Sony posts PS3 DivX firmware update
Better Blu-ray support too
Sony has formally announced the firmware update that will bring support for the DivX video format and for the Blu-ray Disc Profile 1.1 - aka Bonus View - to the PlayStation 3.
Firmware 2.10 is available for download immediately, Sony Computer Entertainment Europe said - though at the time of writing it had yet to be added to the UK PlayStation website.
In addition to DivX, Sony said the update also introduces support for the VC-1 codec - a key component of the Blu-ray Disc format in addition to MPEG 4. Profile 1.1 essentially adds support for picture-in-picture views, used to enable real-time video commentaries without including two copies of the movie, one with the commentary and one without.
That said, there's only one BD known to have incorporated this feature, and that's the German disc Neues vom Wixxer. All new BD player models that have come to market after 1 November are supposed to support Profile 1.1, though this doesn't apply to older products. Still, we expect many player makers to update the firmware of older players to support the Profile.
And more discs will soon begin to offer the technology, now that the best-selling Blu-ray box supports it.
Sony announced last month that the PS3 would gain DivX support. At the time, it was hinted that the format would be added to the Xbox 360 too - and, earlier this month, it was, beating the PS3 roll-out by a couple of weeks.
COMMENTS
Wii are children...
Yes yes, Wii owners, we're all 3 years old.
Your comment is 'a much better reflection of YOUR maturity.'
Aren't we a bunch of bitches....
No matter how hard someone tries to put positive slants on things, we all turn into such a bunch of bitches!! It's like we are in the playground!
Battle of the ego
This was an article about extra video support for the PS3, just because the PS3 finally gets it does not mean that the 360 version is worse.
People with either buy one machine or the other based on a whole heap of thoughts and priorities.
If you like PS3 good, if you prefer the 360 good if you like both good as well.
Personally I've got the PS3 but if a game comes out that I want on the 360 then I might consider buying one as well, I've still got a spare HDMI slot on the back of the telly. Both machines are pretty close overall, which is why all these comments always come down to splitting hairs rather than highlighting huge differences.
If you lot don't grow up then you best go out and get yourselves a Wii, a much better reflection of your maturity.
Funny how they leave out the good stuff
No mention of any of the more esoteric formats - anything I rip (for my own backup purposes, clearly) or record (MythTV) these days goes directly into 2 pass x264 (MPEG4/AVC but without the patents) using the matroska container format. Will be a while before we see any of these devices supporting them I reckon.
Personally, I hope Bluray wins this format war. I'm not buying either format till there is one clear winner, and (to me) bluray is clearly technologically superior. Its all moot till we have cheaper 1080p sets anyway, 720p isn't a massive step up from DVD from what I've seen from friends HD rigs.
Tsunami time
With all the cockwaving going on, there's probably a Tsunami headed for Taiwan or someplace now (chaos theory).
Paris Hilton because... well, cockwaving I guess :-)
