Firmware 2.30 expands PS3 Blu-ray feature set, introduces new storefront

(beyond3d) -- Firmware 2.30 has been released for the PS3, bringing with it heavily anticipated support for DTS-HD MA audio decoding in Blu-ray films. Long viewed by A/V enthusiasts as the most conspicuous absence in the PlayStation's media capabilities, DTS-HD MA is a lossless audio codec compressed through a variable bit-rate scheme for significant savings to both bandwidth and disc space when compared to the original linear PCM. As several popular Fox and New Line films have made use of this codec in order to present their audio tracks, PS3 support for the format has been sought by audiophilic owners of the console since roughly the launch of the system. Similarly to how Dolby TrueHD is handled by the PS3, DTS-HD MA is now de-compressed internally via Cell and output as LPCM through the HDMI connection. full story