The PlayStation 3 has received its most recent firmware update, version 2.20, part of which includes the ability to transfer and watch Blu-ray movies from your PS3 to your PSP (PlayStation Portable). The only problem is, that ability is pointless as of this spring.
However, Sony Pictures has confirmed that the firmware update paves the way for the functionality to be available later this year.
When this cross-platform Blu-ray playing becomes available, it will be important to keep two things in mind. First, the functionallity will likely include a PSP update. OK, that’s easy enough. Second, though, moving a Blu-ray movie from PS3 to PSP may let you take your BD movies on the go, but it will also sacrifice the 1080p high-definition video and lossless/uncompressed audio, which you can only get on an HDTV and multichannel receiver.
Still, the portability factor will be huge for some folks, especially those who already use their PSP primarily for watching movies on the plane, subway or bus.
This functionality also underscores another intriguing development: Sony essentially indicating that it’s letting go of the UMD format, at least for movies, and putting its eggs solely in the Blu-ray basket. After all, why provide content on two different media formats when you can provide it on one and have the same net result (being able to port it from PS3 to PSP and watch it on the go)?