PS3 Firmware 2.20

[AntShaw]

You know, I am going to move number 8 to the top of my list. I NEED some FLAC support. 50% of my music collection is in that. But that needs to be combined with the faster media accessing and better USB support. It's a package deal.

 

[one]

AV Watch has an interview with SCE engineers about 2.20.
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/docs/20080403/rt057.htm

• Apparently movie studios are satisfied with BD-Live functions in PS3. Its processing speed / graphics rendering is much faster than dedicated players and the performance gap won't get narrower soon. Even among current BD-Java titles, some are doing performance profiling in a loading screen and show richer effects on PS3. Such differentiation by player performance may happen for BD-Live too. It is not something special only for PS3, it's in the spec of the BD format.
• 2.20 has neither Managed Copy (w/ transcoding) nor Portable Copy (w/o transcoding, demoed at CES) implemented.
• In-game XMB is one of the features discussed at SCE, but they can't comment on the date and so on yet. Though some of the XMB functions are already available in-game by an update, not many games support them yet.
• To licensee developers, it was announced that 2.20 could reduce system memory resource usage a lot.
• The web browser runs faster and has better streaming support than before. Though they can't comment on which particular service they'll support at this point, it will be improved further.
• Though it's technically possible that PS3 charges fees for certain updates, they continue free updates as the basic concept of PS3 is a hardware that evolves with updates.
• Optical discs and media files (including DLNA) are played back through 2 different paths in PS3. Functions such as noise reduction are first implemented in the optical disc player, then some of them are applied to the media player. While an optical disc player only requires an implementation in the range of an official spec, a media player needs a different know-how or sometimes a new algorithm to support files authored by general users with varied encoding settings. The playback quality of AVCHD is currently higher when you open it from a disc or a memory stick than from a file in a folder.
• The main target of mosquito noise reduction is recordings from digital TV. It assumes a use case where a user plays a long MPEG-4 AVC file recorded on a BD. The upconversion in 1.80 was useless for a noisy movie, so noise reduction (not only the specific function of mosquito noise reduction, but also other filters) has been improved in 2.20.
• Though mosquito noise reduction is high on the processing load, the total load is lower than that of the first version of the PS3 BD player or 1.80. In 1.80, it was almost full load when upconverting a DVD, but not now due to optimization. Currently it doesn't reach full load unless it plays back 2 AVC streams in Picture-in-Picture while running high-load BD-Java.
• As for 1080 deinterlacing and DTS-HD MA, "please look forward to them."
• The LTH support took time since they had to test it with a LTH disc recorded with a Sony BD recorder.
• The update schedule is not different from before, basically a large update is once in a quarter. However the next update may be soon because of the PS Store.
• It's recommended to update a PS3 since BD titles with new encryption keys start to appear. Though 1.80 already has the latest key, image quality in the latest firmware is a lot better. An updater for PS3 is also contained in some movie titles. The Blu-ray version of Resident Evil 3 has a 2.10 updater.

 

[betan]

AV Watch has an interview with SCE engineers about 2.20.
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/docs/20080403/rt057.htm

Thanks one, nice find.

Apparently movie studios are satisfied with BD-Live functions in PS3. Its processing speed / graphics rendering is much faster than dedicated players and the performance gap won't get narrower soon.

What about Sony BD player?

The web browser runs faster and has better streaming support than before.

I don't know what support it had before, but strangely streaming support works much worse than the play option of download manager.

An updater for PS3 is also contained in some movie titles. The Blu-ray version of Resident Evil 3 has a 2.10 updater.

Nice feature but a disc effectively containing its decryption key?
It's possibly encrypted but still

 

[Gradthrawn]

AV Watch has an interview with SCE engineers about 2.20.
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/docs/20080403/rt057.htm

Great job one! I was wondering what happened to those interviews they had leading up to and shortly after the PS3's launch. I linked this over at AVS (with credit to you, of course), as the news of DTS MA should please many in that crowd.

 

[patsu]

AV Watch has an interview with SCE engineers about 2.20.
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/docs/20080403/rt057.htm

• 2.20 has neither Managed Copy (w/ transcoding) nor Portable Copy (w/o transcoding, demoed at CES) implemented.
• As for 1080 deinterlacing and DTS-HD MA, "please look forward to them."
• Currently it doesn't reach full load unless it plays back 2 AVC streams in Picture-in-Picture while running high-load BD-Java.

If Sony can deliver all the above, PS3 would be the best AV player on the market. Managed Copy and Portable Copy are top on my wishlist now.

In-game XMB, (in-game ?) web browsing, and small OS footprint would be most welcomed on the gaming side.

 

[Cornsnake]

I hope Sony is going to force developers to implement the in game XMB. They can already allow for in game messaging, but so far only Resistance supports this. Its going to be a useless feature if only a hand full of games support it. Adding in game messaging to all their first party games would be a good start.

 

[-tkf-]

It's recommended to update a PS3 since BD titles with new encryption keys start to appear.

Slysoft "patch" ?

 

[patsu]

Portable Copy and Managed Copy are top in my wishlist right now.

Now this is what I'm talking about

http://www.engadget.com/2008/04/08/sonys-bdz-a70-blu-ray-recorder-with-1-touch-transfer-to-walkman/

(Includes video)

Great, but what's most notable here is the new one-touch video transfer to Sony's PSP, select mobile phones including NTT DoCoMo's FOMA 905i, and video Walkmans like Sony's new NW-A820.

Double up, Sony. It would be way cool if we can copy over USB, WiFi and RemotePlay. ;-)

 

[Dr. Nick]

As for 1080 deinterlacing and DTS-HD MA, "please look forward to them."

Is this only for video or will all games now support 1080i?

 

[Gradthrawn]

Is this only for video or will all games now support 1080i?

Video. BD playback, specifically.