Next PS3 update to include BD-Live – Downloadable Blu-ray content
The Playstation 3 has succeeded so far in part by being one of the cheapest Blu-ray players currently on the market. So it’s no surprise that the latest firmware update for the PS3 is going to be mainly for the multimedia aspects of the console, the biggest one being BD-Live.
Sony today announced via the official Playstation Blog, that the latest firmware update (v2.20) will be released in the next few days. And amongst other things, the update will include the long awaited BD-Live, otherwise known as Blu-ray Disc Profile 2.0.
Profile 2, for the uninitiated, means that connecting to the Internet while playing a Blu-ray disc will enable you to download additional content and special features. While not all Blu-ray movies will come with any extra material, it’s thought that as time goes by, more and more will include BD-Live enabled content.
This update is big news when you consider that the PS3 is the only standalone Blu-ray player on the market right now that can be upgraded to take advantage of the added functionality.
HD DVD, the dead format which was killed off by Blu-ray at the start of the month, had players with the same ability right from day one, but it’s taken a while for Sony to catch up in that respect.
The BD-Live update is just in time for Sony to be able to tout releases of The 6th Day and Walk Hard on April 8th, both of which come with extra features only accessible via Profile 2.
Firmware V 2.20 will also include the following enhancements:
The ability to copy PS3 Music and Photo playlists to a PSP system. We introduced the ability to create Music and Photo playlists on the PS3 in firmware update v2.0. Now you can easily export your playlists to your PSP.
You can now play DivX and WMV format files that are over 2 GB. In addition, you can now display subtitles when viewing DivX files.
Resume Play – begin playing a DVD or BD disc from the point where you previously stopped it, even if you eject the disc and insert a different movie or game.
Use your PSP as a remote control to play back your music files on your PS3 without turning on your TV.
The Internet browser now displays some web pages faster. In addition [Save Target] has been added as an option under file. This option lets you save a file that is linked to a web page to your PS3 hard drive or storage media.
This seems a sure fire strategy to sell more Playstation 3 consoles, as it now makes it the first Blu-ray player on the market with BD-Live functionality.
When the PS3 was first released, I doubted its ability to succeed as a home entertainment hub, being of the opinion that a games machine should be a games machine, and that’s all, but I’ve had my doubts smashed.
This is just another reason to make the PS3 a must buy.
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March 20th, 2008
BLUDDDDDDDD!!!!!!!!!!