels.

Blerk
21/08/08, 8:24 am

wtf? Recording ‘may cause slowdown and effect gameplay’? They never mentioned that before when they said they’d cracked the ‘recording while gaming’ thing.

So it’s back to being pretty much useless again, then.