PlayStation VR Support Added to PS4 Media Player
By Boston Blake 11 October 2016
In preparation for tomorrow’s PlayStation VR release, Sony reveals a new update coming to the PlayStation 4 Media Player with additional virtual reality features.
As PlayStation 4 owners gear up for the PlayStation VR release tomorrow, Sony continues to prepare the console for players’ upcoming experience. One important enhancement coming tomorrow along with the PlayStation VR release is an update to the PlayStation 4 Media Player that will give players a more immersive visual and audio experience.
According to a new post on the PlayStation Blog, the PS4 Media Player will allow PlayStation VR owners to view 360-degree equirectangular photos and videos. It will also allow PS4 owners to listen to FLAC high-resolution audio files, and will upscale traditional audio files, such as MP3s, to higher resolution quality.
Once the update – version 2.50 of the PS4 Media Player – is live, PlayStation VR owners will be able to see photos and videos in all their 360-degree glory. However, to do so, the files will need to be captured using an equirectangular camera. The blog post offers some additional information about the video formats that will be supported:
Note, to enjoy 360-degree media on PlayStation VR, any supported video – MKV, AVI, MP4, MPEG2 PS , MPEG2 TS, AVCHD – or photo – JPEG, BMP, PNG – files must be captured in equirectangular format by a 360-degree omnidirectional camera.
In addition to the update to 360-degree photos and video, tomorrow’s update will also introduce audio improvements to the PS4 Media Player. The Media Player will now support high-resolution FLAC audio files. Lossless audio fans will undoubtedly be happy with the support, and will offer VR developers a new audio format when creating VR experiences for gamers.
Additionally, the Media Player update will upscale non-FLAC audio to higher resolutions. This will be possible thanks to Sony’s DSEE HX technology. Formats such as MP3s and AACs, whose compression techniques strip out some of a song’s subtleties, will be upscaled to provide a richer audio experience for PlayStation 4 owners.
While not every PlayStation 4 owner is planning to pick up the PlayStation VR headset, the changes should provide a better media experience for all PlayStation 4 gamers. With the improved audio capabilities, games can be more immersive, especially alongside the 4K visuals coming with the PlayStation 4 Pro when it releases next month.
What do you think about the PlayStation 4 Media Player update? Are you excited for the improvement to both visuals and audio? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: PlayStation Blog
