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]

Engadget is reporting that Sony plans to launch the PlayTV television tuner add-on for its Playstation3 gaming console on July 31st. But if you follow the link to the Amazon product page for the PlayTV, you'll find that the release date is listed as October 31st.

Either way, it seems pretty clear that UK PS3 users are going to be able to get their hands on the PlayTV before US customers. The devices is designed to work with the UK's digital television system and will not work with US cable, satellite, or over the air television yet. I'm pretty sure we'll see a US launch eventually, but not until afte the UK version is released.

Engadget says the PlayTV will set you back £59.99 or about $120 US whenever it becomes available in the UK.

Sony has released a trailer explaining how the upcoming PlayTV will help turn your Playstation3 into a personal video recorder. My favorite part of the video is probably the part where a friendly voice tells you there are 4 easy steps for installing the PlayTV. Step four is to follow the on-screen instructions, which probably means there's really quite a few more steps to follow.

Anyway, you get a few peeks at the PlayTV interface, and it looks like it's got a pretty decent electronic program guide and program preview menu. If you have a PSP, you can also use the Remote Play feature which looks pretty awesome. Remote Play lets you watch live or recorded shows on your PSP over an internet connection from any WiFI hotspot. When we first heard about the PlayTV, it sounded like you'd be able to transfer recorded programs to your Playstation Portable, but this is a way cooler feature.

Unfortunately for those of us in the US, the PlayTV is designed for PAL, not NTSC right now. As such, it will be available first in the UK, France, Italy, Germany and Spain. A US version could still be in the works, but there's no word on when it would be available.

[via TG Daily]

Who needs a hard drive? Prolink has announced a tiny new PVR that will record directly to a flash drive. That way you can watch recorded television shows on your TV or portable device.

It's hardly a new concept, but it's been a while since we've seen anyone come out with a new flash card-based PVR. In the meantime, flash cards have gotten both larger and cheaper.

We knew this was coming, but we didn't expect it so soon. Today Sony announced the PlayTV, a combination dual digital TV tuner and personal video recorder for the Playstation3. The two tuners are HDTV ready, and can handle video up to 1080p.

The PlayTV will be available in the UK, France, Italy, Germany, and Spain early next year. The digital TV tuner uses the DVB-T format and is built for European use. There's no word whether an ATSC or NTSC version will be released in the US anytime soon.

The PlayTV will let users watch live TV or record programs for watching or transferring to a Playstation Portable. It's not clear whether there will be DRM restrictions that prevent you from transferring recordings to a PC or other portable device.

[via Joystiq]