Sony Japan To Introduce Digital Terrestrial Tuner For PlayStation®3

“PlayStation®3 Digital Terrestrial Broadcasting Recorder Pack,” featuring PlayStation 3 with 250GB Hard Disk Drive and “torne,” Will Also Become Available as a Limited Offer Concurrently with the Release of “torne” in March,2010

TOKYO — Sony Computer Entertainment Japan (SCEJ), a division of Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. responsible for business operation in Japan, today announced that it would introduce “torne™” for PlayStation®3 (PS3®) computer entertainment system, a set of digital terrestrial tuner and application in Blu-ray™ Disc (BD) for viewing and recording digital terrestrial broadcasting on the PS3 system. “torne” will become available in Japan in March, 2010, at a recommended retail price (RRP) of 9,980 yen (including tax). Users can enjoy watching digital terrestrial broadcasting and record them on the hard disk drive (HDD) of the PS3 system*1 by simply connecting the digital terrestrial tuner to the PS3 system using the attached USB cable and installing the application from the BD. Release date will be announced at a later timing.

To accommodate those users who wish to record TV programs in high-definition on PS3 and store many high quality entertainment content already available on PlayStation®Store including games, anime, movies, TV dramas, music videos and many other various content and services, SCEJ will also introduce a “PlayStation®3 Digital Terrestrial Broadcasting Recorder Pack,” that comprises the PS3 system with 250GB HDD, the largest HDD capacity of the existing model, and “torne.” The special bundle pack will become available in March, 2010, concurrently with the release of “torne,” and will be a limited offer at a RRP of 42,800 yen (including tax).

Features of “torne“:

• Easy to use interface

  Applying the expertise acquired from game development, “torne” offers user friendly interface, allowing users to swiftly and intuitively operate the application using DUALSHOCK®3 wireless controller*2. Users will be able to search through the electronic TV program guides or play back recorded content comfortably as if they were playing games.

  The colorfully designed 24 hour TV program guide can be zoomed in or out by pressing L1/R1 buttons, allowing users to easily find and select their favorite TV programs by a simple touch of a button.

• Recording and playing back

  TV program search function on “torne” application can sort the TV programs by genre or by keywords and will instantly list up the corresponding TV programs for users to simply select and record out of the list. Additionally, “torne” will automatically start recording pre-programmed content even when the PS3 system is in Stand-by mode or when users are playing games or using the application on the XMB™ (XrossMediaBar) such as the Blu-ray/DVD player*3. Users can also connect external HDD*4 via USB cable to record TV programs directly on to the external storage instead of on the HDD of the PS3 system. Additional useful features include quick playback and scene search for viewing recorded TV programs.

• Connectivity with PSP® (PlayStation®Portable)

  Seamless connectivity with PSP® (PlayStation®Portable) allows users to transfer recorded TV programs to its Memory Stick PRO Duo™ (Mark2)/Memory Stick Micro™ for high quality viewing on the go*5. By using the Remote Play feature of the PS3 system, users at home*6 can connect on to their PS3 system using their PSP and remotely access the application to view or record TV programs.

• Various Online features

  “torne” also offers online functionalities, such as the Internet browser which can be used simultaneously with the application, and unique “Toru-Miru feature” which can display the number of users who have pre-programmed the TV programs*7 through “torne” as well as the user trend of which program is being most watched.

SCEJ will deploy various measures to further expand the platform to offer attractive interactive entertainment experiences only available on the PS3 system.

*1 BS and CS broadcasting are not supported. CATVs are supported for “Pass-thorough” type only.
*2 Separately sold BD Remote Controller (CECH-ZR1J) can also be used.
*3 To use the feature, users will need to activate it through setting. The “torne” application may not function properly depending on what software title or peripheral users may be using simultaneously. Application will not record TV programs when users are playing PlayStation®2 games on the PS3 system (for CECHA00/60GB model and CECHB00/20GB model only).
*4 Conventional USB supported HDD can be used. Please ask each manufacturer for the support of “torne”.
*5 Can be transferred to all PSP model including PSP-1000/2000/3000 and PSP®go (can be transferred to internal flash memory). Digital terrestrial broadcasting cannot be recorded directly to PSP system.
*6 Remote Play via Internet is not supported. Users must be in close proximity to the PS3 system when using the Remote Play feature. The connectivity range of the Remote Play feature will depend on user environment.
*7 To enjoy online functionalities, users must have broad band Internet connection and PlayStation®Network account. “torne” uses its own unique system to estimate the numbers. The provided information and its accuracy are not guaranteed.