Content Information Files

Content Information Files are multimedia files used to display the content in the XMB.

Only ICON0.PNG is mandatory, the rest are optionall and there is no security over them, so can be removed, replaced or added without problems, the system doesn't needs them to load the content.

The rest of the information related with the content (inputs/outputs) is stored in PARAM.SFO.

GAME Column in XMB

Game Data Utility

Refered to the content displayed at the top of the "Game" column in XMB inside "Game Data Utility" folder (categories: GD, 2D). Note that the same (category: GD) is refered to two different contents ("additionall content for games" and "game patches").

File	Language specific files	Description	Pixels Size	File Size	Time Size	Notes
ICON0.PNG	ICON0_xx.PNG	GameData Icon	320x176
ICON1.PAM	ICON1_xx.PAM	GameData Icon Video	320x176	2.4MB*	???	Video with sound supported
SND0.AT3	SND0_xx.AT3	GameData Icon Sound		2.4MB*	???	When the file is present the sound from ICON1.PAM is ignored
PIC1.PNG	PIC1_xx.PNG	Background picture	1920x1080
PARAM.HIS	PARAM_xx.HIS	Update History		???		Used as a changelog by patches

Saved Data Utility (minis)

File	Language specific files	Description	Pixels Size	File Size	Time Size	Notes
ICON0.PNG	ICON0_xx.PNG???	Minis SaveData Icon	80x80
SND0.AT3	SND0_xx.AT3???	Minis SaveData Icon Sound		???	???
PIC1.PNG	PIC1_xx.PNG???	???	480x272

Saved Data Utility (PS3)

File	Language specific files	Description	Pixels Size	File Size	Time Size	Notes
ICON0.PNG	ICON0_xx.PNG	SaveData Icon	320x176
ICON1.PAM	ICON1_xx.PAM	SaveData Icon Video	320x176	2.4MB*	???	Video with sound supported
SND0.AT3	SND0_xx.AT3	SaveData Icon Sound		2.4MB*	???	When the file is present the sound from ICON1.PAM is ignored
PIC1.PNG	PIC1_xx.PNG	Overlay picture	1000x560			For both 4:3 and 16:9 screens

• Overlay texts (under TITLE text row, and over PIC1.PNG) are displayed using SUBTITLE (one text row) and DETAIL (severall text rows) from PARAM.SFO

Trophy Collection

File	Description	Pixels Size	File Size	Notes
ICON0.PNG	Trophyset Icon	320x176
TROPxxx.PNG	Trophy Icon	240x240		"xxx" is the trophy number (from 000 to 999), platinum trophy is indexed as nº 000 when present
GRxxx.PNG	Trophyset Group Icon	320x176		"xxx" is the group number (from 000 to 999), used to index trophies as subgroups unlocked/installed with expansion packs

• Trophy information texts (right to each GRxxx.PNG and TROPxxx.PNG) is displayed using text strings from TROPCONF.SFM

Games

HDD Game

All the "bootable" HDD content displayed in "Game" column in XMB (categories: HG, 1P, 2P, MN) uses this "Content Information Files", also the main "bootable" content of a "standard" disc (category: DG).

File	Language specific files	Description	Pixels Size	File Size	Time Size	Notes
ICON0.PNG	ICON0_xx.PNG	Content Icon	320x176
ICON1.PAM	ICON1_xx.PAM	Content Icon Video	320x176	2.4MB*	???	Video with sound supported
SND0.AT3	SND0_xx.AT3	Content Icon Sound		2.4MB*	???	When the file is present the sound from ICON1.PAM is ignored
PIC0.PNG	PIC0_xx.PNG	Overlay picture	1000x560			Only visible in 16:9 screens (PIC2.PNG is ignored)
PIC1.PNG	PIC1_xx.PNG	Background picture	1920x1080
PIC2.PNG	PIC2_xx.PNG	Overlay picture	310x250			Only visible in 4:3 screens (PIC0.PNG is ignored)
PARAM.HIS	PARAM_xx.HIS	Update History		???		Used as a changelog by patches

• The sum of the sizes of SND0.AT3 + ICON1.PAM cant be higher than 2.4MB

Disc Game

There are speciall Disc structures that uses specific Content Information Files for different display modes.

PS3_EXTRA

This display mode "mimics" the "PStore news" menu with largue square icons that can be animated, and fills the screen with a 3x3 icon pattern.

File	Language specific files	Description	Pixels Size	File Size	Time Size	Notes
ICON2.PNG	ICON2_xx.PNG	Extra Content Icon	486x405
ICON3.SWF	ICON3_xx.SWF	Extra Content Icon Video	486x405	???	???

PKGDIR

This display mode resizes the icons and displays them inside bubbles (one bubble for each package). All the bubbles subfolders shares the same background image.

File	Language specific files	Description	Pixels Size	File Size	Time Size	Notes
ICON0.PNG	ICON0_xx.PNG	Package Icon	320x176
ICON1.PAM	ICON1_xx.PAM	Package Icon Video	320x176	2.4MB*	???	Video with sound supported
SND0.AT3	SND0_xx.AT3	Package Icon Sound		2.4MB*	???	When the file is present the sound from ICON1.PAM is ignored
PIC0.PNG	PIC0_xx.PNG	Overlay picture	1000x560			Only visible in 16:9 screens (PIC2.PNG is ignored)
PIC2.PNG	PIC2_xx.PNG	Overlay picture	310x250			Only visible in 4:3 screens (PIC0.PNG is ignored)
PIC3.PNG	PIC3_xx.PNG	Background picture	1920x1080			Used as the background of all the other subfolders with packages

Languages

Its possible to create "language specific files" by adding a number to the end of the file name, this files will be loaded by the PS3 only if the user has configured their profile with the same language.

This language codes are used in several places when talking about the content in a PS3 e.g:

• Some parameters inside .SFO contains language specific names (e.g. TITLE_xx)
• Audio tracks of .BIK video files (.BIK format supports 1 video track + severall audio tracks, the system decides wich ones to play)
• Trophy installers contains several files for several languages used as "source files", only one is installed

Number	Language
00	Japanese
01	English
02	French
03	Spanish
04	German
05	Italian
06	Dutch
07	Portuguese
08	Russian
09	Korean
10	Trad.Chinese
11	Simp.Chinese
12	Finnish
13	Swedish
14	Danish
15	Norwegian
16	Polish

File Formats

PNG

Background images supports 24 bits (for RGB channels). Other images suppports 32 bits with transparency (24 bits for RGB channels + 8 bits for an alpha layer).

"PNG Interlaced" and "APNG (Animated Portable Network Graphics)" formats are not supported by the PS3.

AT3

Can be created by saving the file as a .WAV container using the ATRAC3 Codec @ 66Kbps.

Mono and stereo channels are supported

PAM

Pam files can contain audio

SWF

Shockwave Flash