PS3 firmware 2.10 coming tomorrow, features DivX support
by Ludwig Kietzmann 
{ Dec 17th 2007 at 12:10PM }
Still no in-game XMB news now, with the UK's PlayStation website spilling the bytes on a new PlayStation 3 firmware update. Scheduled for release on December 18th (we're confirming the date with SCEA), Firmware 2.10 joins the Xbox 360's Fall dashboard update in offering support for the pervasive DivX video codec. There are some caveats, however, as files that are copyright-protected, encoded with DivX 3.11 or larger than 2GB in size are not supported.Also added by the update is support for VC-1 (WMV) playback, Type 3 music bitmapping, Blu-ray Profile 1.1 and a "Voice Changer." You know, in case you thought your normal voice wasn't obnoxious enough in the hushed library that is the PS3's online scene.
[Via PS3 Fanboy]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
gonk @ Dec 17th 2007 12:13PM
lame caveats
TheGuy @ Dec 17th 2007 12:27PM
But not as lame as the 360's DivX caveats.
copa @ Dec 17th 2007 12:36PM
What 360 caveats are you referring to?
Crono (NDF - Knight of the Old School) @ Dec 17th 2007 1:10PM
NO Extender support, for one.
Vidikron (FU) @ Dec 17th 2007 1:15PM
I'm not an expert by any means on containers and codecs, but I wonder if these caveats apply to the WMV files? A lot the videos I have are in WMVHD format for streaming to the 360... and, yes, they exceed the 2 GB file size. If they PS3 will now allow me to sctream those files I'll use it instead since the PS3 is quieter than my 360.
copa @ Dec 17th 2007 1:35PM
"NO Extender support, for one"
THAT'S a worse caveat than no Xvid and limited file size support?
So you have to go to the dashboard, and select the movie from the dashboard (served by Windows Media Player), instead of using the Extender UI that you (and not very many other people) normally use.
You know, that's a caveat I can live with in exchange for, well, actually being able to watch my XVid movies.
Trev (Completely Normal Human Defense Force) @ Dec 17th 2007 1:55PM
Did it actually say "No xvid support" or are we just guessing it doesn't have xvid support because it wasn't explicitly stated to be supported?
Unless it was a definite "no" we really won't know whether Xvid is supported until tomorrow. I know it will be the first thing I check.
Vidikron (FU) @ Dec 17th 2007 4:22PM
According to some posts at Engadget the 2GB limit has nothing to do with limition imposed by Sony:
"The 2GB limit is simply an AVI limitation because of RIFF. This is fixed if you can handle ODML avi files. Apparently the PS3 can't."
JAmerican @ Dec 17th 2007 5:24PM
I watched the Condemed (encoded in DivX) on my 360 after the Media Update was installed. No problems. BTW the vid was streaming from my Computer to my 360.
Trev @ Dec 17th 2007 10:42PM
Like I said, it was going to be the first thing I check.
PS3 ALSO PLAYS XVID.
Nick @ Dec 17th 2007 12:17PM
Artificial file size limitations still exist?
kinshadow @ Dec 17th 2007 12:26PM
What, you thought they'd let you stream a Bluray competitor to the PS3?
Bad consumer! Go sit in the corner and eat your low-def videos.
2GB ~= 1.3hrs 720 DivX @ decent bitrate
Its a pain in the ass, but at least TV shows will still work.
Ted @ Dec 17th 2007 12:21PM
Profile 1.1? Awesome!
I mean crap. Now my £200 imported PS3 has more functionality than my £900 Pioneer standalone blu-ray player. Vote me down for being stupid :(
Fernando Rocker @ Dec 17th 2007 12:28PM
The simple fact of having a PS3 makes you look bad.
=)
*Just kidding Ludwig
deaftly @ Dec 17th 2007 12:31PM
know your knot
Ted @ Dec 17th 2007 12:33PM
Well I don't actually have a PS3 :P but I was thinking of buying one. Anyway, the pioneer can also stream content from my PC and the picture quality is amazing. Plus I never use PiP on HD-DVD so it doesn't bother me that much.
So you can stop voting me down on my comment now... ;)
B1gC72 @ Dec 17th 2007 1:50PM
dammit Fernando. not everybody loves their Wii's as much as you. i play my PS3 oodles more than my Wii for example.
Zoesch @ Dec 17th 2007 2:24PM
If one were to judge by his comments, all Fernando does is play with his Wii all day.
Would explain a lot
Easo @ Dec 17th 2007 12:24PM
the copy protection limit is lame, but who really has a 2GB divx file?
Slaziman (B-B-BRUSHED WITH FAAAAME) @ Dec 17th 2007 12:29PM
I dunno, how big is a DVD Movie encoded in DiVX?
Martin @ Dec 17th 2007 12:46PM
About 700MB
Crono (NDF - Knight of the Old School) @ Dec 17th 2007 1:12PM
Maybe at shitty quality its 700 meg. A full resolution with preserved surround sound quickly approaches 2 gig. And your HD-DVD rips are much larger than that.
Lame. Sauce.
h0mi @ Dec 17th 2007 1:22PM
There are HD-DVD rips to divx? All the hd-dvd/blu-ray rips I've seen were matroska, x264 files.
FidliousWong @ Dec 17th 2007 12:33PM
w00t! Legitimate word now...
anyway, lots of these features are nice. DivX is the big one. I have an external hard drive loaded with fansubs, just connect to PS3, booya. Also upgrading to BluRay 1.1 firmware is also nice as it will improve Ratatouie performance.
As for the voice changer, meh. I use voice quite often and it's really nice to be able to play a game without being called every word in Truly Tasteless Jokes Vol 1-4. I just hope no one plays with the changer.
Nate @ Dec 17th 2007 12:52PM
I think the changer would probably be a very nice feature for women who would like to communicate but not be harassed by all the 13 year old boys out there.
I think it's a great set of features, nice that they added WMV support, since a lot of trailers are released in that format.
Go Sony go! Get those updates flowing! :)
FidliousWong @ Dec 17th 2007 2:09PM
I never thought about that. I should have considering one of my ex's used to beat the holy hell out of me on DOA4 and she tried online with my Live account once and I'm watching her play and hearing it all go downhill before she finally unplugs the headset and somehow got pissed off at ME....
Good call on that one. Never thought of that. Then again, is the PS3 voice community anywhere near as condescending and derogatory as Live? I know I haven't experienced this problem except for one Warhawk match.
Chris @ Dec 17th 2007 12:33PM
Didn't 360 already DO this?
B1gC72 @ Dec 17th 2007 2:00PM
yea and your point would be? it was announced first (officially) from Sony but Microsoft got it out first in the fall dashboard update.
J.Goodwin @ Dec 17th 2007 2:25PM
Xbox originally did voice changing.
It's regarded as one of the biggest mistakes that they made with the original Live service, both internally and externally.
Wonderflex @ Dec 17th 2007 12:38PM
Hushed Library? Play CoD4.
RoboChamp @ Dec 17th 2007 1:04PM
Not to mention Warhawk. Or Motorstorm. Or Resistance. Or UT3. Yeah, that's REALLY hushed. *rolls eyes*
Ludwig Kietzmann @ Dec 17th 2007 1:14PM
I know they're not as popular as they used to be, but libraries are quiet, not empty. The PS3's online multiplayer isn't exactly the cacophony of screeching headsets that Xbox Live is, now is it?
B1gC72 @ Dec 17th 2007 2:03PM
so you dont have the massive amounts of 10 years olds constantly questioning your sexual preferences at the top of their lungs all the time on the PS3. i didnt realize that was a bad thing...
d-pad @ Dec 17th 2007 3:34PM
All of those irritating things that you associate with the 360 are really just extra baggage from the growing (and immature) user base.
If PlayStation 3 continues to expand like Sony hopes it does, you can bet your ass that you'll be meeting those kids in the future.
F-Forward @ Dec 17th 2007 12:38PM
The article have been taken down. Was there any details about AC3-sound or such?
Trev @ Dec 17th 2007 10:45PM
AC3 appears to work. The PS3 recognizes it as 5.1 sound, though I do not have mine on a 5.1 system to verify that is actually what's coming out of it. I assume, if it knows how many channels it is, it is also outputting them.
Buck Jones III @ Dec 17th 2007 12:47PM
I read that XVID will not be supported yet. That's the format that most people have access to and use.
Trev (Completely Normal Human Defense Force) @ Dec 17th 2007 1:29PM
I can't make a comment about how a Divx to Xvid ratio, though I'd love to know where you got the info saying its used by 'most people'.
More important than any generalization is whether or not Xvid is actually supported. The uk.playstation.com article is gone, so I can't check, but if it wasn't specifically denied in the article I would imagine both file types are compatible. Xvid is just open-source Divx.
Simple solution: Wait until tomorrow and test it myself. Its a lot more reliable than going by second-hand and possibly mistaken news.
Van Faulk @ Dec 17th 2007 1:06PM
Voice Masking?
Hooray sony! Instead of giving US ingame xmb or custom soundtracks or any of the stuff the 360 has had since launch, you give us a feature MS took out of live because everyone hated it.
Good job. Not At all retarded.
Nate @ Dec 17th 2007 2:17PM
Custom soundtracks are already in there, it's just that the developers have to support it. Look at High Velocity Bowling and the new update to Super Stardust HD. It's in there. Blame the game devs.
As for in-game XMB... you know they're working on it. Would you rather they release nothing until that's done, just to make you feel better? You can't put 1000 developers on the same project and expect it to get done in 1/1000th the time. So some developers are doing other useful things, like bringing us DivX support. Stop bitching and be happy we're getting updates with useful things.
Digi Smalls @ Dec 17th 2007 3:37PM
Nate - it's also OVER TWO YEARS after their competitor came out with in/cross -game messaging built-in out of the gate.
the PS3 came out a year later and is more expensive than the xbox360, and still doesn't have a basic feature they had in 200_5_. technology, hell *competition* isn't supposed to work that way.
being frustated at Sony taking so damn long with in-game XMB is more than justified. its actually offensive for them to expect the consumer being OK with all the waiting. name another brand that would try and pull that off and survive.
.
Van Faulk @ Dec 17th 2007 3:58PM
No they aren't. Unless you can use them, then they aren't here. By your definition, the Wii has custom soundtracks. When we say custom soundtracks, we mean in every game...you know, like the core 360 has been able to since laucnh. And an ingame menu....like the core had in 2005.Hell, sony even showed footage of an in game xmb before the system launched.
I should not have to wait for a feature that came standard in a 'lesser system'. It should be available from the start.
But at least they are workking on important features...like voice masking.
Vidikron (FU) @ Dec 17th 2007 4:07PM
@digi
"name another brand that would try and pull that off and survive."
Nintendo and ANY sort of decent online support?
Anyway, the ability to access messaging in-game would definitely be nice, but I guess it just doesn't bother me as much as other people. I also don't give a shit about custom soundtracks. I don't use that at all on my 360. I find any music I use clashes to much with the action in the game, so I just stick with the in-
game music.
What I'd really like more than anything is the ability to send a voice message... in game or otherwise. Being able to send voice messages on Live is so much more convenient that typing something out. I'd like the same on PSN.
Digi Smalls @ Dec 17th 2007 5:34PM
Vidi, even though you may not agree, i don't put the Wii and the 360/PS3 as competitors in the same market.
The Wii deliberatly chose not to compete in HD and online gaming, two things at their core, that the 360 and PS3 are supposed to be about. at less than half the price of the PS3 at their launch, that pretty much a given. the Wii doesn't even play DVDs, but unlike the 360 and PS3, no one expects it to.
a year after and hundreds of dollars more than the 360, people most certainly expected the PS3 to compete with it. and now, a year after its launch, it still doesn't match its abilities.
.
Konchu @ Dec 17th 2007 8:44PM
Actually Nate the custom soundtrack option that has to be implemented by the developer was the exact same way the original xbox was set up. This and voice flilters and I think I get it now Sony isn't copying the 360 xbox live they are copying the original xbox live.
Now if the voice changing can be done right it still has promise. But really people have proved they are comfortable enough with their annonymousness to make asses of themselves without a filter. Really its only a matter of time the PS3 crowd has some of the same issues the 360 has as more people get the system and get headsets. The lack of a headset in everybox has to at lease detour some of the rampant smack talk.
Vidikron (FU) @ Dec 17th 2007 8:47PM
@Digi
Fair enough. I agree that the Wii is definitely aimed at a different overall audience. I still think they need a better online system than friend codes. Even aimed at a different audience they are eventually going to have to step it up. Pretty much every is "online" these days.
As for the PS3, I do think there is more they need to do, but you should never ignore the fact that the PS3's online is free and the dash isn't covered with ads. It may cost more upfront depending on what model you buy, but you ARE getting a BR player, WiFi, and such. Maybe that stuff isn't used by everyone, but for some it is used and in the end actually makes the PS3 a cheaper option than the 360 if you do plan to use that stuff. And, again, online is free. So your complaint that it should have all that just because it MIGHT be more expensive up front really doesn't hold much water.
Digi Smalls @ Dec 17th 2007 9:25PM
Vidi, an argument with so many "ifs" is what doesn't hold much water.
PSN is free because it has to be. it doesn't have near the features XBL does, not even a headset (did you include that in your cost breakdown?). it simply can't compete on features much less command a cost.
the BR player argument has been brought up to death, but i will say this, at least online gaming has to do with gaming. despite what Sony told us, as yet, BR has barely mattered for gaming, (certainly a lot less than XBL has mattered) - the oft mentioned PSN enabled WarHawk almost fits on a a CD.
.
Steve @ Dec 17th 2007 1:30PM
"NO Extender support, for one."
That's funny considering I've been streaming content from my computer to my 360 for over a year now.
Have seat moron. That or gou buy a REAL console.
why not the LS2/LS7? @ Dec 17th 2007 1:40PM
He's right. None of the "new" formats (like DivX/Xvid/H.264) are supported when used as a Windows Media Extender.
Nate @ Dec 17th 2007 2:20PM
The PS3 uses an open standard for media streaming called DLNA. It's had streaming from PCs (and Linux and Macs) since the beginning. So stuff it. The great thing about the PS3's streaming is that it DOESN'T require Windows Media Center, Windows Vista, or anything else with Win in the name.