PSN Video Delivery Service Launches In Europe News

Sony's Video Delivery Service for the PS3 and PSP, which will bring on-demand movies to the consoles via PSN for the first time in Europe, has now gone live. The service, which has launched with 2000 films across the whole continent, also boasts an impressive array of 800 movies for the UK market alone.

Although the platform has launched in France, Germany, Spain, and the UK initially, Sony has plans to expand the service across the region next year, while also increasing the payload of videos that are available at a rate of 50 per week.

Andrew House, SCEE's President and CEO told gi.biz, "We're starting out with a really strong offering - there's plenty there to choose from, a tremendous number of current hits - and then I think we'll grow it somewhere in the region I hope of about an additional 50 movies per week."

Unlike Xbox Live's Video Marketplace - from which users can only rent movies - Sony's service gives users the choice of either renting or buying movies, with prices starting at £2.49 to rent and £6.99 to buy. High definition movies are also available through the service, although initially these will only be available to rent.

Here's your rundown of the most high-profile and recently released titles that will be available at launch:

• Bruno
• Star Trek
• Terminator Salvation
• Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen
• X-Men Origins: Wolverine
• Valkyrie
• Gran Torino
• Angels and Demons

Existing PSN members who buy Angels and Demons will receive a complimentary copy of The Da Vinci Code, while anybody who registers a new PSN account between now and the end of November will receive a voucher entitling them to a free copy of Transformers.

And now the small print: videos that are rented from PSN's new on-demand platform will be available to users for 14 days after purchase, and 48 hours after playback has commenced. Similarly to Xbox Live's Video Marketplace, the Video Delivery Service allows users to stream and watch a video simultaneously over PSN.