Though we suspect this is totally normal judging by the fact that not all HD flicks available via Apple TV have 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound, it is a wee bit disappointing. One particular tipster wrote in to express his frustration with Sony's recently launched PlayStation Video Store, noting that his HD movie rental featured only stereo sound. When contacting Sony on the matter, a Store specialist informed him that no refunds were allowed and there was no way to determine how audio was packaged prior to downloading. So yeah, if multi-channel audio is paramount, you may want to think twice about emptying your wallet in the PS Store.

The long delay until Sony launched its video download service (actually more like a few hours), is over. HD and SD rentals, and SD purchases from an assortment of movie studios is now available in the Playstation Store by selecting the video button at the top left. Need to know what's available in your region but aren't near your PS3? Check out the website for a list of what awaits.

[Via PS3 Fanboy]

We're not entirely sure how large the market for this peculiar PlayStation 3 add-on actually is, but the Mad Catz cooling fan / 3-port HDMI switch has just been reviewed by the kids over at IGN. Essentially, this thing snaps on and bulks up your PS3, adding in a noisy, likely ineffective duo of fans while providing a trio of HDMI / Toslink optical digital audio inputs. For all intents and purposes, the device performed just like any other HDMI system selector, with no noticeable degradation and full support for HDCP / 1080p. Furthermore, you'll find a bundled remote that can control DVD and Blu-ray playback on your console, and there's even a few cables thrown in to make you believe this thing is really worth the $79.99 asking price. According to this writeup, it's not a bad deal for those in need, but be sure to read the article in full before doing the deed.

For those feeling too locked down by Xbox Live and Apple TV's restrictive DRM policies, there is a ray of hope, as the LA Times notes the PlayStation 3's yet-to-debut but still due in '08 online video service could be based on "open standards" with an eye towards multiple device compatibility. Sony might not usually be the name we'd associate with relaxed copy protection, but with several standard (Bluetooth, SATA, DivX etc.) technologies already finding a home on the PS3, we're cautiously optimistic. Now, Sony, tell us what we want to hear about all HD downloads and background transcoding for copy to portables.

[Via PS3 Fanboy]

It doesn't seem like those Sony firmware engineers will be a getting a break any time soon. With the PlayStation 3's v2.30 firmware and its DTS-HD MA / PS store upgrades barely settled Sony Senior VP Peter Dille jumped on the official PlayStation blog to let us know what the rest of 2008 has in store. In-game XMB? On the way this year, along with a video service that "separates the service from others you've seen or used...to give you the TV, movies and gaming content you want," and expanded community features. Also in store are PlayStation Cards (in $20 and $50 denominations) for the credit card-less among us. The four pillars of Sony's plan (community, free online gaming, digital media download services, and original content) hint towards the reasons we won't let the shiny beast get quite as dusty this year.

[Via PS3 Fanboy]

AV Watch scored an interview with some of the engineers behind the frequent PlayStation 3 updates -- most recently adding BD-Live in 2.20 -- and uncovered details on what's been going on under the hood so far, as well as what to expect in the future. 1080 deinterlacing and DTS-HD MA support are definitely in the works, although no date is given. A possible answer why it's not there yet, is the indication that the just implemented mosquito noise reduction on MPEG-4 AVC videos uses less processing power than the original version of BD player software, which used 100% of resources for DVD upconversion, but now only maxes out on PiP streams with BD-Java running. For best PQ, play your digital files from disc or USB stick instead of DLNA, since they are currently processed differently. Otherwise, we can expect future updates quarterly, and for those beyond the reach of the net, updates are also packed onto discs, like the Resident Evil flick with 2.10 firmware on it. Check out Beyond3D for more highlights and see if all your most burning questions have been answered.

[Via PS3 Fanboy & Beyond3D, thanks Isaac]

Get your software update on kids, Sony's latest firmware is available now for your Sony PS3 and PSP rigs. While the PSP pulls a minor 0.01 update offering a boost in both security and playable network titles under [Game], the real sauce comes by way of firmware 1.90 for the PS3. Custom photo wallpapers for the XMB, messaging emoticons, AVCHD video playback direct from Memory Stick or camcorder, DMB sorting of hard drive-based games, upscaled CD audio over HDMI or digital optical outs, and a new forced 1080p24 HDMI output for Blu-ray films. Best of all perhaps, is the new "eject disc" option from the controller to keep your lazy meat sack planted on the couch just that much longer.

[Via Joystiq]

Hot on the heels of an 80GB Korean-bound (and US, too?) PlayStation 3 comes news that Sony is planning on seriously upping the abilities of the PS3 with a forthcoming firmware update. Compared to minor changes that have occurred in the past, this one looks to be fairly substantial, so we'll cut to the chase and give you the skinny. First off, firmware v1.80 will enable "upscaling of PlayStation / PlayStation 2 games and DVD movies up to a full 1080p when viewed on a compatible HDTV set." Of course, that "up to" bit frightens us a bit, but we'll take any progress we can get. Moving on, PSP users will enjoy Remote Play on their PSP across the internet, which will allow them to "access their PS3 anywhere in the world where a broadband internet connection is available." Additionally, owners can now view multimedia stored on a DLNA-enabled media center PC "seamlessly," and there will even be an option to print images stored on the console's HDD or inserted media to a "selection of Epson printers." The tough news, however, is that this attractive update won't be available until May 24th, so go dig up that original Twisted Metal disc in the meantime so you're ready to rock when the time comes.

[Via PS3Fanboy]

Sony's semiconductor subsidiary recently announced an increase in blue-violet laser diode production, with a monthly capacity of 1.7 million, and capability to produce up to five million with future upgrades. In June the diodes are expected to cost around $8 per diode in bulk, as compared to a price of $125 per drive (including the diode and other parts) when they came onto the market last year. Analysts predict that the lower cost of materials will likely drive manufacturers of blue-laser products to lower their own prices, with the PlayStation 3 benefiting from this reduction by allowing Sony to reduce the price, possibly even lower than $499, to be very competitive with the Xbox 360 Elite model. Of course, Toshiba could also theoretically take advantage of similar cost savings to reduce the price of their own HD DVD players. Perhaps that Wal-mart player isn't such a far-fetched idea after all.

We already heard the Blu-ray Disc Association's opinion on the status of the format war and now we can look forward to Sony's marketing campaign pounding a single point home: The format war is over, Blu-ray has won, it's safe to get behind one high definition format. Forgetting for a moment that Universal Studios has not switched to supporting Blu-ray and the current availability of a dual-format player, the company is buoyed by the growing installed base of its PlayStation 3 console and a rising tide of Blu-ray disc sales. VideoBusiness reports HD DVD sales remain steady, and among standalone players still holds a slight lead in numbers. Still, there are a lot of buyers unwilling to buy into either camp and risk ending up with the equivalent of a Beta tape player. Is the format war over yet? Not really, but if Sony manages to convince consumers that it is then it becomes -- they hope -- a self fulfilling prophecy.

We think the Playstation 3 seems nice, but the fact is it costs a lot and lack of HDMI on the cheaper model is a severe buzzkill to anyone looking to get this as a "cheap" Blu-ray player. Apparently, Sony agrees because they've announced a 20% price cut for the low-end 20GB model -- only in Japan so far -- and added HDMI 1.3 as well. You read that right, all Playstation 3 consoles will come with digital video outputs (we suppose asking for a cable too would be out of line?). Adding features and cutting prices is something we can't really argue with, although glass half-empty individuals could see this as more incentive for studios to possibly introduce ICT in the future, since digital output is now standard on the PS3. They've also been taking shots at Microsoft's 1080p support and showing off several games (Ridge Racer 7, Gran Turismo HD, Virtua Tennis 3 and Mobile Suit Gundam) running 1080p natively at 60 frames per second, despite some saying we wouldn't see that many this soon. Now all we need is a US price drop and we'll forget all about how Sony is ignoring our European friends this year.

Sony's upcoming high end home theater receiver, the STR-DA5200ES features HDMI connections, 7.1 audio, video upconversion and everything else you would expect, will share something borrowed from the PSP. No, it's not a UMD-slot, it's the crossbar-style menu that will also be in use on the Playstation 3. You'll be able to access the menu as an overlay while still playing HD video playing behind it, picture-in-picture, and possibly be able to set up your A/V system without an engineering degree. This might be a bigger revolution in home theater than the Nintendo Wii controller is to gaming, a truly user-friendly UI would be a rare boon for users with complex systems. They'll be showing off this and many other components at CEDIA next week, if they really do have an interface that anyone can use the next challenge will be keeping your family away from it so they don't mess it up.

In advance of their press conference tomorrow at the IFA in Berlin, the Blu-ray Disc Association was showing off their wares in Japan. They're promising 75 Blu-ray titles by year end, a few dual layer 50GB discs, the debut of h.264, you know the drill. Interestingly, the Japanese will be getting Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl this year while Disney's Buena Vista leaves the US with Paul Walker. They had a real Playstation 3 in attendance playing back high bit-rate encoded Blu-ray discs, although all we've seen is pics of the very PS2-reminiscent menu. Also on hand were other companies releasing Blu-ray products soon, mostly showing the same preview units we've seen since CES. Basically the theme was all is well, Blu-ray is on track, PS3, dual-layer and BD-J are coming, stay the course.

Read - PS3 BD-ROM Playback Demonstration - Impress
Read - Blu-ray camp to offer 75 software titles in Japan - Reuters
Read - Blu-ray disc simultaneous announcement - Impress

We're not quite sure what is so HD about 480p upconverted DVDs, but Xploder has followed up its HDTV Game Player for PS2 announcement with the the HDTV Movie Player for PS2. While we took the news that a set of component cables and a memory card setting could suddenly improve the resolution of your Playstation 2 games beyond their original capabilities with a grain of salt, this is even more confusing. Every Playstation 2 since the SPCH-50000 revision three years ago is capable of progressive scan 480p DVD playback when equipped with component cables already. That makes this product totally unnecessary for many owners, and of course we have to question if it will work properly with older model PS2's that didn't support 480p for movies, only for gaming.

I remember trading in my PS2 immediately in 2003 when the SPCH-5000 came out for progressive scan DVD support, you can check the model # to see if yours is supported, or just look at the front. If it is missing the FireWire port you should be all set for 480p with the right cables and a change of a setting. With all the attention the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 are giving to the HD Era, this may be an unfortunate grab to turn some of that attention into sales of unneeded stopgap hardware.

After losing money in the same period a year ago, Sony outperformed analysts expectations in the April-June period and profited $276 million US. LCD sales of their BRAVIA line were up "five-fold" from last year, as their partnership with Samsung netted more than $29 million by itself. According to CFO Nobuyuki Oneda TVs were still in the red as a whole but were the largest contributing factor to their growth. Even including expected costs associated with launching the Playstation 3 this fall (Blu-ray format, the BDP-S1 and other non-Playstation products went notably unmentioned in the articles and internal documents we read ), they revised their operating profits forecast by 30% for the financial year ending next March.

After a string of bad news, reviews and delays Sony may be ready to get back on a winning track and their big products for the holiday are still waiting in the wings.

Read - Sony Returns to Profit in Fiscal 1Q - AP
Read - Sony Game Sales Down 30% - Next Generation
Read - Sony swings to Q1 profit, recovery on track - Reuters
Read - Q1 FY2006 Sony Group Earnings Announcement - Sony