New to Blu? Buy a PS3: the most featured BD hardware available... (1 Viewer)

[Nick Martin]

Mark you may find this interesting:

My TV is a 720p set as well, an LG 42" plasma which goes as far as 1080i.

However, I AM able to get 1080p by activating the 'BD playback at 1080p/24' setting. It doesn't work on my smaller LCD, but I suggest trying it anyway to see if it works on your television. If not, no big loss.

To make the 'Double' setting more clear, it takes your DVD which has a resolution of 720x480 and doubles it to 1440x960. That is why it doesn't completely fill the TV screen.

I find that certain BD's have vertical aliasing, but it's BD specific. The IMAX Dark Knight prologue has it, while the Batman Begins feature does not. Spider-Man doesn't have this, but Spider-Man 2 and 3 do. Independence Day does not, and well you get the idea.

The only way I can avoid it to a degree is to lower sharpness until it isn't as much of a distraction.

 

[Zack Gibbs]

Marc, I don't know what practical purpose the "double" scaling really has, I'd just leave it on normal.

Nic, you can't get 1080p on a 720p set. You're almost always better off inputting your native resolution on a fixed pixel display. I've seen the vertical aliasing you talked about on the Spider-Man 3 disc on a 720p set, but it was only there when outputting 1080i from the PS3. I remember it being very visible on the menus in particular, try it on 720p and see if it doesn't disappear.

The sets themselves are going to be a factor as well so I can't make any promises, but as I said, outputting your native resolution is the best way to go.

 

[Nick Martin]

I know you can't get it the conventional way, but for whatever reason my TV allows it when the PS3 is set to 1080p/24 playback.

All I'm saying is its an option. Maybe not the best option, but an option nonetheless.

My television also outputs 5.1 through its digital output when I'm using the HDMI inputs. That's something frowned upon and generally considered impossible as well but that works like a charm for me.

 

[Jari K]

Every LCD/Plasma-TV has only one "native resolution". E.g. mine is "1080p" and you probably have that "768". So no, you don´t get the "real 1080p" with your TV-set, I´m afraid. Further more, 24fps-playback requires also 24fps supported TV-set (e.g. mine doesn´t support 24fps, even when the LCD is 1080p).

Btw (since we should get back to the topic..), "DualShock 3" controllers are currently on sale at Amazon ($40.96):
Amazon.com: Playstation 3 Dualshock 3 Wireless Controller: Video Games
Not sure how long, though... (They won´t ship these to outside North America, though)

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Speaking of PS3 accessories, can anyone point me to one or two good resources/sites for PSP info, including what you can do w/ the PSP+PS3 combo (and maybe some reliable Pokemon info, if that's allowed )?

I'm looking at buying a PSP for the family -- well, mainly for my grade-school-aged son and wife to share (instead of separate IPod Nano and Nintendo DS), but since it seems like such a nice all-around piece (much like the PS3), I imagine everyone in the family will end up using it on occasion, especially if there are some nice bonus features to go w/ the PS3.

Thanks.


RE: the native res thing, yeah, ideally, it's probably best to do all the video processing in *one* top notch processor to be displayed w/out further processing in native res on the display -- this could be in the player or some 3rd party unit or the display/TV itself. But things are often not ideal, eg. 768p native is certainly not gonna make that easy. So YMMV, and you'll need to try different setups to see what works best for your case.

_Man_

 

[Jari K]

Here´s one good news site (similar available for PS3, Xbox 360, Wii and DS - "fanboy"-sites I mean):
PSP Fanboy

I also got PSP some months ago. It´s pretty good and works nicely with PS3 (I downloaded some demos, etc). Haven´t played it *that* much yet, though.

Note, that the "new" model PSP-3000 is coming soon ( PSP-3000 series - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ). You might want to get that.

Some good/interesting games:
*Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (well, if you´re into FF, I´m no expert..)
*God of War: Chains of Olympus
*Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories/Vice City Stories
*Tomb Raider: Anniversary/Legend
*Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops
*Monster Hunter Freedom 2
*Ratchet & Clank: Size Matters
*Secret Agent Clank
*Silent Hill: Origins
*Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror/Logan's Shadow
*Worms: Open Warfare 2 (classic stuff!

)
*Duke Nukem Trilogy (coming)
*Resistance: Retribution (coming)

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Thanks for the pointer, Jari. I knew I could count on you.

Hmmm... PSP3000, aye? I doubt I'd wanna splurge on that, but that could mean even better discounts for the current model.

As I mentioned, it's not really for me, but for my kid (and wife). I haven't been that interested in gaming in a long time now -- well, I do still play a good deal of fantasy baseball, but that's quite different (and is more like playing a year-long or even multi-year-long game of chess ). We have the PS3 and the old XBox, but I don't actually play either one even though I originally thought I'd play some when I got the XBox a few years back. And my kid (and wife) doesn't play any of the particularly violent or complex games, so probably most of the ones listed won't suit us. Maybe Tomb Raider and some basic FF (after lighter fare like Sonic Hedgehog or similar) might be of interest at some point since he likes Pokemon and such -- we don't want to steer him toward the more violent stuff anyhow. And really, if not for Blu-ray, we'd probably be getting a Wii now instead of owning the PS3.

Thanks again, Jari.

_Man_

 

[Zack Gibbs]

Just a friendly opinion, but that sounds like a terrible compromise to me.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Normally, I'd agree. But really, I don't want to encourage my kid to spend more time gaming than he already does -- and although he understands that, he's still just a little kid and could use the extra help w/ self-discipline (while still getting excited about a new toy). And my wife only wants some portable music on occasion for workouts and such and is not picky at all about it. Otherwise, I'd definitely get her the iPod Nano. We're going this route so that we can more easily monitor (and limit) his gaming since it's a shared item, etc. while also keeping costs lower than otherwise. The reality is that the novelty and coolness factor weighs a whole lot in this kind of thing, especially for kids. As long as he's excited about it, it's probably good enough (and would serve well as a sort of motivator for him to do well where it counts most).

Also, I do actually plan on getting an iPod Nano for my slightly older daughter, so my wife could also borrow hers on occasion, if the PSP becomes a bit too cumbersome to use for workout music and such.

Remember, I'm talking about grade-school-aged kids here, not teenagers. When I was their age, nobody even owned a walkman yet though that was starting to show up on the market (and my father was one of the first common folks to get one).

_Man_

 

[Chris Atkins]

This is why my PS3 and my HD-A2 HD-DVD player make a killer combo.

 

[Jari K]

PS3 is at least "as good" (if not better) in upscaling than any Toshiba-model. But yes, Toshiba has quality upscaling.

 

[Eric-S]

I believe it can be said that at the very least the HD-XA2 out performs the PS3 and all of the other toshiba lines.

 

[Jari K]

Well, I have XE1 (which is the same as "XA2", but was sold in Europe) and I have compared the two (with "full 1080p" and via HDMI only, since I have 1080p-LCD). PS3 has so much power, that it´s actually not a huge surprise that it can do such a good job in upscaling.

But I guess we have as many opinions as we have the "pair of eyes", so these things always comes partly as a "matter of opinion". That will be always the case in the forums. I don´t claim that my conclusion is "definite" or something, but it´s good enough for me.

 

[Chris Atkins]

My eyes don't lie though. And lots of other people have the same opinion.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

No, I don't have the DS, and I'm aware that Nintendo owns Pokemon, et al and is unwilling to allow those games to be released on competing platforms. However, I thought I heard something about hacked versions of such games -- though again, I'm not sure if we're allowed to talk about that here. I even found some YouTube clips demonstrating some Pokemon game on the PSP, but then again, maybe it's just a hoax using the PSP's video playback to "demo" (some video capture of) the game.

Anyway, I'm not looking to have my kid spend tons of time playing games on any portable, and the PSP will probably have enough kid-friendly games as is though my son would prefer to have Pokemon included there. I just like that the PSP seems much more versatile than something like the DS and can be used for other things like music and video playback, occasional brief web access (though it's not clear to me how useful that will actually be), etc. And like I said, choosing it over the DS (plus an extra iPod Nano) is only something that might make sense in my particular situation. If the goal is simply to make my son as happy as possible right now w/out concern for anything else, then yeah, I'd just get the DS for him, but that's not really our only (or maybe even primary) goal.

_Man_

 

[Jari K]

I guess both PSP and DS (?) has their "homebrew"-stuff (at least PSP). It´s not exactly legal, since this also means that you can play the pirated games (there are plenty of "homemade", free-stuff also, though, so not everything is "illegal"). IMO it´s not worth the hassle (I want to have the official games anyway), but that´s just me, of course. If you want more info, it´s best to use Google..

This "time-issue" is actually quite interesting. My sister´s kid (around 12 years old now, I guess) spends some time with various games (both PC and consoles - he doesn´t have PS3/Xbox 360/Wii yet, though) and I believe he already has done some "own games" with his PC (very basic and all that, but still). And he loves "Spore" (where you can create creatures and stuff like that - huge PC-game at the moment). So in the future, perhaps he´ll be making "Halo 10" or something..
I guess my point is, that it´s good to have certain "limits" (well, obviously) with the kids, but these games are not as "evil" as many think (not really talking about you, Man-Fai - mainly people that have never played games themselves). You can actually "learn" many things just by playing these games. And like with films, games have also "ratings". Parents should always respect those. 12-year old kid can´t play "GTA4", that´s for sure.

 

[Bob_L]

The DS/PSP conversation is a bit OT, but let me add one more thing.

Homebrew on the DS can be enabled VERY easily with cartridge-based devices. They're plug-and-play and cost about $30 plus another $10-$30 for RAM.

Once installed, the DS has access to homebrew media players (movies and mp3 files), e-book readers (the little screens are REALLY sharp for text display), calendar programs, web browser, and so on. Suddenly, this little $130 "game system" becomes a VERY versatile handheld device.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Actually, what I could *really* use is a fun PS3 (or even PSP or old XBox) game that would help my kid w/ his violin practices. At the moment, that's really the main motivation for me to consider getting a portable console for him at all (as a big incentive for him to practice and practice well). Otherwise, I had already said "no" about this when he asked before.

Too bad there isn't a Violin Hero game for this, but then again, such a game would probably just make matters worse.

Anyhoo, my apologies for going so far OT w/ this PSP tangent...

_Man_

 

[MarkHastings]

Sorry to quote my own post, but I think it got lost in all of the OT conversations (one which was my fault

).

Does anyone have any answers to this?EDIT: I read that one of the reasons why you can't turn the PS3 on (with an IR remote) is because the USB port isn't powered when the PS3 is off. And the reason the IR2BT works is because it gets it's power from 2 AA's so as to not rely on the PS3 for power.

So it appears that this is the only way to turn on the PS3...i.e by finding a powered IR->Bluetooth convertor.

 

[Jari K]

PlayStation.Blog » Firmware Updates: PS3 (v2.50) / PSP (v5.00)

PS3 - firmware v2.50 - The latest features/enhancements include:

*Support for the PS3 Official Bluetooth Headset - we’ve told you about the upcoming Bluetooth Headset and SOCOM: U.S. Navy SEALs Confrontation Bundle on the Blog. This latest firmware installment enables High-Quality (HQ) mode, which delivers clear and wide-band online voice chat. On top of that, an added on-screen indicator shows battery status, volume level and use of HQ mode.

*PlayStation Trophies interface enhancements - I know that many of you are busy collecting trophies and raising your PlayStation Trophy level. This update makes sharing and comparing your trophies with your friends even easier. On 1st part of the profile page you’ll see a symbol under level that represents level and the actual percentage towards the next level along with the existing level meter. The level symbol carries over to the trophy comparison screen where you will now be able to see your level, your friend’s level and the percentage towards the next level for both users along with all of the game by game comparison information you see today.

*Friend status – Offline friends on your Friends list will have information below their avatars that will indicate how long it has been since they were last online.

*Video – This update adds the Scene Search feature similar to the feature on the PSP. Activating this feature while viewing a video on the PS3 will break the video up into scenes that you can quickly access by pressing the X button. You can break the videos into one, two or five minute intervals. In addition, you can now choose to have all of the videos under the video section of the XMB play in sequence. Go to Settings then Video Settings to turn this option on.

*PlayStation Store – We’ve added a redeem codes option right on the store to make it easier to redeem your PlayStation Network Cards and promotion codes. In addition, PlayStation Network Sign Up and Account Management have been redesigned.

*Power Save Settings – You can now set your PS3 and wireless controllers to turn off automatically after set periods of inactivity. Go to Settings then Power Save Settings to turn on these features.

*Background Downloading - You now have the option to set the PS3 to turn off automatically after a background download or installation of content has completed. This option is available when you turn off the system from the button under [Users] while content is being downloaded or installed.
In-game Screenshots - this tool will allow everyone to capture, share and in other words, immortalize their favorite gameplay moments. This will be supported on a game by game basis. Please check back to find out which games will support this feature.

*In addition to all of the features above there are some additional features and enhancements included in 2.50. Once the update launches, you can read all of the details here.

The support for the Bluetooth Headset will be of particular interest to all of you SOCOM fans. With the “Proximity Chat” feature, SOCOM: Confrontation gameplay is intensified as it allows you to experience high-quality voice playback in full surround sound. Whether the action is near or far, Proximity Chat clearly matches distance to sound effects and voiceovers within the game, putting you in the heart of the action.