Even Without HDMI, PS3 May Still Output 1080p

For all you technophiles who were saddened by the possibility that the 20GB PlayStation 3 won’t be able to output 1080p resolution because of the lack of HDMI output, here’s something that might give you hope.

Advanced Access Content System (AACS), the digital rights management standard used by Blu-ray and HD DVD to protect movies from unauthorized duplication, has a digital flag called Image Constraint Token (ICT). The ICT automatically downgrades a 1080p resolution to 540p whenever the signal is output through a non-HDMI cable. This is what will render PS3’s high-definition Blu-ray capabilities useless.

However, according to German news publication Spiegel Online, an unofficial agreement between Hollywood and hardware manufacturers – Sony and Microsoft included – suggests that the enforcement of ICT may be delayed until 2010 or even until 2012. This means that until that time, the $499 PS3 may be able to output 1080p resolution via a traditional component cable.

It seems like things are looking up for Sony’s next-generation console. For all of you who plans to get the cheaper PS3, don’t you all agree that it would be nicer if the ICT is cancelled indefinitely? Well, it wouldn’t hurt to wish for it…the high heavens have ears for the collective masses.

For all you technophiles who were saddened by the possibility that the 20GB PlayStation 3 won’t be able to output 1080p resolution because of the lack of HDMI output, here’s something that might give you hope.

Advanced Access Content System (AACS), the digital rights management standard used by Blu-ray and HD DVD to protect movies from unauthorized duplication, has a digital flag called Image Constraint Token (ICT). The ICT automatically downgrades a 1080p resolution to 540p whenever the signal is output through a non-HDMI cable. This is what will render PS3’s high-definition Blu-ray capabilities useless.

However, according to German news publication Spiegel Online, an unofficial agreement between Hollywood and hardware manufacturers – Sony and Microsoft included – suggests that the enforcement of ICT may be delayed until 2010 or even until 2012. This means that until that time, the $499 PS3 may be able to output 1080p resolution via a traditional component cable.

It seems like things are looking up for Sony’s next-generation console. For all of you who plans to get the cheaper PS3, don’t you all agree that it would be nicer if the ICT is cancelled indefinitely? Well, it wouldn’t hurt to wish for it…the high heavens have ears for the collective masses.