Considering a PS3
Posted December 12th, 2009 @ 11:23am by Erik J. Barzeski
I'm considering replacing my DVD player with a PS3. I doubt I'll play any games on it, but it'll give me a DVD player in roughly the same dimensions AND an inexpensive Blu-Ray player. It has WiFi built in (unlike the stupid Xbox 360 - for which I had to buy a little ethernet hub so both it and my DVR could hook into the nearby AirPort Express).
Right? There's no gaping hole in that basic logic, is there?
Update: I didn't realize how inexpensive stand-alone Blu-Ray players had gotten. Hmmm. Indecision will likely lead to non-action, though. 🙂
Posted 15 Dec 2009 at 12:05pm #
I did the same thing a couple years ago when Blu-Ray players were as expensive as a PS3. It does make a good Blu-Ray player and that is mostly what I use it for.
There is one potential gaping hole though. The PS3 does not support IR remotes, so you cannot connect it to a Universal remote. There are some 3rd party things you can buy that connect an IR dongle to the USB port. That is what I do. But it cannot turn the device on or off. Since inserting a movie turns it on, this is not a big issue for me.
The PS3 does sell a remote, but it uses Bluetooth. Currently none of the universal remotes support that option.
Mark
Posted 15 Dec 2009 at 12:18pm #
[quote comment="56442"]The PS3 does not support IR remotes, so you cannot connect it to a Universal remote.[/quote]
Thanks - that answer will undoubtedly help others.
Me? Not a big fan of universal remotes. Dumb as it may seem to some, we're content to use one remote for the TV/DVR and separate remotes for the Xbox 360 (when we use it with Netflix or Rivet), DVD player, and receiver (though the only thing we do with the latter is to change the inputs).
Posted 15 Dec 2009 at 12:25pm #
Walmart has the Samsung 1590 BD player for $148. It has received favorable reviews but does not have WiFi built in (needs a dongle) but does have ethernet and supports profile 2.0. It also supports Netflix streaming. It's another way to go...
Posted 15 Dec 2009 at 1:12pm #
[quote comment=“56442â€]There are some 3rd party things you can buy that connect an IR dongle to the USB port. That is what I do. But it cannot turn the device on or off. Since inserting a movie turns it on, this is not a big issue for me.[/quote]
Logitech sells a IR to bluetooth adapter for their universal remotes. It supports all of the features of the Playstation remote including powering on and off.
Posted 15 Dec 2009 at 1:27pm #
I'm really happy with our PS3. It makes a great media player compared to the 360, and it's basically silent compared to the jet engine that is the 360. Blu-Ray, Rivet, easily upgradable drive, games. The only minor complaint I have is that the Netflix support currently requires a disc.
Posted 15 Dec 2009 at 2:48pm #
One other thing to keep in mind is that some stand alone Blu-ray/DVD players have already hit a wall in upgrades and can't play the latest Blu-ray discs. This is unlikely to happen with the PS3 unless Blu-ray drives change.
The PS3 also has some of the best DVD upscaling I've ever seen, that should factor into your decision if you have a lot of DVDs.
Dan
Posted 15 Dec 2009 at 3:13pm #
One thing to note in what you said, the PS3's built in wifi is garbage. It works fine for some of the internet based stuff that's built into it, but for media streaming, especially video, you want to use an 802.11 N adapter. The build wifi is only 802.11 G and it's slow. I get lower performance with it than when I test with a G adapter. There's also a long standing PS3 bug with h.264 in an mp4 container that causes stuttering if the video is over 1200 kbps or so. The issue is masked by N or ethernet, allowing for higher bitrate videos to be played.
Posted 15 Dec 2009 at 3:35pm #
802.11G is obviously not as good as 802.11N, but "garbage"?
I'm easily able to stream video from my MacBook to the PS3 using 802.11G and the PS3's web browser. Seeking is slow, but there's no dropped frames, and quality is pretty good.
Of course, this probably depends largely on the specific G router on your network and what else is in the neighborhood. But G's practical speed of around 2.5 megabytes per sec is enough for good quality H264 video.
Posted 15 Dec 2009 at 3:28pm #
[quote comment="56449"]One thing to note in what you said, the PS3's built in wifi is garbage.[/quote]
I don't care. My AirPort Express is 802.11g and my Xbox 360 and Wii are both there too. The iPhones are g, and we still have a laptop that's g. Plus, I don't plan to use the PS3 for any streaming. That's what the Xbox 360 is for.
Posted 15 Dec 2009 at 6:07pm #
I don't use a universal remote either, so the bluetooth remote doesn't bother me. well, except for one thing. pressing any button turns the PS3 on. On several occasions I've knocked the remote off the table or put something down on it and accidently turned on the PS3.
The PS3 should always be able to handle new features of Blu-ray, given that Sony controls the standard. With a standalone Blu-ray player you always have to worry about a new version of the standard adding things that your hardware can't support. (I imagine that when managed copy actually shows up the PS3 may be one of the few ways to use the feature.)
The PS3 does an amazing job of upscaling DVDs to 1080p. I really enjoy watching DVDs on it.
Posted 15 Dec 2009 at 8:13pm #
I got a PS3 slim as a blu-ray player and have been very pleased. The AV geeks tell me it's a good move because of the easy upgradeability.
Also, you should at least try the Uncharted games if you do get one.
Posted 17 Dec 2009 at 5:59pm #
One more data point concerning the PS3 and future expandability. Blu-ray 3D will be supported by the PS3. It might be a while, if ever, that stand-alone BR players currently available support this.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/12/17/blu-ray-3d-specifications-finalized-your-ps3-is-ready/