PS3 Gets Video Store and Rentals

[Suhit Gupta]

http://gizmodo.com/5025507/ps3-gets...rentals-tonight

"Unveiling the new Home, Sony revealed that video rentals and purchases are finally coming to the PS3. Video will be fully integrated into the PlayStation Store, which will have a new video section. And you can transfer them to your PSP via USB, and have them on multiple devices at once! Standard and high def, with rentals running $3-$6 and $10-$15 for purchases. It takes about an hour to download a two-hour movie. Most of the major studios are on board (Kotaku has a partial list in their liveblog), and it goes live tonight!"

That is great. I was planning on buying a PS3 in the next month or so, to address the guitar hero and rockband addiction that is taking over all of my friends. So getting the ability to buy and rent movies as part of the package would just amke it sweeter. I am guessing the pricing will be comparable to that of Netflix (I hope). Most of the major studios other than Universal seem to be on board as far as I can tell right now . I wonder whether this functionality is going to come to the PSP as well or are we still going to be stuck with UMDs?

[Suhit Gupta]

http://gizmodo.com/5025507/ps3-gets...rentals-tonight

"Unveiling the new Home, Sony revealed that video rentals and purchases are finally coming to the PS3. Video will be fully integrated into the PlayStation Store, which will have a new video section. And you can transfer them to your PSP via USB, and have them on multiple devices at once! Standard and high def, with rentals running $3-$6 and $10-$15 for purchases. It takes about an hour to download a two-hour movie. Most of the major studios are on board (Kotaku has a partial list in their liveblog), and it goes live tonight!"

That is great. I was planning on buying a PS3 in the next month or so, to address the guitar hero and rockband addiction that is taking over all of my friends. So getting the ability to buy and rent movies as part of the package would just amke it sweeter. I am guessing the pricing will be comparable to that of Netflix (I hope). Most of the major studios other than Universal seem to be on board as far as I can tell right now . I wonder whether this functionality is going to come to the PSP as well or are we still going to be stuck with UMDs?

[Felix Torres]

The prices are about the same as Apple and Microsoft.

But it is not a Netflix competitor on catalog or pricing.
(Technically Netflix streaming video is free; it is a fringe benefit of the DVD service. Or, if you choose to ignore the rented disks, it works out to $1 an hour so either way its a different critter.)

As for PSP support, you're supposed to be able to move the videos to PSP from the PS3. Not sure if its implemented yet. Or if it is for the rentals or just the purchases. With Sony's track record, it could just as easily be fully implemented or due some time the next decade.

PCWorld has a hands-on article:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/14853...deo_store.html