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]

Do you use Amazon's video download service, Amazon Unbox? Would you be more likely to use it if you could get HD video, burn movies to disc, or browse your library via your TiVo? Apparently I'm not the only one who wants to know. Amazon is sending out surveys to selected users, including Dave Zatz and a member of the TiVo Community Forum going by the name of BlackBetty.

While it's not clear whether Amazon actually plans to implement any of the changes suggested in the survey, the company is asking which "improvements" would make users more likely to use the service more. Several suggestions include the ability to watch streaming video. Right now you have to wait for your video to start downloading before you can watch. But if the survey is anything to go on, Amazon is considering offering free, ad-supported video streams as well as paid ad-free streams.

Another improvement would be high definition downloads, which kind of speaks for itself. Amazon is also asking a number of questions related to DVDs. For example, if you bought a DVD from Amazon.com, one option would be to download and save a digital copy of the movie or TV show for a small additional fee, while another would be the option to watch streaming video of movie or TV show while waiting for your DVD to arrive. Another suggested improvement would allow users to burn downloaded movies to DVD.

Honestly, I'd love to see all of these options added to Amazon Unbox. I can understand why the company might not want to overload customers with choices that could make their purchase or rental decisions or complex. But Amazon already has one of the easiest to use video download services. I'm fairly certain they could find a way to give customers a few additional choices without cluttering up the interface.

SyncTV is a spinoff for Pioneer Electronics, focused on providing a video download service that gives customers far more control over how they purchase and view videos than any almost any existing service. We first told you about SyncTV back in November, but over the weekend I got a chance to check out the service which is still in private beta.

The software client does pretty much everything you'd expect. You can browser through several existing channels of content, download, and view programs. There's no HD content, but videos are encoded with the H.264 codec and look decent enough in full screen mode on my 1280 x 800 pixel display. You can watch a video shortly after you start a download and download speeds seem pretty zippy.

What really sets SyncTV apart from the competition is that you can subscribe to channels of content and watch any content in the channel. Or you can purchase individual episodes which you can watch at any time, even if you stop paying your monthly subscription fee. Or you can purchase an entire season of episodes. Unlike many online video stores SyncTV aims to host every single episode of the series it distributes.

The Wal-Mart video download store died in its sleep last week after a Hewlett-Packard pulled the plug on the technology that powered the store. The video download service was just a year old. RIP.

But seriously, I'd kind of forgotten that Wal-Mart was even in the video download business. The company entered the market with a big splash last year, and then kind of didn't draw much attention to itself. When I think of video download services these days, I tend to think of Amazon, CinemaNow, MovieLink, Vongo, or even Vudu, but not Wal-Mart.

This isn't to say that Wal-Mart wasn't making some serious money off of video download sales. But the company is the number one DVD retailer in the US, so any money they were getting from downloads was probably small potatoes in comparison.

Wal-Mart is reportedly not looking for a new technology partner at the moment. If you've already purchased movies from the Wal-Mart video download store, you can continue to watch them as much as you like on your current computer. But thanks to DRM, you cannot transfer those recordings to a new computer.

[via paidContent]

NBC has launched its anticipated video download service, and I'm a bit underwhelmed. Oh, don't get me wrong, the videos look great, and they're about $1.99 cheaper than any TV shows you're going to download from Amazon or iTunes (in other words, they're free, but come with commercials). But the video download experience leaves a bit to be desired.

You can download the NBC Direct video player from NBC's website. Because the videos use Microsoft DRM, the player will only work on Windows. And as far as I can tell, there's no way to transfer the videos to a portable device.

TV shows will be available for 7 days after their air date, and once you start watching you have 48 hours before your video self destructs. There is a button you can press to get another 48 hours if you need it. Meanwhile, Hulu, the online video site that NBC and News Corp recently launched allows you to watch the last 5 or so episodes of most TV shows that are currently on the air.

Hulu also has a much larger selection than NBC Direct. Right now, the only shows you can download are The Office, 30 Rock, Friday Night Lights, Bionic Woman, and Life.

[via Mashable]