PlayTV Update

Mark can you please tell us Australians when it is coming to Australia? You did not answer my question in my earlier post. It was meant to be for early 2009 and it did not come. If it is not coming why is that?

Hello Mark,

Thanks for these info’s.

Here in Lausanne/Switzerland (french part), we are lucky to have “CityTV”, with more than 100 TNT channels, including two in HD (HD-Swiss, ArteHD), all of them are diffused in the norm DVB-T and are therefore fuly compatible with PlayTV.

If I was very happy to see that PlayTV version 1.10 was, at last, able to play perfectly my two HD channels, a very big disappointment immediatly replaced my joy, when I saw it was not possible to record these HD channels.

This is very stange, because the “pause” function work, which mean the code know perfectly how to record HD on the hard-disk. Therefore, I dont understand why we receive this “incompatible format” error, when attempting to record an HD channel !!!

Can we expect the next version update will allow us to also record HD channel ?

Thanks in forward for your reply.

Wooo new stuff, i love PlayTV great little black boxof wisdom.

So if i press red i can get to teletext??? Hmmm interesting.

Hi Mark,

Great product and glad it crashes less since the last update!

I have a couple of questions –

is it possible to make the HD upscaling an option that you can turn on or off?

The reason I suggest this is because I am convinced that this has made the picture worse on certain channels and/or certain types of program… basically it seems to have introduced a LOT of noise (like a badly compressed jpeg or way way back in the early days of digital tv when the mpeg compression was really awful on fast moving/detailed/dark stuff) so now the lower bandwidth channels look WORSE and cartoons on any channel (family guy, american dad etc) have LOADS of noise – and the noise actually MOVES even when it’s in the background on a none moving part of the picture (hope that makes sense) so it’s either your upscaler or they’ve changed the way they’re compressing it and it coincidentally happened at the same time as the last update!!! but seriously it definitely wasn’t there before! Happy to post pics if this would help.

Another suggestion is – can it be possible to have the tv recordings EXCLUDED from the system backup?

The reason for this is twofold – 1st it makes system backups enormous (i had to buy a new bigger USB drive dammit!) and 2nd if (god forbid) i ever had to restore from my monthly-ish system backup then I’d LOSE all my current tv to be replaced by all the old stuff which I’ve probably since deleted! Not good! Anything I want to keep I can export. Joking apart this is a pretty serious design flaw – but it may be that this flaw is part of the system software rather than the play tv software?

Otherwise love it, can’t wait for series link, if you need testers for new versions etc I would be happy to volunteer!

We need a country list and info on when diffrent countrys can get it. I know the UK have had it a long time now…

Hi,

will it possible after the upcoming update to order the channel’s?

DVB-T and PLAY-TV are a nice feature, i like it!
———————

BUT in Germany there is NO support for HD DVB-T! and we will not get HD Support for DVB-T in the future.

It would be very nice, if the tuner can support more standards like DVB-S oder digital cable TV.

Where is the interactive services for the rest of Europe, no just the UK model, i mean, mhp support?
And we need better organization for channels.

Just to mention, Argos in the UK, currently have PlayTV on offer for £39.99 Absolute steal at that price, as it turns your PS3 into a very impressive PVR…

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/5660579/Tra il/searchtext%3EPLAY+TV.htm

OK, so the forums do not like URLs too much. This link should work: http://tinyurl.com/n3takl

didn’t this update come out a while ago? i’ve used all those features for a while now…

And when will be available for download?

Please come in France for Holidays Mark, The country need your money!!

Thanks for the answer, I will have a sweet night!

Hey Mark i love PlayTV the upscale make a huge diffrence to normal digital i have a question i would like answered if you dont mind.

Will PlayTV ever allow us to background download i find it REALLY annoying that i cant watch TV while i wait on that DEMO i have been waiting on?

Holland is never gonna get it, another smooth job Sony!

Danm no EDIT????

Anyway where can we post BUGS for playTV i find if i watch it for a longtime it just stops working as in stops displaying the channel i am watching and have to restat it to fix it.

Hello all,

Is the 5.1 may pass through the TOSLINK ?

My cinemasound hate stéréo.

I supposed you want to fix it with the AAC+.

Thanks to add it in future update.

Hi Marc,

thanks for the infos. I use PlayTV in Switzerland (is being sold in some big electronic stores) and it’s a great addon for the Playstation.

But I have a strange problem. Didn’t find anybody on the Net having the same problem, but…: When I program a recording of a show, everything is listed fine. But when I turn off my PS3 and turn it back on, the PlayTV List shows another show being programmed for recording. I delete it, and select the right show again, but when I turn off/on the PS3 I still have the same problem.
Strange thing is that some movies, which I programed stay on the list, while others change.
Looks like a bug to me… Am I the only one having this problem?

Oh yeah, what would be totally brilliant: PlayTV with DVB-S…. Man, that would rock. Wouldn’t there be a much bigger demand after such an adapter, than DVB-T?

O.k. I live in switzerland, so we only get 5 swiss tv-channels per DVB-T and like 500 per DVB-S…

Keep up the good work!

SO can you clarify, will it work with DVB-T2 (UK) HD, or you dont know yet?

Hi, are there any plans of bringing this to Norway? Nordisk Film Interactive(the norwegian playstation provider) has said that there are no plans of making it compatible in Norway and that they do not intend to make playtv compatible for us. Which really sucks. I think the reason was what signals we used(even though the wikipedia article about dvb-t signals, it says Norway uses the same signals.)

Thank you in advance, and I hope for an answer. I really want PlayTv, but I want it too work as well..

You said that you are experiencing some delay and problems in the implementation of the HD at the same time of gaming. I propose here, that you could add an option in the playtv configuration menu, where you can choose, to improve the system performance for tv/recording or for gaming. Because I think there are a lot of pleople that will use playtv alone or use a game alone. In my opinion I prefer playtv running well alone, and when I want to play a game the same. I know the only exception is, when there are programmed recordings, that maybe can coincide when you are playing. In the case of this coincidence, if your configuration is tv/recording, the system could answer you if you want to do the recording or continue playing the game. What do you think?

Mark.. do think ether with or without PLAY TV.. SkyHD or Virgin Media could be used through the PS3..?
It would be a VERY GOOD updated…

Also.. If I wanted to upgrade my HDD, would a SSD work if I somehow found a way to plug it in…?

Does anyone know if PlayTV will work in Cyprus?

Thanks.

@Mark

Will playTV ever support other than DVB-T, like a very know DVB-C for the Benelux it can’t be that hard to implement this. I can just insert the cable into my tv, which isn’t specially made for DVB-C.

Is that available & working in Poland?

Hey Mike, I have a major issue with PlayTV and that is the fact we can’t download and watch TV at the same time? I understand the problem of doing this. It creates a big dilemma at times!

hi mark

if playtv could allow me to SURF THE NET and watch tv in a window i would buy it tomorrow. otherwise it offers very little extra features over my tv with freeview or my sony pvr.

it would be good if you could also leverage the technology so that when tv programs display web links i could automatically suf to them eg dertermine if a webpage link is on the picture and you press circle to surf to the page.

this would stop my wife complaining about sitting in the living room wanting to watch tv whilst i surf the net on the ps3 and we could also enter the web competitions easier etc etc this would be innovative.

@ Mark Bunting, the 500GB HDD at Amazon/eBuyer is fully PS3 compliant – 5200RPM, 8Mbs Cache etc… for £65 it’s a bargain!

For those thinking about it the upgrade is a piece of cake to do – it’s basically one screw and the rest is automated, you don’t need to be some skilled modder. Also if you backup your existing drive to and external HDD using the PS3 backup utility and restore it to the new HDD you wouldn’t even know you’d changed anything – if it’s the same PS3 everything is restored exactly as it was!

I personally got a 7200RPM 16Mbs Cache drive and have experienced no problems, although it doesn’t really improve the PS3’s performance so in hindsight I wish I’d have spent the extra on a larger capacity…

Mark,

Thanks very much for your detailed post. I didn’t realise Play TV did so much. Regardless, Play TV has been on my wish-list for ages. Having just resolved our TV signal issues (reception was terrible – now fixed) so I shall be investing.

Thanks again for the update post – look forwards to hearing from you in the future.

p.s. The EU Blog is fantastic! Keep up the good work guys!!!

“Right now, I’m working with the guys from Sony Ericsson to support their new mobile phone, the Aino, which will allow the same remote play functionality that you can get with the PSP.”

Sounds great glad you like it, i plan on getting this when my other contract runs out – being able to watch live TV through playTV on my phone whereever sounds great :p

Hi, currently, I don´t have playTV, but I´ve seen some users in Spain that can see (and hear)a HD channel, it´s a test channel called TV3 HD.
The thing is that they can´t record it. Is there any reason for this?

@ Mark

In the hope that you’ll visit again. Can I ask for a little function to be considered for Play TV?

I would like the ability to split large recordings from within the PTV interface. The reason you ask? Well, I have frequently recorded broadcasts that turn out to be larger than 4GB. Because of the FAT32 size limit, these files are not transferrable. Maybe the option to edit out Ad breaks or at least create a file split at those points.

Many regards & keep up the good work.

Hi Mark, sorry, but I didn´t see your previous answer to ACSoft where you talk about HD-recording.
We´ll wait for a new release with that feature.
Regards

Any idea of availability in Finland? We have Fully digital system and some test HD broadcasts so it would be nice to have PlayTV.

First of all congratulations for your product. and they finally have a place to talk with you about suggestions of PlayTV.

Now, from Spain, my suggestions.

I know that because you are in England looked more to the characteristics of u.k tv (example MHEG ).

I just hope that later do not forget the other countries.

Here we need:

1.To order the TV channels as you want(please please).
2.Teletext
3.Support for mhp.
4.Support for a file system that supports the XMB tranfer files over 4gb.Or you can split the video in several files.
5.Option to rescale the image is optional.
6.It is a tall order but that recording while playing games on ps2.
7.PlayTV updates that can be downloaded from a PC and be able to update from a usb.What if someone buys the PlayTV and the PS3 is not connected to the internet?.
8.Download from the store or somewhere PlayTV software.Now if your playtv blue ray disc is damaged and your console dies of yellow light you need buy another PlayTV.(This happen to me with eye of judgment)
9.A program to cut the ads.

And,notify that although the hdd meets the rpm and cache is no guarantee that the recording in the background works well.

I buy toshiba MK5055GSX (playtv shuttering)

I agree with an erlier post; Any chance of a remotePlay client/app will be made available on the iPhone/iPod Touch?

P.S. I know sony is obviously going to be anti-competitive and provide exclusives to other sony arms; but still, I love the playstation brand and the apple brand. I dont see why they shouldnt work together when the consumer buys products from both companies just has simply chosen a different mobile!? If anything it would promote the ps3’s features to a potential market of iphone owners, who are likely to buy lots of electronics.

If this happened I would buy playtv, despite having sky+.

Thanks Apnomis, I’d been waiting for that to go below £80 for ages now! To anyone who wants to see good comparisons (and a lot of numbers) have a look at: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/charts/2.5-hard-drive-charts/Average-Rea d-Transfer-Performance,675.html

Damn! Here in danmark we can just see about 4 channels with play-tv and nordisk film interactive ( The nordic playstation provider ) will NOT do any marketing up here, because of the signals. We have some DVB-T …

Just make Play-tv work with cable!!!

I’m agree with other playtv users, my first wanted feature, is very very simple. I want to order the channels!!
It is implemented in the cheapest freeview set-top boxes.

Hey Mark,

Just thought I might put this out there for us Aussies, PlayTV pretty much works great here in major capital cities in Australia (I imported last year), except for background recording HD channels. I have had problems though when I’ve taken the device to smaller towns around Queensland, PlayTV hasn’t picked up some channels (apparently due to a 6mhz vs. 7 mhz broadcast difference on rural towers).

Anyway, just wanted to congratulate you on an amazing device and thank you for all the effort and hard work you and your team have put into the software programming. I almost had a fit when you mentioned surround sound coming, something that will make the device pretty much complete for us Aussies. Cheers mate.

Hi Mark and those wishing to use RemotePlay,

For me one of the best features of the PS3/PlayTV/PSP is RemotePlay. I have not bought a PSP or PlayTV as RemotePlay does not work well enough.

The PSP has very out of date wireless capabilities (even on the PSPGo…this is 2009 Sony!). It is based on the 802.11b spec. This is fast enough for RemotePlay but most routers now are based on 802.11g and beyond. Even though they are backwards compatible with the 802.11b, they need to be actually be set to support both b & g. While this words, it doesn’t work well enough. Most routers when set to this hybrid mode, don’t work at a suitable speed for either b or g devices. The solution is to set the router to b only, which is a rather bad solution, taking all the other home devices in the house back to the dark ages of wireless bandwidth. Also, if you are out at a friends place, you need to ask them to switch their router down to the poor bandwidth capabilities of 802.11b.

As the producer of a product that claims to be ideal for RemotePlay, can you tell me which magic router you are using to successfully use RemotePlay? Can any body at Sony comment on this?

Thanks,

Aristotel

Hi,
First of all, thanks for the Play TV in France. I’m using it everyday, i’m sure the “no sound” on HD channels will be fixed up soon.

I use it with my BD Remote, and I wondering why not allow volume control directly from this remote instead of go in the menu. I think it would be more easier !

Thanks again

What??? PlayTV is available? I’m from the Netherlands, and you could’ve fooled me. I’ve not seen or heard ANYTHING on PlayTV other than the press-release when it got announced.

See.. That’s what Sony is doing wrong. Just like with the Pay-Cards, the Video-store and now Play-TV… if there are reasons we’re not getting it: “Tell Us!”

In my fit of rage i forgot the word “got”

Hi Mark, good to finally have a direct contact with PlayTv development/producer.

You mention channel ordering as a current feature of PlayTV but AFAIK this only works in Italy and there is no manual ordering feature (that I can assure you is one of the most missed features at least here in Spain). Will this be possible in a near future?

So can we expect any new features along with the Aino support update?

“Text Button Support – Similar to interactive and a bit of the old school of broadcaster providing you with more information”

Do you mean Teletext support? Would be very welcome!

Export of recordings >4GB. What about file splitting?

And a last one: Ever thought about a DVB-S2 PlayTV ?

Thanks for contacting the community.

Please release PlayTV in Australia.

Though it works just fine for city dwellers, a lot of the PS3 users living outside the city can’t pick up any signal on the PlayTV due to the broadcast frequency limitation.

Not available in belgium, as usual Z__Z (ip restriction is kinda sucky).