PARAM.SFO

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Revision as of 17:14, 24 February 2012 by Sandungas (talk | contribs) (→‎CATEGORY)
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SFO (System File Object) are used in folders wich content needs to be displayed in the XMB.

The basic file/folder structure of a PS3 content is composed by a SFO, the multimedia Content Information Files, and for speciall content like SaveData or Trophies there is a PARAM.PFD for security reasons, other type of content like games or apps needs an structure of subfolders with names as HTMLDIR, INSDIR, LICDIR, PKGDIR, TRPDIR, USRDIR, etc...

The parameters contained in a SFO can be simplyfied as inputs/outputs for/from the content:

  • Boot modifyers (flags) that are sent to the content when is executed to activate speciall modes (e.g. audio and video modes of a game).
  • Information texts about the content and his restrictions (e.g. title and version of a game).


SFX (System File in XML format) is similar than SFO but without the data related to his structure (the SFO metadata that has no real value).

The conversion between the 2 formats is direct because the important values contained in both formats are the same (File_Version, Parameter (name), Data_Type, Data_Total_Size & Parameter (value)).


SFO's and SFX's can be chained in a structure of subfolders where the "main" SFO activates a speciall subfolder, and the subfolder contains another SFO that activates another subfolder and so on.

This structures are limited by the system and activated by a combination of CATEGORY and speciall flags on ATTRIBUTE.

In Blu-Ray discs, the "main" PARAM.SFO itself is activated by another flag inside PS3_DISC.SFB.

Internal Structure

Header

 struct Header
 {
 uint32_t File_Signature; /* Always PSF */
 uint32_t File_Version; /* Usually 1.1 */
 uint32_t Name_Table_Start; /* Start position of the Name_Table */
 uint32_t Data_Table_Start; /* Start position of the Data_Table */
 uint32_t Entries_Number; /* Number of entries */
 };

Definition_Table

This structure repeats one time for every Entries_Number defined in the header. All values are in Little Endian. 

 struct Definition_Table
 {
 uint16_t Name_Table_Offset; /* Offset of the Name of the entry, from start of Name_Table */
 uint16_t Data_Type; /* Type of data of the entry in the Data_Table */
 uint32_t Data_Size_Used; /* Used Bytes by the entry in the Data_Table */
 uint32_t Data_Size_Total; /* Total bytes reserved for the entry in the Data_Table */
 uint32_t Data_Table_Offset; /* Offset of the Data of the entry, from start of Data_Table */
 };

The Data_Types are partially known based in some examples found in different content

Data_Types Description Used in
04 00 utf-8 Speciall Mode ACCOUNT_ID, PARAMS, PARAMS2 (in SaveData)... and PADDING (in trophy)
04 02 utf-8
04 04 integer

The Data_Type 04 00 marked as "utf-8 Speciall Mode" has the particularity of return a "right" or "wrong" when comparing the string with a reference value, so it can be said that the difference between the simple "utf-8" and "utf-8 Speciall Mode" is only from the point of view of how the system manipulate this data. For more info read the section ACCOUNT_ID.

  • Speculation

If the "scale" used for the second byte follows the proportion of 2^X (e.g. 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, etc...) then we are missing a "04 01" valid data type in the list

Name_Table

The entries of this table (and the next table) can vary depending of the kind of content, but always are ordered by his names (alphabetically from A to Z), each entry of this table needs 1 blank byte after the name to separate them. The valid values used in known formats are grouped in Parameters Table for a fast reference.

The table has padding at the end to fit the total size in bytes to a multiply or 4, this padding is added after the last blank byte of the last entry. If the last entry (included his blank byte) matches with a multiply of 4 this padding doesn't exist.

Data_Table

This table has no padding between entries neither at the end, Data_Size_Total for each entry is stored in the Definition_Table and this sizes are fixed by each entry (e.g. RESOLUTION always has a Data_Size_Total of 4 bytes), so the space in Data_Table can be considered reserved (filled with zeroes when not used).

  • Integer entries uses all the reserved bytes, so his Data_Size_Used is the same than his Data_Size_Total.
  • utf-8 entries never uses all the reserved bytes, needs 1 blank byte after the last character of the text string, this blank byte can be considered part of the string to count the Data_Size_Used bytes for this entry (e.g. the title "my homebrew " has a Data_Size_Used of 12 bytes from the total of 128 reserved in his Data_Size_Total).

Internall Structure Examples

SFO

This is an example of a hand made SFO structure, it contains only 1 entry (TITLE_ID), i choosed this one because his Data_Size_Total is short enought (16 bytes) to build the full structure in a minimall size, needs padding at the end of the Name_Table, and the Data_Size_Used is smaller than Data_Size_Total. 

0x0000  00 50 53 46  01 01 00 00  24 00 00 00  30 00 00 00 | .PSF....$...0... |
0x0010  01 00 00 00  00 00 04 02  0A 00 00 00  0F 00 00 00 | ................ |
0x0020  00 00 00 00  54 49 54 4C  45 5F 49 44  00 00 00 00 | ....TITLE_ID.... |
0x0030  41 42 43 44  31 32 33 34  35 00 00 00  00 00 00 00 | ABCD12345....... |

All the blocks of the file are explained in the next list, it has separated sections for header and the three tables.

Offset Size Content Conversion Value Notes
Header
0x0000 0x04 00 50 53 46 To utf-8 PSF Signature
0x0004 0x04 01 01 00 00 Big endian, decimal 1.1 Version (the point is added by the system)
0x0008 0x04 24 00 00 00 Big endian 0x0024 Start of Name_Table
0x000C 0x04 30 00 00 00 Big endian 0x0030 Start of Data_Table
0x0010 0x04 01 00 00 00 Big endian, decimal 1 Number of entries in the tables
Definition_Table
0x0014 0x02 0000 Big endian 0 (Start of Name) - (Start of Name_Table) = 0x0024-0x0024 = 0
0x0016 0x02 0402 Unknown Data_Type
0x0018 0x04 0A000000 Big endian, decimal 10 Data_Size_Used (ABCD12345 are 9 bytes + 1 blank = 10)
0x001C 0x04 0F000000 Big endian, decimal 16 Data_Size_Total (TITLE_ID Data_Size_Total is always 16 bytes)
0x0020 0x04 00000000 Big endian 0 (Start of Data) - (Start of Data_Table) = 0x0030-0x0030 = 0
Name_Table
0x0024 0x09 5449544C455F494400 To utf-8 TITLE_ID Name, included 1 blank byte at the end
0x002D 0x03 000000 Padding (9 from the previous entry + 3 padding = 12 bytes)
Data_Table
0x0030 0x0F 41424344313233343500000000000000 To utf-8 ABCD12345 Data. (Data_Size_Total=16 bytes. Data_Size_Used=10 bytes)
  • When you generate a non proper file playing with the flags, you can have a nice icon of "corrupted data", but in some cases the game boots normally. In other cases when adding or removing parameters the file is "partially" corrupted because a "break point" in the structure and the file is "partially" loaded (the PS3 loads the values before the structure "break point" normally, but after this point the values shown as corrupted or missing).
  • When adding "non-stadard" parameters to a "standard" SFO the system blocks this "not-expected" parameter. The SFO is loaded without problems, but the added parameters are ignored (e.g. when adding SUB_TITLE to a SFO for catergory "HG").
  • The minimall structure tested (and working) for a hombrew can be copied/downloaded at the bottom of the page, its not "standard" but the PS3 doesnt complains, and probably can be reduced even more.

SFX

This is the same file converted to SFX format, its more simple because it has no metadata related with the structure. Are used by some blu-rays, and can be used as "templates" to generate SFO files (manually by now, because there is no tool yet).

The entries and values are self explanatory, can be created using a SFO as the source with the program SFO2SFX. 

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" standalone="yes"?>
<paramsfo add_hidden="false">
  <param key="TITLE_ID" fmt="utf8" max_len="16">ABCD12345</param>
</paramsfo>

Parameters Table

This table contains all the parameters known/found in standard contents for a fast view and fast relinking to other sections of the page.

Columns of the table are named by the CATEGORY used by this content.

HG = HDD Game 1P = PS1 Game 2P = PS2 Game MN = PSP Mini Game GD = Game Data SD = Save Data ♦ = Trophy
Parameter Data_Type Data_Size_Total Data_Size_Used HG 1P 2P MN GD SD ♦
ACCOUNT_ID 0400 16 (0x10) 16 (0x10) No No ??? No No Yes No
ACCOUNTID utf-8 16 (0x10) 16 (0x10) No No ??? No No No Yes
ANALOG_MODE integer 4 (0x4) 4 (0x4) No Yes ??? No No No No
APP_VER utf-8 8 (0x8) 6 (0x6) Opt No ??? Yes Opt No No
ATTRIBUTE integer 4 (0x4) 4 (0x4) Opt Yes ??? Yes Opt Yes No
BOOTABLE integer 4 (0x4) 4 (0x4) Yes Yes ??? Yes No No No
CATEGORY utf-8 4 (0x4) 3 (0x3) Yes Yes ??? Yes Yes Yes No
CONTENT_ID utf-8 48 (0x30) 37 (0x25) Opt No ??? No No No No
DETAIL utf-8 1024 (0x400) variable No No ??? No No Opt No
LANG integer 4 (0x4) 4 (0x4) No No ??? No No No Yes
LICENSE utf-8 512 (0x200) variable Yes No ??? No No No No
NP_COMMUNICATION_ID utf-8 16 (0x10) 13 (0xD) Opt No ??? No No No No
NPCOMMID utf-8 16 (0x10) 12 (0xC) No No ??? No No No Yes
PADDING 0400 8 (0x8) 0 (0x0) No No ??? No No No Yes
PARAMS 0400 1024 (0x400) 1024 (0x400) No No ??? No No Yes No
PARAMS2 0400 12 (0xC) 12 (0xC) No No ??? No No Yes No
PARENTAL_LEVEL_x integer 4 (0x4) 4 (0x4) Opt No ??? No No No No
PARENTAL_LEVEL integer 4 (0x4) 4 (0x4) Yes No ??? Yes Yes Yes No
PARENTALLEVEL integer 4 (0x4) 4 (0x4) No Yes ??? No No No Yes
PS3_SYSTEM_VER utf-8 8 (0x8) 8 (0x8) Yes Yes ??? Yes Opt No No
REGION_DENY integer 4 (0x4) 4 (0x4) Opt No ??? No No No No
RESOLUTION integer 4 (0x4) 4 (0x4) Yes Yes ??? Yes No No No
SAVEDATA_DIRECTORY utf-8 64 (0x40) variable No No ??? No No Yes No
SAVEDATA_LIST_PARAM utf-8 8 (0x8) variable No No ??? No No Yes No
SOUND_FORMAT integer 4 (0x4) 4 (0x4) Yes Yes ??? Yes No No No
SOURCE integer 4 (0x4) 4 (0x4) No No ??? No No No Yes
SUB_TITLE utf-8 128 (0x80) variable No No ??? No No Opt No
TARGET_APP_VER utf-8 8 (0x8) 6 (0x6) No No ??? No Opt No No
TITLE utf-8 128 (0x80) variable Yes Yes ??? Yes Yes Yes No
TITLE_ID utf-8 16 (0x10) 10 (0xA) Yes Yes ??? Yes Yes No No
TITLE_xx utf-8 128 (0x80) variable Opt No ??? No No No No
TITLEID0xx utf-8 16 (0x10) 9 (0x9) No No ??? No No No Yes
VERSION utf-8 8 (0x8) 6 (0x6) Yes Yes ??? Yes Yes No Yes

Parameters Descriptions

ACCOUNT_ID

Data_Type: utf-8 Speciall Mode
Data_Size_Total: 16 bytes
Data_Size_Used: 16 bytes
Used in SFO's of type: Save Data

PSN User Account stored as utf-8 Speciall Mode. The string is compared with the info contained in XRegistry.sys. The comparison can only return two values, right, or wrong, if the comparison returns right the SaveData is valid.

Filled with zeroes when the user has not been registered in PSN.

ACCOUNTID

Data_Type: utf-8
Data_Size_Total: 16 bytes
Data_Size_Used: 16 bytes
Used in SFO's of type: Trophy

Same string than ACCOUNT_ID but stored as utf-8 because the system uses it for normal functions (in this case is sent to PSN to synchronize the trophy data with your online account).

ANALOG_MODE

Data_Type: uint32_t
Data_Size_Total: 4 bytes
Data_Size_Used: 4 bytes
Used in SFO's of type: PS1 Game

Enables compatibility with the analog sticks of the Dualshock Controller.

Little Endian Big Endian Flags (Binary) Description
00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000 Disabled
01 00 00 00 00 00 00 01 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000001 Enabled

APP_VER

Data_Type: utf-8
Data_Size_Total: 8 bytes
Data_Size_Used: 6 bytes
Used in SFO's of type: HDD Game, PSP Mini Game

Application version (or patch version). Not used in old games.

The format is XX.YY where "XX" and "YY" are numbers, and the point "." is included in the string, e.g: 01.00 for the first stable version released.

  • Cummulative Patches

Game patches uses a bigger APP_VER as 01.01 for the first patch, but keeping the same TITLE_ID from the originall release.

ATTRIBUTE

Data_Type: uint32_t
Data_Size_Total: 4 bytes
Data_Size_Used: 4 bytes
Used in SFO's of type: HDD Game, PS1 Game, PSP Mini Game, Save Data

Contains a maximun of 32 flags that can be turned on/off to activate/deactivate speciall boot modes for the content.

Values are stored in "Little Endian" format inside the SFO, to represent the whole list in a "human readable" format is needed to convert them to "Big Endian" and then to "Binary". The flags in the next table are ordered from older to newer and separated in 4 bytes (8 flags each byte).

There are special folders or special content (like copy-protection flag for SaveData) where the value of ATTRIBUTE is very different of what is explained in the next table, for this speciall cases the only two valid values are a 0 (speciall function deactivated) or a 1 (speciall function activated). This speciall cases are listed at the end of this section under "Values of ATTRIBUTE for speciall CATEGORY's".

Flags can be used in groups, to remove or add a flag from the group is needed to make an addition or a substraction of the values.

Little Endian Big Endian Flags (Binary) Description
01 00 00 00 00 00 00 01 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000001 PSP Remote Play in MPEG4 SP/ATRAC
02 00 00 00 00 00 00 02 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000010 [PSP Export]
04 00 00 00 00 00 00 04 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000100 PSP Remote Play in MPEG4 AVC/AAC
08 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00000000 00000000 00000000 00001000 Force XMB in game (used by PlayStation home)
10 00 00 00 00 00 00 10 00000000 00000000 00000000 00010000 [XMB In-Game] Disabled
20 00 00 00 00 00 00 20 00000000 00000000 00000000 00100000 [XMB In-Game] Background Music
40 00 00 00 00 00 00 40 00000000 00000000 00000000 01000000 Unknown !
80 00 00 00 00 00 00 80 00000000 00000000 00000000 10000000 PSvita Remote Play in high quality ? (used by torne v3.52 patch)
00 01 00 00 00 00 01 00 00000000 00000000 00000001 00000000 Move Controller (Warning Screen)
00 02 00 00 00 00 02 00 00000000 00000000 00000010 00000000 Navigation Controller (Warning Screen)
00 04 00 00 00 00 04 00 00000000 00000000 00000100 00000000 Eye Cam (Warning Screen)
00 08 00 00 00 00 08 00 00000000 00000000 00001000 00000000 Calibration (Notification Screen)
00 10 00 00 00 00 10 00 00000000 00000000 00010000 00000000 3D (Warning Screen)
00 20 00 00 00 00 20 00 00000000 00000000 00100000 00000000 Not used yet ? Reserved
00 40 00 00 00 00 40 00 00000000 00000000 01000000 00000000 Not used yet ? Reserved
00 80 00 00 00 00 80 00 00000000 00000000 10000000 00000000 Not used yet ? Reserved
00 00 01 00 00 01 00 00 00000000 00000001 00000000 00000000 Install Disc containing only Install Packages
00 00 02 00 00 02 00 00 00000000 00000010 00000000 00000000 Install Packages (from folder PKGDIR in Discs). See: CATEGORY
00 00 04 00 00 04 00 00 00000000 00000100 00000000 00000000 Overwrite RESOLUTION, SOUND_FORMAT, PSP Remote Play (Patches)
00 00 08 00 00 08 00 00 00000000 00001000 00000000 00000000 Game purchase Enabled. See: CONTENT_ID
00 00 10 00 00 10 00 00 00000000 00010000 00000000 00000000 Overwrite [XMB In-Game] (Patches)
00 00 20 00 00 20 00 00 00000000 00100000 00000000 00000000 Overwrite Move Controller Warning Screen (Patches)
00 00 40 00 00 40 00 00 00000000 01000000 00000000 00000000 Overwrite 3D Warning Screen (Patches)
00 00 80 00 00 80 00 00 00000000 10000000 00000000 00000000 Move Controller Compatible
00 00 00 01 01 00 00 00 00000001 00000000 00000000 00000000 Not used yet ? Reserved
00 00 00 02 02 00 00 00 00000010 00000000 00000000 00000000 Not used yet ?
00 00 00 04 04 00 00 00 00000100 00000000 00000000 00000000 Not used yet ? activated in category X4
00 00 00 08 08 00 00 00 00001000 00000000 00000000 00000000 Not used yet ?
00 00 00 10 10 00 00 00 00010000 00000000 00000000 00000000 Not used yet ?
00 00 00 20 20 00 00 00 00100000 00000000 00000000 00000000 Not used yet ?
00 00 00 40 40 00 00 00 01000000 00000000 00000000 00000000 Not used yet ?
00 00 00 80 80 00 00 00 10000000 00000000 00000000 00000000 Not used yet ?

Some examples. If you find a game with a flag in his ATTRIBUTE that is not yet in the table, please add it

Little Endian Big Endian Flags (Binary ) Title Flags Description
05 17 80 00 00 80 17 05 00000000 10000000 00010111 00000101 killzone 3 7 Move compatible + 3D screen + 3 move screens + 2 Remote Play modes
20 00 02 00 00 02 00 20 00000000 00000010 00000000 00100000 Dead Space 2 2 Installable Packages + "XMB in-game"
85 00 00 00 00 00 00 85 00000000 00000000 00000000 10000101 Torne v3.52 3 2 PSP Remote Play modes + 1 PSvita remote play mode ?
  • PSP Remote Play

The format "MPEG4 AVC/AAC" only works when the other format "MPEG4 SP/ATRAC" is activated

  • PSP Export

Used in CATEGORY's P1 (PlayStation 1 game) and MN (PSP Mini game)... and maybe for multimedia content. Allows the copy of the content to PSP by pressing triangle over his icon in XMB.

  • XMB In-game Disabled & XMB In-game Background Music

"Disabled" ---> Replaces [XMB In-Game] feature (in PS button) by the [old menu] with only 4 options (Quit Game, Assign controller ports, Turn off the controller, and turn off the system)

  • XMB Forced in game

Used in playstation Home at that time probably because system software wasn t doing it. Games with old menu can be forced to have the new xmb. This flag is probably not use anymore.

  • "Background Music"

Allows to pause the game (with the PS button), play your own music from the files stored in your HDD, and return to the game with your background music.

  • Move/Navigation/Eye warning screens

This warning screens are displayed before the game is launched (around 3 seconds each), are an explain of the correct way to use the "move controller", "navigation controller", and "eye cam" respectively. The game waits for them to appear so is a good idea to remove them to improve the loading time, the removing of this 3 screens has no effect over the controller, move controller will work without them.

  • Calibration Notification

This is a calibration screen that appears when the controller has not been calibrated previously (or when is missconfigured).

  • Stereoscopic 3D Warning Screen

This is a warning screen similar than the ones related with move peripherals, only appears when the TV is "3D compatible".

  • Install Disc & Install Packages

"Install Disc" flag hides the primary icon of the disc (when the flag is ativated only the secondary icon is visible), used when there is no bootable content on the "main" path PS3_GAME/USRDIR.

"Install Packages" flag activates the subfolder structure PS3_GAME/PKGDIR by loading another SFO from this subfolder (the system loads the "main" SFO from PS3_GAME, and then "jumps" to the "secondary" SFO inside PKGDIR), everytime one of this SFO's inside substructures/subfolder is loaded it means a new icon/subicon/mount point is loaded in XMB

For more info about this blu-ray flags/substructures see the "fake disc structure" examples in []PARAM.SFO#CATEGORY]]

  • Enable game purchase

Used in CATEGORY HG (in "demo" PS3 games that can be fully unlocked), and??? , activates the option to purchase the content by pressing triangle over his icon in XMB. is directly related with CONTENT_ID. When the content is purchased his CONTENT_ID is checked online to obtain the license. After is purchased the game loads another SFO with different values (e.g. TITLE, PARENTAL_LEVEL, RESOLUTION) from a different folder with other Content Informations Files

  • Move compatible

Enables support for the Move Controller (Navigation Controller and Eye Cam doesn't have/needs a flag)

  • Unknown flag

Few of them can be for PS vita for similar functions such as psp remote play or psp export (but even more restricted) are possible.

Boot logo disable? not used anymore Chat voice? not used anymore.

  • Values of ATTRIBUTE for speciall CATEGORY's

SaveData (SD)

Little Endian Big Endian Flags (Binary) Description
00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000 Copy Allowed
01 00 00 00 00 00 00 01 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000001 Copy Protected

Subfolder structures (TR, VR, DP, XR)

Little Endian Big Endian Flags (Binary) Description
00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000 Deactivated
01 00 00 00 00 00 00 01 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000001 Activated (the system loads another PARAM.SFO from another subfolder)

BOOTABLE

Data_Type: uint32_t
Data_Size_Total: 4 bytes
Data_Size_Used: 4 bytes
Used in SFO's of type: HDD Game, PS1 Game, PSP Mini Game

If the content is bootable or not, useful when you are going to make a data pkg.

Little Endian Big Endian Flags (Binary) Description
00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000 Not bootable
01 00 00 00 00 00 00 01 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000001 Bootable

CATEGORY

Data_Type: utf-8
Data_Size_Total: 4 bytes
Data_Size_Used: 3 bytes
Used in SFO's of type: All but trophy
  • Mount Points

This table represent the columns where the content is placed in the XMB and the CATEGORY asociated.

At the top are the "system functions", at the middle are the "HDD bootable content", and at the bottom are the "mount points" for Blu-Ray discs contents.

Photo Music Video TV Services Game Network Playstation Network Content Examples Notes
GD Game Patches/Expansions Data
2D PS2 Emulator Data
SD Game Save Data
♦ Game Trophy Data ♦ is not a valid CATEGORY
AP PlayMemories
AM Qriocity Music Unlimited
AV Netflix, LoveFilm
AT QOOK TV, Now TV, Torne Column hidden when no installed content
CB Life with PlayStation, Folding@home
HM PlayStation Home
HG HDD Game
1P PS1 Game
2P PS2 Game ?
MN PSP Mini Game
DG Disc Game in dev_bdvd/TITLE_ID/PS3_GAME
DM Disc Movie in dev_bdvd/TITLE_ID/PS3_VPRM
VR Bootable Videos in dev_bdvd/TITLE_ID/PS3_CONTENT/VIDEODIR
TR Installable Themes in dev_bdvd/TITLE_ID/PS3_CONTENT/THEMEDIR
DP Installable Packages in dev_bdvd/TITLE_ID/PS3_GAME/PKGDIR
XR Videos, Themes, and Packages in dev_bdvd/TITLE_ID/PS3_EXTRA
  • Blu-Ray discs structures

These are "fake Blu-Ray discs" with the minimall parameters inside SFO's/SFX's needed for the structure to work, and the needed HYBRID_FLAG's inside the main PS3_DISC.SFB. All the files are 100% hand made from scratch and tested.

Game discs in folder PS3_GAME The basic structure of a game disc. 

0GAM00001
|--- PS3_DISC.SFB <--- HYBRID_FLAG (g), TITLE_ID (0GAM00001)
|--- PS3_GAME
     |--- PARAM.SFO <--- CATEGORY (DG), TITLE_ID (0GAM00001)
     |--- USRDIR
          |--- EBOOT.BIN

Movie discs in folder PS3_VPRM This is the part of a Blue-Ray movie structure related with the PS3 system... the rest are the standard folders/files of a Blue-Ray movie and is not needed to be explained here. 

0MOV00001
|--- PS3_DISC.SFB <--- HYBRID_FLAG (v), TITLE_ID (blank)
|--- PS3_VPRM
     |--- PARAM.SFO <--- CATEGORY (DM)

Game discs in folder PS3_CONTENT Themes folder is mounted as a "secndary icon" under the "main game icon". Doesn't need/admit an SFO/SFX, the icon contained in the theme is resized and displayed inside a bubble, also the TITLE of the Theme is used for the content. 

0CONT00001
|--- PS3_DISC.SFB <--- HYBRID_FLAG (TV), TITLE_ID (0CONT00001)
|--- PS3_CONTENT
     |--- THEMEDIR
     |    |--- PARAM.SFO <--- ATTRIBUTE (01000000), CATEGORY (TR), TITLE (Themes)
     |    |--- D000
     |         |--- DATA001.P3T
     |         |--- DATA002.P3T
     |--- VIDEODIR
          |--- PARAM.SFO <--- ATTRIBUTE (01000000), CATEGORY (VR), TITLE (Videos)
          |--- D001
          |    |--- PARAM.SFO <--- CATEGORY (VI), TITLE (Video 1)
          |    |--- DATA000.MP4
          |--- D002
               |--- PARAM.SFO <--- CATEGORY (VI), TITLE (Video 2)
               |--- DATA000.MP4

Game discs in folder PS3_GAME/PKGDIR Can be considered an "expansion" of the basic blu-ray structure of a game disc, activated by the flag 00000200 in the ATTRIBUTE of the PARAM.SFO inside PS3_GAME. Packages are displayed in subfolders inside bubbles with his icons resized.

When the packages are installed, the file PARAM.SFO from PKGDIR is renamed to DISC.SFO and copyed inside the installation folder with the purpose of ??? (unknown, his info is not displayed in XMB) 

0PKG00001
|--- PS3_DISC.SFB <--- HYBRID_FLAG (g), TITLE_ID (0PKG00001)
|--- PS3_GAME
     |--- PARAM.SFO <--- ATTRIBUTE (00000200), CATEGORY (DG)
     |--- PKGDIR
          |--- PARAM.SFO <--- ATTRIBUTE (0100000), CATEGORY (DP), TITLE (Packages)
          |--- PKG01
          |    |--- PARAM.SFO <--- CATEGORY (IP), TITLE (Package 1)
          |    |--- INSTALL.PKG
          |--- PKG02
               |--- PARAM.SFO <--- CATEGORY (IP), TITLE (Package 2)
               |--- INSTALL.PKG

Game discs in folder PS3_GAME/INSDIR Can be considered an "expansion" of the basic blu-ray structure of a game disc, activated by the flag 00000200 in the ATTRIBUTE of the PARAM.SFO inside PS3_GAME

Used for "game patches" and "game expansion packs". The PARAM.SFO inside "INSDIR" contains the "APP_VER" of the bigger patch of the folder. Note that "download content" packages doesnt contains "APP_VER" so his installation doesnt updates the main game. For this reason "APP_VER" is only related with patches and is only needed when there are patches in the foler. 

0INS00001
|--- PS3_DISC.SFB <--- HYBRID_FLAG (g), TITLE_ID (0INS00001)
|--- PS3_GAME
     |--- PARAM.SFO <--- ATTRIBUTE (00000200), CATEGORY (DG)
     |--- INSDIR
          |--- PARAM.SFO <--- APP_VER (01.02), CATEGORY (AR)
          |--- DATA000.PKG
          |--- DATA001.PKG

Game discs in folder PS3_EXTRA Icon sizes is the same used in "PStore news" menu ([big squares of 486x405 pixels]). see: [Content_Information_Files|Content Information Files]] 

0EXT00001
|--- PS3_DISC.SFB <--- HYBRID_FLAG (g), TITLE_ID (0EXT00001)
|--- PS3_GAME
|    |--- PARAM.SFO <--- CATEGORY (DG)
|--- PS3_EXTRA
     |--- PARAM.SFO <--- ATTRIBUTE (0100000), CATEGORY (XR), TITLE (Extras)
     |--- D001
     |    |--- PARAM.SFX <--- CATEGORY (IP), TITLE (Package 1)
     |    |--- DATA000.PKG
     |--- D002
     |    |--- PARAM.SFX <--- CATEGORY (IP), TITLE (Package 2)
     |    |--- DATA000.PKG
     |--- D003
     |    |--- PARAM.SFX <--- CATEGORY (VI), TITLE (Video 1)
     |    |--- DATA000.MP4
     |--- D004
     |    |--- PARAM.SFX <--- CATEGORY (VI), TITLE (Video 2)
     |    |--- DATA000.MP4
     |--- D005
     |    |--- PARAM.SFX <--- CATEGORY (TI), TITLE (Theme 1)
     |    |--- DATA000.P3T
     |--- D006
          |--- PARAM.SFX <--- CATEGORY (TI), TITLE (Theme 2)
          |--- DATA000.P3T

You can download this structures to experiment with them or to look how SFO's SFX's are built ---> [Blu-Ray fake discs by sandungas]

  • Other CATEGORY's, unknown, untested, or not listed yet

X0 - (related to Game patch overwrite atribute: move screen and 3D screen) ?

X1 -

X2 -

X3 -

X4 - (same as X0 + 1 unknown flag) ?

X5 -

X6 -

X7 -

MS - "PSP minis" save data ?

PP - found in ps3Gen.exe (offset: 0x0005F214) or Genelib.dll (offset: 0x0008043C), confirmed on XMB_modding

XI - related to another disc structure, related with folders EX_GAME & EX_VIDEO ?

CONTENT_ID

Data_Type: utf-8
Data_Size_Total: 48 bytes
Data_Size_Used: 37 bytes
Used in SFO's of type: HDD Game

Content Identificator for Gamepurchase feature. Used in games that runs in "demo mode" and can be purchased (unlocked) by pressing triangle over his icon in XMB.

The format is: XXYYYY-NP_COMMUNICATION_ID-LICENSE_ID where:

  • XX is ?
  • YYYY is ?
  • - is a separator character (mandatory)
  • NP_COMMUNICATION_ID is explained in NP_COMMUNICATION_ID
  • - is a separator character (mandatory)
  • LICENSE_ID is ?

This games has a minimal folder structure with two PARAM.SFO like this: 

NPxx12345
|--- PARAM.SFO <--- ATTRIBUTE (00000800), CATEGORY (HG), TITLE (GAME Trial) ... & others
|--- USRDIR
|    |--- EBOOT.BIN
|--- C00
     |--- PARAM.SFO <--- ATTRIBUTE (00000800), CATEGORY (HG), TITLE (GAME Full) ... & others

DETAIL

Data_Type: utf-8
Data_Size_Total: 1024 bytes
Data_Size_Used: variable
Used in SFO's of type: Save Data

Text lines displayed under SUBTITLE text. Used only for SaveData to store long texts from the game like the name of the level you was playing, the equipment of your character (in a RPG), or the car you was driving (in a race simulator), etc...

When the text is too long to fit in the screen it scrolls vertically from bottom to top, if the Data_Used_Size is not correct this scroll doesn't flow properly.

To displace the text to the next row is used the speciall byte "0A", this way it can be done long messages with severall horizontall lines.

LANG

Data_Type: uint32_t
Data_Size_Total: 4 bytes
Data_Size_Used: 4 bytes
Used in SFO's of type: Trophy

Language used when the "trophy config file" TROPCONF.SFM was installed. Valid values for languages are the same ones used for Regional codes

LICENSE

Data_Type: utf-8
Data_Size_Total: 512 bytes
Data_Size_Used: variable
Used in SFO's of type: HDD Game

License text of the content, hidden by the system in actual firmwares

NP_COMMUNICATION_ID

Data_Type: utf-8
Data_Size_Total: 16 bytes
Data_Size_Used: 13 bytes
Used in SFO's of type: HDD Game

Name of the folder containing the trophy installer (TROPHY.TRP)

The format is NPWRxxyyy_zz (e.g. NPWR00001_00)

NPCOMMID

Data_Type: utf-8
Data_Size_Total: 16 bytes
Data_Size_Used: 12 bytes
Used in SFO's of type: Trophy

Same than NP_COMMUNICATION_ID but with a Data_Size_Used of 12 bytes

PADDING

Data_Type: utf-8 Speciall Mode
Data_Size_Total: 8 bytes
Data_Size_Used: 0 bytes
Used in SFO's of type: Trophy

Unknown

PARAMS

Data_Type: utf-8 Speciall Mode
Data_Size_Total: 1024 bytes
Data_Size_Used: 1024 bytes
Used in SFO's of type: Save Data

This parameter is intented to store user (and console?) specific data. Is the only one known parameter that contains an internall structure with severall strings, and his size is huge for being an integer.

Offset length Example Description Notes
0x0000 12 (0xC) 030401020300000000000000 Unknown
0x000C 4 (0x4) 08000000 Unknown
0x0010 4 (0x4) 7D000000 Unknown
0x0014 4 (0x4) 03000000 Unknown
0x0018 4 (0x4) 01000000 userid User identificator number from XRegistry.sys
0x001C 16 (0x10) FEDCBA9876543210FEDCBA9876543210 psid More info: PSID
0x002C 4 (0x4) 01000000 userid User identificator number from XRegistry.sys
0x0030 16 (0x10) 0123456789ABCDEF0123456789ABCDEF accountid PSN account identificator from XRegistry.sys
0x0040 960 (0x3C0) 00000000........ Unknown Big chunk of zeroes, probably used or reserved for other formats
  • Notes:
    • The string used in the paramater ACCOUNT_ID is the same than accountid inside PARAMS. When PARAMS & ACCOUNT_ID are present in the SFO the string can be found two times in the file.

PARAMS2

Data_Type: utf-8 Speciall Mode
Data_Size_Total: 12 bytes
Data_Size_Used: 12 bytes
Used in SFO's of type: Save Data

Unknown, usually filled with zeroes

PARENTAL_LEVEL_x

Data_Type: uint32_t
Data_Size_Total: 4 bytes
Data_Size_Used: 4 bytes
Used in SFO's of type: HDD Game

Used to restrict the content to a specific License Area

The "x" at the end of the name PARENTAL_LEVEL_x defines the License Area wich is one of this list.

Parameter License Area Regions
PARENTAL_LEVEL_A SCEA US, Canada (North America), Mexico, Central America, South America
PARENTAL_LEVEL_C SCH China
PARENTAL_LEVEL_E SCEE Europe/Middle East/Africa, U.K./Ireland, Australia/New Zealand (Oceania), Russia, Ukraine, India, Central Asia
PARENTAL_LEVEL_H SCEH Singapore/Malaysia (Southeast Asia), Taiwan, Hong Kong
PARENTAL_LEVEL_J SCEJ Japan
PARENTAL_LEVEL_K SCEK Korea (South Korea)
  • All this parameters are used in group, and preceded by a "standard" PARENTAL_LEVEL with the value 00000000 (disabled)
  • Valid values are the same than PARENTAL_LEVEL (an scale from 1 to 11) with the only difference that the value for disable is FFFFFFFF
---example string---
00000000 05000000 0A000000 01000000 FFFFFFFF 06000000 0B000000
---example explain---
PARENTAL_LEVEL = 00000000 (disabled)
PARENTAL_LEVEL_A = 05000000 (level 5)
PARENTAL_LEVEL_C = 0A000000 (level 10)
PARENTAL_LEVEL_E = 01000000 (level 1)
PARENTAL_LEVEL_H = FFFFFFFF (disabled)
PARENTAL_LEVEL_J = 06000000 (level 6)
PARENTAL_LEVEL_K = 0B000000 (level 11)

PARENTAL_LEVEL

Data_Type: uint32_t
Data_Size_Total: 4 bytes
Data_Size_Used: 4 bytes
Used in SFO's of type: HDD Game, PSP Mini Game, Game Data, Save Data

Is an scale to rate the content for the different users based in his user profile settings and internationall rating systems as: [| PEGI], [| ESRB], [| CERO], etc...

The higher the level the higher the restriction e.g:

  • A game rated 11 will be displayed with an "locked" icon in XMB and requires the "unlock PIN" for a user with level 1.
  • A game rated 1 can be played by all levels, from 1 to 11.
  • Level 0 is disabled.
Little Endian Big Endian Decimal Rating
00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 0 Disabled
01 00 00 00 00 00 00 01 1 Lower restriction
02 00 00 00 00 00 00 02 2
03 00 00 00 00 00 00 03 3
04 00 00 00 00 00 00 04 4
05 00 00 00 00 00 00 05 5
06 00 00 00 00 00 00 06 6
07 00 00 00 00 00 00 07 7
08 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 8
09 00 00 00 00 00 00 09 9
0A 00 00 00 00 00 00 0A 10
0B 00 00 00 00 00 00 0B 11 Higher restriction

PARENTALLEVEL

Data_Type: uint32_t
Data_Size_Total: 4 bytes
Data_Size_Used: 4 bytes
Used in SFO's of type: PS1 Game, Trophy

Same than PARENTAL_LEVEL

PS3_SYSTEM_VER

Data_Type: utf-8
Data_Size_Total: 8 bytes
Data_Size_Used: 8 bytes
Used in SFO's of type: HDD Game, PS1 Game, PSP Mini Game

Minimum PS3 System Software required for the content to be bootable.

The format is XX.YYYY where "XX" and "YYYY" are numbers, and the point "." is included in the string, e.g: 03.4100.

REGION_DENY

Data_Type: uint32_t
Data_Size_Total: 4 bytes
Data_Size_Used: 4 bytes
Used in SFO's of type: HDD Game

Regional restrictions for the content.

There are 12 valid Regions, each region has a position assigned in the binary string, this positions are marked with an "1" when the region is prohibited, and a "0". when is allowed.

Little Endian Big Endian Flags (Binary) Region Nº Allowed Region Notes
FE FF FF FF FF FF FF FE 11111111 11111111 11111111 11111110 0 Japan
FD FF FF FF FF FF FF FD 11111111 11111111 11111111 11111101 1 US, Canada (North America) Used in Netflix
FB FF FF FF FF FF FF FB 11111111 11111111 11111111 11111011 2 Europe / Middle East / Africa
F7 FF FF FF FF FF FF F7 11111111 11111111 11111111 11110111 3 Korea (South Korea)
EF FF FF FF FF FF FF EF 11111111 11111111 11111111 11101111 4 U.K. / Ireland
DF FF FF FF FF FF FF DF 11111111 11111111 11111111 11011111 5 Mexico, Central America, South America
BF FF FF FF FF FF FF BF 11111111 11111111 11111111 10111111 6 Australia / New Zealand (Oceania)
7F FF FF FF FF FF FF 7F 11111111 11111111 11111111 01111111 7 Singapore / Malaysia (Southeast Asia)
FF FE FF FF FF FF FE FF 11111111 11111111 11111110 11111111 8 Taiwan
FF FD FF FF FF FF FD FF 11111111 11111111 11111101 11111111 9 Russia, Ukraine, India, Central Asia
FF FB FF FF FF FF FB FF 11111111 11111111 11111011 11111111 10 China
FF F7 FF FF FF FF F7 FF 11111111 11111111 11110111 11111111 11 Hong Kong

[| Photo] of a DEX with the the text: Allowed Region=1-11 (note region 0=Japan is not allowed).

RESOLUTION

Data_Type: uint32_t
Data_Size_Total: 4 bytes
Data_Size_Used: 4 bytes
Used in SFO's of type: HDD Game, PS1 Game, PSP Mini Game

TV video modes supported by the content.

When there are severall flags activated the PS3 will use the one with higher quality supported by the TV.

Little Endian Big Endian Flags (Binary) Description
01 00 00 00 00 00 00 01 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000001 480 (4:3)
02 00 00 00 00 00 00 02 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000010 576 (4:3)
04 00 00 00 00 00 00 04 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000100 720 (16:9)
08 00 00 00 00 00 00 08 00000000 00000000 00000000 00001000 1080 (16:9)
10 00 00 00 00 00 00 10 00000000 00000000 00000000 00010000 480 (16:9)
20 00 00 00 00 00 00 20 00000000 00000000 00000000 00100000 576 (16:9)
3F 00 00 00 00 00 00 3F 00000000 00000000 00000000 00111111 All

SAVEDATA_DIRECTORY

Data_Type: utf-8
Data_Size_Total: 64 bytes
Data_Size_Used: variable
Used in SFO's of type: Save Data

Name of the folder where the game stores his SaveData. The format is: TITLE_ID-xxx, e.g;: BLUS00001-savedata where:

  • TITLE_ID is explained in TITLE_ID.
  • - is a separation character (mandatory).
  • xxx is a variable string with variable lenght, are texts to separate different SaveDatas from the same game.

SAVEDATA_LIST_PARAM

Data_Type: utf-8
Data_Size_Total: 8 bytes
Data_Size_Used: variable
Used in SFO's of type: Save Data

Unknown, usually filled with zeroes, but with a Data_Used_Size of 1 byte

  • Gran turismo 5 contains the string "GAMEDAT"

SOUND_FORMAT

Data_Type: uint32_t
Data_Size_Total: 4 bytes
Data_Size_Used: 4 bytes
Used in SFO's of type: HDD Game, PS1 Game, PSP Mini Game

Sound modes supported by the content.

Little Endian Big Endian Flags (Binary) Description
01 00 00 00 00 00 00 01 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000001 [LPCM] 2.0
04 00 00 00 00 00 00 04 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000100 [LPCM] 5.1
10 00 00 00 00 00 00 10 00000000 00000000 00000000 00010000 [LPCM] 7.1
02 01 00 00 00 00 01 02 00000000 00000000 00000001 00000010 [Dolby Digital] 5.1
02 02 00 00 00 00 02 02 00000000 00000000 00000010 00000010 [Digital Theater Systems (DTS)] 5.1
17 03 00 00 00 00 03 17 00000000 00000000 00000011 00010111 All

SOURCE

Data_Type: uint32_t
Data_Size_Total: 4 bytes
Data_Size_Used: 4 bytes
Used in SFO's of type: Trophy

Unknown, usually filled with zeroes

SUB_TITLE

Data_Type: utf-8
Data_Size_Total: 128 bytes
Data_Size_Used: variable
Used in SFO's of type: Save Data

The line of text displayed under TITLE text, used only in SaveData to store short texts from the game like your player name, your play time, or your rank in the game

When the text is too long to fit in the screen it scrolls horizontally from right to left, if the Data_Used_Size is not correct this scroll doesn't flow properly. The same behaviour happens with TITLE, TITLE_xx, TITLEID0xx and TITLE_ID

TARGET_APP_VER

Data_Type: utf-8
Data_Size_Total: 8 bytes
Data_Size_Used: 6 bytes
Used in SFO's of type: Game Data

Target application version for incremental patches. Patches containing TARGET_APP_VER can be installed over the game with the same APP_VER.

The format is XX.YY where "XX" and "YY" are numbers, and the point "." is included in the string, e.g: 01.00

TITLE

Data_Type: utf-8
Data_Size_Total: 128 bytes
Data_Size_Used: variable
Used in SFO's of type: HDD Game, PS1 Game, PSP Mini Game, Game Data, Save Data

Default "title of the game" for all languages. The text is displayed right to the ICON0.PNG.

TITLE_ID

Data_Type: utf-8
Data_Size_Total: 16 bytes
Data_Size_Used: 10
Used in SFO's of type: HDD Game, PS1 Game, PSP Mini Game, Game Data

Identifier of the content, in the format WXYZ12345. Must be the same ID inside the Makefile when compiling the .SELF, or/and when creating the .PKG

  • Discs:
    • W is the media: (B=Blu-ray, S=CD/DVD)
    • X is the license: (C=Official, L=Licensed)
    • Y is the region: (A=Asia, E=Europe, J=Japan, U=USA)
    • Z is the kind of content: (D=Demo, M=Malayan Release, S=Retail release)
    • 12345 is the game ID in chronological order
  • HDD games or apps:
    • WX is the Network Enviroment: (NP=Retail)
    • Y is the region: (E=Europe, I=Internationall?, H=Hong Kong, J=Japan, U=USA)
    • Z is the ?: (A=?, B=?, F=?, G=?, I=?, J=?, K=?, L=?, O=?, W=?, Z=?)
    • 12345
  • Other TITLE_ID's
    • TEST12345 (in savedata). When mounting a disc in a backup manager using the option "direct boot", the mounted disc use the TITLE_ID from backup manager (TITLE_ID from backup manager has not been unloaded properly and the disc addopts it). The SaveData of this game will use TEST12345. When several different games are mounted and "direct launched", his savedatas will be corrupted/invalid (because the overwriting of PARAM.SFO). TEST12345 seems to a common TITLE_ID used in all backup managers, the name probably is derived from official tools or internall firmware functions (Described as tips with ps3.gen.exe:"setting the TITLE_ID to TEST-XXXXX or disc version to "00.00" enable the program to build the disc image).
    • MRTC00001 STAR OCEAN THE LAST HOPE (the first internationall blu-ray release)

TITLE_xx

Data_Type: utf-8
Data_Size_Total: 128 bytes
Data_Size_Used: variable
Used in SFO's of type: HDD Game

Same than TITLE but for localized languages.

An .SFO can contain severall TITLE_xx where xx is a number for a regional code. See: Content Information Files.

The "default" TITLE is always present when other "localized" TITLE_xx are used.

TITLEID0xx

Data_Type: utf-8
Data_Size_Total: 16 bytes
Data_Size_Used: 9
Used in SFO's of type: Trophy

SFO's for trophies contains a full list of 16 TITLEID0xx parameters for all languages where "xx" is a number for a regional code. See: Content Information Files.

All them can contain data, or only the default TITLEID000. The ones without data are marked with a Data_Used_Size = 0 bytes

The text contained inside default TITLEID000 is the same than TITLE_ID

VERSION

Data_Type: utf-8
Data_Size_Total: 8 bytes
Data_Size_Used: 6 bytes (or 3 bytes when used in trophy)
Used in SFO's of type: HDD Game, PS1 Game, PSP Mini Game, Game Data, Trophy

Disc version, or Package version. The number increases when the content is re-released or re-packaged for whatever reason

The format is XX.YY where "XX" and "YY" are numbers, and the point "." is included in the string, e.g: 01.00.

  • When used in a SFO for a trophy it has a Data_Size_Used of 3 bytes, with the format: X.Y e.g: 1.0

Tools, manuals and externall links

Sorry if im missing some link, severall things of this page was copy-pasted months ago by googling in random forums.

  • Tools

SFO_tools_-_linux-64bit-compiles.rar (23.61 KB)

https://github.com/an0nym0u5/PSL1GHT/commit/75013299710d2bde224e2052284461a665a071bf

read_sfo.tar.bz2 (6.33 KB)

PS3SFOEdit.zip (47.59 KB)

SFO reader

  • Sources

http://www.ps3hax.net/showthread.php?t=28704

http://ps3dev.wikispaces.com/PARAM.SFO

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