WSJ: Sony prepping plunge into video download service
by Ludwig Kietzmann 
{ Sep 4th 2007 at 6:45PM }
The Wall Street Journal reports that Sony is preparing for a full-on fight in the digital downloads arena with new video services tied to its Bravia televisions and PlayStation systems. Gasping in surprise at this point is a clear sign that you haven't been keeping up with the news, though reminding you will at least enable us to fill out the rest of this paragraph. Sony recently unveiled a video-on-demand service for the PlayStation Portable and a DVR system for the PlayStation 3, both aimed at Europe. Coupled with the Korean PS3's video service, a "long overdue" online PSP store and earlier murmurings of Sony's intention to tussle with iTunes, it would seem time is the only thing between us and Sony's video marketplace.It won't be an easy battle -- Apple's iPod and Microsoft's Xbox 360 Video Marketplace are armed to the teeth -- but Sony's considerable library of films should give them a solid start in content. Of course, how they'll manage to offer HD video downloads without stepping on Blu-ray's toes (the ongoing battle metaphor equivalent being friendly fire) is another matter entirely.
[Via Engadget]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Shagittarius @ Sep 4th 2007 6:49PM
Lets see now I've got Comcast, Netflix, Xbox360, and PS3 all trying to get me to rent movies online.
This is an overcrowded space for a feature I tend to use once every year.
DrXym @ Sep 5th 2007 7:01AM
Competition is good since it means more choice and cheaper rentals. Also I doubt many people really care about DRM or proprietary formats for rental movies since you don't intend to keep a movie for long anyway. It's a different story of course for movies that people expect to buy. I suggest you rejoice at the choice available while it lasts.
Vegnagun @ Sep 4th 2007 6:52PM
In the words of Cole:
"Watch where ya shootin' man! SOOO HOT!"
ukickmydog @ Sep 4th 2007 6:53PM
sinking more money into a lost cause =(
mr nimblewick @ Sep 4th 2007 6:58PM
Are other content producers going to want to put their movies and shows into a service created by a competitor?
DrXym @ Sep 5th 2007 7:06AM
The industry is very incestuous so I don't see why not. In the UK, Sony teamed with Sky (largely owned by Fox) for a download service. They could do the same for movies, or even spin off a company with studios taking a stake in the venture or similar. They could even farm out the service to somebody like Amazon who might be considered more impartial and already has the infrastructure. Lots of options. At the end of the day money is money. I doubt any studio is going to care who gives it to them as long as they can maximize their return.
Sizer @ Sep 4th 2007 7:06PM
There is no way in heck I'm going to buy anything from Sony that's DRMed up the wazoo and could disappear at any second. I guess if it works like a rental where you pay $2 and you know it's going away in 24 hours that's fair enough, but any 'lifetime' buy would just be a lie.
konajinx @ Sep 4th 2007 7:12PM
Bring back DIVX! That was good, and so is this! You like it or die!
greathoodoo @ Sep 4th 2007 7:13PM
At least you won't have to stand in a long line at the video store. Besides, some discs I've rented from blockbuster were very dirty, buger encrusted almost. So although the choice on Sony's download might be slim, and the wait for a download may take a really long time, as least your downloads won't be caked in snot. Then again, mabey the ps3 is so high tech it will manage that too.
YoRone22 @ Sep 4th 2007 7:19PM
Let's think about this guys. Microsoft is a third party which makes movie demands so much better, but Sony has it's own movie company which means that any other movie company that releases is funding Sony. Sure most of the money goes to to the company, but a portion of that money will go to Sony which will be split into a smaller part with part going to the moving department. Any competitor of Sony that releases their movies on the Sony service is in fact aiding a competitor. I wouldn't be surprised if the only movies on their service were movies made by Sony. That's why I think that Microsoft has it good. They don't own a movie studio, and in that way the money earned won't go to a competitor.
Brandon @ Sep 5th 2007 12:58AM
Keep in mind, with sony's back catalog of movies, they own roughly half of all the movies made in color since buying MGM and the purchase of movies by Sony Picture Classics.
Phranctoast @ Sep 5th 2007 9:28AM
Not the best argument there. Sony also makes computers, and sell them with MS's OS! If what your saying was true, then Blu ray wouldnt have the support it does from Fox, Lionsgate, Disney and Warner.
YoRone22 @ Sep 5th 2007 7:33PM
@ Phranctoast
Sony doesn't own Blu Ray, they are one of the leading developers.
http://www.emedialive.com/articles/readarticle.aspx?articleid=11425#ixa
With the multiple developers it's not the closed environment that a console movie downloading system would be.
Marty @ Sep 4th 2007 7:20PM
I'll come right out and say it, I don't really care for the Playstation line, never had, and probably never will. I just never got one, and thus never got into it.
That said, I would really like to see them tussle with Apple over the digital music player thing... Who better to do this than the makers of the original Walkman, an electronic product I've probably used more than all of my consoles combined?
whatever @ Sep 4th 2007 7:40PM
But, but, but Bluray...Does this mean Bluray doesn't Sony undivided attention? Just pretty much like how games are secondary to PS3...
whookid @ Sep 4th 2007 8:00PM
It just gets worse and worse. were getting more announcements on friggin movies than we are games.
ThornedVenom @ Sep 4th 2007 8:01PM
Nice feature, as long as the purchased video files are transferrable: when the PS3 goes obsolete, I don't want my video files to go down with it (or really if you're just paranoid about your console crashing and losing all data).
As said many times before me, the PS3 is a media hub with great bang for its buck.
Spartan 1308 @ Sep 4th 2007 8:24PM
"-- but Sony's considerable library of films should give them a solid start in content."
Sony's considerable PS1 and PS2 game library should be giving them an advantage in downloadable games, but it isn't. Week after week Nintendo adds classics from not only their old consoles but now from Sega, NEC and SNK systems. Meanwhile the PSN store is a barren wasteland in comparison. Sony already has too many cooks in the kitchen as it is, getting the movie and television studios more involved is only going to serve to exacerbate the situation.
Ska Oreo @ Sep 4th 2007 10:52PM
Oh no you le didn't.
hvnlysoldr @ Sep 4th 2007 8:37PM
Gasp!
Evan @ Sep 4th 2007 9:15PM
Sony's online music store failed. What makes them think the video version will do any better.
This is typical Sony. When something fails, they try the same thing again. Their PS2-based DVR failed in Japan, so what do they do? They are launching a PS3-based DVR in Europe. Their last movie-disk format (UMD) tied to a game system failed, so what do they do? They launch another movie-disk format (Blu-Ray) tied to a game system. The only time Sony changes their strategy is when they succeed... The PS2 is successful because it's a moderately priced game system with wide appeal, so what do they do? They launch a high prices game system with hardcore appeal.
Jeremy @ Sep 4th 2007 9:42PM
The PS3 has been on sale for about 10 months. I'm pretty impressed with all that they have accomplished and have in the works such as the DVR and movie service. I wonder where they'll be in another 10 months?
Ska Oreo @ Sep 4th 2007 10:52PM
dead.
Vegnagun @ Sep 5th 2007 8:01AM
Rofl Ska. I lol'ed. pwned.
Jeremy @ Sep 5th 2007 3:56PM
Yep I am totally pwned. Hows Xbox selling... what totally defeated by the Wii already? Is the Wii close to self detonating? Ask my friend who used to own 10 games and got rid of all but two (thanks Gamestop!). The PS3 is totally pwned. What's Sony's target audience? Everyone. Nintendo? Children, with a sprinkle of "adult titles". Xbox? Well just the Wii in revision all Adult titles with a sprinkle of "childrens entertainment." See Viva Piñata.
Do the math-the PS3 is anything but dead.
JJ @ Sep 4th 2007 10:09PM
How is this a bad thing Evan? I'm sure it'll be as successful as XBLVideo Marketplace or any other on demand service out there.
Granted i dont use XBL very much and i doubht i'll use PS3 on demand service much, but i dont see this as a bad thing.
I mean companies fail at ventures all the time, even microsoft has some big failures on their books, doesnt stop them from steaming forward does it?
and its not like their launching a whole new DVR console like the PSX was, this is just a service piggybacking on the current system, Not so hard to see where they can make money they'll try. it already has internet connectivity and the necessary HD space so why not?
and last i checked you can play blu ray movies on things OTHER than the PS3 just like you dont need a 360 to watch HDDVD movies, the problem with UMD was that it ONLY worked on the PSP
fester @ Sep 5th 2007 12:20AM
Hey! whookid just nailed it! approx. .0002% of gamers actually really give a rat's ass about movies-give us some good games.....where's the love, SONY??
Brandon @ Sep 5th 2007 1:07AM
Sony owns a crap-ton of films. The problem is their fingers are in so many pots, that to go forward with one business model, is to step on the toes of another. If HD digital downloads doing well hurts blu-ray and vice versa. Mylo sales are hurt when Vaio UX sales go up and vice versa. Sony has its hand in so many fields that its hard to go in one direction without hurting something else.
upz @ Sep 5th 2007 10:12AM
Or, to look at it from another perspective, if it goes any way, they win. Problem is, with regards to high definition video, it doesn't seem to be going any way right now.
DrXym @ Sep 5th 2007 6:55AM
Sony and Microsoft would have one advantage that Apple does not - their devices plug straight into the TV, would download straight to the box and do not require you have some PC where you do all your purchases are downloaded to, held and synchronized from. Apple's iTV offering is pretty stupid really. Worse for Apple is that it costs almost as much as the 360 and PS3 which do far much more than an iTV aside from playing movies.
Microsoft have shown the model works well, and in some ways Sony has an advantage - the PS3 has an HDD in every model and most of them are 60 or 80Gb. In addition, the PS3 has wi-fi making it far easier to hook up to the net and allows users to rip and play their own H264 encoded content. If Sony would only pull their fingers out, they could be in a position to make a lot of money from this service and round out what is already a very capable multimedia center.
It's good in some respects that there is so much competition in the market because it means Sony can't go into greed mode as they did with UMD and ruin a promising service by charging too much.