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 that month. Known as BD-Live, the update will offer PS3 players interactive features, such as
downloadable video composition, ringtones and games. Beyond BD-Live, the update will construct room for photo and music playlists on PS3 to be copied to a PSP handheld device.

It’s all part of Sony’s attempts to evolve the PS3 as a home entertainment hub. Regular updates like that one and future-proofed technology manufacture 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 composition 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 Net connection and at least 1GB of storage space.

BD-Live aside,…

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