PS3 1.54 Update Available (1 Viewer)

[CRyan]

Firmware 1.6 will be coming on the 22nd.

1. Background downloading
2. PSP interactivity can now work through a wireless point in the home instead of directly to the PS3
3. Full size keyboard instead of the cell phone style entry for the web browser.
4. folding@home for protein folding research while you are not using the PS3.

Supposedly there is more but this is all that is being reported now.

 

[Greg.K]

I didn't think DVD upscaling would make it to 1.6.

Background downloading will be great though.

 

[CRyan]

Unfortunately, it looks like background downloading will only be available while in the store and possible the XMB. Reports are saying downloading will stop during gameplay or movie playback only to resume after you return to the XMB.

 

[RAF]

Thanks for the heads up on this. The last thing I want to do is waste time talking to a "tech" person who doesn't have a grasp on the problem and a possible solution. And I can't see myself sending in the PS3 for a re-furb that doesn't do anything to solve the problem. It sounds like these phone people are reading off a "steps to take" list when confronted with the freeze issue and that's their level of technical expertise.

Clearly, my opinion of my PS3 as a Blu-ray player has gone from "exceptional" to "unacceptable" ever since Firmware version 1.5x came out. I never, ever, had any discs freeze up on me during the first three months of operation and now it's a regular occurence. And, for the record, I've had wireless connected from Day One so the only thing that could possibly be causing some weird relationship between Blu-ray discs freezing and the state of my wireless connection would be a firmware upgrade. To me turning off the wireless connection when playing movies isn't a solution (even if this were to work). It's a workaround and, in my opinion, two wrongs don't make a right.

Let's hope that v1.6 addresses this most important issue of movies freezing. It's happening to too many people to be a coincidence and at a time when Sony has made so many BR launch missteps they certainly don't need another one.

 

[CRyan]

Well, it is very frustrating to say the least. But I would call to voice the concern. Who knows how many people have done this. And I wonder if they have been called back when given solutions have not worked -like the one you posted above.

The really frustrating part is they may be getting units back in and not able to reproduce the problem. And even for us, when on the phone, it is not readily reproducable.

Like yesterday, I made it through two movies without a problem, then the third movie paused twice for about 15 seconds each.

Luckily, I have to the end of the week to return this thing if it is not corrected with this BIG 1.6 update.

 

[Carlo_M]

RAF, I do wholeheartedly agree, but just out of curiosity, have you tried it?

If I were getting the stuttering/freezing I'd be willing to try anything, even if it is a KLUGE workaround.

But I do agree that Sony needs to fix this with a firmware update ASAP.

 

[CRyan]

Mr. Fowkes may not agree with me, but it is my opinion having to turn off wireless is a bigger hassle than dealing with the freezing issue. I am not lazy, it is just a matter of it working as expected.

I have tried it - it does work for me as well - I am pretty assured it does indeed make the freezing stop for all PS3 wireless users.

At least to me, it is a matter of one of the primary features of this device being defectinve, Sony will not admit it on the phone or in print, and we have no idea if they are planning to fix it.

I feel positive that it will be fixed (for now) but we have no idea when. Dont get me wrong, I have just learned one of the problems with getting a gaming device to play movies. If this was a standalone unit issue, they would have no choice but to address - We on the other hand are having the problem brushed under the rug for the moment.

 

[Greg.K]

Hopefully the reported 1.6 update on Thursday will resolve this issue for good.

But, I don't for one minute think Sony is ignoring this because it's a game machine, they certainly understand the importance of the PS3 as a movie player. From what I've read, every single standalone player on both the HD and BD sides has had problems, some serious, that required firmware updates, and some have taken months to get resolved. On the game console side, the 360 had major problems at release (red ring of death) that make these PS3 glitches look like nothing. All of this is part of being an early adopter, IMO.

 

[CRyan]

Agreed. My point about Sony ignoring the issue is because no one over there will admit it - We have no way of knowing if they are dealing with it.

But I do agree with the early adopter part of it - I just want to know they are working on it. Usually, in the other cases you have mentioned, I got the impression that the CS lines were are at least admitting a problem and movgin forward. Here it seems no one knows.

 

[PerryD]

Turning on and off the wireless connection isn't too big of a deal, you'd have to be really into online gaming to be annoyed by it. I leave it off by default now, and every few days, I'll reconnect, download a few demos and trailers, and then disconnect. In between I'm finally able to watch glitch free blu-ray movies.

Although I'd rather it work correctly, I'm happy for the easy workaround. Contrast this with the my HD-A1 HD-DVD player which random freezes/stutters/lip sync problems drive me crazy, embarrasses me in front of my friends and family, and so far there is nothing I can do about it that won't cost me a fortune.

 

[DeanWG]

I agree with you 100%. It certainly is a flaw that needs to be corrected, but I'm certainly not going to downgrade my experience of watching a movie for the sake of a few measley seconds. Having been to other peoples places to watch some HD-DVDs, the time it takes to disable the PS3 internet connection and play a Blu-Ray disc is STILL quicker than other systems from start to finish.

 

[RAF]

I fully intend to disable the internet connection the next time I watch a BR movie (Casino Royale is next up in the queue.) This will let me know if this workaround is effective (and I'm guessing that it probably will be since others here have reported success). Besides, it only involves a bit of menu surfing to turn the Internet connection on or off.

But, as you probably have realized from my previous posts, I consider this a temporary solution and not something that we should accept as a final one. If this drags on for some time then I will probably leave the wireless in the "on" position most of the time because the freezing is a minor annoyance and I do use some of the online features on a daily basis (I'm a Sudoku addict). However, rest assured that I would always turn the wireless off if guests were present because it really would be an obvious flaw in the PS3's ability as an HD disc player.

Yes, it does seem that every HD player out there has its quirks. I currently have three players - my BR PS3, my original Toshiba XA-1 HD-DVD, and my XBox360 HD-DVD add-on. The XBox360 lacks HDMI (so no HD Audio codecs), the XA-1 is agonizingly slow to load/change/react and the PS3, up until this first glitch, has been the best of the lot in terms of operational performance. Since it was a firmware update that caused this problem as far as I can tell then it will probably be an additional firmware update that will cure it - at least I hope so. That's the nature of FW upgrades - they fix something only to affect something else. Because of the quick turnaround time between FW updates the early adopters become the beta testers.

Don't you all love the bleeding edge?

 

[Harpozep]

I just got a PS3 and played Casino Royale as the test disc. The movie played fine until 1:59 min at which point the picture froze, the sound stopped, so I went and checked what was going on and the counter was still advancing. Very weird.
All froze up, so I powered the unit down and it worked fine right through that same spot and did not freeze again on the movie. However when playing an extra, the unit again froze.
The disc was brand new and looked fine.

The wireless network was not turned on either.
Unacceptable! I brought the unit back and never even looked at what firmware it had. The thing runs hot and froze up. Piece of garbage.

Ok, now that I called it a piece of garbage, I'll admit to exchanging it for another then putting in the newest firmware ( 1.6 ) and watching Kingdom of Heaven for 1/2 hour and having no problems. This was at 3AM this morning, so tonight I'll give it go and play through a couple of movies.
I have the PS3 wired ethernet to the internet, not wireless as I still have not turned it on.
I am having problems getting the dedicated remote to be addressed as a bluetooth device though.

I really want this thing to work out. I do not want to be playing beta tester for the rest of my life, but likely am when buying first gen products. At least the firmware updates are coming quickly. As to whether they really address problems or cause more waits to be seen.

Do they all run real hot? This seems like a bad thing. Too much heat is the enemy of stable electronics.

 

[Romar Armas]

It has a 380W PSU for a reason. I have it inside my Entertainment Unit and it gets really hot. I tried the Folding@Home and left it on for 4 hours. Don't think I'll be using that program ever again. The system just gets way too hot.