People have long wondered about the PS3 and whether or not it can be used as a PVR. The answer is in, and it’s a provisional yes. I say “provisional” because you have to do it through a Linux installation on the PS3. I don’t want to install Linux on my gaming PS3 myself, so this isn’t really a solution for me. But if you want to have Linux running on your PS3 to get PVR functionality, then read on.

All you need is a PS3, an installed version of Linux, MythTV (which I’ve heard a lot of good things about), and a Plextor ConvertX PX-TV402U. The Plextor is a TV tuner, has some av inputs, and does some compression too.

So if you want a MythTV PVR, you’d hook all those things up and leave your PS3 running in Linux mode all the time to catch all the shows you’d want to see. So really, you need a dedicated PS3 unless you’re willing to switch it into Linux whenever a scheduled recording approaches. And besides, it still won’t handle digital cable, which is another strike against it for me. Gotta record those HD shows, man!

Turn a PS3 into a PVR