PS3 (and 360) HDMI Shambles Averted

Backroom agreement means lack of HDMI might not be the disaster many thought it would be.

When Sony grudgingly revealed that the biggest difference between the $500 and $600 models was that the former would come without an HDMI connector, many worried that people buying the PlayStation 3 to watch Blu-ray movies would be left in the cold, but a reported backroom deal could mean the end of those woes.

Hollywood and various hardware makers, including Sony and Microsoft, have made a deal that would keep the so-called Image Constraint Token leashed until as late as 2012, reports tech site Ars Technica by way of a Spiegel Online article.

The deal ensures that both the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360 (with the optional HD-DVD attachment due later this year) will be able to play movies on the new disc formats.

ICT is Hollywood's answer to piracy in the next generation of DVDs and it's being used in both the Sony-designed Blu-ray and Microsoft-backed HD-DVD formats.

Essentially, ICT requires that TVs use a digital HDMI connector to play movies. If it's not there the high-definition picture is downgraded to slightly above current DVD quality, nullifying the reason for buying a Blu-ray or HD-DVD movie in the first place.

Neither the $500 PlayStation 3 nor the add-on HD-DVD player for the Xbox 360 has an HDMI connector, so owners could potentially still be locked out if the agreement falls flat.

Should the deal last until 2012, though, then Sony and Microsoft could carry on secure in the knowledge that by the time the hammer falls, they would already be well on their way in crafting the next iterations of their consoles.

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo Games