Hands on with Sony and Sky's Go!View PSP TV service

One of the main planks in Sony's plan to re-position the PSP as a cutting-edge consumer electronics device, as well as a gaming console, is Go!View.

Launched in July via a joint venture with the Sky digital TV service for the UK and Ireland, Go!View is video-on-demand system that enables PSP users to access TV series and films from the likes of Disney, ABC, ESPN, NBC, the BBC, Sony Pictures Television, National Geographic and Sky Sports.

There's plenty of big names in that list and this currently translates to programmes such as Lost, Desperate Housewives, Doctor Who, Top Gear, Hustle and Spooks.

So what are our first impressions of using Go!View? These break down into three areas.

Technical
While there are some technical limitations to the service – it currently only works for WinXP and you'll probably have to upgrade a bunch of free components: Flash 10, Windows Media Player 11, PSP firmware: and a 4GB Memory Stick Pro (available for around £15 on eBay) is also recommended – Go!View works relatively seamlessly. (See our How To guide to setting up Go!View on your PSP for more details about using it for the first time.)

Of course, we're assuming the semi-irregular tendency of the download application to crash, even though your content has downloaded okay, will eventually be ironed out.

Equally, some people might be annoyed about the DRM system used, which means that in actual fact, Go!View is a video rental service. Once you've downloaded content onto your PC, it's available for transfer to your PSP for 30 days. And once it's on your PSP, it's available for 14 days.

But, what's actually more annoying are usability functions of the PC application such as the 10 second blast of music triggered every time an intro movie plays. (It took us a week to find the volume-off switch.) In general, the user interface is far too flashy and lacking in accessibility.

For example, you'll probably find you spend more time flicking through the A-Z index of each of the categories (Entertainment, Comedy, Sports, Movies and Latest TV) than any other part of the system. Another feature we'd really like to see is the ability to queue up an entire season to be downloaded rather than having to select each individual episode.

Still it's early days, and technically Go!View works okay. But it could work better. [7/10]

Pricing
The pricing structure for Go!View is relatively simple. Each of the three main categories – Entertainment, Drama and Sports – is available at a monthly rate of £5. You can double up and get any two for £8 per month, or go all in and get three for £10 per month. In terms of European pricing, this translates to £7 for one pack, £11 for two packs and £14 for all three packs.

When it comes to movies, these are available for £2.50 (£3.20) for classics and £3.50 (£4.40) for newer films. For example Eastern Promise and Michael Clayton (both released in 2007) are £3.50, while Snatch and Way of the Dragon are £2.50

Where it gets more complex is Latest TV. This includes series such as Lost series 3, The Mighty Boosh series 1, Doctor Who series 1 and Top Gear, where individual episodes cost £1.50 (£2.00), or £2.50 for Lost. Clearly this might work in continental Europe, but with all BBC coverage effectively free in the UK (and increasingly available with services like the BBC's iPlayer), no-one is going to pay £1.50 for such shows.

Equally even with the likes of Lost, at £1.50 per episode, the entire series 3 would end up costing £34.50; considerably more than the DVD boxset, which is available new from Amazon at £28, or used from £19. Clearly Sony and Sky will have to rethink this aspect of the service.

However, in general, the cost of a commodity like TV is a fairly elastic. The all-you-can-eat subscription options seem cost effective, and the movies aren't ridiculously over-priced. So, in terms of overall pricing, while Go!View is on the upper limit of what it could charge, the main options are probably acceptable to the PSP's relatively well-heeled audience. [6/10]

Range of content
Obviously at the start of Go!View, content was always going to be the weakest part of the service, but even so, with the power of Sky behind it, the lack of interesting programming is currently Go!View's Achilles's Heel.

While I'm quite a picky consumer of TV (and stingily limited to the five terrestrial stations), Go!View nevertheless seems to fall into the gap of only possessing things I've already seen on TV or DVD (Lost, Life on Mars, Scrubs, Hustle) or things I'm not really bothered about (Spooks, Hyperdrive, Saxondale, Red Dwarf). At a stretch, I might try Weeds – series 1-3 are available – and Battlestar Galactica season 3, and of course, if I enjoy them, that would be £5 per month well spent (both are in the Entertainment category). But without a strong upcoming autumn stream of new content, Go!View could end up stillborn.

Indeed, nowhere is this better shown than the Sports category, which doesn't have any up-to-date programming at all. Sports covered include cricket, golf, football, rugby, speedway and motor sports, but the most recent thing I could find was some golf from July 6th. Again, this will presumably change with the start of the FA Premiership, but it's going to have to…

So, while re-iterating this is early days for Go!View in terms of content, Sony and Sky need to seriously think about increasing the amount of recent programming throughout all the category. Currently it's a bit embarrassing. [4/10]

Conclusion
Overall, Go!View remains a work-in-progress. Technically, there are some rough corners to knock-off, and the pricing is acceptable, or will be acceptable once there's sufficient relevant content (although we should point out that you can currently get one month's free subscription if you register now.) But there needs to be the promise of a lot more interesting content becoming available in future for this to be a viable service, long-term.

Of course, we'll keep an eye on what's happening at Go!View and report back as and when changes are made. Hit the 'Track It!' button to get an email alert when we do.