PS3 DVR, PSP messenger services announced - News at GameSpot

At the Consumer Electronics Show in January 2006, Sony executives announced that the company's Connect service would bring music and video downloads to the Playstation Portable in two months. That didn't happen. March 2006 came and went with no sign of Sony's would-be iTunes launching to its multimedia-enabled gaming handheld.

Then, earlier this month, an Australian executive hinted that Sony was readying a digital television service for the PlayStation 3. Speaking with a New Zealand-based newspaper, he outlined a TiVo-like service which would allow the game console to be used as both a TV tuner and personal video recorder (PVR).

Today at the Leipzig Games Convention in Germany, Sony officially announced its multimedia plan for both the PSP and PS3. Collectively called PlayTV, the service will indeed imbue Sony's console with PVR and TV tuner functions, allowing users to record and store live television shows on the PS3's hard drive. The high-definition TV tuner will be two-tiered, allowing users to watch one show while recording another in resolution up to 1080p. Programs can then be transferred onto the PSP for viewing on the go, or viewed remotely via the PS3-to-PSP streaming functionality. PlayTV will also have a seven-day electronic program guide that can be navigated via the Sixaxis game controller.