Starting on April 1st, with the PlayStation 3 firmware update v3.21, Sony will kill off the “Other OS” feature which had given “fat” PS3 owners the ability to install Linux on a second partition.
Patrick Seybold, Sr. Director, Corporate Communications & Social Media says the move was made “due to security concerns.”
Seybold says the update is optional but if users choose not to update they will lose:
* Ability to sign in to PlayStation Network and use network features that require signing in to PlayStation Network, such as online features of PS3 games and chat
* Playback of PS3 software titles or Blu-ray Disc videos that require PS3 system software version 3.21 or later
* Playback of copyright-protected videos that are stored on a media server (when DTCP-IP is enabled under Settings)
* Use of new features and improvements that are available on PS3 system software 3.21 or later
That means the update is pretty much required more than “optional.”
Result for: network features
Prologue
For some reason the ever increasing crowd of people in search for the ultimate media player have been disappointed by one application after another. The task is not a simple one for the developers as the complete package should feature an easy-to-use and comprehensive user interface, support for nearly every file format and punch to run the finest Full HD resolution. So far we haven’t come across a device or program that fully meets these requirements. Xbox 360 let the XBMC fanatics down as did PS3 and its limited file support. PC hardware-based HTPCs usually require more or less advanced setups and UI lessons for the non-tech-savvy family members.
Plex is designed to deliver just about everything we need from a media player. Plex (OSXBMC) is a Mac OS X version of the XBMC media player (XBox Media Center) which was considered to be the best media player before it became obsolete due to a lack of support for Full HD video or digital video outputs. In addition, the hard to find Xbox needs to be modified with a modchip to run XBMC. The developers of Plex promise a complete format support and an extensive appearance customization.
In this hands-on we tested the Plex’s media playback and network features as well as usability and user interface.
Plex is available only for Mac OS X and requires the Leopard version of the OS as well as Intel-based Mac computer, so unfortunately older Macs are unable to run the application.
Result for: network features
Although Microsoft ended production on its Xbox 360 HD DVD addon it hasannounced that yesterday a software update was made available for the drive and its thousands of owners.
All the user has to do to get the update is to attempt to play an HD DVD movie in the drive and Xbox Live will immediately prompt you for an update. If you do not have access to Xbox Live, the download will be available from Microsoft later this week.
The update is mainly to improve compatibilities with select titles. There have been reports of playback problems on the drive for certain movies and Microsoft says that they should be eliminated after the new update. Network features have been expanded as well but it is still unclear for how long studios will maintain the content for those network-enabled movies.
