Syabas Technology, the maker of the popular brand of standalone multimedia players Popcorn Hour, announced that they have already released a free firmware update for their Popcorn Hour C-200 player that supports the new Matroska 3D format as well as adds playback of 3D video files in Side by Side and Top and Bottom format on HDMI 1.4 capable 3D HDTVs. The actual firmware for the C-200 player with 3D support has been released on March 11th and is version 02-04-110308-21-POP-408-000 and you can already download it, and Syabas are also promising to bring 3D support in an upcoming firmware update for their Popcorn Hour A-200/A-210 and PopBox players soon. The actual anouncement for the upcoming 3D support we got back in May last year, so this is not something unexpected, it just took a bit more time to happen than we expected it to. It is also to be expected that other similar devices based on the platform provided by Syabas Technology may soon start getting 3D capabilities as well…

Syabas Technology has been a strong early adopter of the Matroska technology, and it is no wonder that the company is the first to offer hardware/software support of the Stereoscopic 3D Matroska files. Besides the .mk3d (.mkv with 3D video) format support, the C-200 player should be able to provide 3D output to HDMI 1.4 3D HDTVs for the playback of stereoscopic 3D videos in side-by-side and top-and-bottom formats and the files must contain in their names either “.3DSBS.*” or “.3DTAB.*” to be automatically recognized as a type of input. The new firmware is tested and confirmed working with 3D video files in MKV, AVI and TS (MPEG) file containers, again only Side-by-Side and Top-and-Bottom input formats are being supported at the moment, but others may be added in the future as well. The new 3D-capable firmware also has supports a 3D indicator in the NMJ UI, so you will have an indicator for the playback 3D files.

- To download the latest firmware for Popcorn Hour C-200 with 3D support…

Related posts you might be interested in:

• PopBox to be the First Consumer HD Player with Stereo 3D Support (0)
• VIP 3D-Gamer is an HDMI 1.4 to 3D DLP Projectors Video Converter (5)
• Using Tegra 3 Devices for Stereo 3D Output on External 3D Displays (2)
• The Game Gears of War 3 Will Feature Stereoscopic 3D Support (5)
• Nvidia has Revealed its Official Plans for the 3DTV Play Software (11)

It seems that Sony is planing to include the much anticipated 3D support for their PlayStation 3 console in the upcoming firmware update version 3.20. Or at least there are such hints coming from from some leaked pictures of the 3.20 firmware that seems to be already in the hands of some developers. The current firmware version for PlayStation 3 is at 3.15 with still no official release date of the anticipated version 3.20, but it is expected this to happen before the official summer release of the first 3D-ready HDTVs from Sony. Prior to having a compatible 3D-ready high-refresh rate HDTV, along with the required active shutter glasses (the preferred tech for all upcoming 3D TVs) there is no point in having this feature available on the console. Also, it seems that the much anticipated Blu-ray 3D support for the PS3 console will require an additional firmware update that is supposed to be available at a later time, after the summer release of the firmware with 3D gaming capabilities, but most likely before the end of the year.

Related posts you might be interested in:

• PlayStation 3 Now Also Supports Blu-ray 3D Movie Playback (6)
• PlayStation 3 embraces 3D, Stereoscopic 3D Gaming Available Next Year (8)
• New Blu-ray 3D Disc Players From Sony Available in March (3)
• The 3D TV Channels are Coming, When and What to Expect From Them (15)
• Sony’s Plans for Stereoscopic 3D Support in the PlayStation 3 Console (7)