PlayStation 3 upgrade won't void warranty

by Daniel Long on Apr 30, 2008

Tags: PS3

9 Comments

9 comments in this discussion

"charonis, not heaps of things on HD on Fox? That's the point of Foxtel HD - there's 4 pure HD channels. (+ on demand HD movies). http://www.pcauthority.com.au/Ne... ok so it's nature and sport, ..."

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Retailers are offering hotted up versions of the PS3 with bigger hard drives at cost premiums in anticipation of Sony's new PlayTV. The good news? DIY jobs won't void your warranty.

Sony say they have no firm plans to extend the capacity of the current 40GB bundled drive on the PS3, citing market research which told them that consumers aren’t willing to pay a premium for a bigger drive. But, retailers aren’t seeing it that way. Sony gave us an example of a Harvey Norman franchise that is already selling PS3’s with 320GB hard drives over $1000, installed by the actual store. And while that might seem expensive, it’s obviously something that customers are demanding and retailers are going to deliver on that demand.

The best part is that customers who take on the onus of upgrading the system’s hard drive will not void the warranty, something Sony reps confirmed with us. In fact, Sony also said that customers would be able to receive help through their customer support line for those seeking assistance with their hardware upgrades. It’s hard to remember the last time a console company encouraged customers to improve their machines without paying dearly for it. The truth is, hard drives are getting cheaper and DIY jobs are going to get more and more popular as the price drops.

All this comes as Sony let fly this week with details one of the worst-kept Sony gaming secrets - PlayTV service for the PS3. We were given exclusive hands on access to this little black box, which is due to launch late in 2008, and we were delighted with what we saw.

The PlayTV device is about the size of a small purse and works in the same way as a DVR (Digital Video Recorder) might. It will come equipped with dual tuners (which is great for being able to record one show while you watch another), provide HD tuner connectivity straight from your home aerial source and connects through the PS3 in a couple of easy steps. Sony has integrated a simple menu system with dynamic television programme guides which look similar to the current Foxtel IQ guide offering.

Unfortunately it won’t work with Foxtel (yes, we asked) and will only allow you to record free to air channels.

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Comments: 9

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John Smith May 1, 2008 10:59 AM	I'll be doing this for sure and buying play tv, pity about foxtel. 2008 looks like the year the ps3 comes good. Comment made about the PC Authority article: PlayStation 3 upgrade won't void warranty? Retailers are offering hotted up versions of the PS3 with bigger hard drives at cost premiums in anticipation of Sony's new PlayTV. The good news? DIY jobs won't void your warranty. What do you think? Join the discussion.
charonis May 1, 2008 11:19 AM	I've heard about PlayTV for a while, good to get some kind of release date/pricing for it though. Definitely seems like a great purchase, although if it can only record commercial TV... well there's not much on there really.. I wonder if it will have a HD tuner so you can record HD TV? That would make it interesting, especially with 10HDs late movies every night.
geller May 1, 2008 2:48 PM	Foxtel IQ+ will have dual tuners too AND stacks of HD content you can't get on the PlayStation 3 PlayTV. Check it out: http://www.pcauthority.com.au/BlogEntry/109690,who-will-rule-your-lounge-room.aspx
DL May 1, 2008 3:05 PM	Charonis - it will incorporate a HD tuner and it can record HD TV. It seems like a real winner. Stay tuned. Dan L.
John Smith May 1, 2008 3:24 PM	geller wrote: Foxtel IQ+ will have dual tuners too AND stacks of HD content you can't get on the PlayStation 3 PlayTV. Check it out: http://www.pcauthority.com.au/BlogEntry/109690,who-will-rule-your-lounge-room.aspx But at what cost extra per month??? That is my only issue with it. I already pay a rip off amount to have foxtel. They add extra stuff on like added HD content, so they can continually charge more. Play tv pricing - i heard under $200, but probably bs.
charonis May 1, 2008 4:43 PM	geller wrote: Foxtel IQ+ will have dual tuners too AND stacks of HD content you can't get on the PlayStation 3 PlayTV. Stacks of HD content you say? Well not according to this: http://www.avhub.com.au/NewsArticle.aspx?MagazineID=4&NewsArticleID=290 I wouldn't consider FOUR channels, stacks. For now, the upgrade to Foxtel/IQ HD is not worth it at all. And for my own personal needs, I'm quite happy with my HDD recorder doing all my recording.
geller May 1, 2008 9:00 PM	charonis, how much HD content is on those free to air channels you're recording? Sure there's Ten HD etc. But the amount of actual HD content isn't anything more than what's on Foxtel HD, I'd wager. AND you're limited to the free to air stuff.
charonis May 2, 2008 9:20 AM	I didn't say there was heaps of things to record on free to air HD channels. I was saying that there aren't heaps of things in HD on Fox. I hardly ever record things on normal TV anyways, if ever, and if ever need to record anything on Fox, I just use my HDD recorder. For me personally, there's no need for IQ.
geller May 2, 2008 10:54 AM	charonis, not heaps of things on HD on Fox? That's the point of Foxtel HD - there's 4 pure HD channels. (+ on demand HD movies). http://www.pcauthority.com.au/News/102205,more-hd-for-your-big-screen.aspx. ok so it's nature and sport, but there's heaps of it. i don't record much either, though the movies would be killer.