(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); A few months ago I was a bit worried that there would be no decent PlayTV alternative releasing along with the next generation of game consoles. PlayTV’s a good service (or at least it was in its prime – we’ll get to that later) which allows users to watch, record and even pause or rewind live TV much like any other Freeview+ box available, without the need for another big box getting in the way, aided instead by the PS3′s power and hard drive.


I thought that one of the biggest problems I’d have later this year would be either having to keep my PS3 (yet another device) aside my new consoles or lose my TV recording capabilities entirely, having to part with more money to get a different box thing to connect to my television.


You think that I’d be happy, then, with yesterday’s Xbox One reveal – they appeared to relieve a worry of mine by integrating TV right into the core of the console, making it even easier to watch the shows I want with minimal fuss, featuring instant switching between games and other media, simple Kinect commands and even a full Xbox One powered guide.


That doesn’t ring true at all, though. They’ve taken the beauty of PlayTV – using the consoles power but not actually interfering with the games at hand – and smashed it with a big hammer, mixing the pieces back up with integral components of a game console in the process.


I don’t want to watch TV while I’m focusing on my games. Rather, I want it to be there, ready to launch in the background without having to change a cable or flip the channel over. I want it to be a standalone application, not something I reach by shouting commands at my console. I want gamesand TV, not games and TV.


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PlayTV just worked, without interfering with your game experience.



PlayTV got it right. The application sat completely separate from the games I was playing, its only visible presence coming from the handy recording notifications as it worked away in the background without interruption. It only ever took up my hard drive space, not my gaming time.


It all worked through the one HDMI cable and – for the most part – the one box. I found it a revelation at first. I had only ever experienced low resolution built-in TV before and I had never actively recorded shows for myself, being forced to put up with monotonous adverts, eating up my time as I had to find the right moment to watch TV live.


Now though, PlayTV is a poor shadow of itself, often dropping recordings and at times skipping them altogether; freezing as I enter the library and crashing when I try to delete items. I won’t be glad to be rid of a TV recorder but I definitely won’t miss the deteriorated, outdated shell of a piece of software that it has evolved into.


In fact, now I find myself only using it as background noise on a rainy afternoon, a device to visualise the news as it happens, an occasional (extremely occasional) tool for live sporting events or to watch the latest episode of Doctor Who as it airs.


I’ve watched more and more through Netflix recently; a similarly separate but much more solid application which also works through my PS3. Perhaps the next generation of TV apps could take a few hints from this and early PlayTV; we don’t need anything fancy, just a service that works, plays in HD where possible and sits away in the background, far from interrupting the game you’re playing.


So, Sony, all I ask of you is a more stable, more robust – yet functionally the exact same – PlayTV HD, not only integrated separately without fuss but announced that way too. When you take to the stage in a few weeks just focus on the games, please. After all, that’s why I bought my consoles in the first place, everything else is just a bonus.

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VERY IMPORTANT UPDATE!:

Not a day after You must login or register to view this content. in which I described the constantly crashing and now lumbersome PlayTV as “a poor shadow of itself” and a “deteriorated, outdated shell of a piece of software”, Sony have released an update which should alleviate or resolve some of the issues.


I’m confident it’s just a strange coincidence, since people have been complaining about it all over the internet for the last several months, with a You must login or register to view this content. on the topic spanning sixty pages and going back to last August.


There’s no new features per se but in the above post, Online Support Co-ordinator who goes by the name of SuperFastZombie You must login or register to view this content. that this update “has been released to address the issues you guys have been having.”


The community reaction seems positive so far despite a few issues remaining, so if you’ve been plagued by PlayTV’s issues then go ahead and fire up the software and go to Settings and click on Software Update to download and install the 88mb patch.


From my own experience, viewing and deleting items in the library (which was my main issue before) seems to be much faster and less prone to crashing, although going back and forth to the XMB is still a bit slow.


Now that you’ve fixed this, Sony, how about PlayTV HD for PS4? I’m sure you’re listening.

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Ive been wanting to post this persons opinion all day!

I cannot express how much i recommend this product, i used it everyday for atleast a few hours, recording, watching, catching up, recommending channels and planning what ill be watching next.

This is one of the most underated pieces of kit you can get for the ps3, although the latest update for it for some people messes it up and yo uhave to reinstall it and fiddle with it but its still a amazing product! its exactly how tv integration should be, no one wants to play a game and watch tv thats too distracting.

if you really wanted to multitask with tv and internet for example, why not put a laptop on your lap? surely this new xbox feature will require you to sit a few feet away from the tv to read the browser pages properly :/ so why not just watch tv on your big screen and have a laptop at your side if need be?!

anyways back to playtv! the whole thing is great, using you ps3 as a pvr saving videos to your hdd and exporting them to your hdd if thats what you fancy too.

whats even better is as soon as the ps vita came out it was compitible straight away, i was navigating my ps3 via remote play and watching what was on tv via playtv!

if youve not experienced it you can get them cheap on ebay now days, id full recommend it!

i jsut hope when ps4 is released the make a playtv 2 that would surely give abit of rivalry to the xbox's tv services.


WOW they've hopefully fixed it back to all its glory! which hopefully means theyre still supporting it and maybe PlayTV HD! im yet to update but my gf's seems ok! everyone needs to go check this out

My brother still uses his play tv, the thing is great records while you play you can also series link if you buy it from ps store

My smart tv which i just brought can now record tv if i buy the specific usb for it, i think xbox is just catching up

yeah i agree! its a great thing to have, i have freeview built into my tv but i dont bother to use it as i cant record. most definately underated though.