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How to Record From a TV to a PlayStation 3

Sony's PlayStation 3 (PS3) system is a multimedia center in the guise of a video game console. You can watch DVD and Blu-Ray discs on it, listen to CDs and even record live TV onto its internal hard drive. For this last option you will first need to purchase PlayTV, a popular PS3 add-on that essentially turns your system into a DVR. And, depending on how much programming you're planning on recording to your system, you may want to also consider investing in a bigger hard drive, one that will be able record hours and hours of your favorite shows.

Things You'll Need

PlayStation 3
PlayTV box
Screwdriver

Instructions

- 1
  Upgrade your factory hard disk if you have a console with less than 120 GB of space: swap it out for a hard drive with at least 120 GB. First, save your existing data using your PS3's backup utility. Next, turn off and unplug the PS3, and remove the HD side panel by removing the blue screw with a screwdriver. Lift up the metal latch, and take out the drive while moving the drive tray to the right. Four screws securing the drive to the tray must first be removed with the screwdriver.
- 2
  Install the new drive, and reverse your previous steps. Turn on your system again, allowing the new drive to be formatted, then restore your saved data to the drive by loading the backup utility.
- 3
  Plug in the PlayTV box and turn it on. Install the PlayTV software onto your PS3 by following the onscreen prompts. Once installed, select either "Live TV" or "Guide."
- 4
  Go to "Options," then "Record," and finally "Set This Recording" to record a show that comes on now or sometime that day. If, however, you wish to record an entire season onto your PS3, you must first make sure you have enough drive space left.
- 5
  Select "Find and Record" to search for a program by keyword. Select "Find by Keyword," then go to "Keyword Entry" and type in the name of the program. Next, click "Start Search." You can also tweak the search parameters even further by going to "Search Options" and searching by "Title and Descriptions," for example. Try typing in "sports" to pull all sports-related programming.

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