Will digital downloads via Xbox Live, PSN, and iTunes soon take over the business of delivering consumers TV shows and hit movies? Not if you ask top Hollywood execs. In a recent gathering of the industry's movers and shakers, the general notion was that physical media would remain on top in the few years ahead. Read the details in the full article up next.

The field's set to go on fire as Sony's PlayStation Network is gearing up to go head to head with Microsoft's Xbox Live. Right now XBL has the upper hand, featuring online gaming as well as downloadable videos and movies, but Sony is preparing to take out the proverbial ace up its sleeve. Jack Tretton, SCEA President and CEO, recently discussed future plans for the PSN.

While he won't comment on the specifics, he does give a general idea of Sony's plans for the PSN. For one thing, it'll directly challenge XBL by not implementing a monthly fee for its services:

We're very committed to online gaming and downloadable content via the PlayStation Network, but we're going about it in a very unique way in that we're not charging a monthly fee.

Also, Tretton points out that Sony is in a position of advantage in offering video and movie downloads as well. Sony as a whole is already internally meshed to the music and movie industry. Plus, nothing's stopping them from getting content from outside the company to add to their already wide range of choices.

Once those sources are tapped and integrated into the PSN, Microsoft would definitely have to answer back. Michael Pachter, Wedbush Morgan analyst, predicts that if the PSN will not impose a monthly fee for its services, XBL would most likely drop theirs as well.

The hurdle Sony has to jump right now, as Pachter believes, is the timing of the PSN's planned services. He believes that it probably won't happen this year, but in "the near future." He also says that there is a reason for haste. " The longer that they delay building it out and making it something that's attractive, the farther behind they fall in terms of the development of Xbox Live," says the analyst.

Sony has already announced plans for their TiVo-like PlayTV function for Europe, so this might be their big chance to make it up to the PS3 gamers in the US by offering movie and video downloads. Microsoft, on the other hand, has recently announced a move to offer their Video download service in Europe. Updates as we get them.

It's a bit disappointing when Sony announced that PlayTV is not going to be released in North America. We all know that the company is quite known for reversing previous statements to keep consumers on their toes but as of this writing, the broadcast service is still exclusive for Europe.

Anyway, the Official PlayStation Magazine or OPM recently did a rough estimate for PlayTV's pricing. According to the publication, all of the components (Freeview receiver, PVR, and Sling Box) will cost between 60 GBP (US$ 121.21) to 100 GBP (US$ 201.97) when purchased separately.

The good news here is that OPM is saying PlayTV might be priced for just 70 GBP or roughly around US$ 141.37. This is really a neat price considering all the features that the service has. Just to remind you, PlayTV is actually a twin-channel DVB-T tuner accessory that comes with a digital video recorder software.

It allows users to record TV programs on the PS3's hard drive which is quite similar to the service TiVo provides. More excitingly, PlayTV also has the capability to connect with the PlayStation Portable via Wi-Fi for portable entertainment. According to a previous announcement, PlayTV should become available by early 2008.

Remember just the other day when PSU reported of Sony acquiring Rockstar? To recap, the previous post, we heard from PSU that: "Various sources in the press and development team state that Sony is looking to take Rockstar 'under their wings'." Apparently, it's all just some big misunderstanding. Over at the PSU forums, someone's posted the explanation of Justin Pinter as to how this came about.

It all started with an event that they attended: Sony gathered a bunch of journalists and media representatives for dinner at some sushi place in Santa Monica (mmmmm, sushi). The dinner progressed and with other journalists on the table, they went on to talk about the industry news:

We all talked about Bioshock, Tivo, video on demand, and then eventually made our way to the recent talk of Rockstar going exclusive with Sony after GTA IV with such titles as LA Noire, and the secret PS3 title. The talk lead to someone stating that they knew that not only was the rumor correct but there was more to it. Basically from what I heard, Sony was taking Rockstar under its wing. Now I don't know if that means they are buying them or if they are supporting them as if they were someone like Naughty Dog or Insomniac.

Now here's when things got messy. Upon coming back from the dinner, Justin Pinter had contacted the other staffers of PSU and told them of how the event went. One of the writers had picked up on the "Sony takes Rockstar under its wing" angle and wrote about it on their site.

Unfortunately it was notched as "News" when it actually would have to have been tagged under "Rumor". And with that, everything cascaded into one big ordeal. PSU apologizes for the misunderstanding and hopes that they've been able to clear things up now.

So what's the lesson here, kids? Sushi dinners make for interesting industry news/rumors. And knowing is half the battle. Yo... Joe!

EA Sports is gearing up for the next hockey season and it's armed with two powerful new tools to create some miracle on ice. Dean Richards,  producer of NHL 08 (PS3, 360, PC), recently posted a message on the IGN blogs and he introduced the Create-a-Play and On the Fly AI features. Both will satisfy simulation nuts and push realism to the next level.

The Create-a-Play option lets you design rushes and breakaway tactics with ease using a TiVo-like interface. Essentially, what it does is leave you in a mode similar to Practice and let you move a player the way you want him to in the play. You can then add new players to the mix by moving them as the first player moves in the way you want him to. It's a bit like recording in overlapping fashion to run a play to perfection.

The Create-a-Play function should be great when you have opponents playing in a certain manner that none of the preset plays can address. If you've always thought you have what it takes to coach, this is the game for you.

You'll have to be careful, though. EA Sports has listened to the calls of true-blue NHL fans and is fielding in an AI which adapts and evolves like human players do. Essentially, what the On the Fly AI does is to contour to the way you play and analyze your strategies. Run a play too often and the AI will find a way to break it up. Rely on your star too heavily, and the opposing team just might go head-hunting.

And the adaptation isn't limited to a single game. The scouting actually extends through your save file. In the playoffs where adjustments are the key, you'll have to have more than one strategy to beat the CPU.

Brush up those skating moves and juice up your plays. Don't think for a second that you'll win the Stanley Cup with a slap shot from the blue line because the AI will punish you and leave your teeth chattering in the ice.

Buy: [NHL 08 (PS3)]
Buy: [NHL 08 (Xbox 360)]

Thanks go to wekilledbambi03 for enlightening us about Sony's desire to get our opinion in this new survey. The survey covers Sony's line of time shifting products, including the Location Free TV Base Station.

The PSP, PS3 and other devices that you can stream content to using a Sony Location Free Base Station are also covered in the survey. The pace proceeds based on your answers to the questions so the length of the survey will vary accordingly. There are also questions about how we use products like TIVO and how much we are willing to pay for the service. I know sometimes it all seems pointless, but the least we can do is try to tell them what we want!

It doesn't take more than five minutes to complete the survey and overall it doesn't seem to be too biased. Here is a sample of the survey questions you will find from Sony.

More survey questions can be seen in the Full Article!