PS3 gets v2.20 update – BD-Live makes it best Blu-ray player
Sony has now released the latest Playstation 3 firmware update as promised last week. The upshot of the v2.20 download is that the PS3 is now the most powerful Blu-ray player currently on the market.
The decision by Sony to include a Blu-ray drive in the Playstation 3 from launch was ridiculed by many. But with the death of HD DVD, and the emergence of Blu-ray as the current high definition format of choice, that decision seems like a brilliant one.
It has meant that the Playstation 3 has sold not only as a dedicated high powered games console, but also as a cheap Blu-ray player. That advantage now looks to have grown even larger by the new v2.20 firmware update meaning BD-Live is now a reality.
The Blu-ray Disc Profile 2.0, or BD-Live as it’s commonly referred to, means that Blu-ray discs released with additional Web based content can now use the Internet to download that content, as well as a host of other special features.
The reason that the PS3 is the first Blu-ray player to be equipped with BD-Live is that it’s currently the only one capable of being upgraded via the Internet to take advantage of this added functionality.
There are some rumoured features of v2.20 that haven’t made it to the final release, including the ability to support ‘Portable Copy’, a feature which would have allowed you to copy a movie over to the PSP console.
But what has made it means that the Playstation 3 has further upped its claim to be the number one Blu-ray player in the world.
Tony Cripps of analyst firm Ovum told Web User of his views on the upgrade:
“Firmware upgrades clearly provide scope for incremental improvements on top of this and Sony is to be applauded for delivering these at no cost to the end user,”
“This will put major pricing pressure on manufacturers of standalone Blu-ray players, including Sony itself, as consumers turn to the PS3 to meet their movie as well as gaming requirements. As such its viability as an entertainment hub is greatly increased.”
The Playstation 3 is rapidly turning in to the all encompassing entertainment hub that Sony originally envisioned. It may not have sold in quite the expected quantities so far, but these new features will certainly do no harm.
Although it’s a Blu-ray player at the higher end of the price bracket, when you realise that you’re also getting the most powerful games console in the world thrown in for free, the PS3 becomes a very tasty proposition.
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March 25th, 2008
the ps3’s power is in theory and not realworld applications. this is why ps3 games look/play inferior than the 360 counterparts. this is bad news for bluray as early adopters won’t buy a ps3 for bluray, leaving the question: why pay the extra money for a standalone player when a toy does more? videophiles won’t migrate to the ps3. Tony is a tool. The pressure for sony to reduce pricing isn’t there as PROVEN by sony’s price INCREASE on br players after hd dvd bowed out. Keep the hype alive, because that’s really all sony has.
March 25th, 2008
@me, first of all, what does any of your F.U.D have to do with this? secondly, who the hell is Tony?, and finally, how much does MS pay you?
March 25th, 2008
oh and more thing, folding@home says your first sentence is false
March 25th, 2008
Well caught, Moustachio!
PS3s make up just 15% of the machines contributing to Folding@home distributed supercomputing project, but provide over 80% of the projects computing power. Not theoretical, but ACTUAL computing power. Have a look for yourself: http://fah-web.stanford.edu/cgi-bin/main.py?qtype=osstats
PS3 games looking / playing inferior to Microsofts? You must be joking! (or more likely, FUDding)
Its amazing how every fact about Sony / Apple / IBM / SUN / whatever product is immediately countered by FUD from a Microsoft evangelist.
@me, do they pay you, or do you do it out of ‘charity’?
March 26th, 2008
the “power” of the ps3 is not optimized for gaming. that’s the point. “folding at home” is great, but useless for gaming and thus useless a base of “power” comparisons in gaming applications. pull you heads out of sony’s asses long enough to see reality. the fact is the 360 is the better gaming machine. better architecture, better gpu and better/more memory. congrats on the “folding at home”. sounds like real party having friends over for stimulating round of “foling at home”. lol. get a grip fanboys. until the ps3 starts showing the “power” it’s all in theory. so far, nothing on the ps3 has shown anything worth the $600 sony was charging for it. heck, even game reviews of multiplat games almost always have the 360 having the “superior version”. if the ps3’s “power” was really there, this wouldn’t be happening. btw; i hate MS. can’t stand Vista and want to kick Gates in the junk for even releasing Windows ME. it’s got nothing to do with being an ms evangelist. i just know which is the better gaming machine. Given the huge lead the 360 has over the ps3, apparently the public also knows which is better. oooo…that’s gotta hurt…
March 26th, 2008
nice try “me” but you still fail, take your FUD elsewhere, there are people with brains here and you won’t be fooling anyone with your lies, BTW, Uncharted called, said you don’t know shit about the PS3. FUCK YOU FUD MONGERER
March 27th, 2008
moust- the “people with brains” must be someone else other than you, given your writing ability. you know, if the ps3 was really as great as you make it out to be you’d be playing it instead of hyping it. D’OH!! It’s funny you address none of the facts i addressed and instead chose personal insults. I guess that’s all you ps3 fanboys have when the facts are all in.
March 28th, 2008
‘me’ why be one of those idiots that come onto a specific forum or blog with a load of technical crap and try and put down the very item it was intended for?
Yes I have a PS3 and think it has been an excellent purchase as an all round media centre. I’ve played Bly-Ray on it, connected my mobile phone to it to download my photos, mp3s, memory sticks, a multitude of external peripherals such as bluetooth keyboard and mouse. The Wifi capabilities have been great out of the box – in fact better than on my pc.
Gaming has been fantastic.
The only downsides are the 40gb hard drive size – which is upgradeable! The web browser needs a couple of flash updates.
I’m not going to spend my time going onto XBOX 360 forums slating the 360 because I prefer one over the other. So please stop trying to look down your judgmental brow and go somewhere else! Perhaps get a life!
April 10th, 2008
thank u