PS3 telly add-on update hit by splash screen crash

Sony shrugs shoulders over PlayTV woes

Rather a lot of users of PlayTV, Sony's DVR accessory for the PlayStation 3, have lost their recordings in an attempt to surmount bugs introduced in a recent update.

Following the release late last year of version 2.02 of the PlayTV software – which includes support for Freeview’s series link functions – many users have grumbled that the app hangs on the launch screen and won’t proceed any further.

Members of the PlayStation Community forum have been reporting the problem with both original and slim versions of the PS3, and though some users have reported that their system doesn’t crash if they disable PlayTV's maintenance and enhanced EPG options, others are still experiencing problems if they do.

The advice from Sony’s support team is to delete and reinstall PlayTV using the original disc with version one of the software. That will wipe the series link functionality that many users paid £6.29 to upgrade to.

Worse still, you can’t delete and reinstall the software without also deleting all your recordings. So if you’ve still not worked you way through Christmas' TV, tough luck.

Some users report that simply deleting the app's ‘game data’ will get PlayTV to start working again, but you will still lose your recordings.

If you are tempted by the upgrade – and judging by the number of irate users, we’d advise against it – then the best advice is to first export recordings you really want to keep from PlayTV to XMB. The way PlayTV works at the moment means that unless you do so, the recordings will only be accessible from within PlayTV.

Reg Hardware contacted Sony for a comment on the problem, and was told: “We are aware of the issues some PlayTV users are currently experiencing. We will fix these issues through future updates.”

That corporate shrug of the shoulders is as far as Sony’s gone to date. We’ve asked for more information, including whether or not users will be refunded for the update if they choose to downgrade, and some indication of the timescale for a fix, but to date have not yet received any further comment. ®

Hat tip to reader Stephen Spiteri for letting us know about the problem