HMV blames rival for PS3 PlayTV pre-order puzzle

HMV has blamed a rival retailer for its decision to post a webpage letting gamers pre-order the PlayStation 3 (PS3) DVR add-on, PlayTV - a page it yesterday yanked.

HMV's PlayTV webpage: no more pre-orders

The page allowed gamers to pre-order the £100 (€135/$200) PlayTV unit, said to be due for release on 28 March, even though manufacturer Sony has yet to publicly name the launch date or price.

Sony unveiled PlayTV in August 2007. At the time, it promised the product would go on sale early in 2008.

An HMV spokesman told Register Hardware that it only posted the page because of “competitor activity”.

However, a report by website Computer and Videogames said HMV also blamed a supplier for the mix-up. In a statement shown on the gaming website, the retailer said: “We have been informed by our supplier that this title no longer has a scheduled release date.”

Bizarrely, the HMV spokesman who talked to Register Hardware said he had no knowledge of the statement.

He said the page would now be taken down because Sony has yet to announce official PlayTV pricing and availability.

Sony's PlayTV: DVR for the PS3

Sony, however, was much clearer on the issue. A spokeswoman told Register Hardware that PlayTV is currently going through quality assurance testing. She promised Sony will announce the release date “fairly soon”.

She couldn’t explain how HMV got in such a pickle, because Sony hasn’t released any shipping dates or pricing information to suppliers.

PlayTV, which picks up DVB-T digital TV broadcasts in Europe, turns the PS3 into a recorder that allows gamers to watch, pause and record live TV, including individual programmes or whole series onto the console’s hard drive. It has two tuners, allowing users to watch one show while recording another.