Video Asylum

Posted by 4season (A) on July 14, 2007 at 17:12:41

In Reply to: RE: Blu-Ray is in the house! posted by 4season on July 14, 2007 at 12:21:59

I gave up trying to update the PS/3's firmware directly from the console: No matter if I used a wired or wireless connection, the update failed after about 50 minutes. Fortunately, it's also possible to do the update by downloading firmware to a flash card, and after one botched attempt and redownload, the system was successfully updated, but including a break for lunch, this took six hours! I apparently didn't actually need the update in order to play the B-D movies I rented, but I couldn't play the game that I rented (Sonic the Hedgehog) without the update.

DVD remote control: Strictly speaking, I did not really need to buy this accessory, because the game controller itself can be used to play a movie. But I found it kind of awkward for anything beyond the most basic functions because none of the DVD functions are marked. The DVD remote remedies this nicely, but it doesn't work right out of the box either: It's a bluetooth device, and must be registered with the console. It's an easy procedure if you're already accustomed to dealing with Bluetooth, otherwise, I imagine a few have been returned to the store as "defective". Other Bluetooth devices like mice and keyboards can also be used, but I don't have any onhand to try right now.

Firmware 1.82 features: Greatly expanded connectivity to external media servers, upscaling for regular DVDs (unclear what the output res is however) and HDMI 1.3a support. As my TV supports 1.3a, I activated this feature.

With 1080p output and HDMI 1.3a in use, I popped in "Ice Age: Meltdown" and, minor compression artifacts aside (mostly banding in the blue skies), it looks great; as a movie, it's no Toy Story or Monsters Inc.

My initial thoughts on PS/3 are Sony delivers a lot of goods, particularly at the now-discounted price. But it feels a bit fussy, tweaky and overly complex rather than being immediately delightful. Sony obviously has talented engineers in their ranks, but they should hire people like my sisters to evaluate their work. If I set either of my sisters in front of the PS/3 for a few hours, here's what I can imagine they might say:

"Why is this thing so noisy"
"Is it supposed to get this hot?"
"It's too complicated, all I want to do is watch a movie"
"Is it ready yet?" (waiting for an update)
"If the controller is wireless, why are you plugging it into the console?"
"I can't read the stupid remote in the dark"
"The picture's really clear, but this movie is junk"

So it's not a slick-yet-cuddly product like an iPod, not yet anyhow.