I guess the PlayStation.Blog wasn’t kidding when they said on March 20th that the next PS3 firmware update would be available “in the next few days”. The official announcement press release from Sony mentioned a “late March” release date, though there had been some speculation that the update would come as late as April 8th. That’s the release date for Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story and The 6th Day on Blu-ray Disc, the first movies from Sony Picture Home Entertainment to feature BD-LIVE (a.k.a. Blu-ray Disc Profile 2.0) interactivity.
But Sony has made good on their word, as system software update 2.20 is now available for download through your PS3. In fact, I downloaded and installed the update myself around 11:30 PM EDT on March 24th. It’s a rather substantial one, though it’s pretty much completely aimed at improving the already robust media center capabilities of the console.
Unlike some of the recent smaller updates, Sony has included a list of the major features of the v2.20 software revision, and it appears before you install the update. Because I love Destructoid more than mere words can articulate, I copied the full text off my TV; check it out after the jump, in addition to some of the less notable features that Sony has previously mentioned in their press release and on the PlayStation.Blog.
We’ll bring you any official word from Sony when it comes (the PlayStation.Blog post mentioned some other features that we haven’t yet been notified of). Alright, now I’m going to go back to watching the 4.2-gigabyte 720p HD DVD rip of Serenity that I not-torrented a while back. With this update, the PS3 now recognizes the full file (instead of just the first 2 GB), and it is beautiful. System software updates make me feel like a leaf on the wind…
Main Features Revised in System Software Version 2.20 (text from update)
- Playlists that were created in [Music] and [Photo] can now be copied along with the content they contain to a PSP™ system. You can play the content on the PSP™ system in the order that was set on the PS3™ system.
- BD Profile 2.0 is now supported. With BDs that support BD-LIVE*, you can access Internet content for the BD.
*BD-LIVE is a trademark of the Blu-ray Disc Association.- Resume play* can now be used on a BD or DVD even if the PS3™ system has been turned off or the disc has been ejected. However, there are some discs on which resume play cannot be used.
*A feature for starting playback from the scene where the video was stopped previously.- DivX content that exceeds 2 GB can now be played. Also, subtitles can now be displayed for DivX content.
Other features previously announced by Sony
- “Audio Output Device” will be a new Remote Play setting, enabling PSP to serve as a remote control for music played through PS3 without turning on your TV.
- The Internet browser now displays some web pages faster. In addition [Save Target] has been added as an option under file. This option lets you save a file that is linked to a web page to your PS3 hard drive or storage media.
- PS3 system’s Internet browser will be enhanced: Video files directly linked from a Web page will be able to be streamed, and the browser’s view speed will be improved.
- “Mosquito Noise Reduction” will be added as an AV setting in the control panel of the DVD/BD player for improved movie playback.*
*BD discs recorded with BDMV format are not supported.
