Playstation 3 System Update Thread

[FoolKiller]

is 2.5 available in the US? I go to download and it says i have the most current version [2.43]

It should be, but they were doing network maintenance last night. I would try it again today.

 

[Sturdy]

I'm pleased they've updated the browser, but I have to admit I almost never use it. On the other hand if it's getting more compatible perhaps I'll try again....

You'll probably have to wait until it isn't the slowest opening / rendering piece of browsing software ever produced before you really want to use it regularly.

 

[FoolKiller]

You'll probably have to wait until it isn't the slowest opening / rendering piece of browsing software ever produced before you really want to use it regularly.

Odd it works fine for me. But when I use it I try to avoid anything graphically intense. It could definitely use some more memory allocated to it.

 

[Delphic Reason]

Odd it works fine for me. But when I use it I try to avoid anything graphically intense. It could definitely use some more memory allocated to it.

I tried it for the first time last night. To be honest, I've never really had a reason to utilize the PS3's browser. My PC is hooked up to my HDTV, so I never had a use for it.

I was pleasantly surprised. Not quite as good as using my PC's browser, but it was much better than I had anticipated. Interesting feeling, watching my Youtube videos on my PS3.

 

[FoolKiller]

I tried it for the first time last night. To be honest, I've never really had a reason to utilize the PS3's browser. My PC is hooked up to my HDTV, so I never had a use for it.

If I had a setup like this I would probably never touch it, but my PC is in the bedroom. The browser is very convenient if my wife is already in bed and I want to check my email or GTP without waking her. It also works well when my wife is using the PC.

I was pleasantly surprised. Not quite as good as using my PC's browser, but it was much better than I had anticipated. Interesting feeling, watching my Youtube videos on my PS3.

Yeah, if I have the option to choose which I want to use then I will choose the PC.

I've also found it convenient when we have guests and I am telling them about something and decide to show it to them. It came in handy when explaining the Singstar videos to someone and I wanted to show them, but don't actually own Singstar. I just pulled up the browser and searched You Tube for Singstar videos. Instead of multiple people crowding in around my PC monitor they could see it on my 42" HDTV from their seats on the sofa.

It is also nice for downloading custom themes or new backgrounds off the Web.

The other thing I find it convenient for is my podcasts. I listen to audio fiction podcasts (about five a week) and I will go to the sites on my PS3 and set them up to background download. My PC stays free for whatever else I want to do without the hard drive hanging up because it is already trying to write. Plus, there are enough games that don't require the downloads to pause while playing that I can ignore the downloads as they happen while I am playing games or watching movies.

 

[nick09]

Yeah. Fantastic Contraption made my PS3 roar in fan noise.

You can also view GTTV(GTP site) videos now. I have noticed I have been recently getting dns errors since the update.

 

[ceiling_fan]

I have noticed I have been recently getting dns errors since the update.

Yeah, me too. And when I get one, I have to close and reopen the browser because going to any page will have that message.

 

[Sprite]

Update for me is fantastic. Works brill now, no longer crashing when watching bd movies or coming out of the browser/ game. Also it now turns the fan virtually off when browsing and downloading. Overall a top update this time around.

 

[FoolKiller]

This appears to be a handy feature that was left out of the change log.

http://www.ps3fanboy.com/2008/10/18/firmware-2-50-adds-hidden-recovery-menu/

Firmware 2.50 adds hidden recovery menu
Posted Oct 18th 2008 12:50AM by Andrew Yoon
Filed under: Firmware Updates

It appears that firmware 2.50 also added one other feature, meant to help PS3 owners that are trying to troubleshoot their system. A recovery menu (pictured above) gives users access to a variety of restore features. It will even allow users to install a new firmware update, should anything go wrong during the installation process. To access the menu, you must hold down the power button to turn on the PS3 until you hear three beeps. Then the menu will show up.

There are a few reports of systems bricking after firmware updates, so this may be Sony's attempt at creating a fix for future problems. Hopefully, we'll never have to actually use this feature -- but if we do, it may be a quick way of avoiding a trip to the post office to send the PS3 to Sony's support center.

 

[Picc84]

Now it will be quite different playing a flash game on the ps3. I easily got Fantastic Contraption to work with the controller.👍

Our browser has FLASH NOW!?💡

 

[WallRunner]

Our browser has FLASH NOW!?💡

It had flash before, now it's got Flash 9, so it'll work with more stuff.

From,
Chris.

 

[Digital-Nitrate]

Just chiming in to say how happy I am with many of the new features in this last update. 👍

And, although it became available earlier, I also really like the ability to register multiple Bluetooth headsets now, where as before it only allowed you to register one Bluetooth at a time, thus I had to keep deleting and re-registering every time I happen to switch headsets.

 

[nick09]

Our browser has FLASH NOW!?💡

It had flash 7 since the release of the PS3. This flash 9 is just a really needed feature for me.

 

[Picc84]

It had flash 7 since the release of the PS3. This flash 9 is just a really needed feature for me.

Pr0n?!

 

[fc3s]

so... does anyone here know whats up with the divx vod registration code? its under system settings.

 

[FoolKiller]

so... does anyone here know whats up with the divx vod registration code? its under system settings.

It is for some online divx service that allows you to register the PS3 with your account so that the DRM will allow them to play on the PS3. It is similar to registering a PC with iTunes to allow it play songs you bought.

 

[nick09]

Pr0n?!

Yeah right. Its just useful when I want to go to newgrounds.

 

[Solid Lifters]

Jebus Chrust! Could this update go any slower!? Bah!

EDIT: Looks like a fix for the Fallout 3 problems...

• The playback quality of some PS3 format software has been improved.
• A text entry issue that occurs when using the on-screen keyboard, USB keyboard or Bluetooth keyboard with some PS3 format software has been addressed.

 

[Apollo87]

Jebus Chrust! Could this update go any slower!? Bah!

I thought my connection was being way too crappy or the update way too big (which I doubted a lot since I read what it containned).

 

[Legendary]

Oh, I thought my connection was crud. If its slow for you guys it must be big or something. Im at 20% right now.

 

[Digital-Nitrate]

• A text entry issue that occurs when using the on-screen keyboard, USB keyboard or Bluetooth keyboard with some PS3 format software has been addressed.

They definitely updated the interface for those using a keyboard. There never used to be a way to add a line break. Traditionally it is done by pressing enter, but pressing enter when texting on the PS3 it takes you out of text mode and into the options mode. Now, when using my keyboard, it allows me to put in a line break by pressing Alt+Enter. 👍

They also added a delete (clear) all the text option by pressing Shift+Backspace. 👍




As for the time it took for me to upload the update, it took less than a minute using the PS3's wireless router, and I updated it soon after Solid Lifters posted.

This isn't the first time someone posts that it's taking a long time to download, while others download much faster.

I highly recommend that you open up the browser on your PS3 press the select button and put in the following URL http://speedtest.net or if you have GTP bookmarked, just go to it, and to this thread and press on that link.

It will ask you if you want to run the plugin, click on Yes.

It will then load a map with servers represented as pyramids. The one in yellow should be closest to you. You can click on any one to test, but for ideal results, click on the one closest. Now it may not be easy to click on it if it's close to a lot of other pyramids. This is where the PS3's zoom feature comes in handy.

Simply press the R3 button to toggle on and off zoom mode. When it's on, press and hold down the R2 trigger to zoom in on the map. Use the right stick to scroll around the web page, and the left stick to move the pointer to the pyramid of your choice.

Now simply click on the pyramid and zoom back out (L2) to watch the test being done and view the results.

Afterwards, it will also give you links to be able to post your results as a image file (png). While the PS3 browser wont let you copy that image link, all you have to do is click on the address (to the left of where it says "COPY"), and then the PS3 will open a text window displaying clearly the URL address.

If you do not want to take the time to write it down, all you really need is the 9-digit number that ends with "png".

http://www.speedtest.net/result/350525119.png

Now simply copy the following link, only replace your number with the one shown. Like this:

Now you can post it, and maybe that way we can help diagnose why you're having such slow downloads.

BTW: You may also want to bookmark SpeedTest on your PS3's browser. You can do that by simply pressing the Select button when you have the pge you want bookmarked loaded.

13Mb/s down and 1.3Mb/s up is a bit lower than usual. I typically get a 15Mb/s down and 2Mb/s up. If I bypass the WiFi router, I can get as much as 30Mb/s, but even just 6Mb/s is more than fast enough to download system updates quite quickly.

You can view your past SpeedTest results by clicking on the link that says "View your past results" which is located below the "Rate Your ISP" box.

 

[Robin]

Just download them off the net on PC and put them on USB, much quicker. Just remember to get them from the right regional site (where your PS3 is from).

Robin

 

[Legendary]

13mb a second......mother of mary. My normal download speed is up to 160kb/s....wow, just wow.

 

[Solid Lifters]

My test results were typical of my PC...



However, my PS3 display the animations with a lot more 'strobe effect' than my PC, which made it look a lot more smooth.

Verizon FIOS has yet to be installed in our area, so I cannot wait for it to finally get here. I've been waiting for several years! Good news ahead, I got a mailer a few weeks ago that claimed FIOS will soon be in my area. Haven't heard anything after that.

 

[Apollo87]

Well on the US site it's the latest available is 2.5, and at least for me after I went past 50% the rest was up in about a minute or so.

 

[NLxAROSA]

Ofcourse, running speedtest.net says nothing about the speed you download updates from Sony (or PD). Though I haven't tested it I assume I'll get the about the same results with speedtest.net on my PS3 as my PC. Downloading of updates may be a lot slower (or even faster ) due to various reasons.

 

[Jay]

This updates appears to have fixed my problems of buying GTTV Nurburgring video from the PS store, unless it was a coincidence.

 

[Solid Lifters]

This updates appears to have fixed my problems of buying GTTV Nurburgring video from the PS store, unless it was a coincidence.

Have you purchased it? How is it? Can it be accessed from your PS3 HDD without loading the game?

I was thinking of getting it.

 

[Digital-Nitrate]

Ofcourse, running speedtest.net says nothing about the speed you download updates from Sony (or PD).

It does. If you run speedtest with your PS3 (not your PC of course), and for example it says you are currently getting say 5 Mb/s down, but based on the size of the files your are downloading at the same time you ran the test, you're only getting a transfer rate of 1 Mb/s then clearly the issue is with the server you are downloading from.

Running speedtest on the PS3 can also help identify any problems you might have with your ISP and or own network. For instance, I recently switched routers to a model by LevelOne and after running speedtest found I was only getting 1Mb/s down and 1Mb/s up on the PS3, but both my lap tops, one with a B/G WiFi adapter (like the PS3), and one with an N adapter, were getting 15Mb/s-20Mb/s down and 2Mb/s up. So clearly the slow speed was something wrong with my router. After putting in the PS3's MAC address in the router's DMZ everything went back to normal and I'm getting the appropriate down and up speeds on the PS3.

I've heard that many Linksys routers have had similar problems with communicating with the PS3's WiFi adapter, and as such many people complain about slow downloads and blame the servers when the real problem is with their router.

In addition, if two people are downloading the same files from the same server, but one person is able to download considerably faster than the other, than it is an indicator that the problem is not with the server the files are being downloaded from, and that the person who is finding it taking an inordinately long time to download may be best served running a speedtest and comparing it to others who are not experiencing long downloads, and more importantly, compare it to what their ISP claims they should be getting on average.

I run SpeedTest pretty much every day, and when I see a significant drop, it helps alert me to any problems with my modem, router, or ISP. Having a log of my speeds has also helped me tremendously in getting Time Warner to credit my account when service is bad, as well as help identify problems with their servers, and improve service.

For all of these reasons, running regular speed tests has been extremely useful. 👍

 

[NLxAROSA]

Running speedtest on the PS3 can also help identify any problems you might have with your ISP and or own network.

That is correct. If there are external problems, you could easily replicate it on both the PS3 and the PC. Same for internal problems. This is true because you are doing exactly the same on both systems: running speedtest.net. If there is a difference between PS3 and PC, the only difference is the PS3 and the connection to the router, the rest is the same.

It does. If you run speedtest with your PS3 (not your PC of course), and for example it says you are currently getting say 5 Mb/s down, but based on the size of the files your are downloading at the same time you ran the test, you're only getting a transfer rate of 1 Mb/s then clearly the issue is with the server you are downloading from.

No, it may still very well be your router, your ISP, Sony's server or anything in between. We (or at least I ) don't know what protocol or ports are being used to download updates. If they are different from what speedtest is using (HTTP over port 80) you cannot compare the two. It might be a port issue, it might be a server issue, or it might be an issue with your ISP (or other ISP's in between the server and yourself). You can exclude any local port issues by placing the PS3 in the DMZ. That still leaves all external options though.

I usually score the same on PS3 and PC on speedtest.net, but there is a definite difference when downloading updates. They are usually slower. I can assume it's not on my end, since I placed the PS3 in the DMZ of my router, but I can't say for sure it's Sony's server that is limiting the speed (though it probably is ), since it might just be the connection between me and the server. For all I know I'm downloading the update from Japan or Australia. The only thing you can safely say is whether the problem is on your side or not. But if it's not on your side, there are several other places it can go wrong on the outside, not just Sony's server.