Sony PS3 lock-up with DTS:HD Blu-ray Disc

Over the past several months, I have noticed a problem with my PlayStation 3 (PS3). It began when I got Shaun of the Dead on Blu-ray Disc as a gift: The movie would freeze just as the main feature began.

The only way to escape the screen was to power off the system. After panicing for a few minutes, I tried another BD I had recently watched. It worked fine. I tried several movies, and they all worked well. After a few tests, I diagnosed the problem: titles with DTS:HD audio would cause the system to freeze. Dolby TrueHD, and other audio formats worked still.

Check out the video below for evidence of the issue.

The strange thing is, even if I change all of the settings on the PS3 to only output basic DTS audio, I get the same effect. DTS:HD embeds a standard DTS codec inside the file for systems incompatible with the next generation format, so maybe that has something to do with it.

I have the original 60GB PS3, I’m using HDMI cables to a Pioneer VSX-918-K receiver, and into a Sony KDF-50E2000 HDTV.