14 DAY TRIAL // After the recent firmware update for the Sony PSP the console manufacturer has released details regarding the soon to be implemented 2.20 firmware update for the PlayStation 3.
The main change, as Sony stated, is that the gaming console will receive support for the Blu-ray Disc Profile 2.0's BD Live on-line interaction technology. Even if it sounds like something awfully complicated the BD Live technology is pretty straight forward in what it does. It allows people that create Blu-ray disks to put links to downloadable content in the material on the disks. These can then be accessed from within the disc's user interface without other interaction.
By adding network awareness to the format's existing interactivity features it makes it possible to get a disk, watch a movie that was on the disk, read some text and then go directly on-line to play a casual game associated with the disk and the material on it. It actually streamlines the user experience with the Blu-ray disks.
Another added feature will be an option or Blu-ray disks to be paused, meaning that they can be watched up to a certain point, then taken out of the drive and then put back in to resume playback from the Pause point rather than starting over from the beginning.
The PSP to PS3 link gets a few goodies as well. Users will be able to stream content, like pictures and music, from the bigger console to the PSP. And Portable will also become a remote control and a remote speaker for the PS3.
Apart from these more important changes Sony promises a new noise reduction setting, called "Mosquito Noise Reduction" and a better integrated browsing experience, especially when it comes to video files.
The release date was earlier set for early April, but Sony now seems to be ready for a late March release date for PS3 firmware 2.20.