ps3_system.jpgOk, first lets get through all of the marketing hype so that we are on the same page. The Sony PS3 is capable of outputting all of the SD and HD resolutions, that would include standard 480i, progressive scan (480p), 720P, 1080i, and the new 1080P format. Since 1080p was new and the PS3 supported it, they marketed it as a 1080p system claiming that all of the games will be in 1080p. At the time, they were the only system that supported 1080p format (the Xbox360 recently added 1080p support to its console) so it was a good play on their part to boast about it. Today however, most (if not all) of the games on the PS3 are developed at 720p then up or down converted to whatever resolution that you specify in the settings by the PS3. Ok now we are on the same page.

There is a pretty significant problem with the PS3 when it comes to the resolution and up/down converting. If you are one of the people that bought a somewhat early model HDTV, you may have one that only supports 480p and 1080i. Most TV’s you buy now supports 720p (a lot of the older or cheaper LCDs or Plasmas only support 720p) or they support 720p and 1080i. But if you lack 720p, the console is supposed to just convert the resolution to 1080i (the Xbox 360 does this pretty well). But there is a bug in the PS3 that down converts to 480p if you lack the 720p option on your TV. Which is what the Nintendo Wii will do for only $249.99.

A firmware Update was released to upgrade the PS3’s firmware to 1.3 that was expected to have a fix for that issue, but to many peoples surprise, and disappointment, it was not fixed with this update.

Some of the fixes and upgrades included in the update: adding the option of backing up your memory card and usb thumb drive to the PS3’s harddrive, and a reformat option to completely start over from day one on your harddrive.

Source: Engadget