PS3 Movie Downloads and PSP Movie Downloads

Sony announced yesterday a new video delivery service through its PlayStation Store that will enable PlayStation 3 (PS3) and PSP console users to download and watch movies, TV shows and original programming alike.

The new movie downloads service launches with almost 300 full-length movies and more than 1,200 TV episodes, many available in both Standard Definition (SD) and High Definition (HD) formats.

Studios participating in the new service include 20th Century Fox, Lionsgate Entertainment, MGM Studios, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment and Warner Bros. Entertainment. The Walt Disney Studios and television broadcasters are also participating.

Users use the same login as the PlayStation Network to access the video content, and can search by title, producer, studio and cast. The download is progressive, so users can begin to watch video shortly after the downloading process has begun, similar to how it works on Apple's iTunes Store. You can also download in the background, so you can use your PS3 to play games and access other content through the XrossMediaBar (XMB) interface.

Movie Download to rent prices in the US are from $2.99 to $5.99, and they're good for 14 days (once you start playing back a movie, you have 24 hours to finish it, again, like the Apple Store). Purchasing movies costs from $9.99 to $14.99.

Marlin Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology is being used to protect the content, but it allows videos to be shared on multiple activated devices (depending on the type of content). And users can transfer videos from their PS3 to a PSP handheld console, so you can watch videos on the run.

The PS3 can already view videos on a host PC, Mac or network appliance on the same network employing Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) support ? Nullriver Software makes a Mac OS X application called MediaLink to help facilitate this. But this gives PS3 users another way to watch premium video content without having to rip DVDs or to download video illicitly from the Internet.

The PlayStation video store segments films by studio, genre, format or whether it?s a rental or purchase and also features movie trailers. Although a 120-minute film will take about an hour to completely download a movie, a progressive download feature will allow consumer to begin watching a film even before the full download is complete.

In the UK, with BT plans released this week for a super fast broadband by 2012, speeds for downloading movies will dramatically increase from an hour to just minutes within the next 4 years.

Michael Pachter, games analyst at Wedbush Morgan Securities, said Sony had a content advantage over Microsoft with its Sony Pictures division, which could provide exclusive content for the PS3. Sony also announced the support of Fox, MGM, Lionsgate, Warner, Disney and Paramount.

?Microsoft has been light years ahead of Sony, but this is the kind of offering from Sony that means instant catch-up on movies,? said Mr Pachter, adding it could also challenge Apple?s Apple TV service, which provides digital content to TV.

It seems the movie downloads industry is going from strength to strength. Keep up to date with movie downloads news and reviews by visiting http://www.mymoviedownload.net

Useful Links

Official Playstation Website

Playstation Store

Latest Playstation Network News

Sony Pictures

Sony USA

PS3 Movie Downloads Coming Summer 2008?

Sony could be taking on 360's Video Marketplace with its own film download service for PS3 as soon as this summer. That's according to the LA Times, quoting anonymous "studio executives familiar with the plan".

Sony is apparently currently in licensing talks, with plans to beam TV programmes and movies to PS3 units via PSN.

The report comes after Sony marketing boss, Peter Dille, spoke of the incoming video service on the PlayStation Blog. "Many of you have been hearing rumblings about a video service that will allow you to download full-length TV shows and movies via PlayStation Network for North America."

He continued: "While I don't have any new announcements here for the PlayStation Nation, it's already been confirmed that we'll be offering a video service for PS3 in a way that separates the service from others you've seen or used. Ultimately the goal of the PlayStation Network service will be to break through the overwhelming clutter of digital media to give you the TV, movies and gaming content you want."

While Dille promised "more on this very soon", Sony UK refuses to comment on the LA Times report. We say get those broadband connections ready for a video-fuelled battering real soon.

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Sony talks TV and movie downloads for PS3

Sony has confirmed that it will be bringing gamers video and TV show downloads in the near future.

Peter Dille, senior vice president, marketing and PlayStation Network in the US has said in a post on the company's blog that:

"Many of you have been hearing rumblings about a video service that will allow you to download full-length TV shows and movies via PLAYSTATION Network for North America."

He goes on to say: "While I don�t have any new announcements here for the PlayStation Nation, it's already been confirmed that we'll be offering a video service for PS3 in a way that separates the service from others you've seen or used."

"Ultimately the goal of the PLAYSTATION Network service will be to break through the overwhelming clutter of digital media to give you the TV, movies and gaming content you want."

Unfortunately, Dille doesn't expand on what he means by breaking through "the overwhelming clutter", but the BBC has recently confirmed they are planning to bring the video on demand iPlayer service to the PS3 in the UK.

Keep you posted here at Movie Download War

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