PlayStation 3 40GB

Once the Blu-ray / HD-DVD format war was over, I found myself wanting to make the jump to HD for home video more than ever, after seeing the benefits of both formats and enjoying HD cable for two years.

In August of 2008 I came across a deal for the 40GB Playstation 3, which was about to end production and be replaced with the 80GB for the same price. The deal didn't lower the $399 price tag, but instead offered free in the box a PS3 Blu-ray remote and the incredible film "Batman Begins", which had been released just a couple of months prior in anticipation of"The Dark Knight".

I've had the console for just over a year now, and since then I've come to discover that this is without a doubt the best home entertainment device I've ever had. For its one-year 'birthday', I replaced the original 40GB hard drive with a slightly larger 500GB hard drive. Having that kind of flexibility works wonders when you factor in all that it can do:

Photos:
If you have a collection of photos taken either with a digital camera or scanned and saved on your computer, you can store them on the PS3 for viewing on your HDTV. The console's game controller doubles as a photo manipulator, with great zooming, rotating, scrolling and renaming features. There is also a downloadable photo gallery application that adds animation and music, turning simple viewing into a great presentation.

Music:
Not only can you play CDs, you can even rip them to the hard drive, in either mp4-AAC or Sony's own ATRAC formats. While listening, you have your choice of three visualizations, one of which is a series of CG animations of the Earth in different rotations.

Video:
If you have any home movies, funny video clips or your own saved TV shows you may have converted to file format, they're all playable on the PS3, and with the two USB ports available, you can either copy your music, photos and videos to the console or even play them directly off a flash drive. Have those files on disc? Place the disc in the PS3 just as you would with a computer.

Of course the primary appeal of the PS3 for home theater enthusiasts is Blu-ray disc playback, and the console is a profile 2.0 Blu-ray player right out of the box. With its built-in wireless internet and wired ethernet capabilities, you can enjoy BD-Live titles, as well as enjoy faster load times for discs enhanced with BD Java features. DVD playback can be enjoyed upscaled from 480p to 1080p with HDMI connection.

In addition to BD-Live, the internet connectivity allows the user to surf the internet using its built-in browser, visit the Playstation store (content depends on which country you live in), and if you add a wireless router (use wireless N for better speed) you can install a media server program on your computer and use the PS3 to stream video, audio and photos directly off your computer, similar to a media slingbox.

As I am by no means a gaming enthusiast, I cannot comment on the PS3 as a gaming console because I have such limited experience. My only experience is with a few racing game demos and "The Simpsons Game", which I just don't have the skills to play with any real success but they certainly look wonderful, and the Dolby 5.1 audio on these games can be just as immersive as any great-sounding feature film.

There is a drawback to the PS3 with regards to audio connection and compatibility, depending on the model of PS3 available.

There are no analog output jacks on the console, so older receivers with analog 5.1 or 7.1 inputs will not be compatible unless they feature an optical toslink connection, and with that you cannot take advantage of the new HD audio formats, Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. What you will get is a high resolution 'core' Dolby or DTS audio stream which can be better than what you would get with DVD.

If you have an HDMI-capable receiver, you can enjoy the HD audio formats that way, but the console will output them as Linear PCM, which to this day is debatable as to whether or not it is equal to or lesser than outputting the HD audio formats to a receiver directly.

By the time of this writing, a new, 'slim' PS3 has been made available to replace all existing models, including the 40, 80 and 160GB versions which are all the same except for their original hard drive spaces. While the physical connections remain the same, the new PS3 'slim' has the option of outputting Linear PCM through HDMI or outputting the HD audio bitstream, which is (again debatable) a supposed advantage by having the audio stream output directly to an HDMI receiver. The new PS3 is $100 less than before, with a price tag of $299.

The optional Blu-ray remote has its advantages and disadvantages, both tied to its Bluetooth connectivity. Because it lacks an IR signal input, the PS3 cannot be controlled by any standard universal remote control, without buying third-party add-ons that are costly alternatives. The Blu-ray remote has everything a PS3 controller and a standard Blu-ray player remote features, but because of Bluetooth it is very sensitive and buttons can be easily pressed by mistake. When viewing a BD Java enhanced Blu-ray disc, pressing the 'stop' button instead of the 'pause' button is a common error that results in having to restart the disc from the beginning. Frustrating, to say the least.

All in all, if you're looking for more than a Blu-ray player, more than a game console and would enjoy an all-around multimedia machine, the Playstation 3 is certainly the best choice there is.