It wasn’t a secret that Sony is working on a cloud based TV service but today the company formally unveiled it. Sony did talk about it back at the Consumer Electronics Show 2014. It is called PlayStation Vue and will be available across a variety of devices, offering many TV channels for streaming without requiring a traditional cable contract.
Sony made a couple of things clear from the get go. Users won’t need any additional hardware, won’t be required to sign monthly cable contracts and there won’t be any installation charges.
PlayStation Vue will be available as an invite-only service on the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 later this month. It will then be rolled for the iPad before it lands on other Sony and non-Sony devices. The invite-only beta initially launches in New York with some 75 channels per market, including those owned by Fox, NBC Universal, CBS and Viacom.
This streaming TV service uses the cloud to provide live, on-demand and catch-up TV content with a user interface that’s designed for simplicity and personalization. Search and Explore functions make it easier to locate content. Users will be able to access the past three days of “popular programming” without having the need to schedule records.
Sony will talk about pricing and packages at launch. The next markets include Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Chicago. Commercial launch is slated for the first quarter of 2015.
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