Confirmed by the official Sony blog, the company will be bringing several prominent new updates to the PlayStation 3 console including a new video service and in-game XMB.

Peter Dille, the senior VP for marketing with the PlayStation Network, confirmed that “some form of a new video service is definitely in the works”, different from “others you’ve seen or used.” The PSN currently only allows users to download demos and video trailers. In comparison, Microsoft’s XBL allows users to rent and purchase full movies and TV episodes.

The other main update will be the addition of in-game XMB access. XMB is simply the main menu interface on the PSP and PS3. Dille states “that by the end of the year, some form of in-game XMB will be launched, complete with an Xbox-like achievements system.”

Universal has announced its roadmap for Blu-ray releases this summer and has added that its Blu-ray titles will see same day release dates as its standard definition counterparts.

The studio, which was once the premier supporter of the now obsolete HD DVD format, announced that ‘Doomsday’ would be their inaugural Blu-ray title, and that 40 other films would follow in the second half of 2008.

According to the source article, the releases will include ‘Hellboy II: The Golden Army,’ ‘The Incredible Hulk,’ ‘Wanted,’ ‘Mamma Mia,’ and ‘The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.’ In hopes to spur sales of the new Mummy installment, ‘The Mummy,’ ‘The Mummy Returns,’ and the spin-off ‘The Scorpion King’ will be released in late July as well on Blu-ray.

A few of the other titles mentioned for Blu-ray included ‘Land of the Dead, ‘ ‘End of Days,’ ‘Knocked Up,’ ‘American Gangster,’ ‘The 40-Year-Old Virgin,’ ‘Miami Vice,’ and ‘U-571.’

Asus finally released the official specs of the highly anticipated larger brother of the current 7 inch Eee PC. Some noteworthy features: the larger model will ship with an 8GB SSD flash drive for the XP version while the Linux version gets a 16GB SSD flash drive. The processor, unfortunately, remains the same 900Mhz Celeron that’s used in the 701. The 900 also uses FingerGlide technology that supports multiple simultaneous touch points to zoom in and out much like what the Apple iPhone can do. No word yet on the release date in the US, though it’s already started to ship in some parts of Asia. (Update: Mark your calendars: it’s shipping May 12th in the States). Read more »

In a recent interview, Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo, whose songs appear in both Guitar Hero and Rock Band games, admitted that he’d never tried either game:

I’ve never played it. I don’t get those games at all. I mean, I haven’t tried them. But they must be fun because people love them. But, to me, it seems like if you’re going to put that much effort into playing something, you should just play a real instrument. [laughs]

Gee thanks, Rivers. So you sit back and collect tons of royalties for every copy of Guitar Hero and Rock Band sold and then diss everyone who plays for being wannabe rock stars? Not everyone can pick up a guitar and learn to jam so easily and fewer still can become famous rock stars. It’s calls “bills,” Rivers, as in “to pay?”

(Interview: Joystick Division)

A big Nintendo fan and Toyota (Corolla?) buff modded his engine cover to look like the old-school NES controller pad. Looks like it was a simple repaint since you can still barely see the words “vvt-i 16 valve” on the engine. Too bad that gem’s hidden under the hood. Suggestion for next mod: transparent hood. Props if you can identify the vehicle. Read more »

Load PS3 Game Saves Downloaded From the Internet

So what do you do after you have downloaded a game save from the internet? The PS3 game save comes neatly packed into a /PS3 folder.

* Insert a memory card, or usb key into your computer.
* Transfer the /PS3 folder from your computer to your memory device.
* Take the memory device and instert it into your PS3.
* Go to the Saved Data Utility folder under the Game menu in the XMB.
* Hit the X button.
* You should see your old game saves and the memory device.
* Select your memory device and hit the X button.
* Now you will see the game save from your memory device.
* Hit the Triangle button and select copy.

And that’s all - it reads more complicated than it is.

Midway seems to taken another cue from Capcom by having their hit fighting series, Mortal Kombat, crossover with a popular American comic book property. Announced yesterday at the Midway’s Las Vegas event, the next Mortal Kombat game will include characters from the DC universe. Below is a teaser pic of Sub Zero and Batman:

UPDATE: Midway games have released a trailer for the game, which can be seen below:

Remote Play is a feature on the Playstation 3 and Playstation Portable which allows a Playstation Portable user to interact with their Playstation 3’s Xross Media Bar. Users can access music, videos, games, and various programs stored on the Playstation 3’s HDD, external flash drive, or optical media.

Remote Play works by encoding a video and audio stream (most likely AVC and AAC) of the output image on a PlayStation 3 then delivering it over a network (via TCP port 9293) to a PlayStation Portable. Actions performed on the PSP, such as the pressing of buttons, are uploaded back to the PlayStation 3 over the same connection. This is similar in concept to the Slingbox.

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As DVI and HDMI connections become more and more widely used, we are often asked: which is better, DVI (or HDMI) or component video? The answer, as it happens, is not cut-and-dried.

First, to clear away one element that can be confusing: DVI and HDMI are exactly the same as one another, image-quality-wise. The principal differences are that HDMI carries audio as well as video, and uses a different type of connector, but both use the same encoding scheme, and that’s why a DVI source can be connected to an HDMI monitor, or vice versa, with a DVI/HDMI cable, with no intervening converter box.

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Yesterday, my long awaited Samsung 46″ LCD HDTV arrived and I had a ball of a time hooking it up with the rest of my electronics. The TV is a 5 series which has been very widely regarded in the Samsung TV owner community, and the one I bought sports a 30:000 contrast and 3 HDMI inputs among its standout qualities, all in 1080p. When I bought it, it was $1591, but right now it’s $1499 with free shipping and no tax to most states. If you’ve been shopping around, I strongly recommend this unit at this price!!! I have been monitoring the price like a hawk since I bought it for price adjustment and I’ve seen it fluctuate wildly from the price I bought it at up to $1630. Just a reminder though, make sure you are buying from Amazon (not Electronics Expo or some other retailer) to get the free shipping and price adjustment guarantee. Read more »