PS3 to debut as IPTV Set-Top Box

This is a quote from The Korean Times:

KT, Korea’s dominant telecom operator, and Sony Computer Entertainment Korea (SCEK) will launch an Internet-based TV service in November that runs on the PlayStation 3 game console, the companies said Tuesday.

The PS3 console will act as a set-top box for KT’s Internet Protocol TV service (IPTV), named Mega TV. The companies didn’t disclose the detailed price plans for the service.

IPTV is a high-definition TV broadcasting service that allows users to download programs via broadband Internet and play them on TVs at any time they want. KT and Hanaro Telecom are two IPTV providers in South Korea.

The PlayStation3 is a powerful computing machine itself, equipped with large data storage, fast graphic processor and a Blue-Ray disc driver. It is the first time that Sony has made such an alliance to use the PS3 as an IPTV set-top box.

“With this partnership, Mega TV will include high-definition games and Blue-Ray media in its periphery,’’ said Lee Young-hee, chief of the Media Center at KT. “We will seek more cooperation with SCEK to create synergy.’’