Sony Planning Digital Tuner For PS3

A representative from Sony Computer Entertainment New Zealand has indicated that the company plans to introduce a digital tuner for the PlayStation 3, to enable the console to be used as a programmable TV recorder. In a wide ranging interview with local newspaper The Press, Sony sales and marketing general manager Warwick Light indicated, "We're also hoping next year – about the same time that Freeview launches its terrestrial broadcasting service (expected to be in March) – to release a digital tuner for the PS3, turning it into a programmable TV recorder." Although other new firmware update features mentioned in the interview, such as DLNA (Digital Living Networked Alliance) support, have previously been discussed by Sony, the idea of digital video recorder functionality has not previously been hinted at by the company. As a PAL territory New Zealand is often one of the last major territories in the world to receive new hardware and services, which could suggest that the functionality may be planned for an even earlier release elsewhere in the world.