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

[PaulDA]

I'd like to know the answer to this myself.

 

[Carlo_M]

It has a built in browser and it ain't the greatest...I'll just leave it at that.

If you do choose to use it, do yourself a favor and hook up a USB keyboard (not sure if a USB mouse works or not).

 

[Sanjay Gupta]

Yes, it does have a built in browser, albeit not a very good one. You can use any Bluetooth and or USB Keyboard and Mouse to help make the browsing a little easier. Alternately, you can also install a version of Linux and another browser, if you so wish.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

It has its own web browser, but it doesn't seem full featured enough to handle all your regular web surfing, eg. doesn't seem to support various major plug-ins like Adobe Flash (or my kids would be playing Webkinz on it ). Actually, I guess it's possible that some day Adobe (and/or Sony) might provide a plug-ins like Flash, if web surfing takes off on the PS3 platform.

And I don't think you can load your own unless you install Linux or something -- I hear some folks actually do that (and maybe I might try that too at some point).

Also, if you're gonna use it for pretty regular surfing, you might wanna get a wireless keyboard for it (unless you don't mind running USB keyboard w/ a long cord). Using the game controller for that can be a real pain -- one of which is that it seems to often (but not always) add a space at the end of what I try to enter. Also, using it on a 1080i display is not much fun either -- too blurry w/ the flicker reduction turned on. Still, one positive point about navigation w/ the PS3 browser is that it's smart enough to optionally move the cursor exactly between links/hotspots depending on the controls you use, so you don't need great accuracy w/ the game controller to click on what you want, which is especially important on a blurry, flicker-reduced 1080i display.

So yeah, if you don't have a large, sharp, 1080p display or won't be using an actual keyboard, and if all you wanna do is check IMDB.com or something like that, it's not a bad way to go. That's pretty much what I use it for now and then. I may use the web browser more (and use it for web-based email and maybe even HTF ) and go for a keyboard when I do upgrade my display to 1080p next year or so, assuming 1080p will make it much more useable. Don't expect it to ever completely replace a regular computer for web surfing though, not unless you in to Linux or something.

And oh, if you use a web-based photo album or some such, the PS3 browser could possibly be useful for that too. But I imagine many would rather just either load their photos right onto the PS3 itself (or hook up an external USB drive) or serve the photos wirelessly to the PS3 from another computer...

_Man_

 

[Paul McElligott]

That's sort of a chicken and the egg thing, isn't it. Surfing on the PS3 won't take off if it doesn't support the standards people are used to. Sony needs to pony up and pay Adobe and whomever to write plugins for the browser if they are serious about people using the console for the web.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

Personally, it doesn't bother me much if they don't ever have those plug-ins available. I really don't care for Flash for one thing -- the only situation where Flash has mattered for us at all is the kids can't play Webkinz w/out it, which is actually just as well. And I don't think the PS3 can ever truly replace my PC anyway, even if it has the exact same web surfing capabilities -- it might keep me from upgrading the laptop anytime soon, but that's about it. And if I really do want the PS3 to replace my PC (for many computing tasks besides just web surfing), I could probably try Linux on it.

_Man_

 

[mjdlight]

I picked up a PS3 the day after the Warner announcement and I haven't regretted my purchase for a second -- games are incredible in HD and blu-ray is jaw-dropping. The 40 gig console is a fantastic value if you can get past the lack of PS2 emulation. I still have my ol' trusty PS2 in my rack, so it wasn't really an issue for me.

The only other real drawback (if you're a gamer) is the lack of Xbox Live and Halo.

Other than that, nearly flawless. The hardware has a very good reliability track record so far too. (particularly in comparison to the Xbox 360's RROD issues)

 

[Ron Reda]

^Bump

Any news on DTS MA capability coming soon?????????

 

[DaViD Boulet]

The word is that it will hit the PS3 a month or two after the Panasonic BD50 gets released. The same firmware update for the PS3 is expected to provide both 2.0 profile and DTS-HD MA decoding, and they want to give Panny a chance to have their player on the market to get some sales before the PS3 trumps the "wow factor" of the 2.0 profile ability by providing it to the install base of PS3 users.

 

[Andy_Bu]

Do I need to buy a bluetooth remote to control the DVD functions for a PS3?

 

[Patrick.C]

You can control the DVD functions right out of the box using the game controller. Sony also sells a more conventional remote that is bluetooth and many say works quite well. If you have an IR based universal remote (Harmony, HT Master, etc) there are aftermarket workarounds like this:

http://www.schmartz.com/

 

[John Burton]

I bought the blu wave remote and USB plug in for $14 on Amazon. Programed those controls into my Harmony One, and it works great. I mean, I have to walk to the player to insert/remove a disk, so the power on/off thing is no big deal... to me

 

[Ron Reda]

Thanks, David! So when's the Panny player being released?

 

[DaViD Boulet]

Grrr... the talk is that the Panny BD50 won't be out until Mid summer (May/June). :frowning:

 

[Ron Reda]

Wow, that stinks big time. I want to be able to take advantage of the new codecs with my Integra 9.8. :frowning:

 

[DaViD Boulet]

Yeah I know. :frowning:

Frustrating because it sounds like Sony has the update ready to go already but is holding it back intentionally. But there is a larger "market" upside: unlike another manufacTurer who would make it difficult for other companies to provide competitive HDM hardware, Sony wants to encourage other manufacturers to do some R&D and BD-hardware product design/production. Part of that means letting them have some bragging rights in their marketing material... and in the case of Panny, this means letting them bring us the first fully-featured 2.0 BD player (if the PS3 did it already, the Panny BD50 would be old-news before it even hit the street).

It seems that the same update is (rumored) to bundle both 2.0 profile and DTS-HD MA decoding, so that's why the stall on DTS-HD MA. Since other players are already out that decode DTS-HD MA, I would have preferred that Sony release an update now for that feature, and then wait for a 2.0-profile update until after the Panny streets. But I don't have all the facts and don't know what goes on under the hood with these updates so it's possible that bundling both together makes the most software-design sense.

But yes, frustrating in the meantime for those of us who want to listen to fully decoded DTS-HD MA on our PS3!!! Good news is that it *is* coming to the PS3... we just have to be patient.

 

[jimmycrackcorn]

I am sure people have replied to this, but I'm lazy and did not feel like reading through 7 pages of posts.

The PS3 is more like a multimedia hub that can play games, rather than a game system that can play movies.

 

[Jack Gilvey]

Sounds like "Secrets" has a PS3 review coming from this bit from John Johnson in their Oppo 983 review (comments section):


Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity - Oppo Digital DV-983H DVD Player

What's nice is that their reviews are usually accompanied by objective benchmarks, not just opinion.

Also mention of an upcoming Oppo BD player...

 

[DaViD Boulet]

I hope that they re-reviewed the PS3's SD DVD playback after the scaling firmware update: their original review was before the PS3 upscaled or delinterlaced with 3-2 reversal!

 

[john a hunter]

Any chance of direct access for CD/DS DVD's even if we can't have it for BD?
Just got the 60gb for sacd as well as BD. With no display on the player, playing cd's is not very convenient without direct access as you have to advance thru each chapter to get the track you want.