The PS3 Slim only just got announced, but its full abilities are starting to emerge. The latest: Apparently it actually can bitstream Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio directly to your receiver. Can I get a w00t from the audiophiles?
Audio nerds had suspected (or at least hoped) the PS3 Slim would offer such support. We've not yet confirmed it ourselves, but Japanese Tech News site, AV Watch, makes it sound like a done deal.
The HDMI chip used by existing fatty PS3 models doesn't support the relatively recent Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA codecs. This forces them to decode internally, and send the audio to your receiver via LPCM.
Bottom line: Great news if you use the PS3 for watching Blu-ray movies with a high-end surround sound system. If not, just nod and know that this is a good thing.
Wanna know more? Check out Giz Explains: Dolby, DTS and Home Theater Audio Codec Confusion. [AV Watch (translated) via Engadget]