So should I hold off on getting a PS3?
 

It's my understanding that the PS3 is being updated at the end of this month for downloadable media...since I'm buying this mainly for Blu-Ray, is there any reason to hold off? Or is this for gamers only? Or does it not matter since this update will be a downloadable update?

Thank you.

Still probably the best BD player available for the price. Remote kind of sucks, but overall it works quite well and you can play games if you want - mine is 90% movies. It really only lacks analog outs for sound as far as I can tell. So really, i would say go for it if you want a BD player.

I couldn't wait to see the movies I wanted in HD that were Blu-ray exclusive so I bought one.

I gotta tell ya...It knocked my socks off! :lol:

What an INCREDIBLE machine, INDEEDY!

Needless to say, I'm VERY happy with mine. :up:

The update is a downloaded software update, not a physical hardware update. You can buy in confidence.

I too was thinking of buying the PS3 to get into Blu Ray. However, having been a supporter of HD DVD and having over 50 movies in that format, I began to seriously look at the Dual Players from Samsung and LG. When the Samsung went down to $440, I pulled the trigger and got it. I've been loving it ever since. I only mention this in cases you have any HD DVD's and to also look at what exactly you want from your BLu Ray player before getting a PS3.

The only reason to hold off on buying a PS3 would be the possibility of a price drop around May or so which is when they traditionally lower system prices.

Due to the weak dollar and Sony's current financial state I would highly doubt a drop in price. Rumor is they are still losing money on each unit so a drop would be even worse for their bottom line which is red by billions.

I use it mainly for movies. However, the nice thing about is that you can download lots of DEMO games for FREE. Even if you don't like games, i'm sure your friends or your kids or their kids would love to play during your get-together event. And they have future movie trailers that you can download for FREE as well instead of watching it online on your computer.

I don't have the latest audio equipment so the PS3 is good enough for me. I'll probably upgrade it 5 years from now and by then...a standalone is probably around $100.

Mind you have to have wireless (or wireable) Internet access to keep it up to date. Once you get it connected, it will automatically update itself to the latest firmware upgrade. Got mine for the Blu-ray component and LOVE it. The Bluetooth remote is almost an essential add-on ($19.99 on sale) though. Using the gaming controller is very tedious after a while.

There is no better value than the PS3. It is a great Blu-ray player and unlike most of the standalones it will get frequent updates and it handles the format the way it was intended. No 2-3 minute loading screens before your movie gets to the menu and all the advanced features work correctly. It also has great picture quality with both Blu-ray and DVD.

Agreed to the max. The upconversion is quite spectacularly unbelieveable. Was certainly worth replacing my old SD DVD upconvert!

Get it now, it rocks.

The PS3 is great except for the fact it won't play PAL and isn't region free. I'm hoping someone (OPPO maybe) produces a player for people who watch DVD's. I know the PS3 does a lot of things, but as a true DVD player it's not very good if you watch more then what is found at your local Blockbuster. It's useless to me as a DVD player since I own a few hundred PAL and non R1 discs.

Not to mention they have already announced two new bundles. I doubt they will drop the price and include extras like movies or games.

What is the best deal right now on the PS3? If any.

What bundles have been announced and when?

The only reason to wait would be for the Metal Gear Solid bundle coming in June. I believe it'll have a bigger HD, the new rumble controller and of course, the new game. It'll be $500 though.

I'm not sure about you, but I have more than one player anyways in my household (multi-format). I'd love to have a player that plays DVD, CDR, DVD-R/DVD+R, All-Region, BD, HD, CD, LD, VHS & DVR in on convient package.

But most just have multiple platforms.

The PS3 is a very capable system that meets many needs. I would highly Recommend the system.

Or you can use a USB flash drive for updates. That works faster for me.

Don't hold off for a price drop. I don't think they're going to drop the price just 6 months after the last drop. It may happen near the end of the year, but I'm even doubtful of that.

It may also be worth mentioning that none of the other BD players are region free with PAL capability either.

If you have money on hand, buy it. If it wasn't for the PS3 my faith in Blu-ray wouldn't be as great.

I have a refurbed 20GB model, and the bigger HD isn't a major issue as I have a 500GB external hard drive that I can hook up through the USB port.

Fun note: I bought my PS3 before getting an HD-A3. Though I use the latter as my upconverter and for HD-DVDs, I was blown away with how slow it was upon first getting it because of how speedy the PS3 is.

True fact, but i'm sure you already have an Oppo player that can do play those DVDs for you already. I already have an Oppo player that I still use 95% of the time today as I have never would use a PS3 for DVD. I would add DVD feature on the PS3 as a bonus feature. And the fact being region free is not because of the PS3, but it's the movie studio company that is making it region-code by releasing those DVDs with region-code.

That's news to me. I've read that it's going to be the 80G version with the possibility of the steel gray case (in Japan first, then US on 6/12/08). Also will have the dual shock 3 controller and MGS4 for $500. I have it on preorder at FYE.

There are rumors of other PS3 configurations but nothing has been officially announced.

Back on topic, I've been following the BR players for a bit now and have also concluded that the PS3 is your best bet. If you want it and don't care about the MGS bundle, get it now. Nothing's going to happen between now and the holiday season re: pricing. I'd be shocked if the price went down between now and when the MGS4 bundle comes out. I think the MGS4 bundle will be a good seller so why drop the price?

To the previous poster, what two bundles have been announced other than the MGS4?

Uh, no.

Yes sir. Which is why my PS3 hasn't replaced my Oppo 980, but sits proudly alongside it instead.

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.