Sony Endows PS3 with BD-Live Capability

An upcoming firmware update will allow the console to play BD-Live titles, which include additional content accessed through an Internet connection.

Sony’s PlayStation 3 is about to move up a notch in the world of home cinema. On Thursday, Sony announced that the video game system would get soon receive a firmware update adding support for Blu-ray Profile 2.0, also known as BD-Live.

BD-Live takes advantage of the PS3’s Internet connection by adding downloadable content above and beyond what actually comes on a disc, such as bonus scenes, shorts, trailers, subtitles, ringtones, images, and more. It also allows players from around the world to compete against each other in movie-based games.

The first BD-Live titles, War and Saw IV, were released in January, making the technology extremely new and the pool of existing titles quite small. However, Sony also announced on Thursday that it would release two more BD-Live titles on April 8, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story and The 6^th Day.

Despite initial rumors that the update would come in May or June, Sony says it will arrive sooner than expected, in late March. Like all PlayStation 3 updates, it will be free to consumers and downloadable through Sony.