GO!View review

GO!View is Sony’s attempt to grab a slice of the ever increasing on demand TV pie. Powered by BSkyB In theory the Service works in perfect harmony with your PSP downloading shows on your PC using the GO!View subscription service and then simply transferring them to your PSP to enjoy when and wherever you wish, So is this the case or are Sony simply full of hot air?

Well the first thing that is perfectly true is that GO!View is a subscription service meaning it will cost you however with prices starting at just £5 a month it is not bad value for money. So what do you get for your money?

Similar to Sky digital television the GO!View service is split into various Packs and access to each varies depending on which subscription you choose, the three packs you have to choose from are:

• Entertainment
• Sport
• Comedy

Each of the categories offer a large number of shows and clips which can all be downloaded and transferred to your PSP for you to enjoy. On top of these packs the service offers the rental of a large selection of the latest & classic movies and TV shows which you will be able to rent however this is at an extra charge and is not included in your subscription fee and costs between £1.50-£3.50 for any one show or movie.

Once you have made your choice with regards to package and subscription downloading shows and clips could not be easier simply browse the library select the item you wish to download click and then just a further click to transfer the item to your PSP (note, items cannot be played on your PC) Of course as most PSP owners will understand I was worried about my PSP’s 2 GB memory stick duo would quickly become useless when downloading full episodes however this was not the case with a 1 hour show using around the 330-340mb mark allowing for a good few shows to be stored on your PSP at any one time.

So overall is GO!View worth investing in? In a nutshell yes I would say it is as it allows great shows and clips to be downloaded and transferred to your PSP easily and more importantly quickly! This service is perfect if you are going on holiday on a long journey as if your PSP is equipped with a decent sized memory card you can load it up with your favourite shows to watch at your leisure. I do have some problems with the service however I do feel the pay per view service is great for movies but for TV shows is a little steep considering you are already shedding out £5+ for your chosen pack(s) also I think it would be a lot more beneficial if the service could be used wirelessly on your PSP and allowed for downloads straight to the PSP without the need for a PC but these aside it a great service and will certainly help Sony get a feel for this sort of product as the release of there Play TV is just around the corner which if you have a PS3 as well as a PSP from what I have seen so far Play TV will be a another excellent product for watching shows on the move.

So how do you get GO!View? Well simply visit http://www.goview.tv/vod/page/promoPage.do download the GO!View application and sign yourself up and another bonus is a months FREE Trial is currently available so you can get a good feel for service before committing.

* Our Go!View competition is now live and you can enter HERE. *

Posted by: Nick