The PS3 SDK update: making 1080i possible

If you’re a videophile and you’re curious about the PS3’s HD performance, then this post is for you. An article over at Beyond3dD takes an in-depth look at just how the mysterious PS3 hardware scaler works.

Since the console’s release last November, there have been reports of trouble when attempting to play certain titles in 1080i/p. The thing is, the console did not automatically upscale its video output to the desired resolutions. Common thought was that it was up to either the game software to support these resolutions natively or leave the scaling job to the internal scalers of user’s HDTVs.

Of course, these HD issues might be a thing of the past. The latest software development kit (SDK) update from Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.”>SCEI (Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.) finally exposes part of the built-in hardware scaler to developers.  The article goes into long and technical explanations about how taxing it was for developers to get their games to output at 1080i/p before the SDK update, and how now after the SDK is released, the burden is somewhat lessened.

While we will avoid the technical explanations for now (and just leave it to you guys to read through it using our read-link below) we will give you this passage from the article that ponders the secrecy that Sony has surrounded the scalers in and why the current SDK is only half the solution:

Interestingly enough, “some” is the key word when describing the unlocked functionality; SCEI only gave access to hardware accelerated horizontal scaling. Horizontal scaling on its own cannot upscale a 720p image into 1080p/i –this would require both horizontal and vertical scaling. Hence, the newly exposed scaler functionality is not enabled in the PS3’s user interface directly, but instead will still require developer support to work.

At the time of publication, the reasons why SCEI didnÂ’t give developers access to both horizontal and vertical scaling are still unknown, as are the reasons they didnÂ’t grant developers access to horizontal scaling until now. The video scaler itself remains shrouded in mystery, as strange as it may seem, but at least now we can say with confidence that it does indeed exist. There are multiple reasons for this continuing secrecy, and insiders are reluctant to discuss them even off the record, never mind for publication.

Perhaps what’s immediately important to you folks as gamers/videophiles is whether or not the new SDK will finally allow you to enjoy HD on your 1080i only HDTV. So here’s the Beyond3D’s conclusion:

In conclusion, the foretold yet hitherto unseen PlayStation 3 hardware scaler has made its entry onto the development scene with this SDK update. Its appearance should bring hope into the hearts of 1080i-only HDTV owners that all future games may support their television sets natively. They may also look forward to seeing patches to some of the currently released 720p-only games, should developers have the time and inclination to revisit their old code base and hack a new 960×1080 rendering mode into it.

For more information on the technical aspects of their look at PS3 video output scaling, feel free to click our read-link below.

If you’re a videophile and you’re curious about the PS3’s HD performance, then this post is for you. An article over at Beyond3dD takes an in-depth look at just how the mysterious PS3 hardware scaler works.

Since the console’s release last November, there have been reports of trouble when attempting to play certain titles in 1080i/p. The thing is, the console did not automatically upscale its video output to the desired resolutions. Common thought was that it was up to either the game software to support these resolutions natively or leave the scaling job to the internal scalers of user’s HDTVs.

Of course, these HD issues might be a thing of the past. The latest software development kit (SDK) update from Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.”>SCEI (Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.) finally exposes part of the built-in hardware scaler to developers.  The article goes into long and technical explanations about how taxing it was for developers to get their games to output at 1080i/p before the SDK update, and how now after the SDK is released, the burden is somewhat lessened.

While we will avoid the technical explanations for now (and just leave it to you guys to read through it using our read-link below) we will give you this passage from the article that ponders the secrecy that Sony has surrounded the scalers in and why the current SDK is only half the solution:

Interestingly enough, “some” is the key word when describing the unlocked functionality; SCEI only gave access to hardware accelerated horizontal scaling. Horizontal scaling on its own cannot upscale a 720p image into 1080p/i –this would require both horizontal and vertical scaling. Hence, the newly exposed scaler functionality is not enabled in the PS3’s user interface directly, but instead will still require developer support to work.

At the time of publication, the reasons why SCEI didnÂ’t give developers access to both horizontal and vertical scaling are still unknown, as are the reasons they didnÂ’t grant developers access to horizontal scaling until now. The video scaler itself remains shrouded in mystery, as strange as it may seem, but at least now we can say with confidence that it does indeed exist. There are multiple reasons for this continuing secrecy, and insiders are reluctant to discuss them even off the record, never mind for publication.

Perhaps what’s immediately important to you folks as gamers/videophiles is whether or not the new SDK will finally allow you to enjoy HD on your 1080i only HDTV. So here’s the Beyond3D’s conclusion:

In conclusion, the foretold yet hitherto unseen PlayStation 3 hardware scaler has made its entry onto the development scene with this SDK update. Its appearance should bring hope into the hearts of 1080i-only HDTV owners that all future games may support their television sets natively. They may also look forward to seeing patches to some of the currently released 720p-only games, should developers have the time and inclination to revisit their old code base and hack a new 960×1080 rendering mode into it.

For more information on the technical aspects of their look at PS3 video output scaling, feel free to click our read-link below.