PS3 To Get DVR Functions, Digital Tuner In 2008

According to Sony Computer Entertainment New Zealand boss Warwick Light he is "hoping next year... to release a digital tuner for the PS3, turning it into a programmable TV recorder."

[Crazyglues]

Man that would be sweet...

[gta_cb]

everything extra helps sell consoles etc, and i do agree it will be sweet and hope to get it when i buy a PS3 BUT, i see this as copying MS with the IPTV.

[ENNO]

That means if you have Linux installed you can use myth tv and rewind fast forward record!WOW!!!

[peksi]

Don't know whether you're sarcastic but you can do it already. Just buy a cheap USB DVB adapter and go for it.

[Arkham]

And the software to run it would be...?

[warfed]

if you have to ask such a stupid question... don't ask

[Arkham]

Went over your head, did it? The idea of the average person expecting to just plug in a USB receiver to watch/record TV on their PS3 certainly warranted a sarcastic reply.

[hella whip]

Could even be out this year in Europe as Freeview doesn't launch in New Zealand untill 2008 but is widely available in the UK and I think Europe aswell.

[kaomakk]

Freeview launched here in NZ a few months back.....

[masterg]

I've been saying that since 2005.
If they had had this option from the start it would have been the ultimate machine.

HD Game Console
Media Center/Tivo/Music player
HD Movie playback

[Arkham]

Sony's been saying that for about 5 years now. It was at the Sony BB (Broadband-something or another) expo in Japan, March 2002 I believe (2003?). They said they were hoping to have TiVo-like functionality added to the (then) recently announced HD and network adapter. As with Home, it was delayed a generation, but this functionality has been on the backburner for a long time.

[Daz]

very nice i wont use it know i be to busy playing games.

[Art of Motion]

HDTV's being sold at the moment have integrated freeview, the older models dont.

[hella whip]

Not exactly all though is it? My HD Ready tv doesn't have freeview. This USB tuner would turn the PS3 into a DVR not just a freeview receiver.

[Bolts]

WTF are you talking about? My XBR3 sure as hell doesn't have that.

[D_U_I]

Every HDTV (Lcd) in the uk now has built in freeview.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/r...

Every one of the bravia's has it.

[gta_cb]

i found 4 on there that doesnt have freeview

[XxZxX]

awesome... USB tuner i supposed.

[DiLeCtioN]

ill love this feature if its true

[persian_prince]

Im a 360 owner...but sony deserves credit for a lot of things. PS3 has all the features and it packs more value in the system. The only reason Im sticking with 360 is cause the 360 has the games and sequels that I like...dvr abilities = nice...cause I hate having to pay a monthly fee to dishnetwork for the dvr...

[Kyur4ThePain]

That's why I got Beyond TV from Snapstream.net
Take a look, if you have a spare PC (or parts you can snap together).
Well worth it with better features than you get commercially.

[razer]

With Media Center I've been watching and recording TV since launch.

Still nice to see Sony trying to match features.

EDIT: WTF is with the disagree?? It's a fact! At least tell me why you disagree. Fkn fanboys!

[MrSwede]

I´m sorry, razer, someone gave you a disagree. I think it´s great to have a normal discussion between 360 and PS3 camps without having to start a fight. You were only stating facts. Users like you and persian_prince are great, you´re giving another point of view! Bubbles!

[masterg]

@ razer

Of course people disagree. A media Center is an expensive computer. To compare that with an USB feature is wrong.

I have both Media Center and a 360 too. Might as well use the MCE for watching recordings. It has to be turned on anyway. You can do that with a $50 DVD player.

[Wile]

My cable box has a DVR and I would rather keep my HDD space for games. How about less gimmicks and more games. Now there's a concept.

[trane07]

As you can see thats what they are trying to do, looking for a reason to downplay a positive feature of a system seems a bit negatory. Its not like there mindset is to "forget all games!! Just focus on the system!!" ps3 is facing the same drought every game its first year has.

[hella whip]

At least there giving us the CHOICE to have this or not just like xbox owners have the CHOICE to buy a HD-DVD drive.

[Wile]

I guess it's just me, but a tv tuner in a GAME CONSOLE is just useless. It's like having that 3 in 1 print/fax/scanner device. Pretty cool concept but when realized never is what it was intended and never that reliable.

[Bathyj]

Did you just bring up reliability?

[Wile]

Yes I did, as an example in the case of fax/copier/scanner/printer. Those combo system are never reiable. So if sony wants to come out with a SKU with TV tuner/DVR recorder/Blu-Ray player/Game console, I don't think it's a good idea, it feels like a gimmick, nothing more.

Now, I know where you are trying to go with this "reliability?" question. Go ahead if you want to, but i'm not a fanboy so I'm not going to 'bite'. Besides why does the other console have to come up. Either you think a DVR in the PS3 is a good idea or not.

[XxZxX]

it is just you wille,
you lost me when you said print/fax/scanner as just a good concept go bad. Look around you man, print/fax/scanner is replacing standalone printer. People are moving toward all-in-one but just not you. I guess some people just got too comfortable with past technology and want to remain there. Your reasoning at combo is not realible is laughable. Ever heard of generalizing?

[Bathyj]

Ok so its not for you, but you were having a go at them for doing it as if for some reason they had to pull developers off games to build a Tivo for them.

And no ones talking about another SKU, its just an add on, for those that want it its a good feature. How does that hurt you?

[Wile]

Just made an observation. As far as being caught and comfortable in the past or being laughable. XxZxX, come on man, no need for that. I work in the film business, and work with some of the latest technology. "Everyone" is not going to all-in one, not when the tech needs to be the best. That's why my audio engineer has uses headphones without an AM/FM tuner in it. That why my cameraman doesn't show up with a cellphone camera. And it's also why advertising agencys have dedicated "stand alone" printers to deliver proofs when quality matters. So when you say "I guess some people just got too comfortable with past technology and want to remain there. Your reasoning at combo is not realible is laughable. Ever heard of generalizing?" Maybe I was generalizing, using my industry as the norm. But it i think you might be a little guilty of it too.

As far as it being an add-on, that's my bad. I assumed it would be a SKU because it would need the video connections and such. Maybe the plan is to add it thru USB. Bathyj, your right it doesn't hurt, if it's an add on. I never thought they would remove devs from a game to build TIVO. Just thought they should just focus on the games as much as they can. Looking back at my first post in this thread, it does have the air of malicious sarcasm, that wasn't the intent. My bad.

Appreciate good debate, and you guys did it with relative respect. BUBBLES FOR YOU BOTH.

[Bathyj]

I respect those that deserve it and earn it Dude, and you just have. Its good that you can accept a little criticism when given without malice. I'm pleasantly surprised. A few more guys like us around and we can bring a little class into this site. ;)

And if I was a little quick to jump on your case I can only say, you know what its like when you're reading a positive thread, and everyone has something good to say and then the inevitable post come along that seems to have no other purpose but to sour the mood in the room? Well sorry Dude, I guess you were just first in line. Anyway, no harm done and have a bubble back at ya.

[Bolts]

WTF are you talking about? 3 in one office machines like printer/scanner/fax are great, I have one and it save me a ton of space. I guess you hate those machines because you're an idiot, which also explains why you love paying a monthly fee for your cable company's DVR box.

[TLSBill]

I think we can all argee that specialized devices will provide a higher quality experience than a generalized one, but there are other factors to consider. For a ad agency, print could be their main gig, so they need that uber-printer, and same for the sound guy with Sennheiser headphones.

Some of us don't need that level though. I have an all in one at home, because I don't want 3 devices sitting in my office taking up space. It's not the "best", but it gets the job done to my expectations, and it's lasted me 7 years.

The Sony approach of doing more than games is why I have a PS3. I can play games (not a lot right now I know, but I stil have my great PS2 games upcscaled, and yes Okami looks great), watch BluRay HD movies, upscale my old DVD's, and access all of my pictures, music, & movies from my server via DLNA. (on any old windows with tversity, not "Media Center" only).

That said, I think that while I would stick with my cable box for DVR'ing, others might not have/want that option, so it's nice that it's out there for them if they want it.

[natsfan7]

cool....I hope the 360 gets one.....cause Im way to poor to get a PS3 in the near future.

[razer]

If you have a Media Center PC with a Tuner Card. I watch and record satellite TV and works great.

[boi]

lol so how are you going to buy Halo 3, Mass effect ect??!?!?!

back to the topic yea its a good idea, you have a choice of it so I say bring it out

[THE_JUDGE]

I'm not going to go out and buy a tuner card and prolly have to upgrade my pc to do DVR. Screw that, I'll mine all in one thanks.

[PS3Rebel]

what has MS done to the 360 since launch? besides making the UPS guy ur best friend since hes always at ur house picking up ur dead console

[Close_Second]

...do your knuckles bleed when you walk?

When you have something useful to contribute then please do. Until then, put your "I LUV SONY" panties back on get back to jacking off in front of your shiny black box instead of playing games.

[Ignorant Fanboy]

The 360 did this at launch, so there is no need to add this in 2008.

Oh and I know one great thing they did, add 1080p, I dont use it, but you were asking.

[xmod]

It would be great if you could play ps3 games and in the background, it record tv programs. Sony might implement that in a later release, I doubt it would be part of the initial DVR release, but anything can happen.

[crck]

So I can watch over the air HDTV local channels? If so got I love Sony!

[MrSwede]

That´s what I´m talking about! If that was the case then I would be very excited!

[assasshin]

sweet, IPTV rip off

[Ju]

Where is the IP in "Tuner" ? IPTV stream video over the internet. Tuner uses, err, well, a tuner.

[EZCheez]

The PS3 will be able to do your laundry and rake your front yard.

Seriously. Believe in the power of the cell. It could do both at the same time.

[JewyMcJew]

Does the PS3 have enough spare CPU cycles to play games WHILE it is recording 1 (or hopefully 2) program(s) at the same time?

If not, its not worth it. I don't want to have to time my game playing based around the shows I want to record.

But if it can, goodbye Scientific Atlanta dual-recorder monthly rental, hello PS3!!!

[Ju]

I strongly doubt that. Even with one SPU available, someone still needs to transfer the data thru USB2 (?) into mem. If the tuner can encode the signal, or it is already encoded, well, maybe. But still, you gotta feed in data thru DMA into mem, while the game tries to get every cycle out of the HW. DMA also causes constant IRQs and takes some PPU cycles away as well. Can't imagine this is possible in a way, you won't feel that in the game...(but hey, downloading in the BG also works without slow down).

[ElementX]

So will you have to leave the PS3 on 24/7 or will it magically turn on in the middle of the night to record? Will it be using 300+ watts of power? I'm curious because I might utilize this feature if I don't have to leave it on.

[Ignorant Fanboy]

then we can start analyzing the features, right now we know nothing.

Right now, Im happy with my DVR, but more space would be nice, I have every episode of PLANET EARTH in HD, and it eats up about 60% of my drive.

[BIadestarX]

Please help me understand one thing...
Will Sony provide a service like IPTV or cable TV.. or I have to plug my service to it to record the shows?

These are some valid questions.. and in no shape or form are intended to flame the PS3...

but.... pretty much everything records tv now in days...

you can use Media Center and record your shows...
You can get Tivo...
You can pay $9/month and get DVR from your service provider... Why would I get another box to do what my cable box can already do... can program it to record entire seasons.. etc...

I can see a nice use for it though... since the PS3 hard drive can be replaced at anytime... I can hookup my xbox 360 with IPTV service to the PS3 so It can record my shows... since it has a bigger drive than the xbox 360... ;)

[xmod]

my guess is that it downloads the programming info using an internet connection (ps3's wifi). I'm guessing the user input's their zip code and what service they're using (satellite, cable) as well as their provider (directv, dish, cox).

i think that's actually how tivo works.

[Ju]

If I could replace my Cable box for that, would save me the rent on the damn thing. I still don't know why I can't simply go out and buy a set-top-box of my choice. Also, I think the PS3 can scale video pretty good. My TFT scales like scrap, but DVDs on the PS3 look great now. The same is true for SD resolution. If I can at least use the PS3 as a working scaler (or picture enhancer), that would already be worth it.

[supnub5]

what does it mean it'll have tuner like those on tv?

[bee2427]

Wow, sony is awsome for even thinking of including things like this. When i bought my ps3 i didnt expect anything except a blu-ray player and a fun gaming console.. but now it upscales, media shares, and soon will record tv! im sure im even missing a few other features but still im amazed by sony and their vision to not just including all of this in a ps4 but to make our investment even better! ... Good ish SONY

[Ignorant Fanboy]

Its been done for years now, every cable company offers it, and the 360 has been doing it since it launched.

I think they are just trying to come close to the same features the 360 has.

[N4GayFanturds]

That's all PS3 is doing. 360 has been doing this from DAY 1. But W3lcom3 to the REAL next-gen!

And we'll see the IPTV 360 this Holiday season which will blow any BluRay out the water.

[Shaka2K6]

' ' That's all PS3 is doing. 360 has been doing this from DAY 1. But W3lcom3 to the REAL next-gen! ' '

But what about those x360 with no hardrive ehh? yeah welcome to next gen. where game devs have problems making the games how they want it beacuase your next gen. console lacks a hardrive.

' ' And we'll see the IPTV 360 this Holiday season which will blow any BluRay out the water. ' '

LMAO keep dreaming kid.

on topic i would love to be able to record show on my PS3,really it already upcales my dvds so no need for a dvd player in my room so the most space saving my PS3 becomes the most i love it.
like i said PS3 just keep geeting better and better with time.

[N4GayFanturds]

"But what about those x360 with no hardrive ehh?"

ALL 360s can connect to any PC out the box...just like MOST cell phones, camcorders, some stereo receivers, etc. but UNLIKE the PS3.

Oh and contrary to Sony fanboy belief-almost everyone stores their digital media on the PC. (Easier to catalog, edit, etc.)

So streaming media to your console would be preferred than transfering it to your consoles' hdd.

And if you knew anything about IPTV...along with the the ability to d/l HD movies from the Xbox Marketplace = no NEED for Bluray or HDDVD. It will simply be an OPTION. How many options do you have to view HD movies on your PniS3?

[IPlayGames]

It would allow me to record while my DVR is recording.

Then i could record 24, Hero's And the Dodger Game at the same time.

That be cool.

[mikeslemonade]

One of the reasons why I bought a PS3 was because of a DVR functionality. My PS3 is set because i have a 120GB HDD.

[monkey602]

i dont understand what this means but do i need a dish or anything for this or is it something i can just buy plug into the ps3 and watch? i dont have sky, free view or anything like that, and my new 32 inch samsung HD tv didnt have one included. HELP

[schabeugen04]

yea the 360 does record shows but umm u need a media center pc to make this all work. where as the ps3 plugs right into the box am i right?

[jahcure]

i know it's off topic but i'm a lil miffed. I just finished watching 300 on my ps3 and i put on my xbox 360 to play some gears till i fell asleep...guess what happened. Freakin RRoD...and the thing wasn't even on so that makes me wonder if it's really an overheating issue. It almost made it to a year too :(

RIP xbox 360. August 28th 2006 - August 1st 2007

I'll call MS tomorrow because their automated "24" hr service is nothing more than automated.

[Wile]

sorry to hear it. My friend just got his back from service. It took two weeks.

But don't worry here's a bubble.

[PlayStation360]

sorry to hear that bro. Mine went out late last year. It was a launch core, premiums were sold out. I'm waiting until later this year to get a new one (falcon), getting a premium this time. Bubble for you bro cause I know what your going through.

November 22, 2005 - December 25, 2006
Last game played: DoAX2

[timmyp53]

i dont have digital cable.. but can u still record.. standard cable t.v?

[kewlkat007]

but Games first Sony Games first. You will not beat MS at that Market since MCE enables users to take advantage of this already while streaming from the PC, where you have gazillion gigs to store films and such. MS will always have that advantage, plus your going against Cable DVRs and Homebrew PVR.

Plus we all know, using a USB device attach to a laptop for DVR needs is not always the greatest because of bandwidth issues and choppiness. I'm guessing it would be similar.

MCE got you beat here Sony and with IPtv it will only get better. I wonder if IPtv will be integrated into MCE?

The PS3 trying to be the Jack of all trades may be it's demise. Nevertheless, hey this is still nice, regardless. It's one more thing the PS3 might be capable of doing, so I don't so no fault in that but sometimes you can try to do way too much.

I would like Sony to be GAMES first, then everything second, but it seems like they are all about movies first right now. Since mythTV works great on linux..who knows.

[Bathyj]

I just want to point out that everytime Sony announce something that isn't directly related to gaming, someone says "yeah, but what about the games? Games first Sony. We want games."

I can assure you, no games developers under the Sony Banner, either 1st, 2nd or 3rd party were pulled off their current projects to bring this service to fruition.

I'm sure you're well aware just how many people Sony has working for them, making games right now. We've all been patient this long Dude, and the games are starting to roll out. Surely you can last a little longer now we're nearing the end of the tunnel.

[Wile]

"I just want to point out that everytime Sony announce something that isn't directly related to gaming, someone says "yeah, but what about the games? Games first Sony. We want games."

*cough*

ummm....

*pulls at shirt collar with guilty/uncomfortable look on his face*

LOL :D That was worth my last bubble.

[sandip787]

omg how can this be a negative? its just adding to the awesome experience that ps3 gives.

[DFresh]

I think this is a great idea on sony's part and I heard along with your channels it converts standard resolution shows you tape into full 1080p that is well worth the money.
The tuner is only $50 so that's a great deal in the end.

[VirusE]

Another good reason to own a ps3.

[ferrari355]

PS3 is a gaming console and the sooner Sony realise that the better!

[PS360PCROCKS]

Cool! Now I have my DVR, my PS3 DVR, and my computer DVR (Media Center) this is cool now I can record like 4 things at once haha

[gta_cb]

nice lol, i bet you wont use them all especially at the same time, but still pretty sweet

[PS360PCROCKS]

lol i know right? maybe on a late december when their is football and hockey on...

[rowdy 1]

this is something that Sony had planned on doing months before launch

[schabeugen04]

Why is it xbox fans are knocking sony for this? yes xbox can do this but you need a media center pc which im pretty sure cost lors of moola. i know first hand cause i have one and im pretty sure this usb add on wont cost as much as a pc. So in reality the xbox cant do this because it cant do it by itself it NEEDS A MCE PC! damn stop the hate

[bee2427]

thx for clearing that up.. bubble 4 u

[Ru]

Were gonna need a BIGGER Hard Drive

[Shaka2K6]

' ' PS3 is a gaming console and the sooner Sony realise that the better! ' '

Sony PS3 is not just a gaming console i already said its a full computer entertaiment system the sooner all your fanbois realise this the better.
and the whole lack of games argument is so weak everyone knows Sony has the best exclusives games far better then microsft and nintendo combined.
all facts.

[the_round_peg]

What a great idea!

[Vip3r]

This is great. I was think about a freeview box form my room but now I'll just wait for this. I remember reading about this in thw OPM the day before the PS3 launch but I never thought it would happen. Nice one Sony.

[Lightning Mr Bubbles]

I'm still thinking of what games to buy this holiday. My most anticipated game is Rockstars new supposely for the PS3. I want some sick new IP's. I'm disappointed in gaming right now, it's not different enough from last gen.

Not to mention a lot of the current house hold names are going multi platform because of development costs and more level competition. I want game developers to be more ambitious. Multi platform games suck. We need new IPs.