Sony is set to continue offering the best Blu-ray player on the market through the PlayStation 3 with news of the latest firmware update.
Firmware v2.20 will add Blu-ray Disc Profile 2.0 support otherwise known as BD-Live. With BD-Live a host of additional content becomes available when playing a movie. Unlike the Internet extras we are used to on DVD, which require you to use the disc in a PC, BD-Live allows access to ‘Net content while the disc is playing in the PS3 (and eventually other BD-Live compatible players).
Some of the first discs to have BD-Live functionality and content will arrive on April 8 when Sony Pictures releases The 6th Day and Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. Additional content will include downloads such as bonus scenes, movie trailers, images, games (with online multiplayer capabilities), and ringtones.
Scott A. Steinberg, vice president of product marketing as Sony Computer Entertainment America, commented:
With Blu-ray established as the high-definition optical disc standard, more consumers are ready to jump in and take advantage of everything the format offers … Whether you want to download movie extras, send ringtones to your phone, or play interactive games, BD-LIVE will offer exciting new ways to enjoy a Blu-ray movie. With these regular firmware updates and future-proofed technology, SCEA is making the 10-year lifecycle of PS3 possible.
Besides BD-Live the latest firmware also adds the following:
- PS3 music and photo playlists can now be transferred to the PSP
- DivX and WMV files over 2GB in size can now be played and subtitles displayed
- Use the PSP as a music remote for the PS3 without needing to turn the TV on
- Resume DVD and Blu-ray movies from where you stopped them, even if you removed the disc from the PS3
- Improved browser speed and addition of streaming movie playback
- Improved movie playback through addition of “Mosquito Noise Reduction” feature
Read more at the playstation Blog and PRNewswire (registration required).
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