Well this week we have some exciting news that we hinted about last week.
First, a small technical explanation. We were not able to modify any data on the PS3's flash chips due to the ECC. The ECC is a checksum basically, that ensures whatever data is in the block is not changed or corrupted, and if it is it errors.
So, the problem was since when we tried to alter data, the ECC would then in turn be invalid, causing errors, making the system not boot.
We did develop a way around this, however, it was time consuming and quite slow. We used the PS3 to write data to the flash, then dump it, with its proper ECC, then rewrite to where we needed it. This would take hours on end! We were not able to regenerate the ECC since we did not know the proper algorithm.
But now, we can!!
After multiple tests done by NDT to see what the ECC... More »
This is just a short post to let everyone know we're still alive. Its been a quiet summer, most people were off on vacation (or on holiday, for our friends across the pond), including many of our own PS3 Devs.
However, the summer is over and we all went back to work in full force on the PS3, adding some new and very talented Devs along the way who will be helping out!
For starters, our very own ggparallel spent the past month or so along with NDT testing countless edited PS3 Firmwares on the PS3, and has been able to drastically refine our knowledge of the PS3's bootup procedure.
Below is a clear flowchart of the current theory of operation, the basic procedure is the same as we previously posted, that the system is booted in a "chain" so to speak. LV0 loads lv1ldr, which loads lv1.self (the Hypervisor).
Reports are circulating that a quantum cryptographic chip that uses light particles to encrypt data during electronic transfer could throw off hackers once and for all.
To quote: Imagine an encrypted data chip so secure that even the greatest hackers in history would find impossible to crack. That chip is very much a reality thanks to the combined efforts of Siemens, Austrian Research Centers (ARC) and Graz University of Technology who have teamed up to create the first quantum cryptology chip for commercial use to ensure securer electronic communication.
The lock protects data using a random sequence of numbers from light particles. At the moment, data is protected using a key distribution system based on mathematical algorithms. But, with enough time and effort, those algorithms can be cracked. The quantum cryptographic light lock, on the other hand, takes advantage of the laws of nature by using photons—individual light particles—to create completely ... More »
Reports indicate that Sony, Samsung, Hitachi, Motrola and more specialists have teamed up to form a joint industry development body to bring out a Wireless Home Digital Interface.
What this will allow is secure encrypted HD video delivery through multiple rooms and then some with less than one millisecond latency.
One member commented “If you have a TV in the home, that TV will be able to access any source in the home, whether it's a set-top box in the living room, or the PlayStation in the bedroom, or a DVD player in another bedroom.”
To quote: What the flip is WHDI? Well, according to the Israel-based Amimon company on whose technology the standard is to be based, "A key ingredient of WHDI technology is a revolutionary video-modem that operates in the 5GHz unlicensed band to enable robust wireless delivery of uncompressed HD video (including 1080p).
The video download service is now live! It is accessible to all North American consumers through the PlayStation Store, either via PC or PlayStation 3. As mentioned previously, content purchased is fully portable, meaning you can playback these videos on both your PS3 and PSP.
Downloading will be not permitted outside the Authorized Term. In addition, once the Video Content has been downloaded from PSN, you will not be able to download it again for any reason without purchase of another copy.
On the rental side, you have 14 days to view the purchase and 24 hours to watch it after its first viewing.
For those who missed it, here is a PlayStation Video Store FAQ from earlier today:
What is the PS Video Store?
Available on the PS3, it allows you to choose over a variety of TV Shows and Movies to rent in either SD or High Definition. You can also purchase SD content to keep forever. Rentals last 14 days with a grace ... More »
In a post on the official PlayStation Blog linked above, Criterion Games designer Simon Phillips confirmed that Burnout Paradise will support PS3’s upcoming achievement-like trophy system in a future update after Cagney hits on July 10.
Reassuringly, Phillips clarified that trophy support in Paradise will indeed be retroactive, due to the fact that saves for the title are locked specifically to a single PSN ID.
Any progress you’ve made in the game will be reflected in your trophy list as soon as the update goes live.
To quote: We’re about to hit the third FREE update on July 10th (Codenamed ‘Cagney’) The first update (1.1) was a bunch of quick fixes and improvements, the second (Codenamed ‘Bogart’) had more minor improvements and tweaks.
If you’re logged into PlayStation Network and you boot up Burnout Paradise, it will automatically download any updates that are out there. To test if you have them all today - ... More »
The leading storage solution provider QNAP Systems, Inc. today announced a new 1U, 4-bay rack-mountable NAS server TS-409U, designed to be the storage solution with the best price performance ratio for SMB and enterprise users. Built-on powerful Linux-embedded system with 500MHz SoC CPU and 512MB DDRII memory; it enables major business applications including storing, backing up, sharing and archiving critical information.
TS-409U delivers enhanced reliability and expansibility; and offers powerful features including RAID 0/ 1/ 5/ 6/ 5+spare disk redundancy, Online RAID Capacity Expansion, Online RAID Level Migration, rock-solid hot-swap design, and abundant server functions. The HDD S.M.A.R.T. and complete log systems are supported to help IT administrators minimize the deployment cost and maintenance effort.
According to Mr. Troy Lin, Product Manager of QNAP, "TS-409U is positioned as the most affordable, reliable, and feature-rich 1U storage server to meet ... More »
Today xorloser let us know he has updated his tool (with PS3 support!) which can edit ARK/HDR files found in games including Guitar Hero 1, Guitar Hero 2, Guitar Hero 80s, Rockband, and Karaoke Revolution... Guitar Hero 3 uses a different format, so it is currently not supported.
Both the tool and source code will work with those titles for any system including PS3, PS2, X-Box 360, and X-Box. Note: In order to use this via PS3, you must have a Debug PS3 for the time being as there is no public way to run PS3 back-ups via retail consoles.
You can now replace a short song with a longer song (ie replace a small file with a bigger file). Previously, no tools existed which allowed this kind of editing, and you could only make custom songs by replacing the existing songs with new songs that are the same size or smaller.
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