Brits won't get PS3 movie, TV downloads until 2009
Local content causing problems?
If you’re a European resident itching to download video content through the PlayStation Network, then Sony’s not your PAL – literally.
The President of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, David Reeves, has confirmed that the PS3 video store – which was launched in North America earlier this week – won’t be available to European gamers until sometime next year.
Video downloads through the PS3 “will not come to the PAL markets this year”, Reeves admitted at a conference in Santa Monica earlier this week.
Reeves said Sony needs to sort out country-specific content first. Presumably, not everyone’s a fan of Friends with dubbed voiceovers, or maybe not all Blighty’s PS3 owners revel in Italy’s Rai Notte Cultura Libri.
However, Reeves stressed that individual launch dates for specific European countries will be confirmed later this year. So you won’t have access to the video store by Christmas, but you’ll know exactly how long you’ve got left to wait until you can.
COMMENTS
@Steve
Sony are just one member of the Blu-ray consortium. As such, they didn't have final say whether to introduce the region coding and BD+ features that Disney and Fox demanded as part of the spec before they would go with the format rather than HD-DVD.
Personally, I'm just buying a US PS3.
Just a note:
The service wasn't launched in North America - just in the US. We Canucks also won't see the service for some time yet.
@Mark
"And here is the funny part. The lack of region coding on HD DVD is what killed it, studios jumped to Blu-ray as it offered region locking AND uncracked protection scheme.."
No it wasn't, it was that Warner went Blu Ray and Toshiba said, oh well thats it then, kill it while we still can. Idiot.
Blu Ray can't be cracked right? http://www.slysoft.com/en/anydvdhd.html
Get your facts straight and your Sony fanboy arse out of here. Think before you speak slughead.
Re: re: @AC - Big studios...
"But can you imagine the grilling Sony would get for launching a Sony-only movie store in Europe, because all the other studios wanted region locking and timed releases?"
A grilling from whom?
If they were offering their own content without region coding no-one could say anything. The moment anyone accused them of it being anti-competitive they'd simply point out that they are more than willing to serve other producers' content on their region-free network.
Then, with the smuggest grin you've ever seen, Sony would say that none of the other producers were willing to compete in the global free market that they had created. They'd paint themselves as trailblazers breaking down the barriers to a truly competitive market and play up all the consumer advantages. It'd be like calling out the entertainment industry.
"What's the matter Viacom, are you chicken? "
re: You're a little wrong iRoy
And here is the funny part. The lack of region coding on HD DVD is what killed it, studios jumped to Blu-ray as it offered region locking AND uncracked protection scheme..
You might think lack of region coding was good, but at the end of the day, it was the formats downfall...
