PS3 to become DVR

[inaz4sun]

They can easily use USB to input video. I have a $15 USB 2.0 device that inputs video into a computer just via the USB port. Its not HD, but at least it seems possible. Or they could make a little tuner box that connects via USB. I am sure its possible in some form or another. We are getting closer to someone building the ultimate box that does it all:

Gaming machine
DVD player
Blu-ray player
MP3 player
Photo viewer
WiFi
Browser

and

DVR
Receiver
Sat/Cable box
Telephone
Computer

[WriteSimply]

It has to be an add-on with its own HDD. Recording anything in HD would deplete the HDD capacity ver quickly.

It has to be connected either via the USB port or the Ethernet port (hard-linked via a router). The USB and Ethernet are two-way (the connected devices communicate with each other) data transmission standards while the HDMI is not. The PS3 will need to communicate with the add-on for the add-on to function.

The add-on will probably have a Cable-card slot.

If we're lucky, the add-on may have a Blu-ray writer so that the HD stuff can be archived on BD-R/REs instead of DVD-Rs.


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[JTK]

The PS3 is certainly a much better piece of equipment vs. anything I can get from a cable or satellite company, so this will be something to keep an eye on for sure.

[elwaylite]

The addon having a cable card slot would be an excellent idea.

[The Don]

I would think maybe a connector between the PS3 and TV via HDMI would work...

but that's the only assumption I could come with..

[jermwhl]

I would vote for a revamp of the design of the PS3 to include all this internally. The thought of an add-on doesn't excite me very much, IMO.

I would be willing to buy another PS3...the thought has crossed my mind already, for a second blu player for the bedroom. Adding on extra stuff would only entice me further.

[statikcat]

Ext usb drive has to be formatted for FAT32 which does not work well in sizes over 120gb (roughly). I guess you could partition it into mult FAT32 partitions though.

[elwaylite]

Originally Posted by statikcat

Ext usb drive has to be formatted for FAT32 which does not work well in sizes over 120gb (roughly). I guess you could partition it into mult FAT32 partitions though.

If I understand you correctly I have to disagree. Many providers now allow external hdd storage in excess of 500gigs and they work fine.

[marzetta7]

PlayStation 3 To Become TV Tuner and DVR?

http://www.sci-tech-today.com/news/P...d=0010004EEGTI

With news coming out of New Zealand that Sony has plans to add DVR and TV-tuning capabilities to the PlayStation 3, Jupiter Research analyst Michael Gartenberg pointed out that Sony is clearly planning on the PlayStation 3 "moving beyond gaming." but noted that, at the end of the day, "it's still about the games."

Sony's "next generation" video game console, the PlayStation 3, could become a device for all the generations in a household -- as a TV tuner and digital video recorder.
On Tuesday, the marketing head of Sony Computer Entertainment New Zealand told that country's The Press that Sony was hoping to release a digital tuner for the machine next year. The executive, Warwick Light, called the PS3 an "incredible transformer" and said the tuner would turn the console into a "programmable TV recorder."

Many people think the "PS3 is just a games machine," he said. It is that, he conceded, but it's also a "future-proofed supercomputer."

All About the Games

We've heard several different possibilities from Sony about where it wants the PS3 to go, said Michael Gartenberg, an analyst with Jupiter Research. The company is clearly planning on the PS3 "moving beyond gaming," he said, but "it would take a lot to make that happen."

It is certainly feasible that a tuner and programmable video recorder could be added, he said, but the key question is whether it would "dramatically change the market" for PS3 sales.

Even for a next-generation machine, Gartenberg noted, "at the end of the day, it's still about the games, the games, the games."

A next-generation machine means that it has to last until the next generation, Light said, noting that many of the PS3's capabilities can be updated through downloadable software patches. But there could be quite a few software patches and hardware add-ons before the succeeding generation takes the helm. The PS3 was launched seven years after the PS2, so it could be seven or more years before a PS4.

PS2 Won't Let Go

The PS2 is refusing to give up its place to the new generation. In New Zealand, as one example, there are about 450,000 PS2s, but only about 9,000 PS3s. A recent report from Nielsen, in fact, said that the PS2 is still the most popular video game console overall, in terms of time actually played.

Sales figures also show that the last generation still has legs. Last month, for example, NPD Group reported that Sony sold about 98,000 PS3s, which was a 20 percent jump over May figures. More than 270,000 PS2s were sold as well. In an effort to stimulate PS3 sales, Sony cut the price of its 60-GB PS3 by $100 to $499 in July. Sony maintains that sales at the five largest retailers since the price cut have increased by 135 percent.

One next-generation, built-in component of the PS3, the Blu-ray drive, might turn out to position the console right at the hub of home entertainment. The company has been heavily criticized for including a Blu-ray player in the console, which some observers have said led to the PS3's launch delay, high price, and resulting third place among current consoles.

But the upside of that, from Sony's point of view, is that the PS3's Blu-ray player is creating a larger installed base than any other high-definition player, in either Blu-ray or HD format.

This is exactly what I want with Apple's AppleTV. I say though, throw in a BD recording drive so we can record movies on BD disc. I think it would be awesome, what do you guys think? I think it would be an ultimate entertainment device.

[inaz4sun]

I have a 320GB external drive which I hook into my PS3 and computer. Works beautifully.

[statikcat]

Originally Posted by elwaylite

If I understand you correctly I have to disagree. Many providers now allow external hdd storage in excess of 500gigs and they work fine.

Yeah I have over 1tb in external drives. They are NTFS though. I am pretty sure that FAT32 does not official support drives of that size though. Considering the PS3 can only work with FAT32 external drives this may be an issue. Maybe PS3 handles them fine though I have not tried yet. Just something to think about.

[JTK]

Originally Posted by marzetta7

PlayStation 3 To Become TV Tuner and DVR?

http://www.sci-tech-today.com/news/P...d=0010004EEGTI



This is exactly what I want with Apple's AppleTV. I say though, throw in a BD recording drive so we can record movies on BD disc. I think it would be awesome, what do you guys think? I think it would be an ultimate entertainment device.

I say: "Gimme a 'hell yeah!' "

People that want it can pay for it. Those that don't want it don't have to be bothered. Everyone wins.

[inaz4sun]

Read above post, it handles them just fine. My 320GB is hooked up to my PS3 and works perfectly

[Iceman_II]

Originally Posted by The Don

I really wonder how much it would cost..

What is the rationale behind needing a BD-R?

The PS3 has lots of usb ports, simply set it up to record to and playback from an external USB hard drive. Storage is ever expandable (using USB hubs), and it is MUCH cheaper than BD-R.

Just a thought.

[elwaylite]

Originally Posted by statikcat

Yeah I have over 1tb in external drives. They are NTFS though. I am pretty sure that FAT32 does not official support drives of that size though. Considering the PS3 can only work with FAT32 external drives this may be an issue. Maybe PS3 handles them fine though I have not tried yet. Just something to think about.

I guess this could all be modified with firmware?

[statikcat]

Originally Posted by inaz4sun

Read above post, it handles them just fine. My 320GB is hooked up to my PS3 and works perfectly

Awesome! Is it NTFS or FAT32? If it is NTFS have you tried writing to the drive or just reading?

[takezo]

USB tv tuners are readily availible for PC. It's not a streach for PS3 to be able to use one like this http://ati.amd.com/products/tvwonder600/usb/index.html, but of course made specifically for PS3.

250GB is the largest laptop drive availible in retail. However USB drives can help. You can put a normal 500GB PATA drive into one of those USB drive enclosures, use a dos utill to format to Fat32 (windows versions beyond 98 and ME will not format partions larger than 32gb), then use it as removable media for PS3. Though you can't save directly to it, it can be usefull for copying captures that you want to keep leaving HDD free to capture more stuff.

Though what would Sony gain from DVR capabilities? Most HD-TV services already provied HD-DVRs with their HD packages. Over the Air HD-broadcast is only limited to local channels, thus most HD-TV watchers will go for a satelite or cable service.

I see a mimick of Xbox 360's marketplace for videos, though they would rather people buy all their movies on Blu-ray.

[Zvi]

What I really like about PS3 is the raw CPU power. Can be used for a lot of things. As for other file systems I think those can be added simply via FW update. That is is Sony indulges us.

[Frode]

Originally Posted by takezo

Though what would Sony gain from DVR capabilities? Most HD-TV services already provied HD-DVRs with their HD packages. Over the Air HD-broadcast is only limited to local channels, thus most HD-TV watchers will go for a satelite or cable service.

Maybe that's true for the US, but it's not for the rest of the world.

My only worry is that they need some kind of way to handle encrypted channels. Just the tuner on its own won't be enough.

[WriteSimply]

Originally Posted by jermwhl

I would vote for a revamp of the design of the PS3 to include all this internally. The thought of an add-on doesn't excite me very much, IMO.

There really is no room to add the tuner and another HDD in the current PS3 casing. Hence the add-on.

An AV-centric PS3, while dreamt by Kuratagi, may not happen just yet.

Originally Posted by Iceman_II

What is the rationale behind needing a BD-R?

The PS3 has lots of usb ports, simply set it up to record to and playback from an external USB hard drive. Storage is ever expandable (using USB hubs), and it is MUCH cheaper than BD-R.

It's a lot easier to bring a BD-R to a friend's house than your HDD. Plus you may need to be recording while you're at your friend's.

BD-Rs may be expensive now but if this add-on and other Blu-ray-equipped HD DVR succeeds, it'll bring down the price of the media and drives very fast.

Originally Posted by Frode

Maybe that's true for the US, but it's not for the rest of the world.

My only worry is that they need some kind of way to handle encrypted channels. Just the tuner on its own won't be enough.

I thought that is why Cable-Card exist? And that's why I think the add-on should have Cable-card slots. In Japan and other countries, it may need a different configuration.


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