Playstation 3

[Adam]

Now that the HD format war is over, and I have my tax return money in hand, I'm considering one, since it's pretty consistently ranked as one of the best, and most future proof, Blu-Ray players currently available.

Anyone have one? What do you think of the Blu-Ray player? Have you found a decent IR remote control for it? What are the best platform exclusive games? What else does the thin gdo? I'm aware that it has some sort of media streaming capability, but I'm just starting my research and I have no idea what they're actually claiming.

[seebs]

Well, it's the ONLY blu-ray player that is not likely to get locked out of future movies -- blu-ray is a nasty, evil, format. It is a tragedy for everyone that it won.

That said... I have no clue. I got one to run Linux on. I have played a couple of the games, but they didn't really interest me. I don't know about the remote; Sony sells a "blu-ray remote" for it, for real money, but I have no interest in HD movies, so I don't have any, so I don't have any reason to get the remote.

It has some amount of streaming media support, gradually improving; I think for a while it could use youtube, but they may have broken it.

Underneath it all, it has the core weakness that Sony is a house divided; the people making the PS3 are in a pitched battle with the movie studio side over whether or not it is permissible for users to watch movies. The movie people want it locked down, the console people want it to be an all-purpose device.

I'd tend to wait. It'll get cheaper, and a hypothetical future blu-ray player made AFTER they stop screwing all their customers (which they can do freely now that there's no competition) will likely be as good or better, yet much cheaper.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by seebs

Well, it's the ONLY blu-ray player that is not likely to get locked out of future movies -- blu-ray is a nasty, evil, format. It is a tragedy for everyone that it won.

That's one of the big reasons it's being touted as the best of the current crop...firmware upgrades make it relatively future proof.

That said... I have no clue. I got one to run Linux on. I have played a couple of the games, but they didn't really interest me. I don't know about the remote; Sony sells a "blu-ray remote" for it, for real money, but I have no interest in HD movies, so I don't have any, so I don't have any reason to get the remote.

Out of curiosity, why did you buy one to run Linux on? I mean, as opposed to just getting a regular PC to run Linux? Fun nerd project, or some practical reason?

I'm primarily interested in the available remotes because I'm very anal about being able to control all my devices from my Logitech universal remote. From the little I've read, they do sell IR remotes, but they aren't as fully functional as the RF remote Sony sells. I guess the alternative is to buy one of the newer universals that does RF but, yah, expensive. I got my current model (Harmony H659) last year for $50 on sale, and I'd really rather not pop $300 for an 890.

It has some amount of streaming media support, gradually improving; I think for a while it could use youtube, but they may have broken it.

I'm primarily interested in whether or not I can use it to stream the music I've ripped to my PC into my living room or not.

Underneath it all, it has the core weakness that Sony is a house divided; the people making the PS3 are in a pitched battle with the movie studio side over whether or not it is permissible for users to watch movies. The movie people want it locked down, the console people want it to be an all-purpose device.

Yah, that fits with what I've read.

I'd tend to wait. It'll get cheaper, and a hypothetical future blu-ray player made AFTER they stop screwing all their customers (which they can do freely now that there's no competition) will likely be as good or better, yet much cheaper.

You apparently don't understand the concept of "refund check burning a hole in my pocket"!

Thanks for the advice.

[seebs]

PCs don't have Cell processors. I get paid decent money to write about developing for Cell.

I don't know of any real support for IR remotes on the PS3 -- I even was told once that it doesn't HAVE an IR port, but that could be wrong.

I think in theory it should be possible to stream music from a PC to it. I don't know why.

And yeah, I do sorta know about "OMG I HAVE TO BUY A SHINY NOW", and I have it pretty bad, but no money to speak of.

[Adam]

Ah, OK...that sounds like a sweet gig.

It definitely does not have an IR port...they sell remotes that come with adapters, but I've read that they tend to be less functional than the Sony RF only model. Honestly, I only need the adapter, since I intend to control it with my existing remote. I was hoping that someone here would have some experience with the available remotes and be able to tell me which ones are good and which to stay away from.