PS3 to become Digital Video Recorder by March 2008?

Bamelin

EdgadgetHD wrote:

It's been rumored before, now Sony's marketing manager for Computer Entertainment in New Zealand has apparently, and likely pre-emptively, unveiled Sony's intentions to turn the PS3 into a digital video recorder. Sony's Warwick Light is quoted in an interview with New Zealand's The Press as saying, "We're also hoping next year – about the same time that Freeview launches its terrestrial broadcasting service (expected to be in March) – to release a digital tuner for the PS3, turning it into a programmable TV recorder." Sure, why not, but we're going to need a hell of a lot more than 80GB or 120GB of storage to make that thing useful for HD recordings.

http://www.engadgethd.com/2007/08/01/ps3-to-receive-tuner-dvr-capabilities-before-march-2008/

So basically they would be making the PS3 into a PVR type box similar to what my current cable TV box does? I think I pay 20 bucks a month for my current PVR rental digital cablel box from the cable company ... this news interests me.

ArcSyn

I pay $11. I would like to get a Tivo though, as the built in DVR sucks, but Tivo I would have to buy the unit, and then pay $13 a month for service. Not worth it.

Friend of mine was smart and bought a lifetime subscription and refurb unit a few years back for $250 or something. It was stupid cheap but I didn't have the cash at the time. He's since upgraded the hard drive to an incredibly large size and can hook it up to his computer as well.

JCRooks

Very interesting, although not all that surprising.

What I'm most interested in is who is doing the interface, and what it's going to look like. Having used a number of PVR services over the years (ReplayTV, Tivo, Media Center, and now Comcast's PVR), the interface is arguably the most important bit. It's by no means an "easy" thing to do, as there are plenty of companies that have shoddy interfaces (the one from Cox cable is pretty damn bad).

JihadJesus

Can't the 360 already be used for this funciton, via a wireless link with any desktop with a TV tuner? I've been planning on making use of that in the next couple years...

ArcSyn

Yeah, Comcast's interface is horrid and slow.
My parents have a Tivo from DirecTV and it's very nice.

People are going to be eager to upgrade the HDD in the PS3 though between movies, demos, and DVR it's going to fill up quick. During the season when TV has all new stuff I get pretty close to full on my 120GB HDD in the comcast box. (especially since it doesn't recognize duplicates sometimes and records multiple copies of the same show.)

JCRooks

JihadJesus wrote: »

Can't the 360 already be used for this funciton, via a wireless link with any desktop with a TV tuner? I've been planning on making use of that in the next couple years...

Yes. The 360 can perform similar functions as a Media Center Extender. It is a bit different, though, in that the video is stored on a different machine. The article implies that here the video will be stored directly on the PS3 hard drive. Then there's also the special 360 using Microsoft IPTV technology that was announced quite some time ago, but hasn't been released yet.

I'm also curious as to whether or not this would include HDTV. I think it would be crazy not to, but there are a lot of crazy restrictions to HD PVRs (see the Media Center/OCUR/CableCard fiasco), which is why most folks (including myself) are stuck with cable company-provided PVRs that handle the HD all in one box.

Bamelin

The problem with the 360 hardrive as well is the fact that there's no legal way to use anything except Microsoft's stupidly overpriced proprietry HDD's.

With the PS3 you can snap in whatever drive you want.