New to Blu? Buy a PS3: the most featured BD hardware available... - Page 20

Re: New to Blu? Buy a PS3: the most featured BD hardware available...

I don't know if replacing both discs might work (it might), but I'm sure I would do it the other way around to start with: first copy the internal disc to the external USB disc and only then try to swap them.

There may be system files that won't have themselves copied the usual way, so you may need a special program (like from Norton) to do the trick. I'm in no way familiar with the PS3, though, so owners need to tell you what's feasible and what isn't.
(Maybe "system files" aren't important at all, because you may have to install the system anew anyway if the main disk's size changes.)


Cees

Re: New to Blu? Buy a PS3: the most featured BD hardware available...

^ Yes, one way or the other, whichever *might* work. I doubt you could restore from a PS3 backup on an internal drive though, if you did the backup to the new drive first. The main idea being not to need a "third" drive or backup facility, since Sony requires you to backup everything at once and you may not have anything else USB large enough.

As far as re-using the original PS3 drive, I don't see that as a problem in general, but the issue is can you re-use it as-is to access your old stuff.

Re: New to Blu? Buy a PS3: the most featured BD hardware available...

I HAVE A PS3 !

Re: New to Blu? Buy a PS3: the most featured BD hardware available...

From Rogers, with BB??

Re: New to Blu? Buy a PS3: the most featured BD hardware available...

(NOTE: I haven´t done this yet myself, so all the info below is something that I have read in various forums/sources. Please confirm it yourself before doing anything..)

I believe first you use "Backup Utility" ( PS3™ | Backup Utility ) from PS3. For this you´ll need external, USB-based hard drive (if you have plenty of stuff, that´s - of course you can also use memory sticks and such*). Then you "return" the info from the external hard drive back to PS3 (when you´ve new and bigger HD installed).

*=Data can be backed up on Memory Stick, SD Memory Card, CompactFlash, and USB mass storage devices.

With games saves, I guess it´s good to first move them to memory stick, just in case (before using "Backup Utility"). You can always re-download those photos, videos and MP3s (and also actual games), but if game saves are gone...

I believe you can´t move the actual games (not sure about demos..) with "Backup Utility", so you need download those again (not that big of a deal) from the PS network. Also stuff that has this DRM-protection cannot be moved, IMO.

I also believe that you can´t move your stuff (with "Backup Utility") "straight" to computer. You´ll need external USB hard drive etc.

Few notes: Only 2,5" SATA hard drives (for the laptops) work with PS3.
Some say, that it´s best to choose the one with "5400rpm".
In my country many have chosen Western Digital Scorpio 320GB 2.5" SATA-300 5400rpm 8MB. There are of course others..

When you have the new (bigger) hard drive installed to PS3, you have format it first (I guess "full format" takes some time, so prepare for that). I guess "full format" is recommended. I believe you always have to reformat the HD that you install to PS3 (so say "bye bye" to the info in the "original PS3 HD").

PS3 reserves automatically some space from the hard drive, so with e.g. 320gb HD, you´ll actually have 263/298gb of space left (so don´t worry, if you don´t have exactly 320gb available..).

One video that I found (worth to check, very informal and well made):
Three Speech » How to change a PlayStation 3 hard disc…


You probably can use the original PS3 drive in general, but like I said earlier, you need to reformat every new hard drive that´s installed to PS3 and that also means the "original PS3 drive". So in any case, you´ll lose all the data from that "original drive" if you want to put it "back" at some point.

Re: New to Blu? Buy a PS3: the most featured BD hardware available...

And the included PS3 Bluetooth remote in addition to Begins, yes!



I doubt I'll even use up all 40GB of space, and since I've never been a gamer I don't consider it a loss that I'll miss out on the 80GB version price drop.

It's glorious!

Re: New to Blu? Buy a PS3: the most featured BD hardware available...

^ Not a bad deal by Canadian "standards" (or lack of...). I'd also rather have BB and the BD remote than 40GB more disk space...in fact, I already bought both and they cost me a LOT more than the $5-10 the extra 40GB of disk is worth.

It is not really fair to say there was an 80GB model price drop. More accurate to say there was an 80GB model *feature* drop and a disk space increase for the same price (as the 40GB model). I bet Sony couldn't even find any new OEM 40GB 2.5" SATA drives to buy at this point, so they probably had no choice.

Re: New to Blu? Buy a PS3: the most featured BD hardware available...

My computer has a 40GB hard drive. It's very frustrating when editing video segments (as a hobby) because I'm constantly removing files and temporarily saving them on DVD-RW's just to make extra room. I hope to have a laptop by year's end with an obviously larger hard drive and that prevented me from buying one of those external drives. I've made due for three years, what's a few more months.

I made sure to pick up some of my most wanted titles this afternoon, most of all 'Independence Day'. Also got 'Stargate', 'The Perfect Storm', and 'The Simpsons Movie'. I set the PS3 up according to various guides on providing the best settings, and copied three of the Quicktime "The Dark Knight" 1080 trailers to the system. Converted to mp4, of course.

Really liking the remote control, too. Easier than I thought it would be.
I have no idea what to do with the game controller, so I'll store it for whenever its needed for system settings the remote can't do.

This thing is fantastic!

Re: New to Blu? Buy a PS3: the most featured BD hardware available...

^ Yeah, I like my PS3 a lot too. The only video game I play on it is called Linux. My game controller is pretty much rotting away now. I do quite like it though, but once I got the IR4PS3 (used my BD remote guts) and a lightweight wireless keyboard (with touchpad), it doesn't have much use for me.

Re: New to Blu? Buy a PS3: the most featured BD hardware available...

Does anyone use a universal remote with the PS3? My understanding is that even with a Bluetooth to IR converter, non-Bluetooth remotes cannot turn on / off the PS3. Is this so?

Re: New to Blu? Buy a PS3: the most featured BD hardware available...

^ I think all of the converters will turn the PS3 on/off, all except perhaps the Nyko one. Turning off is the harder part...

The IR4PS3 that I have, for example, uses the electronic BT guts (small) of the Sony BD remote. It receives IR from your remote and effectively emulates the button pushes of the BD remote, which are converted to BT by the "stolen" circuit board. So in effect it can do whatever the BD remote can do, using your own IR remote.

The most popular IR->BT unit seems to be the IR2BT, though often hard to get due to demand. Even the IR4PS3 is sometimes hard to get, like now when the Sony BD remotes are apparently in short supply, though you can buy it and use the guts out of your own BD remote (and save the extra cost). There are a few other IR->BT models too.

You should have a good flexible IR remote to make these converters usable.

Re: New to Blu? Buy a PS3: the most featured BD hardware available...

I've got the Harmony, which I love. I'm buying a game system and while I don't care about Blu Ray right now, if it were "free", it could sway me to the PS3.

But if the PS3-cum-Blu Ray player can't be fully controlled with the Harmony, it's a non-starter. I need to check out the devices you're talking about. It sounds, uhm, kludgy, tearing apart one remote to build an IR interface for another remote. But I need to learn more.
...
So I read about the IR4PS3, and am intrigued. I'm not especially interested in these sorts of unofficial products, but by all accounts (especially from Remote Central), it works perfectly and the PS3 is the best and most affordable BR player.

Re: New to Blu? Buy a PS3: the most featured BD hardware available...

^ It does work perfectly, once installed you can forget about it. That info on Remote Central is waaaay out of date, and is kinda misleading in that regard. It refers to a prototype. The current unit comes pre-built, or you can easily build it yourself to save 25 bucks if you already bought the Sony BD remote. No soldering required, most people easily do it in under a half hour. I got the IR4PS3 for several reasons, one being that because it uses the official Sony remote guts it will work as long as Sony BD remotes work with the PS3...for whatever consolation that may give. Also the designer is somewhat "local". His mod circuit board is very pro, he's obviously no beginner at this stuff. This device (like most others) is largely aimed at Harmony users, which I'm not. Just login to the Harmony/Logitech site and do your thing.

Not being able to use an IR remote "out of the box" was IMO a rather foolish decision by Sony (hindsight-wise). Which, contrary to some opinions, makes me believe Sony did not initially intend this device to be "mainly" a stand-alone BD player in HT systems. IMO that came later, as firmware updates seem to vindicate. It's just the way things happened. Still, it doesn't take much of a backseat to any other BD player as far as doing that task goes. As long as you don't need multi-channel audio *analog* out...

Re: New to Blu? Buy a PS3: the most featured BD hardware available...

**Changing the hard drive, pt.1**

Okay, first part of the project is done. New 320GB "Western Digital Scorpio" (2.5" SATA-300 5400rpm) hard drive is now installed to my PS3.

1) First I used "Backup Utility" ( PS3™ | Backup Utility ) from the PS3 menu and moved (approx) 40gb worth of stuff to the external USB 2.0 hard drive (which was already formatted to "FAT 32", which should be the case). This took over an hour.

2) After that (just in case), I moved all my "game save" files to the memory stick. You don´t want to lose those..

3) Then the actual hard drive install. Everything was easy to the point where we needed to remove those four little screws from the sides of the "rack" (is it called caddy?) where the "original" hard drive is. At least in my unit, they were so tight, that my screwdriver(s) just didn´t do the trick. NOTE: If they´re really tight (like in my case), you can damage the screws with your screwdriver and it´s hard to screw them back (so if the screwdriver you are using is slipping, stop using it - don´t use "force"). So, we used a proper Leatherman and pliers in that. You (eeeasy) rotate the screws out one at the time.

Don´t worry, this is the hardest part (and perhaps not that hard with all units).

4) Then you just slide the new hard drive into the rail kit (same way as the old one), put those screws back in and place the rail kit back to the PS3 (remember the last screw before the plastic cover). And you´re done.

5) Now you put the HDMI/component cable back and turn the power back on. PS3 will ask you to "format" the hard drive. You click "yes". This is very fast and you´re back to PS3 menu (I guess some of that basic stuff is stored to the flash memory or something, since my user account was still there etc).

I also went to the "System Settings" => "System Information" to check the "new" hard disk capacity ("A portion of the hard disk capacity is reserved for use in connection with system administration, maintenance, and additional options").

6) Since I read, that it´s best to do "full format" with the new hard drives, I went back to the menu and chose "Format Utility" and then "full format". Bad news: It says, that it takes over 18 hours (yes, 18, not even 8..), so it´ll take some time before I can start bringing the stuff back to my PS3..

(to be continued...)

edit: One visual guide also here:
http://boardsus.playstation.com/play...hread.id=32840

Re: New to Blu? Buy a PS3: the most featured BD hardware available...

I just got the ok from the boss to purchase a blue ray player and it looks like the PS3 is the way to go. My problem is I only have one HDMI connection on the rear of my TV and thats being used by my directv.

Is it worth getting a ps3 only to hook it up via components? Or is there another option that I am not aware of?

Re: New to Blu? Buy a PS3: the most featured BD hardware available...

Why not hook up the DirectTV with components and use the HDMI for the PS3? Honestly, when I had a TV that only had one HDMI (and before I got a switcher), I watched network HDTV via components and really couldn't see much difference.

You'll have to buy the component adapter for the PS3 if you go that route, and it doesn't come in the box (or it didn't in mine).

Re: New to Blu? Buy a PS3: the most featured BD hardware available...

would you mind linking the switcher you have??

As for watching Directv in HDMI maybe I am fooling myself but I have my DTV hooked up through HDMI and Component and I feel I see a difference.

Re: New to Blu? Buy a PS3: the most featured BD hardware available...

I got it from Monoprice, a 5 X 1 model for less than $100, but they have all different configurations.

Re: New to Blu? Buy a PS3: the most featured BD hardware available...

I'm sure you do, I know I can. However, I personally think that the best video source should get the best video connection. Satellite HD, while nice, is a big compromise in quality. That extra clarity from HDMI goes a lot further when it comes to Blu-ray. And If you're going to watch DVD's with the PS3, keep in mind they can only be upscaled over HDMI as well, and that makes a world of difference.

Re: New to Blu? Buy a PS3: the most featured BD hardware available...

this is the best advice.

put the ps3 on your hdmi and use directv on component.

Re: New to Blu? Buy a PS3: the most featured BD hardware available...

My cable box is connected through HDMI out of pure convenience (allowing 5.1 from the TV to the receiver for both cable and PS3), but I don't see enough of a difference when I switch to component for recording TV shows.

Re: New to Blu? Buy a PS3: the most featured BD hardware available...

Well then I will assume getting a HDMI switch is the best way to go?? I have no idea about these switches, are there any that this board highly recommends?

Re: New to Blu? Buy a PS3: the most featured BD hardware available...

For controlling the PS3 with a Harmony remote I recommend the IR2BT device. I bought the device several months ago (based upon a recommendation from RAF) and yes it did have some issues including powering on/off. This particularly came to a head when the latest firmware came out for the PS3. However the creator of the IR2BT had a free upgrade service and now the IR2BT works perfectly every time and all the time.

Only downside is the wait to get one. Bruce Mitchell builds these himself (I believe) and thus small quantities are released every so often. You can put yourself on a mailing list to be notified when devices will be coming available.

Regards,

Colin

Re: New to Blu? Buy a PS3: the most featured BD hardware available...

**Changing the hard drive, pt.2**

7) When the new hard drive (in PS3) has been fully formatted, then you hook up your external USB hard drive again and choose "Backup Utility" from the PS3 menu. Now you choose "Restore" and click "yes". It´ll now fully restore the stuff from the "old" PS3 hard drive back to the new one (this will again take some time if you have plenty of stuff).

Best part: Everything will be back; games, saves, photos, MP3s, settings, user accounts, passwords, etc. So yes: Also GAMES will be back (no need to DL those again). To me it looked 100% identical to the old hard drive.

So that´s that. Now I have 320gb.

Re: New to Blu? Buy a PS3: the most featured BD hardware available...

New to this long thread, have a PS3 and a Sanyo PLV-Z2000 1080P PJ and for some reason or another no matter what adjustment I make I cannot get the PJ to play a excellent BD disk, when compared to the outdated HD-DVD players or movies.

How do I get that 3d like PQ out off the PS3 or Sanyo PJ? What adjustments have to be made to get that pop view on the BD disk, is it the adjustment to sharpness, contrast or what.

Thank for any feedback or suggestions, FRUSTRATED IN MICHIGAN.

Re: New to Blu? Buy a PS3: the most featured BD hardware available...

Why are you writing that?
You posted at least 13 times before in this very same thread.


Cees

Re: New to Blu? Buy a PS3: the most featured BD hardware available...

Perhaps it's so long he simply forgot?

Re: New to Blu? Buy a PS3: the most featured BD hardware available...

Sorry, did notice after the posting must be a senior moment.

Re: New to Blu? Buy a PS3: the most featured BD hardware available...

So I got my PS3 a few weeks ago and love it, and just got HD Cable this weekend. I'm looking at upgrading my receiver next to one that will process HD audio with HDMI cables... is there anything I should make sure the receiver can do/major features to look for? I'm mostly looking for receivers with 3 HDMI hookups, and ones that can do True-DD HD, and DTS-HD... Are ones that are upgradable with firmware worth the extra $$? My budget is probably around $400-500 but would like to know what others have used with their PS3 because it can decode all of the HD audio formats, no?

Re: New to Blu? Buy a PS3: the most featured BD hardware available...

Jari, did the HDD format really end up taking 18 hours?