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PlayStation 3 Update Will Bring Interactive Blu-ray

Jennifer LeClaire, newsfactor.com Fri Mar 21, 11:29 AM ET

Sony on Thursday said the next firmware update for the PlayStation 3 video-game console will add Blu-ray Disc Profile 2.0. The update is due out late this month. Known as BD-Live, the update will offer PS3 players interactive features, such asdownloadable video content, ringtones and games. Beyond BD-Live, the update will make room for photo and music playlists on PS3 to be copied to a PSP handheld device. ADVERTISEMENT

It's all part of Sony's attempts to evolve the PS3 as a home entertainment hub. Regular updates like this one and future-proofed technology make the 10-year life cycle of PS3 possible, according to Scott Steinberg, vice president of product marketing at Sony Computer Entertainment America.

"With Blu-ray established as the high-definition optical disc standard, more consumers are ready to jump in and take advantage of everything the format offers," Steinberg said. "Whether you want to download movie extras, send ringtones to your phone, or play interactive games, BD-LIVE will offer exciting new ways to enjoy a Blu-ray movie."

BD-Live Possibilities

BD-Live offers plenty of possibilities, but Sony said the benefits will vary by movie title. For example, movie studios could deliver bonus scenes, shorts, trailers, subtitles and ringtones that can be sent to mobile phones. On the gaming side, interactive movie-based games can pit players sitting in the same room or across the world.

In conjunction with the firmware update, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment announced two BD-LIVE-enabled titles to be released on April 8 -- Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story and The 6th Day. Both titles will include exclusive downloadable content that goes beyond what is available on the Blu-ray discs, Sony said. These initial releases preview some of the developments that will soon be available from BD-LIVE. Downloading BD Profile 2.0 requires an Internet connection and at least 1GB of storage space.

BD-Live aside, the update aims to enhance the PS3 system's interoperability with the portable PSP system, enabling users to take their favorite music and photo playlists with them. A "resume play" feature lets players start playing a Blu-ray disc or DVD at the point it was stopped, even if the disc was removed. The PS3 system's Internet browser will also be enhanced: Video files from a Web page will be streamed, and the browser's view speed will be improved, Sony said.

Blu-Ray Not a Must-Have

As much as Sony likes to think Blu-ray is a critical factor in a consumer's decision to buy a game console, it's not, according to Yankee Group analyst Mike Goodman. Price and games are what cause people to buy one console versus another, he argued, not Blu-ray.

"In general, Blu-ray is nice to have. It's not a must-have. It's not a selling point. In fact, the problem with all of these features that come along with Blu-ray is they don't really get people excited," Goodman said. "Having interactive video on Blu-ray doesn't wow them."

If 10 percent of the market ever used these features, Goodman continued, that would exceed his expectations. His point is that the aficionados may build a buzz, but they don't make up the mass market. "We rent or buy movies because we want to see the movie," Goodman said, "not because it has an extra."