TOKYO: Forty percent of Japanese PlayStation3 users intend to get torne when it comes out March 18, Tech-Onsays. The torne feature will enable PS3 users to view and record terrestrial digital broadcasts on their game consoles.
The torne is a USB-connecting DTV tuner with dedicated software, turning the PS3 into an over-the-air receiver with integrated DVR. It has a built-in hard drive as well as pots for USB-connected externals. It’s said to record at 1 Mbps or 512 kbps, or about one-third to one-half of the run time of a program.
Sony rolled out torne in January at a press conference in Japan, electronista said. Pricing was announced in February: a standalone torne will retail for around US$110 in Japan. A 250 GB PS3 with integrated torne will run about US$470. There has been no announcement of a similar roll-out in North America.
