If you were hoping to get your hands on a Sony PlayTV add-on for the Playstation3 this summer, it looks like you might have to wait just a bit longer. Sony's Davide Reeves says the accessory will be available in the UK on September 10th and will roll out to other European markets by December.

The PlayTV is a €99 box that you can add to Sony's video game console to turn it into a personal video recorder. Users can watch live high definition, digital broadcasts or record programs to a PS3 hard drive for later viewing.

Thanks to a recent software update, PlayTV owners will be able to record a TV program while using their PS3 to play video games.

There's no word on a US launch date. Since the US uses different broadcast standards than Europe, you won't be able to use a European PlayTV in America. But gamers in New Zealand and Australia should be able to pick up a PlayTV early next year.

[via EngadgetHD]

Sony has always claimed that the PlayStation3 is more than a video game console. It's a multimedia center. While the PlayStation2 helped spur the adoption of DVDs, the PlayStation3 sports a Blu-ray drive for viewing high definition videos.

You can also connect a PS3 to the internet to download media. But while you can get games online, the PlayStation store isn't currently focused on media like TV and movies. But that could soon change. Sony VP Peter Dille writes on the PlayStation Blog that the company will be "offering a video service for the PS3" that's different from any other service out there. Enigmatic? Yes. Still good news? Seems like.

It's not clear at this point if Dille is talking about streaming video or a download service. Would it be free, ad-supported, pay-per download or subscription?

I'm not placing too much stock in the whole unlike "others you've seen or used" bit. That just sounds like promotional hype to me. But this is the first time I'm aware of that we've gotten word from near the top indicating that Sony is planning a video download service.

[via CNet]