Sony Computer Entertainment Japan announced that it would introduce “torne” for PlayStation 3 (PS3) computer entertainment system, a set of digital terrestrial tuner and application in Blu-ray Disc (BD) for viewing and recording digital terrestrial broadcasting on the PS3 system. “torne” will become available in Japan in March, 2010, at a recommended retail price (RRP) of 9,980 yen (including tax). Users can enjoy watching digital terrestrial broadcasting and record them on the hard disk drive (HDD) of the PS3 system by simply connecting the digital terrestrial tuner to the PS3 system using the attached USB cable and installing the application from the BD.
This product is the Japanese version of the European PlayTV, but with enhanced functionality – of course, we will probably never see something like this in the USA.
UPDATE: Here is a great video of Torne I found:
To accommodate those users who wish to record TV programs in high-definition on PS3 and store many high quality entertainment content already available on PlayStation Store including games, anime, movies, TV dramas, music videos and many other various content and services, SCEJ will also introduce a “PlayStation 3 Digital Terrestrial Broadcasting Recorder Pack,” that comprises the PS3 system with 250GB HDD, the largest HDD capacity of the existing model, and “torne.” The special bundle pack will become available in March, 2010, concurrently with the release of “torne,” and will be a limited offer at a RRP of 42,800 yen (including tax).
Features of “torne”:
Easy to use interface
Applying the expertise acquired from game development, “torne” offers user friendly interface, allowing users to swiftly and intuitively operate the application using DUALSHOCK 3 wireless controller. Users will be able to search through the electronic TV program guides or play back recorded content comfortably as if they were playing games.
The colorfully designed 24 hour TV program guide can be zoomed in or out by pressing L1/R1 buttons, allowing users to easily find and select their favorite TV programs by a simple touch of a button.
Recording and playing back
TV program search function on “torne” application can sort the TV programs by genre or by keywords and will instantly list up the corresponding TV programs for users to simply select and record out of the list. Additionally, “torne” will automatically start recording pre-programmed content even when the PS3 system is in Stand-by mode or when users are playing games or using the application on the XMB (XrossMediaBar) such as the Blu-ray/DVD player. Users can also connect external HDD via USB cable to record TV programs directly on to the external storage instead of on the HDD of the PS3 system.
Additional useful features include quick playback and scene search for viewing recorded TV programs.
Connectivity with PSP
Seamless connectivity with PSP (PlayStation Portable) allows users to transfer recorded TV programs to its Memory Stick PRO Duo (Mark2)/Memory Stick Micro for high quality viewing on the go.
By using the Remote Play feature of the PS3 system, users at home can connect on to their PS3 system using their PSP and remotely access the application to view or record TV programs.
Various Online features
“torne” also offers online functionalities, such as the Internet browser which can be used simultaneously with the application, and unique “Toru-Miru feature” which can display the number of users who have pre-programmed the TV programs through “torne” as well as the user trend of which program is being most watched.
