New to Blu? Buy a PS3: the most featured BD hardware available... - Page 13

Aaron Silverman · 05-01-2008, 02:37 PM

Doesn't the PS3 upconvert PS2 games to some extent?

Chris Atkins · 05-08-2008, 10:04 AM

I've got an Onkyo TX-SR705 receiver and am thinking about getting a PS3 as my Blu Ray player. Anybody else have this combo? If so, are you having any problems? Will this combo give me lossless audio?

Scott-S · 05-08-2008, 10:12 AM

Because I am afraid of "bricking" a new PS3 I was wondering how long it will be before the ones on the store shelves have the 2.0 profile firmware factory installed?

I really want to buy one but am afraid I will get it home and have to spend time and worry over getting it upgraded.

Don't get me wrong, I am a techie. I upgrade firmware in our products all the time. But I have also bricked things before. I have the tools in our lab to recover one of products that was bricked, but I wont be able to recover from a bricking a ps3 at home.

FranklinC · 05-08-2008, 11:24 AM

Scott-S,

If you have a wireless network at your house there is really nothing to worry about. The firmware update downloads and installs by simply selecting the action from a menu. I haven't heard of anyone bricking their PS3 by doing it this way. Seems there would have to be a problem with the system anyway for that to happen.

Even if there is an interruption during the download, that shouldn't cause a bricking. Only if the installation is interrupted could a problem occur, I believe. Anyway, the ease of receiving frequent firmware updates is one of the big pluses for the PS3. You want to take advantage of that, even if the unit off the shelf is 2.0.

Scott-S · 05-08-2008, 02:06 PM

I am just waiting for my magic bullet tax check to come, then I am going to finally buy a PS3. I was just hoping to not have immediately worry about upgrading the minute I take it out of the box.

Man-Fai Wong · 05-09-2008, 02:43 PM

Well, apparently, I didn't quite brick my PS3/40GB -- or maybe I did depending on what you mean by that

-- in my recent trouble w/ the internal HDD. It does seem like some pretty bad things will have to happen in order to truly brick your PS3 beyond hope of an easy restore.

From what I can tell, the PS3 seems to at least download the software to your HDD first before actually installing it -- pretty much like how it's typically done w/ software updates on a regular computer.

In my case, I fixed the problem w/ a new HDD installation. Didn't even need to do anything special to restore the system (and just about all my settings other than a couple things in the web browser software and maybe whatever saved games on the HDD).

I wouldn't worry about bricking a new PS3. Just set it up and do a software update as your first priority and then enjoy. Yeah, I'm also not too fond of updating software w/ bleeding edge stuff despite being a programmer and all, but I wouldn't worry about it for a brand new PS3. If anything, if something's actually wrong w/ the PS3 (that might cause a problem w/ updates), you'd probably want to find out asap so you might be able to return it for a replacement or something.

_Man_

Aaron Silverman · 05-09-2008, 04:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Man-Fai Wong

From what I can tell, the PS3 seems to at least download the software to your HDD first before actually installing it -- pretty much like how it's typically done w/ software updates on a regular computer.

Yep, that's exactly how it's done. I *think* that after it downloads the update file it waits for you to press a button before actually updating the OS, but I don't recall for certain.

Jari K · 05-10-2008, 03:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Man-Fai Wong

..the PS3 seems to at least download the software to your HDD first before actually installing it -- pretty much like how it's typically done w/ software updates on a regular computer.

This is true and it´s the same thing with e.g. Toshiba. With some of the Toshiba firmwares (not with PS3, though), the firmware download just "freezed" in the middle, so I had to re-boot the whole player. No problem.

So yes, the download have to be 100% successful/complete, before the player actually installs it.

Jari K · 05-10-2008, 03:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aaron Silverman

Doesn't the PS3 upconvert PS2 games to some extent?

I believe it upscales them also, like the SD DVDs.. Not fully sure here. I have to say that I haven´t played much PS2-games with my PS3...

Of course, this only applies to certain models (e.g. my 60gb PS3), since the newer models (40gb) doesn´t have support for the old PS2-games..

Josh Dial · 05-11-2008, 01:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jari K

I believe it upscales them also, like the SD DVDs.. Not fully sure here. I have to say that I haven´t played much PS2-games with my PS3...

Of course, this only applies to certain models (e.g. my 60gb PS3), since the newer models (40gb) doesn´t have support for the old PS2-games..

The PS3 indeed upscales PS2 games, but you have to be aware that exactly TWO games are 16x9 enchanced (God of War 2, and one other whose name escapes me). Further, literally zero games properly send out the appropriate flag to the player, which means you will need to not only set your PS3 to stretch, but your TV as well. Further, the game itself also needs a widescreen setting in its own menu, and ultimately the image will still be cropped.

The end result is that PS2 games look pretty poor on PS3 on a newer TV, at least in my opinion, but at least slightly better than playing them on the PS2 on the same TV. On my 46" Aquos, Final Fantasy XII looks merely playable, and again in my opinion, looks poor in anything but 4:3 mode.

cheers!

Josh