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Play Time
PlayStation threw one heck of a party to make some exciting announcements.
It didn't take much convincing for journalists and media representatives to flock into a private Sydney Eastern Suburbs residence recently as PlayStation held a media conference that looked more like a party than anything else. With complimentary salmon bagels and frittatas and a barista making coffee to order in the swanky backyard, the amassed eventually had to tear themselves away from the buffet and take a seat in the brightly decorated interior to take in the PlayStation news that was hopefully going to match the colourful hype of the surroundings.
As the managing director of Sony Computer Entertainment Australia, Michael Ephraim explained the features of a TV icon that was being introduced to the Xcross Media Bar of the Playstation3 (PS3) interface, it was clear that there was a lot more to this icon than its simplistic appearance. With two TV on demand services - a personal high definition video recording device (PlayTV) and streamed catch up TV services (IPTV) - PS3 owners can now watch their favourite TV shows when it suits them, on the go or on the couch, using this newly added feature to the entertainment console. Ephraim pointed out that this home entertainment revolution "signals a milestone in the roll out of optimised IPTV services for consoles in Australia," and that PlayStation has made a "significant leap forward with the addition of [these] TV services to its already broad home entertainment credentials."
As if this wasn't enough, ABC's iView service has also been made available to the PS3 system so that homes in possession of a PS3 console can consume as many of the 100 catch up programs offered on ABC iView as they please. That's a lot of power for one little icon.
And speaking of TV icons, PlayStation invited four Australian television and film personalities - Packed to the Rafters' star George Houvardas, director of Cedar Boys, Serhat Caradee, presenter and racing car driver, Grant Denyer and well-known TV host, Faustina "Fuzzy" Agolley - to bring their own personal experience and opinions regarding different PlayStation products and services. After a series of promotional videos regarding PlayStation's games, such as Gran Turismo (which certainly increased testosterone levels in the room), Blu-Ray movie viewing capabilities and the music video streaming service, Vidzone, PlayStation allowed its house-guests to roam and play with the very services they had been talking about.
While PlayStation's media conference had seemed a little odd at first, what with its big white block letters spelling out ‘Come in' on the front lawn and its similarly showy swimming pool decorations, the news PlayStation had to share (including the future capability to stream movies, putting then in direct competition with iTunes and Bigpond Movies) made the surrounding party atmosphere more relevant. With the launch of its new TV icon and a celebration of other products currently available to PS3 owners, it seems PlayStation has every right to throw a big party with brekky and entertainment personalities.
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