Meet Steve The Robot

An amusing viral campaign for i-CAN's Freeview HD and catch-up TV receiver.

(View it larger on Youtube)

Sony PlayTV review

Sony's long-awaited Freeview dual-tuner adapter add-on has arrived in the somewhat functional form of the PlayStation-branded PlayTV! Will it transform the PS3 into a credible personal video recorder (PVR)?

The PlayTV pack-in includes a Blu-ray installation disc and mini USB cable! Be warned: PlayTV has no loop-through and there's no aerial splitter, a serious oversight! As my PS3 is conveniently placed near the sky+ box, I connected PlayTV directly into the RF2 output, which proved a useful workaround! I'd recommend using a high quality coaxial cable, to minimise signal loss, such as Profigold's BA-PGV8921!

Installation is a breeze and, following a system reboot, PlayTV is immediately accessible from the PS3's XMB! The GUI is intuitive and responsive with a luxurious 7-day electronic programme guide (EPG) that compares favourably with Apple TV and eclipses current offerings from sky and Virgin!

Scheduling recordings, with either the SIXAXIS controller or, more preferably, Sony Blu-ray remote, is the epitome of simplicity! I'd like to have seen a series link option and the ability to record two channels at once, but Sony assures customers that PlayTV will be continuously updated via PSN (a broadband connection is required)!

Background recordings can be performed whilst watching Blu-ray discs such as Wall-E or playing video games! However, there is a caveat. The quality of recordings maybe adversely affected according to Sony! During gameplay tests (using Devil May Cry 4 and Soul Calibur IV amongst others) I've yet to note any detriment to playback.

The overall quality of recordings is excellent (contingent on compression and signal strength) and is upscaled to 1080p (if your television supports the resolution)! Incidentally, native 1080i support for Freeview HD will be added in the future.

Bear in mind that 1GB of HDD space roughly equates to an hour of recording time and there's no means to adjust the bit rate to trade-off picture quality against recording duration! Therefore the PS3 40GB model won't pass muster if you're going away for weeks at a time and recording every episode of EastEnders and Neighbours.

With disk space at a premium, I'd suggest going for the 80GB model or higher! Sony promises a limited edition 160GB model for the upcoming holiday season!

Going forward, the engineers at Sony Cambridge should consider picture-in-picture (PiP) and conditional access for subscription-based services such as Setanta Sports!

As it currently stands, PlayTV is an absolute "must-have" for anyone with a PS3 and PSP! I cancelled my sky+ subscription and PlayTV trumps it in almost every regard! Look no further for a scalable multimedia PVR that can be accessed (via PSP) from anywhere in the world!

Update
PlayTV crashes with alarming alacrity! Worst of all, it's a hard lock that necessitates a reboot of the PS3, stopping any ongoing recordings until the power's back on. Hopefully Sony will push a PSN patch ASAP!

Previewing PlayTV

Sony launches its much delayed and maligned PlayTV Freeview tuner add-on for the PS3 on September 19th!

At the beginning of August I cancelled my sky+ subscription, following unresolvable technical issues, and am in the market for an inexpensive HDD PVR!

PlayTV plugs directly into the PS3 via USB (no additional power supply required) and is a space saving solution: it is no larger than a SIXAXIS controller.

The following key features of PlayTV are yet to be confirmed:

* Record and view your favourite programmes at the same time - PlayTV enables you to record both Standard Definition as well as High Definition

* Personal Video Recorder functionality - watch live TV, pause, fast forward and rewind

* Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) to show what's on, now and next - up to 7 days in advance in certain countries

* Mobile TV functionality - export content easily from PS3 HDD to PSP - watch TV on the go! Thanks to live streaming, you can watch your favourite show whilst abroad

* Channel surf with either your BD remote or your SIXAXIS

PlayTV is available for pre-order from Amazon.co.uk at the very reasonable price of £59.99! I'll be reviewing PlayTV soon!

Sony VTX-D800U EPG update

Traversing Digital Spy's Terrestrial forum, I noticed that there is an (EPG) update available for the Sony VTX-D800U Freeview set-top box. The following is taken from Sony's official site and is for informational purposes only.

News
The planned improvements to the capabilities of the VTX-D800U has now passed the stringent Sony tests for quality and reliability. The software upgrade is for all users. It will not affect the way you use your VTX-D800U and it will not change the way you enjoy the digital TV channels. It merely improves the performance of your VTX-D800U.

You do not need to do anything to receive this improved software, it will be performed in the background while you watch a BBC channel on Multiplex 1 (e.g BBC1/2/3/News 24).

The software upgrade will be broadcast from 10:00 on the 5th October 2006 until 09:00 on the 8th October 2006.

The Upgrade
To receive the upgrade, ensure that software upgrade on the Technical Information Menu page is turned ‘on’. The unit should be powered on and tuned to any BBC channel on Multiplex 1. It will take approximately 30 minutes and can be done anytime during the update period.

The new software will be available once the unit has been placed into standby, and then back to normal operating mode.

If you wish to check that you have received the software, go to Manufacturer Information from the Technical Information Menu page. If your box has updated, the Software Version will read v1.14.02 U

If you do not wish to receive this upgrade simply disable software upgrade from the Technical Information Menu page.

Details
MHEG engine update.
Corrected MHEG issues with SkyText and BBCi News Multiscreen.
Improved handling of time shared services.
Corrected EPG issues due to hidden services.

Sony would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our VTX-D800U customers. We hope that you are enjoying using the product and that this upgrade will further enhance your enjoyment.

If you have any concerns or questions about this enhancement, please feel free to call the VTX-D800U help line on 0870 241 3624 for further information.

It's worth mentioning that the VTX-D800U digital set-top box was voted as the best buy in "What Video & TV" magazine November 2003, and is now retired. However, if you do find one I can't recommend it highly enough. Its successor should include a HDD.

Domino Dancing

Our Spring Bank Holiday excursion to Colchester has been jam-packed!

From purchasing and successfully installing a new Freeview box without the expense of an aerial upgrade. This now enables my Grandfather to watch BBC News 24 and participate in the 'press red for interactive' conversation during the upcoming FIFA World Cup. To eating beer baked battered plaice at our Essex family's local, The Whalebone (where I went last week). Followed by KFC in the evening. Yummy!

We managed to cram in a late night movie too! The twisted bounty hunter biopic Domino starring Keira Knightley. Whilst the movie was somewhat flawed, there's no denying Keira's ability to 'do dark' with plummy aplomb and Tony Scott's visuals are tirelessly arresting!

Us Weekly

Leveraged Pages to create a Freeview channel listing document for use at my Mother's nursing home. At time of writing the application is more of a Public Preview Beta and not ready for prime time! The 'Keynote UI' shares Adobe's signature sensibilities, which it to be applauded. However, it is not as intuitive as it should be and the print icon is grayed out. I've submitted feedback and hope that this 'bug' along with other quirks - setting language in System Preferences is cumbersome - will be addressed in a point update. The finished Pages document was exported as a "Digital Master" PDF file.

Sony Japan is now recalling and replacing 'defective' PSP units. Please note that this does not cover imports. Hopefully SCEE will only release the machine once all reliability issues have been rectified. A May launch would be preferable.

The X Factor

Not since Kenner's Batman The Animated Series action figure line, have I felt compelled to buy so many awesome branded collectibles! The Clone Wars Count Dooku arrived this morning ahead of General Grievous, Asajj Ventress (a character I can't wait to see in ROTS) and cohorts. The supplier even included a freebie from Hasbro's Action Fleet range. Now that scores points for customer service.

Apple UK issued an image of what maybe box art for Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger. Is Avadis “Avie” Tevanian a closet fan of Marvel's The X-Men?

Yesterday an Uncle and me setup a Pace DTVA Freeview STB for Mum ahead of the proposed sky multiroom installation. Why wait? BTW last August I posted that our Grundig GDT1500 overheated and was replaced by a sleek Sony VTX-D800U (highly recommended). Today I discovered, via a Google search, that the Grundig suffered from an inherent design fault. I shall never buy anything with the Grundig badge again! Once bitten...

Disney's demographic channel

Reuters, my first employer following graduation from Bournemouth University, announced that the Mouse House is to soft launch the ABC brand on Freeview!



ABC1 bows in September. Launch lineup includes Once and Again, new Thirtysomething and Geena Davis Show. Bring on Alias series 4.

Pinter pause

Please humour my self-indulgence, but not all gentlemen prefer blondes! IMDb Salutes "Hollywood Brunettes" and satiates my penchant for the dark side.



I have Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) in the majority of rooms in my home! Last week a Grundig GDT1500, which resided in the lounge, 'overheated' (less than a year old)! Ironically a Philips model (from the ONDigital era) remains in active service. So, I searched the net and selected a Sony VTX-D800U Freeview STB. A signature design. Sony updated the software to v1.11.01 U and the seven day EPG is now up and running. The VTX-D800U ships with one of the most intuitive remote controls I've ever used!

iTunes UK released its first single of the week today! The Tina Dico song Break of Day. It will only be available, free, for a limited time. iPhoto has been updated to 4.0.2 and iSync 1.5 is imminent.