DaveCole

I will admit that I am late to upgrading. There are only a handful of games I would play on the PS3 if I got one. Would I be better off spending the money on a dedicated Blu Ray player?

Joe Schmoe

I use the PS3 as my Blu-ray player and have no complaints. I own a handful of games I rarely play, but it's always nice to have that option. I like the fact that Sony constantly updates the firmware/operating system (whatever you call it). One of the updates will make it 3D. I don't know if I'll ever take advantage of it, but it's free. One nice feature of the PS3 Slim is it decodes DTS-HD MA and Dolby TrueHD. I don't think the other models do, but I could be wrong. I've never bothered to get a regular remote for it because I think the controller works just fine for that.

JakeNeff

I've been using my PS3 as my sole Blu-ray player for over two years now with no complaints. My kids play games on it, but I hardly ever do. It has a fantastic picture, lots of settings, and load times seem fast enough, although I haven't compared them to anything else. I echo all of Joe's positive comments. I love the ongoing updates.

PS3s are among the first to get any new Blu-ray software technology. There are also the added streaming benefits such as Netflix (pretty much standard now, though), MLB.tv, and soon, Hulu.The few times I've had issues playing discs, they were from Netflix and happened to be slightly cracked, scratched, or scuffed. (yes, blu-rays can be scratched).

I also have never broken down and bought the remote. The only thing I don't like about using the controller for a remote is it's really easy to bump the L1/R1 buttons, thereby jumping scenes. However, it's super easy to use in the dark.

To be fair, I haven't used any other Blu-ray players, so I'm admittedly rather biased. That being said, I've never once had any buyer's remorse for my $400 and would highly recommend it.

Spiky

The PS3 hasn't been the best value for BD for 2 years. Unless you want it to play PS3 games, in which case there really isn't much question.

You can get players for $99 right now that do most of those things.

Sdallnct

We still use the PS3 as the BD player. Rarely play games, but occasionally. We love it.

But we bought it the month it came out. If I were buying a BD player today and wasn't into games, I'd probably go in another direction. Not because of quality, but because of features, cost, value.

mzupeman2

The PS3 is still considered to be one of the better Blu-ray players on the market, however, it's no longer the best you can buy. If you want the PS3 to play games, and you also want it to play Blu-ray discs, then there's really no question about it... buy the PS3.

However, if you're looking for a great Blu-ray player that can do GREAT upconverting and can match the load speed of the PS3, go with the Oppo player.

The Man with the Golden Doujinshi

One of the differences between a $99 player and the PS3 is buying a new movie to play on the $99 machine and finding out it doesn't play. When you're lucky, there's a firmware update you can get, if not, then you get to wait and just look at the movie case.

Is it worth the extra $200 new or $50 used, to get a player that hasn't had trouble playing movies in the past and can also stream video/audio from your computer or Internet?

If you don't care if it's used, I'd check craigslist. You can easily find a system for under $150. One guy I know got lucky and found one for $100. Cheapest I've come across is $125.

kefrank

If you're strictly looking for a Blu-ray player, the PS3 is definitely not the best bang for your buck anymore. There are a number of fantastic standalone Blu-ray players well under $300 that will offer a better value if you're strictly looking for Blu-ray playback.

That being said, if you want an all-out media center that includes Blu-ray playback, the PS3 is hard to beat.

Spiky

Or you can buy a GOOD $99 player.

Drav3n

I would say the PS3 is probably the best BD player around. I have that and an Insignia BD player, but I tend to use the PS3 more. The PS3 loads faster, has an excellent interface, plus the ability to do Netflix (which is much faster on the PS3, than in my Insignia), mlb.tv, Hulu, 3D blurays eventually, and Im sure there's going to be more. Plus you also have the option to use PSN network for movie downloads as well...oh yea, and you can play games on it too I heard

Solid Snake

PS3, I own like probably 7-10 exclusive PS3 games, multiplatform wise on game...tend to be better on the 360 visually. I think it's the best BD out there. Updates automatically etc etc.

BSTNFAN

For me, one of the best features is the built in wi-fi. You are starting to see that now in new models, but I don't think it's reached the "value" level players yet. I think it comes down to whether you are sure you won't use the PS3's unique abilities as a gaming platform and media center. If that is the case, I think there are now stand alones that have equal or better quality/performance at a lower price. However, be aware that there are numerous stories of people who never thought they would use the media center capabilities (or didn't even know they existed), but now would never give them up.

kefrank

I would never buy a used PS3, given how common the YLOD and dead laser problems are.

Honestly, if I was buying my first BD player now, I'd probably go for the Sony BDP-S570. It has built-in wireless and nearly all of the multi-media capabilities that the PS3 has. Playing every new movie should not be a concern, as Sony is very reliable with firmware updates. It's currently $214 at Amazon, which is ~$100 less than the PS3 with BD remote. To me, that represents a better value than the PS3 overall.

The Man with the Golden Doujinshi

Like?

You only hear the vocal minority complaining.

Chew

The fan on my old 60gb model was too loud for most movies, so I got a BD player instead. After that, I sold my 60gb model and picked up a Slim. They're much quieter, but I can still hear the fan going.

If you need total silence for your movie watching, this is something to think about.

kefrank

No, these are widespread problems. Certainly not the *majority* of units experience the YLOD or dead laser problem, but far more than should be acceptable. Independent studies have put it somewhere in the 10 to 20% range. There's been a very active market for replacement lasers on ebay for quite awhile now. There are tons of youtube tutorials for replacing your laser or re-flowing. These things don't come about simply from a few people complaining loudly on some message boards. They are very real issues with the fat units which is why I think it's appropriate to warn people against buying a used one.

JACOB

i would highly recommend the new ps3 slim. they are very quiet.

Jacob

The Man with the Golden Doujinshi

Your percentage shows that it's a minority. People that complain about a product or service are the more vocal ones. That equals vocal minority.

kefrank

Since I already said it's not a majority, I obviously don't disagree with your semantics. I disagree with your dismissal of my comment simply because it's a "minority" complaining. Just because less than half of PS3 owners are complaining doesn't mean the problems are trivial.

The Man with the Golden Doujinshi

I've found the defect rate between 1 and 10% from a few cnn related articles. As for me, I wouldn't base issues on ebay auctions and youtube videos. The market on ebay is saturated as hell with everyone trying to make their dollar and youtube is full of idiots that make videos for no reason.

Opinion I'm just trying to say is that I don't see the issue nearly as bad as some people, not you or anyone in this thread, has made it out to be. I've seen crazy stats thrown out at other place.

kefrank

If you search "PS3 laser replacement" on youtube, the top 3 results have in the range of 30,000 to 80,000 views each. If the video makers are just idiots who made those videos for no reason, then there sure are a lot of idiots watching them for no reason too.

Likewise, ebay is a marketplace and a product can only continue selling if there's a market for it. A search of ebay for "PS3 laser KES-400A" gives 680 current listings. Just for fun, I also did a search of completed listings for one particular top-rated seller with filters to just get the PS3 replacement laser as the product. This one seller had 78 completed listings in just the last 15 days, the majority of which were sold.

Youtube and ebay alone are certainly not enough to provide solid conclusions, but they are significant data points that when combined with the other evidence suggests a problem much more common than you seem willing to accept.

With all due respect, you seem hell-bent on ignoring the issues for whatever reason. I love my PS3 - I think it's the best home media center available, but that doesn't change the fact that the fat models exhibit common problems that would keep me from recommending anyone buy one used.

The Man with the Golden Doujinshi

And there are. That's why they all make videos for each other. If you really want me to, I can randomly find dumb as hell videos with tons of views.

And how many of those could have been sold to a guy that does it locally, advertising through craigslist?

I'm sorry but I'm going to go with articles from places like CNN and other sources that don't use youtube views and ebay sales to determine. They say the defect rate is lower but

I'm not ignoring, which is why I searched for more legitimate sources that have a bit more research when it comes to finding it's data rather than ebay and youtube counts.

Here's my youtube proof. If I search for obama nazi, the first video I ran across had over 33,000 views. This clearly means it's true. Not only that but there are almost 9,000 results for that search term. That many people making and watching videos can't possibly be wrong.

I fully accept that you will never change my mind that youtube and ebay are better sources than say, a warranty repair provider http://scitech.blogs.cnn.com/2009/09...r-rate-survey/

I also accept that I can't change you mind either. As a fellow PS3 brother, we shouldn't be fighting.

ShadyLPete

Personally, I've been using the PS3 since launch (20GB model that I upgraded to 250GB), and I've had no problems with it. Blu-Ray looks amazing, games play fine, everything works. I don't know about the slim models, but a PS3 is def a great BD Player, especially with the remote.

But at the cost of one nowadays compared to solo BD Players, theres def better alternatives

kefrank

You're still missing the point and rationalizing or using hypotheticals where that doesn't even make sense. Despite your comment below, I never said Ebay and youtube are "better sources." Ebay and youtube are just a couple of many indicators - where I choose to view these indicators in combination with all the other indicators, you choose to dismiss them entirely. Which seems like the more balanced approach?

The SquareTrade study (which I will point out reports a failure rate in the range I originally stated, albeit at the low end) was limited to consoles in the first 24 months of ownership. Considering how many anecdotal reports there are of failures in the 24 to 36 month range, I wouldn't exactly call that study definitive. Here's another inexact survey that puts the failure rate at 16%. If you search long enough you'll find others with varying results. Taking all of the evidence together: the "none-are-quite-accurate" surveys, the many anecdotal reports, the extremely active "tips, tricks, and fixes" and "ps3 replacement" threads at blu-ray.com, the already-mentioned youtube and ebay indications which you irrationally choose to dismiss entirely, it's perfectly reasonable to conclude a failure rate in the 10 to 20% range, which is exactly what I originally said.

As someone who loves the PS3, I can't in good consciience recommend buying a used model that has a higher than acceptable likelihood of exhibiting serious problems. I'd much rather recommend buying a new Slim which is much more likely to offer years of reliable service.

The Man with the Golden Doujinshi

If they're saying 60 percent for the 360, I'm going to go ahead and say their 16% is high too.

Obama must be a Nazi.

It'll be easier when you accept you aren't changing any minds. I know I'm not going to change your mind, I'm just using the same logic you seem to be throwing out.