Latest PS3 Firmware Updates

[dvdmike]

MGS3 Subsistance PAL always worked before this update, MGS2 didn't for me though, and it does now .. looks great in 720P

It did before the last update but was knocked off, I put it in before 1.80 and I got the not compatable message

[saif]

i-filter

not something to do with upscaling but i did notice that it appeared after updating to 1.8 and i haven't seen this anywhere.

http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/6773/img0058ch3.jpg

Bottom right corner

I clicked it and got this:

http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/2019/img0059iu2.jpg

I have no idea as to what it says since I don't speak/read/write Japanese.

Any ideas people?

edit. https://sec.ifilter.jp/service.php?pagetype=ps3
that's the web address that comes up on the ps3

Its called i-filter and it says it makes the web OK for kids....or something that isn't too relevant!

[JP]

A question for the AV experts now:

Using the PS3 via HDMI on my Bravia KDL-32V2500, I'm fairly convinced that I'm getting the best upsampling when output is set to 1080i but I'm reading elsewhere that you get a more accurate picture by leaving it off and letting the Bravia do the work...

Has anybody tried testing with both to see which produces the most accurate picture?

[sj33]

A question for the AV experts now:

Using the PS3 via HDMI on my Bravia KDL-32V2500, I'm fairly convinced that I'm getting the best upsampling when output is set to 1080i but I'm reading elsewhere that you get a more accurate picture by leaving it off and letting the Bravia do the work...

Has anybody tried testing with both to see which produces the most accurate picture?

Use whatever looks best to you, really.

The DVD upscaling on the console I feel is excellent. The PS2 upscaling I feel the TV does a better job, but if you prefer the internal upscaling, use it.

[JP]

Cheers...

That's what I was doing but as people with the same setup claim they are getting better via the Bravia I thought maybe I'd not set it up properly.
I've not been able to find any way to adjust the upsampling on the Bravia though.

[sj33]

Cheers...

That's what I was doing but as people with the same setup claim they are getting better via the Bravia I thought maybe I'd not set it up properly.
I've not been able to find any way to adjust the upsampling on the Bravia though.

Well, I do find upscaling on the PS3 side to be less defined, but I sit very close to the TV, so I'm more likely to see this.

TV settings really are more to do with personal tastes and room condition, but here's what I've got mine as (HDMI-only)...

Backlight - 5
Contrast - Max
Brightness - 44
Colour - 55
Colour Temperature - Neutral
Noise Reduction - Off
Sharpness - 10
Black Corrector - Off
Contrast Enhancer - Off
Gamma - Off
Clear White - Off
Live Colour - Low
MPEG Noise Reduction - Off

My settings are very much personal taste though, a lot of people would not agree with them... My Brightness does not pass a lot of Blacker-than-Blacks, but I prefer the actual deep, unwashed black look it results in. My Sharpness is higher than most people since I find 0 to be slightly too soft etc.

But certainly everyone should turn off the crap like Noise Reduction etc.

[JP]

Whoah!!!!
Thought I'd have a go at your settings...far too dark for me!!

It's a shame that you can't save different settings for seperate game/films really. I prefer games like RR7 to have far more colour than I do in GTHD, it just seems to suit it better for me.

[sj33]

It's all about personal preference of course, you'll find most people here have very different settings. As I say, I tend to prefer to loose small black detail in favour of deeper looking blacks and vibrant colour (I can't stand washed grey-blacks or washed colours)... some prefer the other way around. Many prefer to use the Power Saving mode on their TV to allow them to raise the brightness a bit and pass blacker-than-blacks, but I don't like the dull look this results in. Don't be afraid to mess with your TV settings a bit, but remember extra processing like Noise Reduction is rarely a good thing, and ideal settings for one input rarely translates to another.

I've still yet to figure out what Super-White is... some have suggested it passes Whiter-than-White over YPcPr HDMI, tried enabling it on the fly and there was no change.

EDIT - Scratch that, I tried it on a DVD I have here and there was a difference. Still like to know what it is though.

[andrewfee]

I've still yet to figure out what Super-White is... some have suggested it passes Whiter-than-White over YPcPr HDMI, tried enabling it on the fly and there was no change.

According to the Sony info on the 1.8 updates, it's x.v.Color support, so you'll need a HDMI v1.3 display, and BluRay discs that support it. (none that I'm aware of so far)

[JP]

I seem to endlessly be adjusting my settings on the thing. It'll never be perfect for everything.

It's annoying though as I had everything about as close to perfect that I could get but then reset it all and I'm struggling to get it back again.

I like using the power saving myself.

Is yours a Bravia? What exactly are the "live colour" settings for? To me it seems to be a cheaper/nastier version of the wide colour gamut which is included...

[sj33]

According to the Sony info on the 1.8 updates, it's x.v.Color support, so you'll need a HDMI v1.3 display, and BluRay discs that support it. (none that I'm aware of so far)

Cool, bit wierd though cause I have a normal DVD here, and enabling it made the whites 'whiter', though I personally didn't like it.

The DVD in question is a Japanese DVD which are always really badly encoded, and enabling it actually exposed a faint white line along the top of the image.

[andrewfee]

I seem to endlessly be adjusting my settings on the thing. It'll never be perfect for everything.

It's annoying though as I had everything about as close to perfect that I could get but then reset it all and I'm struggling to get it back again.

I like using the power saving myself.

Is yours a Bravia? What exactly are the "live colour" settings for? To me it seems to be a cheaper/nastier version of the wide colour gamut which is included...

The Live colour settings increase the saturation of colours selectively, and is something I would recommend leaving disabled.

As a rough guide, I would say to load up this image on the PS3: http://sr-388.net/images/patterns/Brightness.jpg

Make sure gamma, dynamic contrast etc is all turned off. Turn up your brightness control as high as it goes so you can see all the boxes. Now turn it down until the one furthest top-left just disappears, and then back up a notch so you can very faintly see it. This should set the ideal black level.

Now load up this one, and do the same with contrast: http://sr-388.net/images/patterns/Contrast.jpg

On LCDs, the controls are usually pretty separate, but you might want to go back and check brightness, as the ideal setting might have changed a notch or two.

Gamma will make things brighter (eg making the boxes on the brightness test easier to see) without raising the black level. Most if not all of the other enhancements should be turned off.

Colour and temperature are harder to set without some kind of calibration hardware, so you'll just have to judge that by eye.

Cool, bit wierd though cause I have a normal DVD here, and enabling it made the whites 'whiter', though I personally didn't like it.

Hmm, I did a little testing and couldn't see any difference.

[JP]

Thanks!

Last time I borrowed my friends DVE to set it up correctly which really helped, maybe I'll do that again.

[andrewfee]

Hmm, I'm not sure, as I don't use the PS3 as a DVD player, but it may change the output levels for DVD playback (I know the 360 does, or at least did, before the last update) so you shouldn't really be using a calibration DVD for them. Static images using the image viewer should work best.

[Mr Fujisawa]

For those with 720P sets it might still be better for you to set your output resolution to 1080i when watching bluray movies. I'm sure I noticed a reduction in picture quality (detail) when watching CR with the PS3 converting to 720p. So I tried the test patterns that come with the disk (enter 7669 in the film menu). The second pattern, frequency, shows a marked drop in quality, producing interference patterns on 720p long before 1080i does.

you're right. in 720p on the 2nd test there loads of flickering in some of the patterns, yet in 1080i its rock solid! seems the ps3's downscaling to 720p is very flawed.