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Gamer's Guide to... on-demand media for PlayStation3
22.2.09
Consoles - you put a disk in and play a game, right? Wrong. They're just so much more than that, and this post - along with all the other 'Gamer's Guide to...' posts - is going to teach you how to exploit, use and master all the tips and tricks which you can get out of each of the mightiest gaming consoles on the scene today.
Forget digital ready. Forget the little digital tick. Forget Freeview, and FreeSat, and Sky and all the others. Because, if you're a TV enthusiast looking to go digital, then there's one box which could fulfill all your needs - it's shiny and I write about it.
Not many people know that they can get on-demand services and media, such as catch-up TV, on their PlayStation 3 - but you can. In this article, I'm going to be giving you a guide to the best online services.
PlayTV
Sony's latest add-on hardware for the PlayStation3 comes in the form of PlayTV. This clever bit of kit takes your PS3 and turns it into a PVR, or a Digital TV recorder - a lot like a Sky+ box. It'll allow you to watch Freeview television in full HD (providing you have your PS3 set up for HD); record programmes to your HDD for later viewing; pause and rewind live television and will even allow you to access your saved programmes and watch live TV on-the-go via a networked PSP. Phew, there's alot of features. You can get it for £52 from Amazon.
BBC iPlayer
The love affair between the PlayStation3 and the BBC's on-demand catch up service, iPlayer, began when some bright spark managed to develop a web front-end for the iPlayer, taking the video streams from the original BBC site and using them on the PS3-conpatible website at http://www.ps3iplayer.com/. The BBC soon offered the guy who created this site a job, and the PlayStation3 is now compatible with the official version of the iPlayer at http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/. The site has a very simple and clear interface, and there are pretty much no glitches to be found. The video streams are very high quality, and they take no time to buffer. So, if you missed Eastenders or Doctor Who and you don't want to watch it back at your PC, switch on your PS3 and load up the iPlayer in the PS3's browser, sit back and enjoy.
Demand Five
Demand Five is the on-demand TV service from Channel Five, and is the only one of the other terrestrial channels whose web service is compatible with PS3. Bear in mind that it isn't designed for PS3 though - it's designed for PC, and so there are layout issues to deal with. However, once you get past those, the streaming video is clear and good quality, and the audio is good too. You can find it at http://demand.five.tv/.
YouTube TV
Everyone's favourite video site, YouTube, sports a snazzy PS3 compatible version of it's extensive video database. The layout is simple yet sleek, the controls easy and it makes surfing YouTube - dare I say it? - better than on a PC. You can even login to your account and add videos as favourites and more. There's still no comments integration though, which is the one downside. You can access the PS3 version for free at http://www.youtube.com/tv. It works for Wii, too.
Linford
Forget digital ready. Forget the little digital tick. Forget Freeview, and FreeSat, and Sky and all the others. Because, if you're a TV enthusiast looking to go digital, then there's one box which could fulfill all your needs - it's shiny and I write about it.
Not many people know that they can get on-demand services and media, such as catch-up TV, on their PlayStation 3 - but you can. In this article, I'm going to be giving you a guide to the best online services.
PlayTV
Sony's latest add-on hardware for the PlayStation3 comes in the form of PlayTV. This clever bit of kit takes your PS3 and turns it into a PVR, or a Digital TV recorder - a lot like a Sky+ box. It'll allow you to watch Freeview television in full HD (providing you have your PS3 set up for HD); record programmes to your HDD for later viewing; pause and rewind live television and will even allow you to access your saved programmes and watch live TV on-the-go via a networked PSP. Phew, there's alot of features. You can get it for £52 from Amazon.BBC iPlayer
The love affair between the PlayStation3 and the BBC's on-demand catch up service, iPlayer, began when some bright spark managed to develop a web front-end for the iPlayer, taking the video streams from the original BBC site and using them on the PS3-conpatible website at http://www.ps3iplayer.com/. The BBC soon offered the guy who created this site a job, and the PlayStation3 is now compatible with the official version of the iPlayer at http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/. The site has a very simple and clear interface, and there are pretty much no glitches to be found. The video streams are very high quality, and they take no time to buffer. So, if you missed Eastenders or Doctor Who and you don't want to watch it back at your PC, switch on your PS3 and load up the iPlayer in the PS3's browser, sit back and enjoy.Demand Five
Demand Five is the on-demand TV service from Channel Five, and is the only one of the other terrestrial channels whose web service is compatible with PS3. Bear in mind that it isn't designed for PS3 though - it's designed for PC, and so there are layout issues to deal with. However, once you get past those, the streaming video is clear and good quality, and the audio is good too. You can find it at http://demand.five.tv/.YouTube TV
Everyone's favourite video site, YouTube, sports a snazzy PS3 compatible version of it's extensive video database. The layout is simple yet sleek, the controls easy and it makes surfing YouTube - dare I say it? - better than on a PC. You can even login to your account and add videos as favourites and more. There's still no comments integration though, which is the one downside. You can access the PS3 version for free at http://www.youtube.com/tv. It works for Wii, too.Linford
Labels: Gamer's Guide to
- Linford Butler
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