PS3 update adds Vista media streaming and more

by Steve O'Hear

May 24th, 2007 | Posted in Net TV | Comments

Sony PS3 Sony’s PS3 has joined the ranks of the AppleTV, XBox 360, and numerous media extenders from companies such as Linksys and Netgear, in trying to solve the “last 100 feet” problem. A new firmware update to Sony’s next generation game console adds media extender capabilities, so that content stored on a Vista compatible PC (or any DLNA-supported device, including Macs) can be streamed to the PS3.

According to the release, the update also enables:

Upscaling of PlayStation / PlayStation 2 games and DVD movies up to a full 1080p when viewed on a compatible HDTV set.
Access to PS3 stored media from a PSP via the Internet (not just a local WiFi network).
Printing of digital photos stored on a PS3s hard drive or inserted storage media. Currently, select Epson printers connected via USB are compatible. In addition, users will find a new type of slideshow for displaying photos, zoom functionality and the option to crop images.

Pretty impressive stuff, especially accessing PS3 content from a PSP connected to the net. Welcome to the last100 Sony!

last100 is edited by technology journalist and consultant Steve O'Hear. Aside from founding last100, Steve has written for numerous publications, including The Guardian, ZDNet, ReadWriteWeb and Macworld, and also wrote and directed the Silicon Valley documentary, In Search of the Valley.

Francis

The use of "extender" is confusing here. This update gives PS3 new Digital Media Receiver capabilities but for example does not support Media Center Extender functionality like XBOX 360 does.