Play TV shackled by DRM

14 AUG 2008

Play TV - now with trusty DRM. Don't all jump at once

With Play TV mere weeks away, and with a decent £70 price tag, we were all set for a heavy session of snaffling 1080i goodies and transferring our visual wares onto our PSPs for viewing pleasure on the go.

Now, however, Sony has apparently decided to throw some pesky DRM into the mix. According to the thumb twiddlers at EuroGamer, this means you'll have to record shows via Remote Play on your PSP to watch them out and about, rather than sticking them on a memory stick and transferring them as and when. Worse, you won't be able to move shows from your PS3 to your PC or another PS3.

Add to that news that HD recording will not be available at launch, and you're looking at one of the year's more unappealing gadget add-ons. Sony says it's working on this, but with DRM rearing its head once again, we can't help but think that Play TV is going to struggle.

What do you think? Is Play TV going to be a winner, or has Sony already signed its death warrant? Let us know what you think in the comments section.

Have your say

Shawnsheep August 14, 2008 17:25

Now they tell us.

Doesnt sound quite as good as it once did.

fez89 August 14, 2008 17:34

Even with that news, I still think its a good buy...

chapmanmania2 August 14, 2008 19:31

Where was it going to get a HD freeview source from? I thought that wasn't going to be available til 2012 anyway.

kacey68 August 15, 2008 00:26

In a word 'gutted' is my reaction to this news. I only pre-ordered this morning and to now hear that it wont upscale freeview on board to 1080i and the stupid restrictions around moving content to my psp well they can keep it. Cancelling pre-order right now. I dont think stuff helped either. They gave us the info on 1080i viewing in the first place

Joe M August 15, 2008 09:26

Hi Kacey

The 1080i viewing will come, it's just that Sony has waited until now to inform us all that you won't be able to record in HD right away.

Unfortunately, they've left it until the last minute to make this announcement and there was absolutely no inkling that this would happen.

We at Stuff can only report the facts as they are at the time - in this case, we (along with other publications and the general public) believed 1080i recording was a reality. I'm sorry you feel we didn't help, but I think the real culprits here are Sony, for making their product hamstrung immediately prior to launch.

I hope this answers your query.

Best

Joe

Jermaine August 15, 2008 10:48

they got our attention and now the tell us

kacey68 August 15, 2008 11:47

Cheers Joe for the explanation. Once again I feel let down Sony as this is common for them to hype things up and then so 'we are working on it' If it wasnt for the Blu Ray player and my love of high defintion and movies I would have sold my 60gb PS3 along time ago. I suppose i have been spoiled with great games, excellent online connectivity and experience and freedom to do so much with Xbox 360 and live that coming over to sony's psn and having to now wait to next summer for video downloads too i just feel rather cheesed off again. Even the 2.41 update where you can compare trophies is poor compared to Live. Having to wait a few minute to sycnchronise each time.. Anyway enought moaning from me... I'll get a Freesat HD PVR box instead when they come out in October.

iPhone Incentives December 12, 2008 18:50

http://Apple-RealIncentives.com

**AS FEATURED by Stuff.tv**

How do I get a Free Apple iPhone 3G?

Easy. I got my Free iPhone 3G from the Real-Incentives network and so can you! It's so easy to get your free iPhone through these easy to follow steps because these companies bank on you thinking they are scams, but once you know how to earn one free gift, you can earn them all.

This method has been proven to work by the BBC and CNN. You can see the videos on the site.

If you follow the Three Simple Steps of signing up, completing a single offer and referring a few friends, I guarantee you will receive your free gift!

http://Apple-RealIncentives.com