PlayTV on the PS3 Finally Looking Like It's Going to Ship

(Note : If you’re just looking for a place to pre-order PlayTV for the PS3 in the UK you can get it from Amazon UK)

Like many people I don’t live my life around the TV I record shows to watch when I have some free time, so it was with great interest I saw Sony’s announcement over a year ago that it would ship a device which would allow the PlayStation 3 to act as a Freeview recorder, and now that it’s finally looking like it’s going to be available soon, it still looks a good proposition.

Sony have not handled the release very well, with delay after delay, but I believe it’s still the best way for PS3 owners to get a Freeview recorder on the cheap which will support high definition broadcasts and have time to iron out any teething problems.

One of the key draws for me is the ease with which the software driving it can be updated. Currently if a Freeview recorder manufacturer wants to fix a problem on their machines they have to book a slot for broadcast and wait for that slot to come round (which could be several weeks), whereas the PS3 can update quickly as shown recently when a firmware update caused problems for a few people and Sony diagnosed, fixed, and made an update for the problem available in less than a week.

So if you’re in the UK, you already have a PS3, and you’re looking for a freeview recorder which will handle high definition broadcasts, it’s probably worth visiting Amazon UK and pre-ordering PlayTV.