PS3 Will Get DTS HD Master Audio in Update 2.30
 

http://blog.us.playstation.com/2008/...#comment-53258

Blog is from Eric Lempel, Director of Playstation Network Operations.

The video clip says the update happens on 4/17.

2.30 also reveals the revamped PS3 store.

the updates keep coming for the PS3. I just want an update to make it region free which wont happen.

That is awesome! I think the AvP series might be the first that I test it out with.

Is this decoding or just streaming?

I thought it was assumed that the PS3 would decode DTS HD MA and the receiver would output via MC-PCM.

Very cool, guess this will make the PS3 THE Blu Ray player until something more affordable comes around. Glad they're changing that online store too, I wasn't a fan of the layout. Just hope the new version is better.

Nice! This makes the PS3 officially the best Blu-ray player on the market.

And this update is needed more than ever with not only Fox but also New Line, Lion's Gate, and Image(at least as far as Short Circuit is concerned) all on the DTS HD-MA bandwagon.

Good. I feel bad for Panasonic, Samsung, Sharp and any other Blu-ray CE that plans on making players. Why buy that when you can get a PS3 and it does everything?

I'm pretty sure it'd have to be decoding -- I don't think the version of HDMI that the PS3 is using is capable of bitstreaming.

I'm very happy to hear this bit of news.

Well, in my case, I prefer standalone players, which is why I have my Panasonic. I'm sure there are others who prefer dedicated set-top players. But, I am surprised the DTS feature is being added to the PS3 before a standalone arrives with it. I thought they would wait, just as sort of a courtesy.

well, it doesn't do everything. it doesn't (and apparently won't ever) stream the advanced audio codecs. it also doesn't have 5.1 analog outs. those things are important to some people.

not to me though - i love my PS3!

this is GREAT news! :)

It's also cool that the DTS HD codec is included in this upgrade, not just the DTS HD-MA

This is confusing to me though. I thought the PS3 WAS decoding the lossy DTS HD codec this entire time. Isn't it just a high bitrate DTS track like some regular DVDs have?

I'm just curious: how is the PS3 not "standalone"? I mean, it hooks up to a display and audio processor the same as any other player.

Is it just form factor?

What does it matter if it has features you don't need/want if you don't use them?

that's what I thought as well...guess not

Quick, somebody suggest to me a good HDMI receiver that'll support this. $300 and under (negotiable).

I have other issues with the PS3 that prevents me from wanting to use it as a player. I HATE, HATE, HATE slot loading devices. I have tried out 4-5 different PS3s over the course of a year and all have left markings on my discs after they have been ejected. This similar issue was mentioned in a HD Digest thread. I have never figured out what the cause was. But it bothered me enough to go buy the Panasonic BD30 and I couldn't be happier.

I'd rather have a machine that does 1 thing, play movies. I don't like all-in-one machines. My Harmony remote is useless with the PS3 due to bluetooth.

I just don't get the argument. If it's the best on the market at playing movies, what does it matter that it does other things?

I get the BT argument and that does suck, but it's not a fault of the BR player - it's a shitty decision by the manufacturer. Plus there are ways around that issue. So the Harmony isn't useless, it just needs the PS3 to be augmented.

Slot loading is, again, a shitty design decision - meant to be "cool" and "hip" versus archaic trays. Does it really change the usability of the thing? I haven't heard any stories of discs being mishandled by the slot loader. (Edit: I see you updated your post while I was writing mine with more info about this issue. That makes sense.)

I guess I'll never understand because the issues I read don't amount to much of anything to me.

I'm a fan of my past couple of Harmon Kardon receivers, and although I don't have this particular model (I'm using the AVR-247), their AVR-146 should do what you had in mind:

Refurb for $228
New for $250

Should be fun to do some A-B testing between the BD30's bitstreaming and the PS3's internal decoding.

Great news for PS3 owners.

Looks pretty decent for the price, only two HDMI ins make me a little hesitant.

It's now official: the PS3 is the second-best human invention of all time, after the wheel.

I have never had an issue/problem with the slot loading on my PS3.

Also not a fan of the slot loading. It's fine for BD movies and PS3 games since they have the scratch resistance, but I'd be hesitant about putting DVD's and PS2 games in there.

On the bluetooth thing, while it definitely makes the PS3 the "odd man out", IMO IR is old tech that needs to go away. Line of sight can be a pain in the ass with IR and my Harmony - I have to make sure the controller is pointing just so or I won't get everything to turn on at once, since the IR receiver on my display is 7 feet to the right of my component rack.

If all devices eventually use BT or some other non-line of sight protocol, that would be awesome.

I actually like the slot loading..is BR has that magical scratch resistant coating it shouldn't matter anyway. My XA2 handles DVDs just fine.

I'm confused about this... Will my SS2000 Somy HTIB be able to handle the DTS MA? Decoding and bitstreamimg this is confusing.