PS3 Store update wired for sound

Next week's planned update to the PlayStation 3 will bring with it not only the revamped PlayStation Store, but also DTS-HD High Resolution Audio and DTS-HD Master Audio for Blu-ray movies.

The PlayStation Store has not received any new content or updates since work was announced to be underway on a redesign to overhaul the navigation and interface.

After the revamped Store front goes live, users logging on will be prompted to download the firmware 2.30 update so that they can access the new service. An exact date has yet to be confirmed by either Sony Europe or Sony America, but according to a statement from Sony Japan, it's all going down on April 15.

Sony America has announced today that the next firmware update will also add high-definition audio features for Blu-ray movies. DTS stands for Digital Theater System and is a multichannel, digital surround-sound format. DTS-HD Master Audio is a lossless codec that delivers sound to movie fans at 24.5 megabits per second, a rate that Sony asserts is "significantly higher than standard DVDs."

DTS-HD High Resolution Audio is an optional surround-sound format for Blu-ray, and when loaded will stream explosions, speech, and everything else at a constant bit rate of 6.0 Mbps. It is capable of up to 7.1 audio channels at 96k sampling frequency/24-bit depth resolution.

Over 100 Blu-ray movies, including some concert videos, currently support DTS-HD Master Audio. These include Night at the Museum, Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem, and I, Robot.