PlayTV 2 Before The End Of 2010

Tuffcub 58 Comments

If a Sony trade brochure is correct, PlayTV2 will be released before the end of the year and will be getting a much needed HD upgrade along with social networking functions.

Not the first thing that springs to mind when thinking of a DVR system, we can only speculate as to what they may be – perhaps your PS3 will post a note of Facebook when it’s finished recording the latest Eastenders.

The full text from the brochure is as follows:

“The award winning PlayTV has been continually updated and enhanced with new options and features – including HD viewing and recording – as well as support for additional territories.

Late 2010 will see the release of PlayTV2, which will be filled with new features and benfits to enrich the viewing experience. Among these will be a host of new social networking functions – making PlayTV2 completely unique among personal video recorders.”

Source: The Gaming Liberty

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58 Comments

  1. May have to pick it up. I think I broke my PlayTV box.

  2. YES!
    I don’t like the idea of it telling everything I’m recording to Facebook. HD, however, is extremely welcome. I love PlayTV.
    And, this year? Awesome.

    • i agree, HD will be by far the best new feature about PlayTV2, it’s a shame not all channels will be displayed in beautiful HD though :(

    • then just don’t input your facebook details? Simples.

    • Don’t want people to know you’re watching babestation?

  3. Didnt get 1 but 2 sounds tempting

  4. Unveiled at Gamescom.

    Isnt PlayTV(1) getting an update anyway with facebook integration? I remember seeing something on the EU Blog about it.

    • Think you’re probably right about Gamescom.

  5. Hope this is mainly software, but then they update the hardware with DVB-T2 so that we can all join in with the Freeview HD fun…

  6. Hmm going to uni i doubt i’ll bother bringing a TV although if i was to i’d defiantly buy a PlayTV2 box :)
    oh well, i’ll bring a good old PC monitor to play my PS3 on, that way no TV license needed and more money for everything else ;)

    • You still need a TV license

    • Yeah, you do need a TV license for anything considered a “television set”, which includes a PS3 with PlayTV.

      • well yeah, but if i was to go with my original idea of the standard PS3 Pc monitor combo would a TV license still be needed?

      • Without PlayTV that is..

      • yes because you are using the monitor to watch tv using playTV,

      • without you wont need a tv license, when I was at uni I had a monitor with ps3 and didnt pay for a license.

      • Of course it will, unless you only want to watch streamed TV like iPlayer etc.

        PlayTV is a broadcast TV receiver for watching live over the air broadcasts and there will require a TV licence

      • Yes you need a licence. If you are watching live TV, regardless of the means in which you do so, you need a TV license. Catch-up TV like iPlayer does not require one though.

      • Oh great! no TV license for me then haha
        I didn’t mean to condone that i was going to get PlayTV2 to watch TV at uni without paying for a license, rather, if i was to pay for a license id chip in and get the PlayTv2 so i could have the extra channels

        I was scared i’d have to pay a license for a standard PC monitor to play my PS3 on for a while which after all isn’t able to display a TV signal as far as i’m aware therefore not being a “television set”. So hopefully now i’ll have that extra cash free haha

    • You need a license if you have ‘any means to receive TV broadcasts’ which means PlayTV, a TV tuner, a TV itself etc.
      If you just had a PS3 and PC monitor you are ok.

      • Thats what i intend on doing, after all i’ll just watch streams of anything i’m remotely interested in online.

        I understand about “Live broadcasting over the air” and anything that enables you to receive a signal to do so will require a license so with a bog standard monitor and PS3 i’ll be more than happy.

      • That’s not the case after speaking with the TV License folk. I told them my TV is for watching DVDs/Blu-rays and playing games on. The gentleman I spoke to was very helpful. He told me to de-tune any analogue equipment so there’s no chance of the old TV vans picking up on something if they’re driving past at the right/wrong time (this was 18 months ago). He then said “I don’t need to comment on freeview boxes as you’re not trying to watch live television” which was spot on (and I didn’t have one).

        I quote, from the site “You need to be covered by a valid TV Licence if you watch or record TV as it’s being broadcast. This includes the use of devices such as a computer, laptop, mobile phone or DVD/video recorder”.

        So having things hooked up is quite different to actually doing anything with it.

        Sorry to get anal but it’s an important point.

      • My reply was to 3shirts. Sod’s law! :-)

      • burniomike. That is very different to the advice Citizens Advice hands out. I think it would be wise to get anything like that in writing for when the detectors come knocking cos they are nasty pieces of work straight out of the local loan shark’s office

      • I used to work for them…fuck em ;-)

  7. Where does it say its getting a HD upgrade?

    “The award winning PlayTV has been continually updated and enhanced with new options and features – including HD viewing and recording – as well as support for additional territories.”

    Is all past tense, PlayTV upscales to 720p but is only as good as the signal.(plus I would argue the toss on “continually updated” I think its had 2)

    The second paragraph only mentions software tweeks, nothing about hardware updates, which is what will be required for true HD viewing.

    • I wouldn’t be surprised to see a big software update for the original at the same time, but a full on PlayTV2 would probably include support for DVB-T2 Freeview HD broadcasts, why else launch new hardware?

      • I wouldn’t be suprised either, but thats not what it says in the quote.
        Plus this is Sony we are talking about here…… Anything (or not) could happen.

    • WILL IT BE AVAILABLE IN AMERICA?

  8. I’d be pretty excited for PlayTV2 with HD tuners if my region wasn’t slated for Freeview HD as late as 2012 :(

    • My TV has built in freeview HD, but I have to wait until 2011, my mate who lives on the other side of the city (2 miles away) can receive HD channels now :S. Actually, maybe I should try.

  9. Given how large the file sizes of SD in PlayTV are I fear for HD.

    Given my Sky+HD HDD is (which i think uses a more efficient file format) is never less than 80% full, I think a 320GB minimum would be required for a PS3 which requires games useage as well, with 500GB being recommended, saying that Freeview HD only has BBCHD, ITVHD and Ch4HD, with only the BBC so far having worthwhile HD content so it’s not like you’re recording lots of HD Sky Movies

    • Don’t record as much then :-p

      • Impossible

      • My mum and dad record insane amounts of stuff that then sits there for weeks. I just don’t watch that much TV.

    • Yeah, the file sizes on PlayTV are bonkers.

    • And herein lies the beauty of the PlayStation 3. In Australia we have HD over DVB-T, so I’ve been recording in HD with PlayTV since I got. Sure it takes up more space, but a quick google reveals you guys in blighty can get a 750Gb drive for < 65 squid.

      Personally I make do with 500Gb and that is more than comfortable even with all my games and music, for recording quite a lot of HD content.

  10. Actually the first PlayTV does do HD in some countries, which still are using DVB-T for HD chans. It would make sense for it to get DVB2 support also, dual-tuners (not sure the first had this) and maybe even a card slot.

    • The first had dual tuners.

    • If it had a card slot then at some point in the future it may be able to receive Sky Sports & ESPN (and maybe Sky Movies after its OFT investigation)

      SkySports 1&2 (and in future 3, 4 & SSN) currently broadcasts over DVB, currently only BT Vision & TopUpTV customers are able to receive it.

      Sky Movies is currently undergoing the same review SkySports did in the past, so that will probably be opened to other PayTV platforms in the future as well.

      A card equipped PlayTV could be capable of receiving those in the future as well.

      • Yeah, a card slot would seem like a sensible addition.

      • Also support for DVB-C would be nice, this would really open up how it can be used.

    • Im guessing this wont roll out in Australia (which is good) as PlayTV already supports our freeview and all the HD channels that come with it =]

      • If PlayTV had three tuners, or even the ability to use both tuners at once for recording I would upgrade. Apart from that, you’re right, there isn’t much that can’t be done in software for us (aussies).

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