Sony talks up PS3 update
Bid to boost Blu-ray firmware interactivity
A Sony executive has left PS3 fans all a-quiver after promising to release a firmware update "soon" that will improve the console’s support for Blu-ray Disc interactivity features.
Don Eklund, VP of advanced technologies at Sony, reportedly made the promise at the recent HDTV DisplaySearch conference in California. Unfortunately, he didn’t say anything more specific about the release, leaving PS3 buffs to speculate about what new interactive features Sony might introduce to the console.
The Blu-ray Disc Association has already mandated that all Blu-ray players launched after 31 October must feature picture-in-picture video playback, so Sony could be prepping things to make sure any PS3s sold after that date are compliant.
Any Sony update will follow hot on the heels of an interactivity features update for HD DVDs, announced recently by Universal. Its release consisted mainly of online shopping features, such as merchandise or trailer downloads, and a function allowing users to share their favourite movie clips with friends directly from their player.
COMMENTS
@Anonymous Coward
Actually mate, after reading about the two, you are very much correct.. I always thought they were neck and neck, but the only real 'added bonus' HD-DVD has over Blu-Ray is the gimmicky extras that will be in Blu-Rays spec come Profile 2.0.. And I ask why? I just want to watch the film with a couple of documentaries in the best quality possible
Does sound very Beta - VHS though. Although saying that Sony and Philips sorted out DVD along with Toshiba (really that should be the otherway round). IMHO, rather than cost being the riding factor (as per the Beta - VHS 'war'), I would want quality rather than just cheap gear.
@Mike. I feel for you mate, as I know a couple of people that bought a BR player too. But as I've asked my mates: "Why buy a 600 notes player, when you could of had a next-gen games machine as well for approximately 150 nicker less?" The answer they gave, I just didn't understand I'm afraid. I really can't see a difference in quality of picture, although the only upside of a player that I can see (again this is my honest opinion) is the lack of noise from the machines fans. After all this though, you've still paid for the player... Gutted
@Anonymous
"bear in mind most releases are encoded to the lowest common denominator"
How do you figure this? Warner are now the only major studio publishing on both formats, apart from if you're counting their subsidiary New Line seperately. Every other BluRay publisher is making their discs without any HD-DVD release in mind; even in cases like Resident Evil, Underworld and Fantastic Four where shared rights mean some regions get a BluRay and others a HD-DVD they have different transfers - often even using different codecs.
Blu-ray the techno turkey
How many more of these updates are going to come along before Blu-Ray actually has a decent specification? We've had a series of incremental updates that have caused no end of trouble for people with early players - first no network support, then inadequate Java provision, now more features being crammed in.
Blu-Ray was always a spoiler designed by Sony and Pioneer to give themselves more influence over the high definition market. HD-DVD was an agreed standard long before they dreamt up this new, customer-hostile format.
If there was any justice, HD-DVD would be the winner in this war, but as it stands, they're both going to lose out - first to DVD, then to direct downloads.
@vincent
No, key revocation is to make some players not work with old firmware but new discs, rather than vice versa.
So far, the only keys to be revoked are for PC-based players, and the owners of them need to go get the latest version that fixes the "bug" making it too easy to steal the key from memory; a new key comes with the patch.
There isn't a single disc/player combo that I'm aware of where they've introduced new bugs that break things. Yet. Doing so is beyond the capabilities of both major graphics driver teams on PC, Microsoft and Apple, so regression bugs are bound to happen eventually; we'll just have to hope they get fixed again.
@Alex - Yes, this is the news that the PS3 will probably have a driver update for version 1.1 of the format. Goodness knows why it wouldn't; Sony keep telling everyone how much more powerful the PS3 is than the XBox 360, and that is perfectly capable of playing back HD-DVD; a standard that does everything BD 1.1 is supposed to handle.
