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General discussion

Questions On PS3

Nov 3, 2006 1:25PM PST

I have decided to buy a PS3 very soon after it gets released in HK (much cheaper in HK for the 60gb version - only US$485 - I live in HK by the way).

1). The PS3 only has an optical digital output. My Lifestyle Bose system only has a coaxial input (and I don't want to upgrade my system). Is it possible to get a converter that converts an optical cable into a coaxial cable?

2) The PS3 comes with a 60bg hard drive. I want to start storing my CDs "lossless" onto the hard drive. 60gb implies close to 75 CDs stored with no compression. Is it possible to do this within the PS3? That is, put the CD in and then the PS3 copies the data onto the hard drive? If not, how can I do that?

3) Out of the box, the PS3 will not upscale regular DVDs to High Definition. However, there is speculation that there will be a firmware software upgrade some time next year. Is this true? If so, when?

4) The Blu Ray player works for the right BD discs of the right region. I intend to use my PS3 as my default DVD player as well. Is the DVD multi-region or does it only play region coded discs? In HK all DVD players are multi-region.

5) PSP and PS3. I currently do not have a PSP. However, I might get one because it may act as a multi-media remote. In other words, if I have 60 or 70 CDs stored on the PS3 hard drive, it may help me navigate through my CDs without having to turn my TV on. Will the PSP be able to have this kind of interaction with the PS3?

6) Blu Ray discs currently come out in 25gb and 50gb (dual layer). TDK and Sony are working on future 100gb and 200gb discs. Will the PS3 be able to play movies that are put onto those discs?

7) Given the USB inputs, I am thinking of buying a large hard drive at some point in the future - maybe >1-2TB. I intend on hooking this up to the PS3 so that I can utilize its Digital Analog Converter (DAC). Is this possible? My intention is to start copying my DVDs onto this monster hard drive - so that at some point, I can store and play my entire DVD collection through the PS3 via this hard drive.

Cool Given that the 60gb model has WIFI, is it possible for my laptop to communicate with the PS3 wirelessly? In other words, my PC could have a remote hard drive - being the PS3?

That is a lot of questions. But for some reason, I cannot really get all of those answers from the net. If anyone can answer all or at least 1 of those questions, I will be very greatful.

Discussion is locked

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Whoa!
Nov 7, 2006 7:32AM PST

that's a lot of questions but I do have answers to a few of them.

1)I don't think that there is a converter out there that does that. If so, there would be a loss in audio quality.

2)Yes, this is a function of the PS3
3) I suspect that they will have software upgrades for the ps3, similar to those of the ps3. If there are, one will probably come out within 3 months of the release.

6) I have my suspicions it will be able to. If not, what is the point of those huge storage capacities?

9)probably, just like the psp will be able to copy and transfer files to the ps3

Hope that helps

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Thanks mate. Sony's FAQ not comprehensive enough
Nov 7, 2006 5:34PM PST

Thank you for the reply.

Considering the hardware capability and potential of the PS3, I am amazed on how little information SONY has disclosed about its media center capabilites weeks before official launch.

Sony representatives have given conflicting answers to some of my questions like DVD upscaling for example. The latest Sony rep said it will upscale DVDs - but judging from the lack of knowledge he had about the console during the interview, I have zero faith in that answer (by the way the interview is on www.engadget.com).

I am also amazed that the official SONY website has no Q&A section where I can ask these questions to the company itself.

I find it appaling. I REALLY REALLY want to buy this machine - but SONY has made so many "last minute" changes that I seriously believe that initial products are going to be packed with bugs.

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everyone is entitled to their opinion
Nov 13, 2006 8:20AM PST

well, I understand your standpoint on the ps3. It will most likely have a few bugs, but it will not be nearly as many as the 360. sony has had a year more time to test their new sys for glitches, so it should do well.

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not so much...
Nov 15, 2006 7:02AM PST

The 360 did have alot of hardware bugs in it (my first 360 died after 7 months), but I really don't see how you can say that the PS3 will have far less bugs in it already. Whenver you use the first generation of a certain type of technology you are risking big hardware failure issues...and the PS3 is using first gen Blu-ray players and firt gen cell processors AND they are keeping the power supply inside the PS3 instead of externally. It is still too early to say if the PS3 will have less or more problems than the 360, but the signs of massive hardware failure are there.

Also, that extra year that Sony had was spent mostly in manufacturing blue laser diodes instead of troubleshooting and perfecting the PS3. Already there are reports of their full backward compatibility not working for even games like FF, GT and Tekken...so obviously they didn't troubleshoot for a year to perfect anything.

I believe that the PS3, once the initial kinks are worked out, will be a great console...but the 360 is great too so it is really a matter of what games you like that each console offers. I'll stick with my 360 because of the better selection of shooters though.

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answers
Nov 15, 2006 6:17AM PST

1) I don't believe there is a cable that can convert digital audio to analog audio. You can find a pretty inexpensive receiver that supports digital audio though.

2) Take into account that each game will use between 4-10 GBs of space when are you playing them as a system cache of sorts so alot of your hard-drive will be reserved for games and not storage. I don't know how great the ripping software is on the PS3 so I don't even know if a lossless filetype is possible on the PS3.

3) You will have to ask Sony about the firmware update.

4) If you have a multi-region player that supports PAL and NTSC disks then it should play either of those types of disks. But I highly doubt the Blu-ray player in the the PS3 will allow you to play DVDs that are not in its specified region since Sony is pretty strict about keeping regions separate.

5) I know there will be PSP integration into the PS3, but I don't think you can navigate through your PS3 HDD via your PSP with the TV off.

6) Yes, it will. Those higher capacity disks will use the same reading laser as the 25/50 GB disks so all is well there.

7) I don't know about managing your media onto an external HD like that, but I think it is possible. You just have to make sure that you convert all DVDs and audio files into filetypes that the PS3 recognizes.

Cool I highly doubt that your laptop will be able to communicate with your PS3. Only the Xbox 360 has the capability to stream media from a PC wirelessly via Windows Media Center and if you could interact with your PS3 via a laptop other than streaming music (at some point) there are big hacker/modder issues that arise...so no, I wouldn't bet on being able to have your PS3 interact with your computer much other than sharing an external HDD.