PSP 117

PSP Comparison

PSP Tips

How to Update PSP Firmware

PSP Firmware Infomation

The XMB

The "Cross Media Bar" or XMB is the name for the main menu on the PSP when you turn it on or goto "Home". Its background can be changed and the orginal wavy lines change colour every month.

This is an image of the PSP XMB.

Items and Instructions on the XMB-

Settings	Network update - Update your PSP firmware by downloading th latest version over WiFi USB Connection - Plug your PSP into your PC, PS3 or Xbox 360 via a USB cable and select this to enable the connection to take place Video Settings - Change language, UMD volume and allow L/R buttons to be used for chapter skips Photo Settings - Change slideshow speed System Settings - Change your nickname, menu language, character set, UMD auto start, battery infomation, format your memory stick, enable WMA playback and Flash player, restore system defaults and "about" the PSP Theme settings - Change your theme colour and allow wallpapers to be used Date and time settings - Set date and time, possible to do via WiFi Power Save Settings - Auto Sleep adjustment, backlight adjestments and WLAN power save Sound Settings - AVLS (Automatic Volume Limiter System) and Key tones can be turned on/off Security settings - Password change, parental control level and internet browser control RSS Channel Settings - Set to save the last X amount of items listened to Network Settings - Adjust Ad hoc and WLAN settings
Photo	Start your PSP Camera (Chotto Shot/Quick Shot?) View Images on your memory stick Press Triangle on the memory stick logo to bring up slideshow or to receive a picture from another PSP
Music	Listen to music and audio podcast on your PSP
Video	Start watching a UMD film Watch videos from your memory stick
Game	Game Sharing - Use to receive part of a game via Ad hoc from another PSP game to play against that person Certificate utility - Use for PS1 game confirmation Save Data utility - View your save games, delete them or copy them to another memory stick by using triangle and selecting copy on the save game UMD - start the UMD game in your disk drive PSP Update version X.XX - Update your PSP using the game in your disk drive, not all games have it or the lastest versions. Memory stick - Play demos or anyhting in your PSP/Game folder, ISP folder or PSP/Game150 folder
Network	Online instruction manual - View an online maual of the PSP via WLAN Location Free Player - Use your PSP with your location free player Remote Play - use your PSP with your PS3 RSS Channel - View your RSS channels and download the latest videos and podcasts Internet browser - Runs the PSP Internet Browser

How to set a Wallpaper

After you have downloaded an image to your memory stick via a USB cable, wireless internet or via Ad hoc from another PSP you may want to use it as a wallpaper. To do this goto the photo icon on the XMB (PSP Main Menu, Cross Media Bars) and go to your memory stick icon. Find the image you want and click the image button to bring it up on the screen. press triangle and find "Set as Wallpaper". it will then save the wallaper as your background on your XMB even if you take the memory stick out.

Video/UMD Film Settings

The Sound Button

When listening to music you can change the sound type by pressing the sound button (also you must be using headphones or the headphone jack). Each time you press it the type of sound changes-

HEAVY - "Strengthens both bass and treble to produce an intense sound"

POPS - "Strengthens the mid-range. Ideal for vocals"

JAZZ - "Strengthens both bass and treble to produce a balanced sound"

UNIQUE - "Strengthens bass, treble and mid-range sound"

OFF - Normal sound

Simply hold down the button with the music note on it until the mute logo appears on screen. Press once more to unmute.

Turn PSP Backlight off

Hold down the screen button to turn screen off. Useful for USB mode and when games are paused. Press any other button to reactivate screen.

Give folders images on PSP

To put an image onto a folder that is displayed on your PSP then place the image in the same folder as the music to have it set as an image.

It is also possible to attach images to indiviula songs but so far it just happens to some of my songs and not others.......

Theme Setting

The PSP colour them will change every month unless you change from "orginal" in theme setting menu.

January – Silver

February – Yellow

March – Green

April – Pink

May – Dark Green

June – Purple

July – Aqua

August – Sky Blue/Blue/Dark Blue

September – Violet

October – Gold

November – Light Brown

December – Red

Browsing the Internet on PSP

For this you need to be on PSP version 2.00 or above. Then you can use wireless internet with the PSP WiFi to access the internet. PSP update version 2.70 allows use of Macromedia flash on the PSP.

When view a page tapping the d-pad direction will take your cursor to the nearest linkable object. The best way to view a page is to hold SQUARE and move the ANALOGUE STICK in the direction you want to view.

The PSPs' web browser can have up to 3 windows viewed at a time. If you click a link and it opens a new window, you can return to the hold window by holding SQUARE and then tapping either L or R. Each window has a colour, red, blue and yellow. The active window has the widest coloured bar.

Playing Demos on the PSP

These can be downloaded to your memory stick straight from Sony or the game website. Other demos can be played from UMD's from PSP magazines and from Sony. Demos are EBOOT files and need to be placed in PSP/GAME/"DEMOCODE", each demo has a coded file that it needs to be placed into. To download demos go to the downloads page.

Ad Hoc

This is what is used to send infomation between different PSP's. Ad Hoc can also be used to send photos to another PSP. Make sure that its on the same Ad Hoc channel or automatic when sending pictures, game sharing or playing against each other in a multiplayer game. Upto 16 players can be connected via Ad Hoc through a single host.

Playing PSP Games Online

These can be played via WLAN against other PSP players. You may have to configure your wireless internet to allow your PSP to connect. Only certain games allow online play.

RSS Channel

RSS stands for "Really Simple Syndication". This are channels, like TV channels which you can use to stream and download podcasts, news and music. To save a channel you must use the PSP web browser and when you see orange RSS or blue XML logo click it to add to your available channels on your PSP from the RSS menu. From the PSP's main menu select RSS and it will show the channels which you are subscribing to, click on one to see what is available to listen to. You wil have to connect to a wireless internet to do so. When you are connected and are viewing what programs you are able to listen to you can click on the to stream them or press TRIANGLE then select save to store them on your memory stick to listen to later. With firmware 2.80 videos can also be downloaded onto your memory stick. Later firmwares allow you to set your PSP to downlaod the newest podcasts  every so often and you can tell it to every day, week etc.

You can download the lastest firmware from the downloads page.

To update your PSP you will need to:

1. Connect your PSP to your PSP via USB or connect your Memory stick duo to your PC via a memory stick slot.

2. Create a folder on your memory stick duo for the update.

3. Download the update file, called an "EBOOT" and place it in the update file you have just created.

4. Go to "Game ()" on your PSP menu, select "Memory stick ()" and choose the update file version x.xx.

5. The update program will run, it will tell you what updates are being installed. Continue through the process and choose to accept the terms and agreements for the update. You will need to have your charger plugged into your PSP and 3 bars of battery power.

6. If the update was successful you can delete the update from your memory stick

These are the official updates from Sony for your PSP. These links are to download the newest update.To install put the EBOOT file into PSP/game/update. You have to make the update folder to put the EBOOT into. Plug the PSP into your charger and select game then install that version of the update.

Important firmwares are in bold.

The latest PSP's are being shipped with firmware 3.73.

Update infomation-

1.00

• Original firmware release in Japan

1.50

• Original firmware release in North America and Europe
• Support for content authorisation added
• New video codecs playable
• Added new languages to existing base

1.51

• Security patch update

1.52

• UMD music can be played from music in the XMB
• Security strengthened

2.00

• Internet browser added
• "Go To" feature added under music and video
• 4:3 screen ratio added in video playback
• A-B repeat featured added under music and video
• Mp4/AVC video playback enabled
• AAC and Wav playback enabled in music
• Wallpaper feature added
• Image transfer via ad hoc added
• Added BMP, PNG, Gif and TiFF as viewable formats
• Theme settings added
• Web address shortcut featured added to keyboard

2.01

• Security patch update

2.50

• Locationfree player usable
• Internet browswer settings updated
• Internet browser input history saved
• Copy-right video can be played
• Set time and date via internet added

2.60

• RSS Channel added as feature
• WMA format enabled in music (Must be enabled over WiFi)

2.70

• Flash enabled in web browser (Must be enabled over WiFi)
• Audio RSS channel content can be saved to memory stick

2.71

• Game demos can be downloaded to memory stick

2.80

• Video and Image content downloadable from RSS Channels
• New game demos can be downloaded
• 3gp files can be played under music
• Playback from root folers enabled, MUSIC, VIDEO and PICTURE

2.81

• Security patch update

2.82

• Security Patch
• New Demo can be played, Loco Roco Halloween

3.00

• Remote Play added for sharing media with PS3
• M-JPEG video playback enabled
• Playstation 1 Games playable
• UMD Auto-load can be turned on/off
• Visualisers added when listening to music (5 differnet ones)
• Online Instruction manulas added to Network
• Certificate Utility added to Game
• Camera function added to Photo (Requires Chotto Shot to use fully)

3.01

• Security Updated

3.02

• Security Updated

3.03

• More PS1 games compatible via PS3 Playstation Store

3.10

• More support for Playstaion games
• Added Dynamic Normaliser to settings
• Memory conservation added as an option to Internet Browser
• MPEG-4 AVC video format can be played under Location Free Player (Location Free Player required)

3.11

• Added support for Playstation game R-Types (Issue with sound)
• Reset Game added as a feature when playing Playstation Games

3.30

• Display thumbnails under RSS channels
• Expanded support for PS1 titles
• Display thumbnails in VIDEO folder
• Option to set disk speed on the PS1 emulator

3.40

• Expanded support for PS1 titles
• Save data from PS3 and PS1 are now compatible with each other (with PS3 1.7 firmware update)
• Certificate Utility removed from XMB
• Certificate Utility intigrated with PS1 game menu

3.50

• Allows remote play to be used via the Internet
• RSS Channel guide added as a feature under RSS Channel
• CPU speed limit removed from 266MHz to allow games to be run at 333MHz

3.51

• System security has been updated

3.52

• Support for PS1 games expanded

3.60

PSP Slim features only:

• TV Output added
• Support for 1-Seg tuner
• UMD Cache support
• USB Charging option added
• Addition colour themes

3.70

• Custom themes added
• Support button asignment in remote play
• Scene search feature added in video
• Sequential playback available in video
• Playback of music and pictures at same time now possible
• Playstation Spot added under network
• Video bitrate increased (from 768kbps to 2Mbps)

3.71

• System security has been updated
• Support for PS1 games expanded
• Playstation Spot removed from network

3.72

• Support for PS1 games expanded
• Remote Start available from Remote Play (requires PS3)

3.73

• Fixed a UMD disk read error

3.80

• Added a streaming internet player
• New music visualisation
• Video scene search added
• Increased RSS support
• Ability to play PS1 games via disk or hard drive through Remote Play with PS3

3.90

• Support for Playstation Network titles expanded
• Go! Messenger service added under Network
• Skype feature added as a feature (Slim PSP only)