Sony brings TV to PlayStation

It’s a gaming device, a television tuner and a personal video recorder (PVR) all contained in one console.

Sony announced its latest device, PlayTV, Wednesday at the Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany. A combined television tuner and PVR, PlayTV integrates into the PlayStation console and records live television that can be stored or transferred to the PlayStation Portable for later viewing. Users can record individual episodes or entire series to the PS3 hard drive, all without missing a snap in Madden 2008.

The device's twin TV tuners are high-definition-ready and able to record and replay, Sony said, and it can be operated with the PS3’s wireless controller or through a Wi-Fi connection using a remote play feature.

But U.S. gamers need not sell their DVRs yet – the device will only be made available in Spain, Germany, France, Italy and Britain beginning in early 2008. Currently, PlayTV is only compatible with a European format, Digital Video Broadcasting – Terrestrial. Sony will concentrate on the European market until the U.S. adopts standards compatible with its hardware.

According to David Reeves, president of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, the goal for PlayTV is to become the “best choice of home entertainment hub for the whole family.” Sony has been promoting PlayTV as the feature that will lead them to accomplish this.

"The introduction of PlayTV really will extend the already broad entertainment credentials of PS3, and makes it an exceptionally attractive proposition for the whole family," Reeves told the Web site Ars Technica.

PlayTV comes at a time when Sony could use a boost to sales of its high-end gaming console. As of June, Sony had sold 4.3 million PS3 consoles, compared with 11.6 million of Microsoft’s Xbox 360s and about eight million Wii consoles. Xbox 360 also recently introduced its function as an IPTV set-top box and PVR.

The PS3 retails for €599 (U.S. $808) in Europe and $499 in the U.S. The company has not yet said how much PlayTV will cost. Jonathan Arber and Jonathan Coham, analysts at Ovum-RHK, a London-based research firm, said Sony will still have to overcome this high price-point and bring out more games to be successful.

"Ultimately, Sony needs to ensure a steady flow of high-profile, high-quality games titles this Christmas in order to really push the PS3 beyond its current niche," they told the International Herald Tribune. "Its home entertainment functionality might be impressive, but if it doesn't measure up as a games machine, then it will remain stuck in a niche."