PlayTV for PS3 hits the shops: Freeview via USB and Remote Play

http://news.idealo.co.uk/news/3020/playtv-for-ps3-hits-the-shops-freeview-via-usb-and-remote-play.html

Here's How PlayTV Works (video demo)

http://www.kotaku.com.au/games/2008/09/19/heres_how_playtv_works-2.html

PlayTV adds digital TV tuner and DVR capabilities to your PS3 (currently only PAL regions). You can watch LiveTV (including pause and rewind), record TV channel broadcastings and access this all remotely through a PSP (remote play).

My take: One of my biggest complaints about the PS3 hardware architecture is now addressed and as a service seems well implemented, although some USB hubs at the back of the console or having a version of the console with PlayTV internally would have been more super.

Also like that there's a good search function for finding programs.

I guess I will upgrade to a huge harddrive soon, luckily this is very easily done on the PS3.

I am thinking about getting this, but it all depends on whether i decide to get V+ from Virgin Media instead, as that would probably be the better option. Although it would mean less hard-drive customization (if any)

Will see how well this is received first before making a decision

If done right, this could really bolster the PS3's already strong capability as a media hub. Please update this thread when you've had some hands-on time with it. I'm looking to purchase a used PS3 if I can find room for it and the wife will rubber stamp the purchase.

So are you now able to copy videos as MP4 to a hard-disc or not. I hear different things everytime someone makes comments about it?

Not that it matters no DVB-T that matters around here.

What about the in/out/in again... direct copy to PSP? I'm interested in this but the Remote play to the PSP is only marginally useful for me. I travel a lot and want to stick programs on my PSP to watch on planes, etc. where there is no connection.

I saw reviews saying this had been pulled but then one saying it hadn't after all and it was still in there.

Maybe:

"With some further digging it appears Sony made much of this PS3 to PSP transfer feature pre-launch, then pulled it, then re-instated it. For a lot of people, it makes perfect sense to be able to watch shows you have recorded on the move, particularly given the multimedia heritage of the devices."

http://www.intomobile.com/2008/09/20/sony-says-get-play-tv-and-use-with-your-psp.html

The PSP functionality indeed seems interesting, being able to program your PS3 remotely, activate the PS3 and the go back to stand-by. I might get a PSP for such features alone. God of War: COO and Daxter will probably be my fist games once I decide to get one.

FYI - digging around it would appear you can move recordings 'out' of PlayTV and onto the XMB to watch there... which means you can then move them to a memory stick, a PC, a PSP, etc.

However... there seems to be some confusion over whether the format allows for direct copy/view or whether it is a format where once you copy it off PS3 you will need to convert it to actually watch it on a PSP.

Still, most reviews seem to agree the interface/speed is better than most alternatives with the only major concern being the potentially fiddly need to covert material to view on other systems (plus some views that it would be better if the device could plug into the back rather than the front of the PS3).

If you get a PSP I'd recommend you also look into the modding scene and tools to rip DVDs (that you own of course!) and stick them on PSP.  It's quite the media hub if you want to use it that way, as well as suppoting some very good games.

i've tried to convert stuff to get it working on my psp for ages.. any clue what program i should use and what settings ?

n ofcourse where it should go. I have a slim (2000)