PS3 firmware v2.30 is out: new PS Store and DTS-HD MA now yours for the taking

It's April 15th which means one thing: taxes PS3 firmware 2.30 is due. Right on cue, Sony made good on the new PlayStation Store and DTS-HD Master Audio sound reproduction sure to make audiophile-types lean in for a listen. The Store is acting a bit sluggish at the moment, something that's likely to get sorted once the rolling update is completed. Nevertheless, users are claiming easier navigation and richer experience. So whatcha looking at -- get out of here kid, there's on-line updating to be done.

[Thanks, Paul R., Nathan, and everyone who sent this in]

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 15th 2008 1:50AM]

dts-HD MA decoding works as advertised, only caveat being it seems "New Line" titles with dts-HD MA 7.1 tracks are not being properly output as 7.1 PCM over HDMI, but instead are being seen by A/V receivers as 5.1 PCM. This seems to only apply to dts-HD MA 7.1 titles from New Line, as Oldboy and Doctor Strange seems to output 7.1 from the PS3.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 15th 2008 4:30AM]

I have the onkyo TX-SR705, and it decoded Pan's Laybrinth at 7.1 DTS-HD MA when my PS3 was set to Linear PCM. Of course my reciever say's PCM 7.1 when I press display from the Onkyo remote, when I press the display button from my PS3 BD remote it displays its decoding DTS-HD MA 7.1.

[DrXym Posted Apr 15th 2008 4:32AM]

Can you force 7.1 by excluding 5.1 from the PS3 audio settings? Maybe the disks some kind of ordering issue and are offering 5.1 before 7.1.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 15th 2008 12:58PM]

I having the same issue. I set the PS3 to LPCM 7.1 and my Denon receiver is set to Multi Ch Input...however I'm only getting a 5.1 signal from the Pan's Blu-ray. Have you found a fix to this issue?

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 15th 2008 1:01PM]

I'm having the same issue!!!

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 16th 2008 3:18PM]

F.Y.I. I recently contacted Sony in regards to 7.1 output. Sony indicated that currently, the PS3 does NOT support 7.1 output...only 5.1. It will at some point release a firmware update to output 7.1 audio.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 15th 2008 2:09AM]

Yup, I concur - the update is out. The Store is nice, but at present I get a lot of 'missing icon' ...erm, icons. Also, there is "Super Stardust HD: Solo" expansion pack, a "Lost Planet" trailer and some other stuff. Nothing too stand-out. I'm hoping there is a Thursday update as usual and hopefully something a little more exciting like one or more of the following:


COD4 Map-pack
WipeoutHD
Echo-Chrome
Elefunk
GT5p (for you "johnny come lately's" in the US)

and...

'missing icon' icons

But failing that I guess GTAIV is only round the corner...

[DrXym Posted Apr 15th 2008 4:30AM]

The new store is a vast improvement over the old one but its very slow this morning. Icons are taking a while to appear but they are probably cached after that. It's probably getting clobbered by everyone updating their systems.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 15th 2008 6:39AM]

Sorry about contributing to the clobbering, I'm updating now...

[Galley Posted Apr 15th 2008 7:22AM]

The word on the street is the Super Stardust HD expansion pack is friggin' awesome.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 15th 2008 11:22AM]

An endless wave mode (survival), a bomb only mode, and an easy difficulty are among the new things.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 15th 2008 9:04AM]

Ive always prefered my Xbox but I must say the PS3 has started comming into its own. In the past month or so Ive caught up on some good games and a few new ones and am now happy I bought two of these things(2nd one for the livingroom so that I can watch movies in there).
I hope this update makes the store better. Im at work and must wait until tonight to check it out. It looks better on the web from here.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 15th 2008 9:30AM]

Can anybody speak to the MP4 stuttering problem? Fixed? I'll have to wait until tonight to do the update.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 15th 2008 9:42AM]

I can confirm that this has been fixed.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 15th 2008 11:59AM]

I'm looking forward to updating my system after work! Now all I need is the speakers for my Integra 6.8 to come in so I can listen to DTS-HD MA on something better than my TV SPEAKERS!!!

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 15th 2008 4:16PM]

LOL! Many years ago, before I first got an HDTV, I forced myself to first buy a kick-ass surround sound system with B&W speakers. I knew that if I let myself go for the big screen TV first, it would be a very long time before I caught up on the audio side. Electronics may get outdated regularly, but quality speakers can last virtually forever!

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 15th 2008 5:13PM]

Did a similar thing, but it has been a very slow 4 year process due to buying a house, having a kid, having the wife stay at home, having another kid coming, etc. So I started with my receiver, then Paradigm Reference towers and center channel, eventually Paradigm Reference surrounds, finally got around to the Kuro tv this past New Year's and the PS3. I really wouldn't change a thing because so much has changed with tv's in those four years, but not much at all with speakers. My receiver is starting to feel dated though, since it has no HDMI.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 15th 2008 12:20PM]

I love how the O button now just takes you back a page. So much easier and faster to navigate.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 15th 2008 2:22PM]

Hallelujah ! I just hated the web-based navigation of the PSN store because of this (the O made the system close the browser). It made it severely inconsistent with everything else PlayStation.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 15th 2008 1:45PM]

L1 use to take you back a page

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 15th 2008 1:51PM]

The L1 button use to do that