PSN video service launches in Australia

While UK gamers have been buying and renting movies from the PlayStation Network since November last year, it's taken five months for Aussie gamers to finally do the same. Australians will now be able to download standard-definition and high-definition movies from the PSN following today's launch of the Video Delivery Service in Australia.

Sony Computer Entertainment Australia (SCEA) announced the service will officially begin operating in Australia this Thursday, May 20 at 1 a.m. AEST with over 600 launch titles, including Avatar, Capote, Dreamland, Inglourious Basterds, Up in the Air, Sherlock Holmes, and Surrogates.

Gamers will be able to either rent the films in SD or HD from AU$3.99 for a period of 14 days or purchase them outright from AU$7.99 in SD. Once purchased, films can be downloaded directly to the PlayStation 3 or PSP. SCEA confirmed that the PSN's video store will be updated weekly, with 50 or so new films every month.

Managing director of SCEA Michael Ephraim said the delay in bringing the service to Australia was due to the time it took the publisher to acquire the correct local content and fine-tune the service.

As in other regions, the video service will be fully integrated within the PSN, using the same login, wallet system and user interface. Gamers can search for movies by name or genre or by categories like new releases and most popular downloads; films will play shortly after the downloading process begins, and gamers will also be able to access other content on the PS3 during the download.

Those who choose to rent have up to 14 days to watch a film; once playback is started gamers will have 48 hours to watch their selection. Purchased films are stored on the PS3 hard disk drive and can also be transferred to the PSP.