The online store was launched in London yesterday with a huge party featuring media from across Europe. Sony says users have a choice of 800 movie titles from a wide range of studios – both new releases and back catalogue titles.
Unlike Xbox’s new 1080p streaming service, the PSN proposal involves downloading a DRM-laced file to the PS3 hard drive. While Sony concedes that this will take several hours on a good connection, it points out that viewers will be able to watch their movies only shortly after the download begins. With movie rentals, users have a 48-hour window to view their download, commencing with the first Play activation.
Interestingly, those who download a standard-def movie have the option of transferring the film to Sony’s PSP portable for additional viewings. However, if you opt for a 1080p movie, there is no provision for transferring a portable version of the file to a PSP.
Facebook also
Hot on the heels of X-Box, Sony has also introduced dedicated Facebook functionality to the PS3 with its 3.10 firmware update, and is promising that this is ‘just the beginning of our integration with Facebook.'
Sony says that as of November 16, its PlayStation Network has over 33 million registered users worldwide.
