The Sony PlayStation 4 has a decent enough media player, and it's about to become even better due to an update that is set to release to the console on Oct. 14, 2016.
The update promises to make it possible for users to add 360-degrees photos and videos to the system. PlayStation 4 owners can do this via a USB-stick or even a media server. Once the contents have been added to the console, they'll need to activate "VR Mode" to see them in action.
"If you've a PlayStation VR connected to your PlayStation 4, simply activate 'VR mode' from Media Player's Options menu, then select your 360° video or photo from your media server or USB device," says the PlayStation Blog. "You'll now be able to view your chosen media in full 360° thanks to the power of PlayStation VR."
PS4 users should bear in mind that content must be captured in "equirectangular format by a 360-degree omnidirectional camera." Furthermore, the following formats are the only ones supported at this time: MKV, AVI, MP4, MPEG2 PS, MPEG2 TS, and AVCHD for videos; JPEG, BMP, and PNG for images.
The update is quite interesting because it also adds goodies for audiophiles who are seeking to listen to high quality music. According to the PlayStation Blog, support for high res FLAC has been added along with the ability to unpscale non-high res FLAC.
This is all possible thanks to Sony's proprietary DSEE HX technology.
To take advantage of the new 360-degrees features, users will require to have the PSVR headset in their homes. It cannot be done without it; however, this device is not needed for taking advantage of the new audio options.
It should be noted that Sony's DSEE HX technology is just a fancy equalizer seeing as it is not possible to upscale sound and recover data from lossy compressed music files.
Sony has been working hard to sell PSVR to the masses. So far, it has garnered good enough reviews from critics. Those who are interested in the device should know beforehand that PSVR doesn't like mirrors or bright lights.
The company is also preparing to launch its PS4 Pro for sale in November. The system is all about delivering video games in 4K, but players should expect most games to be upscaled using a technology known as checkerboard. The console will also support HDR, 4K media streaming, but will not come with the much talked about UHD disk drive for 4K Blu-Ray movie playback.
