The PS3 is VERY fast. I doubt we will see a Blu-ray player as fast as the PS3 for a few years.

thinking about getting a PS3 also, now that my TV is bonafide 1080p

One thing though--I use a harmony remote to run all my devices. Can I use it to run the PS3 or will it only work with a bluetooth remote?

harmony wont controll the ps3. you can get a usb-IR attachment, but even that wont turn it on/off w/ the harmony

It's missing some other functions, like the Top Menu and the colored buttons. It doesn't have a true stop button, as the "stop" on it just brings up that screen that asks you if you want to stop playback.

I really hope Sony comes out with an official IR kit that supports every function.

I agree with everybody, highly recommended.

I'm guessing it plays Region 0 DVDs fine though?

I love the PS3 remote, a true essential. The Bluetooth technology really does make a difference.

Is it worth getting a Harmony remote if the PS3 won't work with it? I have a Toshiba Regza TV, HD-A3, and plan on buying a receiver soon. Might get a cable box eventually.

Yes, but not Region 0 PAL. Like most people I've had to resort to multiple players. I have a Toshiba for HD, Malata 520 for PAL, and a PS3 for Blu which means 3 players for movies, and I find it to be a pain. I can't complain about the PS3 outside of the PAL/Region coded issue.

which HD DVD player do you have? AVS has information on how to hack some of the models to be region-free and PAL-compatible for SD DVD.

I love my Harmony 659. One thing about it that people don't realize is that it has a pretty powerful IR transmitter, so I don't really have to aim it to get it to work.

PS3 having a bluetooth remote is the deal-killer for me. I won't get one until there is an IR solution that also does On/Off. In the meantime I'll stick with my Samsung BD-P1000 which has been flawless. It's a little slow for Blu-ray, plenty fast for DVD, and faster than my Toshiba XA1 ever was.

I've got the Harmony 890 and I picked up the Nyko remote and programmed it with the PS3 functions. I don't sweat on/off personally.

I LOVE my harmony its been perfect for all my devices. It takes a lot of setting up for some things but there are SO many ways to customize macros for this thing.

Since there has been quite a bit of gushing above about the PS3, I will repost my list of pros and cons:

Pro:
• Well supported by Sony.
• Profile 1.1, with 2.0 expected via a firmware update in the near future.
• Can decode and output Dolby TrueHD as PCM over HDMI to an HDMI capable receiver. DTS-HD-MA support is expected eventually.
• Reported to be fairly quick to boot up and load discs, in contrast to many other players.
• Seems to have a good reliability record thus far.
• Handles java-heavy discs without difficulty.


Con:
• No multi-channel analog audio outputs (for lossless audio with older HT receivers).
• No bitstreaming of lossless audio codecs (for use with the latest HT receivers with on-board decoding).
• The PS3 is a power hog, compared to just about any other Blu-ray Disc player one cares to name — that’s why it is often reported to get so hot. The Panasonic BD30 is rated at just 25 watts, by contrast.
• No IR remote compatibility (meaning that one can't use a universal remote without an add-on device, and even that won't enable power-on). Also, one has to use the game controller as the remote or pay extra for a more conventional (Bluetooth) remote.
• The PS3 is a slot loader. While some might like that, I would guess that many of us don’t like trusting our discs to a slot loader, scratch-resistant coating notwithstanding.
• No LCD display panel on the machine.
• The PS3 is considered by many to be “ugly” as a home theater component.


Which of these characteristics can be considered important will vary for each of us. If the "cons" are of no importance to you, the PS3 would be a good buy. For me, a PS3 doesn't even come close to meeting my requirements for a BD player. Since there are several full-featured BD players coming later this year, waiting is an option.

This is a good list. I would add to it, as a "Con":

Has no internal picture adjustments.

This is important when connected to a single TV input along with other HDMI sources through an AVR or other switcher, thus offering no way to memorize picture settings for the PS3 alone.

This is fairly typical of entry level hardware, but a feature that many standalone BD players do implement.

At the moment I don't have a modern AVR, so I'm using my PS3, A2, and HD DVR with optical/coax digital audio through my old receiver, and individual HDMI connections for video to the TV. When optimizing the TV, it's clear that the three sources really do require substantially different settings from one another, which are of course individually memorized by the TV.

I will lose this capability if I upgrade to an HDMI AVR, forcing me to connect all my video sources through the AVR to a single TV input. Of course, I'm not singling out the PS3; none of my other sources have picture settings either. But having to compromise PQ in order to upgrade AQ is stupid.

Does your TV only offer one customizable setting? I think my projector has 3, but it'd still be a pain to have to remember which is which and flip back and forth.

The TV has three HDMI, two component, one VGA and one s/composite input. Each can have its own settings, including all the detailed picture setting, audio settings (my wife likes to use the built-in speakers with the analog TiVo to watch Oprah), etc. Some of these settings can be memorized as image presets, but some of them are associated with the selected input.

I could program Harmony macros to change all those settings every time I change sources, but what a pain!

I still don't know what my ultimate solution to this will be. Probably HDMI splitters so send HDMI audio for BD and HD-DVD to an AVR while still switching video on the TV.

Con: Blu-ray remote doesn't have illuminated buttons. Sure its a minor thing compared to everything else, and I've come to memorize most of the basic buttons in the dark, but it'd be nice to have.

How did you do this? I have a Harmony 890 and the Nyko and havent' figured out how to program it :(

BTW if you hold down X and then press X again, it shuts off.

I recently got a PS3 and I love it. I never had a problem with how "slow" other Blu-Ray (and HD DVD) players are and I was still blown away by how speedy the PS3 is. I love it. :)

Holy crap, are you serious?

I just hooked up my new PS3 yesterday (for BRD playing only---I-m not much of a gamer). My Nyko BluWave IR remote just came in the mail today. No on/off was bugging me. If what you say is true, you'll have made me 50% happier! Thanks.

[OT, the PS3 is elegant as a BRD player in my opinion.]

GatorDeb...

I just added the PS3 as a device and then customized the buttons. There's a page that's full of optional buttons for all devices. BTW, I'm going to try the double X trick - if it works I could program my shutdown to do that! That'll make a heck of a lot of people happy!

120inna5, I couldn't agree more on the PS3 overall, much less as a BD player! I love this thing!

I got a PS3 in the middle of February...love it, great picture quality for bd and sd dvd, fast load, great deal for the money...only con I have is that when you stop a movie or turn off the system during a movie, your last stop is not remembered, making it somewhat frustrating to always have to go back and find the spot where you left off. If I am mistaken here, please let me know how to do it, but other than that I love the system.

The new firmware lets you do that.

There's a new update out now that includes a resume function, which was not available before. Works with MOST BDs out there.

talk about good timing...I just started my update, got on here and saw your responses, then read on my screen thats one of the new features, excellent!