The Full Scoop: No Announcement for U.S. PlayStation 3 DVR



Sony and TiVo speak the same language regarding speculation around PS3 DVR

Sony Computer Entertainment America's PlayStation 3 offers a hot list of capabilities including Bluetooth controllers, Blu-ray movie playback, WiFi internet connectivity and hard drives capable of storing demos and movie trailers. Yet, trailers seem like child's play when compared to Xbox 360's full movie download rentals and the future use of TV over IP (IPTV) over the Xbox Live service.
SCEA hasn't said much about its intentions to get into video but a new head of marketing for SCE New Zealand recently said that digital video recorder (DVR) capabilities would soon be offered as the country gains Freeview terrestrial digital broadcast channels.

Just yesterday, we talked to SCEA's Dave Karraker about the agreement that Sony Electronics, Inc. has with TiVo. Back in 2001, Sony and TiVo signed an agreement that would allow Sony to feature TiVo software. While Sony has offered standalone TiVo (SVR 2000 & 3000) machines along with a DirecTiVo (T60) receiver, Sony hasn't made much use of the agreement.

Considering that the original contract is scheduled to end in October 2008, there's still time. With TiVo's growing list of patents and U.S.-based user base, which should grow as a TiVo-enabled Comcast digital receiver releases, adding DVR capabilities via a unit that would decode channels through the CableCard interface seems theoretically possible.

Sony has tried its hand at DVRs in Japan at the end of 2003 with the PlayStation 2-based unit known as the PSX. The 160 to 250 GB units introduced what was to become the PlayStation 3's XMB (Cross Media Bar). Sales data regarding that unit's success (or lack thereof) isn't readily available, but a history of price drops after its original $950 MSRP suggest it failed to gain a large audience in Japan.

Given that the PlayStation 3 now supports the more HD-friendly H.264/MPEG4 video format versus the PSX's MPEG2 standard format, it would seem as if Sony was gradually building features that resemble DVR functionality.

Karraker, again reiterated his comment from the day before, "We [SCEA] have no announcement regarding DVR capabilities for the PS3 in North America at this time."

A representative for TiVo replied to GameDaily's query with a friendly "no comment."

As more information comes to light and we force PR people to start statements with something other than "no," we'll pass that along.

: http://biz.gamedaily.com/industry/news/?id=17001