The PlayStation video store finally arrives in the UK, tomorrow folks, bringing movie streaming, downloads and HD rentals, and we’ve just had a sneak preview of what to expect. Read on for the photos and details!
The PlayStation video store, or PlayStation Network Video Delivery Service to give it its dry, full name, isn’t brand spanking new – it’s been out in the US since last year – but this is the first time UK PS3 owners have been able to dive in and start watching films too.
We’ve had an early preview of the UK PlayStation video store, and while we get the impression it’s a little bit disorganised (Some films are in HD, some aren’t, HD is only for rentals, some films you can rent, some you can’t), but it’s still the media service PS3 owners have been crying out for. It’s fast, well stocked (More than 800 titles, 146 of which are in HD at first), and allows for streaming if your broadband can take it – or so Sony says, as this was the one feature we couldn’t see in action at the launch event – and you can download in the background while gaming still.
As you’d expect, you can pull movies onto your PSP from the PlayStation video store, and the catalogue seems wide enough for starters – there are big new titles such as Star Trek and Wolverine, along with older cult hits (Napoleon Dynamite, The Breakfast Club) and true classics (The Godfather). Sony says 50 films will be added a week, although it will oddly also be rotating out unpopular titles too, while new releases will appear the day they drop on DVD.
PlayStation video store: more titles named
When it comes to rentals, the PlayStation video store will let you keep a film for 2 weeks as Zune does on Xbox Live, though it allows a slightly more generous 48 hours once playback starts. Prices vary depending on tittle and studio, but for a title like Alexander, you can expect to pay around £2.49 for a standard def rental, and pay an extra pound on top for 1080p resolution, and you’ll be able to download full purchases five times, just in case your hard drive cops it, five times.
The UI on the PlayStation video store is pretty much standard, but it’s clean, quick and features some useful filters and channels, even if the theme background skins that occasionally pop up seem a bit gimmicky. The HD section will help anyone with enormous flatscreens find the best things to watch, while Collections pulls sub-genres together (Superheroes, say) but for movie buffs there’s one very clever sorting method – by studio. Want to know what MGM’s made? Paramount? It’s an extra, smart sorting method many may never use, but aficionados will be glad to know it’s there.
Unfortunately, there are no TV shows available on the PlayStation video store just yet, but a Sony rep told us to “watch this space”, so that could change soon, fingers crossed.
You’ll be able to access the PlayStation video store through the Video section of the XMB from tomorrow in the UK, France, Germany and Spain, but other turfs on the continent will have to wait it out until 2010 for access. Check out our photos right here, then go tell you Zune boasting Xbox mates to shush.
Out tomorrow | £varies | Sony
