European PS3s now have a trio of video stores
Last week saw the launch of both Mubi and LoveFilm services for the PS3, giving the console a total of 3 different ways to buy and rent videos over the internet. It can all get a bit confusing trying to tell the difference between them all so here’s a lowdown on each system.
PSN Video store
What is it?
Launched in late November 2009 the European PSN video store was intended to act as an international version of the USAs incredibly well supported equivalent that’s been active for the last 2 years. Through it users can buy or rent movies digitally and download them to their PS3 as well as leave ratings out of five for each purchase. Movies you outright purchase work the same as any other PSN item, once it’s been credited to your account you can download it as many times as you want provided the PS3 in question is attached to your account. Rentals are a bit more complicated, once they’re on your PS3 you have 14 days until they automatically delete themselves from your hard drive. However once you start watching the timer adjusts to 2 days remaining, so if you’re interested in a rental make sure you plan ahead and don’t start watching until your sure you have the time to finish!
What does it have?
The video stores stock can be best described as wide but shallow. If you’re after a major Hollywood action flick chances are you’ll find it here without any trouble. There’s a few more classical titles hidden away amongst the more mainstream stuff but it’s fairly limited. Browsing doesn’t have any perquisite other than a PSN account so feel free to take a look for yourself if you’re not sure if that’s what you’re after.
Where can I get it?
As it’s just an extension of the PSN store it’s the easiest of the 3 systems to access. Chances are if you’re a PS3 owner you already have a PSN account so all you need to do is just boot up the Playstation network store from the cross media bar and then select video from the top of the screen.
How much does it cost?
Prices vary slightly between publisher and format but in general you’re looking at around £11.99 for an Standard Definition film and £14.99 for an HD version. Rentals on the other hand run at around £3.49 for SD and £4.49 for HD and as I mentioned before they delete themselves after a set amount of time so no need to worry about late fees.
Mubi
What is it?
Mubi is both a video streaming website and by their own description a “social network for cinephiles”. Allowing users to participate in some facebook style functionality and a strong forum community, it’s defiantly more aimed at those for whom film is their very life blood. Using Mubi it’s possible to digitally rent movies or short films and stream them to both your PS3 and the Mubi website itself. Rent a film and it’s yours to watch and re-watch as many times as you want for 7 days and as it’s streamed there’s no downloads required.
What films does it have?
Mubi specialises in “classics” and what some might consider the more pretentious side of film appreciation. Titles range from Charily Chaplin to Stanley Kubrick and just about everything in between. So if you prefer you Martin Scorseses to your Michael Bays, you’re likely to find something you like a Mubi. However bear in mind that due to licensing restrictions the films available to you are going to depend on which part of Europe you live in.
Where can I get it?
To install the Mubi application you need to download it from the PSN store. Currently it’s temporarily under the “Latest” section but can also be found under Other Media/Media/Applications & Services.
How much does it cost?
Mubi’s pricing system is fairly simple; currently it stands at £2.99 to stream a full film and 79p for a short. If you want unlimited access you can also subscribe to Mubi for £9.99 a month. The social networking aspects are all free and there’s also a bunch of free movies if you want to see if your connection can handle streaming before you commit to a purchase.
LoveFilm
What is it?
Like Mubi the LoveFilm application (or “LOVEFiLM” as they prefer to be known) is an extension of an already existing website that streams films. However LoveFilm also offers up to 6 simulations physical rentals of both films and video games by mail depending on your subscription.
What films does it have?
Residing in a middle ground between Mubi and the PSN video store, LoveFilm stocks a wide variety of titles both mainstream and obscure but doesn’t specialise in anything in particular. Although their selection numbers in the thousands don’t get too exited as only a few hundred at a time are actually available through streaming on the PS3 so a lot of the more sought after titles have to be physically mailed to you, which is covered by most of their subscription packages.
Where can I get it?
Integration with LoveFilm.com has had strong support from Sony and as such can be found in the cross media bar under “video” without any need to download or install.
How much does it cost?
LoveFilm works on a subscription based structure but because it also offers physical rentals their payment schemes are rather contrived, currently standing at 14 different packages to chose from. If all you care about is streaming to your PS3 your likely looking at £10 a month for unlimited viewing which also allows you to physically rent one DVD at a time as many times as you want per month. They also currently offer a 30 free trial that covers PS3 streaming so even if your just curios it’s more than worth a look.