In January 2006, Sony announced that it was revamping its Connect download service to digitally distribute movies and television shows to PlayStation Portables. That didn't happen. The proposed March launch date slid by, and the subsequent months saw Sony reference PSP video downloads only when related to the PlayStation 3's remote play feature. Said feature allows video on a PS3 to be viewed on a PSP remotely via the handheld's Wi-Fi functionality.
Turns out, there was a good reason for this. According to today's Journal, Sony is shutting Connect down--and replacing it with something brand new. Citing "people familiar with the situation," the article says that Sony is readying a video download service for both the PSP and PS3 modeled on Apple's iTunes. It also says that Stringer "quietly" decided to shut down Connect in May as party of a strategy to redirect efforts toward video downloads across Sony's various divisions.
The article outlines the potential of the video download market, which analyst group Parks Associates estimates will reach $8 billion by 2010. But although the Journal makes much of how the iPod has supplanted Sony's Walkman as the personal audio player of choice, it curiously omits any mention of Microsoft's video offerings on Xbox Live Marketplace.
Sony reps had not commented as of press time.
Bogus or not bogus?, Not bogus...and fairly obvious. As the proud owner of MGM's massive film library and successful movie and TV studios, Sony has a gigantic pool of exclusive video content which it can sell via the PS3 and PSP. Plus, coupled with the PVR functionalities announced in Leipzig last month, dowloads could make the PS3 a home video powerhouse.
