PS3 to get digital tuner

Is your cable DVR down? Has your TiVo been trashed? Then turn to your PS3 to save your TV programs. According to Sony Computer Entertainment New Zealand, Sony has plans to create a digital tuner for the PlayStation 3, so it can be used as a programmable television recorder.

In a recent interview with Warwick Light, Sony Sales and Marketing GM, Light indicates Sony is looking to release the device for the PS3 sometime next year. “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,” Light said.

While I wouldn’t expect a PS3 to replace a conventional DVR due to the hard drive sharing game and other content, having another option to record programs may be handy if your cable box is already busy recording two other programs.

Currently available by satellite, Freeview in New Zealand is a non-profit organization providing free-to-air digital television and was designed to overcome the poor reception caused by New Zealand’s rugged topography.

Read more at Gamasutra.