(22 May 2007 9:15 pm)

MUMBAI: Sony is currently in negotiations with several Korean telecom companies to offer Video-On-Display (VOD) services with its 80GB PlayStation 3.

According to a report in the Korean Times, at least two domestic landline telecom carriers, Hanaro Telecom and KT appear to be involved in the negotiations.

"We are contacting some Korean firms in order to incorporate VOD applications into PlayStation 3 service line-up," Sony spokeswoman Park Seo-yun said.

The report also quotes a Hanaro spokesman saying, "We are negotiating with Sony and the atmosphere is pretty good. We hope we will be able to reach an agreement in June. Once a deal is struck, PlayStation 3 users can watch all the Hana TV programs after downloading software, without having to buy a dedicated set-top box."

The Korean move represents the first step in Sony's plans to roll out the VOD initiative on a larger scale in the near future. Although no details have been released on the launch or the pricing structure, consumers would be able to access full-length movies, music and TV programmes under the services available.

Microsoft currently offers VOD services via Xbox Live for North American Xbox 360 users. Users can download movies, TV shows and other media content on a pay-per-item basis.
It was the first gaming console to offer standard and high-definition TV media content via digital distribution.