Play TV (PS3)

Many UK households have a plethora of electronic devices stacked up near the TV - Sky Boxes, Freeview Boxes, consoles, DVD and blu-ray players to name just a few. Wouldn't it be great if you could combine some of these bulky electronics into one, thus saving both electricity and freeing up plug some sockets? Sony's PlayStation3 is already a bit of a multi-tasker with its game-playing, DVD-playing, blu-ray-playing, and BBC iPlay-ing antics - and if you purchase the 'PlayTV' add-on, the console will also be transformed into a Freeview recorder. Sound good? In this review I'll be putting PlayTV through its paces, taking a look at it's pros and cons before forming an overall assessment of the device in my conclusion.

What does the PlayTV unit look like?

PlayTV is simply a small, black plastic box which connects to your PS3 via a USB cable. At around the size of a mobile phone (albeit a rather bulky mobile phone), PlayTV can be placed where traditionally sized Freeview boxes simply wouldn't fit - you could even hide it behind the PS3 itself if you so desired. If i'm being completely honest, it isn't the most beautiful piece of gadgetry that i've ever owed, but due to it's size, it doesn't really matter. Thankfully, PlayTV doesn't need an external power supply, as it draws its energy direct from your console. The front edge of the PlayTV box features a small red LED light that illuminates when the device is in operation, whilst the back of the unit houses the input and output sockets. PlayTV doesn't come with a remote control - it doesn't need one, as you can operate it via your PS3 game controller. That said, although I found using a gamepad to be a perfectly acceptable method of navigation, I generally prefer to use a traditional "dobber" to control my AV equipment - so I invested in the official PS3 blu-ray remote (available for £12.99 from Amazon) which similarly allows full control over the system.

What do I need to do to get started?

To use PlayTV for the first time you'll need to first plug it into your PS3 via the USB cable (provided) - also plug in the aerial cable, and then install the PlayTV software which comes on a disc. The process is a simple one and is explained fully in the easy to understand manual. Once the disc is in your console, select its icon from the Playstion menu and press the 'X' button on the remote or controller - a short video guide will begin playing whilst the software is installed. When the installation is complete, a new PlayTV icon will appear in the Playstation's menu, and it is this that you will need to select every time you want to use PlayTV. The system takes a while to start up; perhaps thirty seconds or so - to be honest, it's quite a slow initiation time for a set top box, but you'll quickly become used to it, and probably won't notice it too much in the long-run.

EASE OF USE, FEATURES, & PICTURE QUALITY

Quite simply, if you have the technical skills which are required to operate a regular Freeview recorder, you should have no problem in getting to grips with PlayTV - once it's up and running it acts in an identical manner to a regular set-top box. The menus are arranged in a slick and intuitive system, allowing you to navigate with consumate ease through the non-complicated options. The seven day electronic programme guide (EPG) is brought up by pressing the square button on your remote or gamepad - it looks great and is very responsive whilst scrolling through it. To record a TV show, you merely select the programme's name from the EPG and then click on it - simples.

Compared to the similarly priced Freeview recorders on the market, PlayTV is generally quite feature-laden; there's the ability to pause and rewind live TV, and due to the fact that it features a dual tuner, you can watch one programme while recording another - you can even play games whilst recording. Unfortunately you can't record two programmes at once - but to be honest, it's very rare that there are two programmes on at the same time that i'm interested in viewing! Other features include the 'find by name' option, which (as its title suggests) lets you search for you favourite program and see when it's next on - plus, there's the standard 'favourites menu' which you can add channels to. One especially good thing about PlayTV is the fact that there are frequently a number of firmware updates available for it, with Sony doing their best to fix the minor bugs which have been reported with the earlier versions of the software.

Picture quality is very impressive - I've noticed a fluidity to fast-paced movement (such as sports coverage), plus colours are nicely saturated and natural looking (although the latter will have as much to do with the quality of your TV as anything else). In comparison to my television's in-built Freevew tuner, PlayTV's quality is far superior - images are certainly shaper, and the menus are easier to read. In terms of the playback quality of recorded programmes - well, to me it looks *almost* the same as did it during the original broadcast. This shows that recordings aren't too heavily compressed (they take up around 1.5GB of your PS3's hard-disk space per hour of video), meaning that you'll be able to enjoy high quality renditions of your favourite shows at a time which is convenient for you.

What could have been improved upon?

In terms of the downsides, well there aren't too many - but PlayTV does have a couple of niggles which prevent it from being the truly exceptional device that it perhaps should be. Firstly, '''PlayTV only allows you to watch in standard definition''' - there are no HD channels available. This may seem a little backward in 2011, but to me it really isn't an issue - PlayTV will 'upscale' your images for you, allowing you to see standard definition Freeview with just that extra bit of clarity and sharpness (assuming you've got an HD Ready TV and have connected up your PS3 via a HDMI cable), and the results are generally impressive. To be honest, i'm not especially dismayed about the lack of HD, as my local transmitter isn't even broadcasting in HD yet. The second negative point is that Play TV only has an RF aerial input, and not an RF aerial output, meaning that you can only forward the aerial's signal on to you PS3, and not to your TV. On paper, this means that when you want to watch TV you'll have to always do it via PlayTV, as you won't be able to use your television's own Freeview or analogue tuner. The problem can be solved via investing in an aerial splitter (they only cost a couple of quid), but it does seem like an oversight on Sony's part.

Should every PS3 owner go out and buy the Play TV system?

Personally, I feel that If you own a Playstation 3 and want a Freeview recorder, then PlayTV should be an essential purchase - that's if (and it's a big 'if') you don't mind watching non-HD content. Of course, PlayTV not being able to broadcast in HD has it perks for buyers - it's one of the reasons why the system is available for such a reasonable price; a bargain price in fact. At the end of the day PlayTV is an excellent device''' which is really easy to use, and features an impressive looking menu system - for the price I honestly believe that it's the best Freeview recorder on the market today - highly recommended.

*It should be pointed out that although the vast majority of the reviews I have read for PlayTV have been positive, there have been a few reports which claim sporadic moments of juddery and pixellated playback of recorded programmes. Whilst I personally I haven't encountered any such issue myself, I feel that in order to make this as thorough review as possible, it should be noted nevertheless.

Well my PlayTV arrived this morning.. and setup took about 5 mins.. Not sure I want to set through that video it plays whilst it installs again but i guess once is fine. ;).

I've a Sixaxis and a bd-handset. was surprised that the kit came with an overlay for the handset. Handy..

Unit itself is small and once I'd confirmed it was working just tucked it away behind the tv.. I notice its wall mountable but I figure its not worth the hassle. Can gather dust along with the other cables.

Firstly the picture quality.. I am running my PS3 through a KDL-40V4000 at 1080p, so I was not expecting much more from the Freeview quality. I was very surprised at the increase and smoothness of the image.. Of course they are still only at 720x576 but all the same they upscale very well to 1080p. So this is the BEST quality Freeview image I've yet seen.

Secondly everything is very responsive and fast.. Once the PlayTV application is loaded and running the guide, changing channels etc. is very smooth.. Excellent.

Next try out the pause live TV and rewind functionality.. very slick..l worked very well with the Tennis today.

Lastly recording from a schedule.. Very easy.. go tot he guide/or search by name and then setup the recording options.. If there is a conflict it prompts you to decide which to record and which to discard. Excellent. Next I recorded a program and then exported it to the regular PS3 video folder.. From there I can copy it to a memory card etc. So confirmed no DRM.

Did a few test recordings whilst playing games.. No noticeable problems. with either the game or the recordings. The unit will also bring itself online from standby which it pretty neat.. then it goes back to standby.. very neat..

Remote play works very well and whilst am looking forwards to watching live TV from around the country/world. Along with the rest of my videos, games and music.

Hassles & Niggles
Had a little difficulty getting the PS3 to detect the playTV unit when i plugged it into my external USB hub but its not the first device to do that!!..

So overall I recommend this product as an excellent upgrade to a regular setup box.. the ability to pause and rewind are excellent and the recording/pvr functionality is very easy to use and the playback quality is fantastic.

Just need to wait four years and see what happens on the HD-Freeview front.. although personaly I think PS3-Iplayer and PS-Video store will probably come along with HD content first.

Play TV (PS3)

I previously used the Freeview service on my Toshiba TV. We also have Virgin + in the house. PlayTV is miles ahead of both these services.

The home screen has everything you need on it; Live TV, Library, Search, Guide, Settings.

Live TV: The navigation of live tv is the best of any freeview, cable or satellite service I have seen. There is a small bar that makes it easy to see how much of the programme has been shown and how much there is left to be watched. You can also see what programme is up next.

If you press start then live tv will be paused until you press play again. This is great if, for example, you want to skip adverts or go to dinner and want to start watching where you left off.

To record a programme all you need to do is press select and it will start recording to the PS3's hard drive. The other way to record a programme is to go into the EPG whilst in live tv or Guide on the home screen. There is also the same bar that lets you see how much of the programme has been seen. Most of the time the guide will show you the programmes but occasionally you might not get any information which can be annoying.

You can either use the PS3 controller or PS3 remote. In the contents of the box you get a stick on cover for the PS3 remote so you can see what buttons do what. If you use the PS3 controller then there is an on-screen remote you can use that has the red, green, yellow, blue and number buttons.

Library: In here you can view all the programmes you have recorded. You can also see how much space each programme has taken up and how much space you have left on the hard drive. Contrary to what many people have been saying, at the moment, there is NO copy protection software. I was able to copy the F1 race onto the video section in the XMB. From there I could take the file and play it on my laptop. However, you cannot transfer the file from the XMB back into the PlayTV library.

Search: This is pretty self explanatory. You can use this feature to search for a specific programme. Once the search results come up you can record the show.

Settings: This has all the usual settings like parental control etc. The best feature here is background recording. This enables you to record programmes whilst playing a game, exploring the playstation store or anything else.

There is one last feature that I think is brilliant. You can set your PS3 up to record a programme whilst you are away. Providing you leave it on standby the PS3 will switch on, record the programme then switch back off again.

PlayTV also supports remote play. I have the first psp model and it works perfectly. You can watch live tv, all your recordings and all the other features. If you were half way round the world and had forgotten to record something all you need to do is use you psp to set it up.

The negatives: There is no reminder feature, you cannot set PlayTV to record a whole series, your setup may look cluttered having usb cables coming out of the front of your ps3.

So I do have one or two niggles with it but they are insignificant compared to how good PlayTV is. Some of these may be addressed with future software updates.

If you are considering buying this then I would because for the money its brilliant.