Seven reasons you shouldn't use the PS3 as your Blu-ray player

These comments are all rather pety. Trying to get hits on your website?

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If you don't pick up how to use the XMB immediately, you can easily fix that by reading the manual, and if you're new to these things, you probably should have done so in the first place. I have my PS3 rigged up to a 6.1 Surround Sound system, and I've never had a problem audio-wise (given, it IS another Sony product, but most new amps work the same). The only issue in playback I've had with a PS3 is trying to get it to play DVDs while it's connected to a computer monitor through a HDMI-DVI cable. Impossible... but then again, that's what my TV is for (cinema really can't be truely appreciated and enjoyed on anything but a large screen anyway), and if I'm really determined, I can rip the DVD and put in on the PS3. Simple. So, all you frightened consumers out there, never fear... Just read up some more before you buy. PS3s are superior to BR players, especially if you have kids (who will never let the fact you bought a dedicated player over a PS3 go).

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My response to these points: True that it uses bluetooth rather than IR. but this point is useless if you consider my later answers. If it's louder then all you need to do is enclose it. because it's using bluetooth rather than IR, you dont need line of sight to use the remote and the only time you'll ever need to open the enclosure is to insert/remove discs. And finally, how can you use money savings as a point where you are actually asking people to PURCHASE ANOTHER stand alone BD player? did you guys even think this through? If people have to money to buy a big plasma and to hook up a 6.1 receiver with Dolbe TrueHD then why in the world would they be concerned about 140kw vs 25kw??? Overall your article, while commendable, was not well thought out and contradicted itself.

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first the article say's the ps3 is the best on the market, then it comes up with 7 laughable reasons NOT to use it??? Comon guys, come up with better stuff than this

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You neglect to mention the fact that until Sony/BD board make a firm standard the ps3 is the best option. No other bluray player has had as many updates/improvements as the PS3. Its sony's flagship player at present and will continue to be for quite some time. You also didnt mention the load times of the ps3 with bluray compared to a stand alone player. And for the record, i'm not a bd fanboy, i wanted HD to win, but as far as BD palyers go, the PS3 is the smartest choice

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PS3 can be upgraded to BD 1.1 or 2.0 via firmware, whereas if you want to buy a stand alone with this, you'll have to pay more for the same feature, I believe..I have mine hooked up to the lastest amp, as long as I know I am getting True HD sound, I don't really care if Dolby TrueHD indication appears on my amp at all, there are some articles that state Linear PCM sounds better than bitstream but every person is different..

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1) This is a major flaw both in the PS3 and the universal remote product lines. C'mon logitech, you have had 12 months+ and still no sign of BT support. Check www.ir2bt.com I have one, and it works. 2) Useless comment without figures. Mine isn't too loud, and I never hear it during a movie. It is in a closed well ventilated cabinet. 3) My Girfriend worked it out unassisted. She isn't the best with technology, so really how hard is it? 4) it won't display HD picture on an SD TV either... is that a flaw of the player or the user's equiptment. 5) I assume you are using an average movie of 2 hours. In which case you are talking in the vicinity of .085 kw/h for the ps3 and .0025 for the standalone. Both have negligable cost. 6) WTF? you would choose any home theatre device on this criteria? I know see why your other points have little to no cred. 7) Well all your other arguments failing, I guess this point is mute.

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"OK, before the angry fanboy comments roll in" That there is flame bait.. Plain and simple... Where did you learn journalism? Internet forums?

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wow CNET you guy always "TRY" to look like your smart. but look people are "waking up" un like you fascist followers. blind and still trying to control but look WE HAVE MINDS OF ARE OWN. good day!

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I cannot agree anymore with watanoob's comment, "What a retarded article ... seriously. I'm no Sony fanboy ... but all the Cr@p you just wrote is a waste of my time.".

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Wow this is just disgusting why is cnet bashing the Playstation with these stupid reasons......looks like some one got bribed. imagine some suits sitting in a room trying to come up with some negatives about the PS3. Just DISGUSTING

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sage, 1. universal remotes are for n00bs 2. who cares? anyone who does is a n00b who dont deserve a ps3. 3. same as 2. 4. why would you want a blu ray player on a rubbish tv? 5. standard psu for a pc is around 600 watts, whats ur point? 6. QQ some more 7. this is about the only valid point you made, but still, the primary function of a ps3 is to play games not to watch movies, its a hand secondary function, like how a mobile has a calculator application. considering its also cheeper than a half decent blu ray player, and can also play games and stream media, i think we have a winner. NOTE i dont like the ps3, i dont console at all, i dont own one nor do i intend to buy one. this article would have been handy if i was a pretentious soccer mum or an ignorant middle aged n00b

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hahaha u guys are all hilarious, srsly, the article pretty much says, ps3 is the best blu-ray player, but knobs and stupid ppl wont understand how to use it. HA

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This is like.. a really late and bad attempt at an April fools joke.

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Sound like some people stuck in a tim warp wrote this. Don't worry, you can keep your singular purpose AV components in the silly gold colour with names like Marantz and Denon. Most consumers on the other hand want versatility and value. A $799 Blu-Ray player that isn't easily upgradable doesn't seem to offer either. One day, yes, but no now.

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wow - at least you tried a disclaimer to avoid flaming -ouch. I think it's a fine article. Things you may not realise if you're thinking of getting the ps3 as ONLY a player. It probably doesn't apply to most people commenting here.

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i gotta say, i have a PS3, i love it...but i'm still open minded about things, so i must say my favorite reason is the not compatible with a universal remote hahaha wow thats freaking great, how lazy can people be, to choose another system just cause they'd have to own two remotes, god forbid this haha

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I used to have high regards for CNET articles. But this one ruined it all. I have been using PS3 for last year and half primarily for blu-ray and other media needs. It is excellent in all features. Great value for money. Even if you dont game at all, still it has lot to offer. Author sounds more like, a biased writer to spin it against PS3 sales... Not a single significantly valid point has been made in this article. CNET, are you writing on behalf of your sponsors now?

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Ahaha, CNET sunk once they tried to become 'cool' and worship Apple.

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Am I on CNET or A Current Affair? Credibility sinking... sinking... but hopefully not gone. I don't come to CNET for mindless tripe. Pull your pants up!

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I got a PS3 when it came out and enjoy it hugely. The CNET article is bang on... there are drawbacks to using the PS3 as a BluRay player. I applaud CNET's courage for stating the obvious.

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Matthew Moskovciak and Ty Pendlebury are not to blame for this article being posted. The editor of CNET who allowed this should be fired.

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There's only 1 reason I need to be aware of, in order to use MY Ps3, to do whatever the heck I want to do with it. Reason being, I paid for it. Whenever CNET decides to start buying PS3's and BluRay players for the masses, then they can give some advice. Until then, nobody cares. Morne

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wow...what kind of article says ps3 is the best blu-ray player then slams it? the XMB is so simple to use that even my friends who dont own a ps3 can oprate it, and it can get loud when your playing a game online in hot weather or when its folding@Home but if you keep it well ventilated theres no problem....and not that many ppl buy a ps3 just for the blu-ray player...they buy it to play games on it....

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Last time I played a BD in my PS3, it stopped working. Sony wanted $170 to repair it. I forked it over, and guess what, a week later the same thing happend. I now own no BD products, nor probably never will.

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Bulls**t that had to be one of the worst articals i have ever seen on the internet there was no point to it and no good reasons to not use the ps3 as a blu ray player (looks like microsofts reach and money has hit CNET)

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CNET is the most pathetic review/info site I've ever seen. #1 The PS3 BD remote is only $20 (comes free with new systems) and works great so who cares? #2 The newer 40GB version is whisper quiet. It's impossible to hear. #5 It doesn't use 170 watts, the original 60 gig one did. The new 40 gig model only uses 105 watts. #6 In the new firmware it can play sound in bitstream you MORON. Sony frequently adds new functionality via firmware updates. #7 This shouldn't even be a number. Your an idiot.

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1) While true by default, you can overcome this in half a second with a $15 Nyko (or other brand) remote while uses an plug-in IR receiver. 2) While true, it is effectively unnoticable from any TV-watching distance, and only when a movie is ABSOLUTELY silent. 3) First off, the shorthand commands on even the PS3 controller are dead simple to learn. Secondly, you can use the BR remote if you really want to. Thirdly, you can--as stated above--take one extra step to use your universal remote. Fourthly, you're rarely doing anything but going into and out of the disks' menus the vast majority of the time, which makes you not have to know ANY other controls. 4) Most people concerned with THAT high-end a setup are going to go with a high-end dedicated player to begin with. For anyone trying to save a few bucks by using their PS3 for BR-playing duties, there are drop-in solutions for that that do not cost as much as purchasing a second, higher-end, BR player just for movie playing. And if they're that concerned, they would quite possible upgrade their "older AV receiver" instead/as well. 5) How many hours would that have to be used before it would save you the cost of a 2nd player? Alternatively, if you're purchasing only one machine anew, how much value do you lose from being unable to use the PS3 in all its' other ways? (And if you're planning on Folding, it's a wash regardless. ;-) ) 6) ...? This should really have just been an afterthought comment attached to #4. 7) Are there currently other BR players that do this? That make a perceivable difference? If not, how can this be a concern now? As well, it's not a foregone conclusion, as the quality of the hardware in the PS3 can change at any point as well (as it did multiple times with the PS2), so if you're trying to decide between both machines at the same time, you're going to have to get into the real nitty-gritty on BOTH when you're making your decision. "Time" is the same potential hardware upgrader for both.

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None of the above are reasons at all. the only real reason is that you'll help wear out the laser.

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all the angry comments and then people mock the "before the angry fanboy comments roll in"? i think it's pretty obvious they knew what they were getting in to. and yes, power consumption is a big deal -- in an era where gas prices are shooting through the roof, being able to save energy whenever you can is a big deal.

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just a crappy article, Matthew you probably don't have a PS3, your probably a Xbox 360 fan, just don't mess up anymore in the long term, we all hate reading lame articles.

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But of course, why didn't I see all of this before I bought my PS3 as a BD player... Thanks CNET you've really opened my eyes, I guess all thats left to do now is go buy an X360 and get me one of those "BD player USB drives" for it, say, you wouldn't mind writing me a review on it for me, would you?

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if you didn't know what to write about and needed to get a quick paycheck for your article you should have made some better points. Buddy this is one of the most inane pieces of journalism I have had the misfortune to encounter. GREAT ARTICLE. LET ME not BUY THE BEST PLAYER

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That was the most ridiculous attempt i've ever seen.

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=____= Lame lame lame I agree with you all. I couldn't believe what I was reading: 1. Super lazy people would complain 2. The newer 40GB is not silent but not noisy at all either. Unless you are watching a mute movie, you wouldn't be able to hear the fan spinning at all. 3. XMB, as long as you know simple english, that's self explanatory 4. What about new laptops that doesn't offer anymore PS2 ports? 5. In terms of $$, the power saving is negligible. Might save you 15 bucks a year. To the environment is also negligible since there is not that many PS3 sold compared to the world population. 6. hahahahaha 7. Can dedicated blueray player upgrade its firmware?

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=____= Lame lame lame I agree with you all. I couldn't believe what I was reading: 1. Super lazy people would complain 2. The newer 40GB is not silent but not noisy at all either. Unless you are watching a mute movie, you wouldn't be able to hear the fan spinning at all. 3. XMB, as long as you know simple english, that's self explanatory 4. What about new laptops that doesn't offer anymore PS2 ports? 5. In terms of $$, the power saving is negligible. Might save you 15 bucks a year. To the environment is also negligible since there is not that many PS3 sold compared to the world population. 6. hahahahaha 7. Can dedicated blueray player upgrade its firmware?

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yup fair discusted my comment didnt make it up here yet we have comments ABUSING THE CNET EDITORS mine was simply a play at the fanboy thing

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"5. You want to save money/trees The PS3 is great at a lot of things, but conserving power isn't one of them. If you're looking to stay green and limit your power consumption, you'll be much better off using a stand-alone Blu-ray player. For example, the PS3 sucks up about 170 watts while playing a Blu-ray movie, while the Samsung BD-P1400 only uses about 25 watts. That's a fairly huge difference and can easily wipe out any power savings from using other green products you might be using." Stand alone Blu-Ray players cost more (and don't have all the extra functions), therefore thats a wash right there. Don't have the time to correct every flaw in this article.

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Great article. Looks like a lot of people posting didn't get the point though. :) I was looking at getting a PS3 exclusively for BR but might hold off for the moment, being unable to use a universal remote is a deal breaker and I am sure it will be for anyone with a decent HT system.

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fanboys/girls need to STFU.

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Blue-Ray will only be good when you can get a stand alone player for under $150. Sony wake up and drop your prices.

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Blue-Ray will only be good when you can get a stand alone player for under $150. Sony wake up and drop your prices.

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Number 2 is the deal breaker. Because they are sold in noisy environments, so you don't notice it sounds like a wind tunnel until you get it home. If there is 'any' noise from the unit, then what is the point of the great audio? Maybe thats why it has a BT remote, so you can put the unit in another room? Number 5 is also a big factor. 7x the power consumption? Lots of people are trying to reduce their carbon footprint. Most of the posters above seem to be gamers who are defending their PS3 purchase. Please read the final paragraph again. "What do you think? Are any of these a legitimate reason to get a stand-alone Blu-ray player instead of the PlayStation 3? Or is anyone who buys a stand-alone Blu-ray player wasting their money on an inferior product? Share your thoughts below!" This article is aimed solely at those intending to buy a PS3 instead of a BR player. Remember lots of movie buffs and audiophiles have no intention of playing games. User interface and spin up times are important to a lot of people.

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It is not cool to waste energy like this.. more playstations to waste away the planet.. forget virtual .. get real..

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People out there buy the PS3 as a standalone blu-ray because they know it's the best deal on the market. (whether they never play games on it or not) As for younger people or those not in the 'know', not knowing how to setup for films etc, do you really think they will own an HDMI home cinema amp with support for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio? erm no. Basic setttings for blu-ray are fine for them and they couldn't tell otherwise! Besides that's why you search the net :) http://manuals.playstation.net/document/en/ps3/current/basicoperations/index.html

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whatever, now the PS3 kills trees and is almost the main reason for global warming.. LoL. this is like a joke article, isnt it? do these guys have anything better to do?

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Thanks for the article, I am considering a BD purchase and PS3 is one of the contenders so this article helps uncover some minor downsides the fanboys may either overlook or even, dare I say it, want to hide?

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This article is a joke, these reasons are truly pathetic excluding the power one. Disappointing cnet.

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After reading your comments about ps3,sorry to disagree. Mine is not noisy.I have the proper remote for it and being a games machine as well as a movie player,well you cant beat that for value. Games are the best around on the Sony Bravia and movies are too.

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It is astonishing how pathetic fanboys can get.

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Are you NERDS serious? its just an article, no one asked for all your life stories, just read the article and move on, OR get laid, OR get a life, OR get off the computer and get some sunlight. I bet all of you are as pale as toilet paper.

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I appreciate the article. I myself was debating in whether to get a stand alone or a ps3. Because frankly, Xbox360 meets all my gaming needs and then some, and the Wii doesn't interest me at all. I also heard stand alones can also get firmware updates as well (old news actually). So thanks, the article did help at least some of us make some better decisions.

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I appreciate the article. I myself was debating in whether to get a stand alone or a ps3. Because frankly, Xbox360 meets all my gaming needs and then some, and the Wii doesn't interest me at all. I also heard stand alones can also get firmware updates as well (old news actually). So thanks, the article did help at least some of us make some better decisions.

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my ps3 doesnt get very loud at all, xbox games with higher res, thats the developers isnt it, not the ps3?..ability to download hd content onto a flash drive and plug into ps3 is also nice. i heard of an update once that would allow you to convert blu-ray movie into lower-res format onto a memory stick so u can watch on ur psp if you have one. besides if you had a psp you could use remote play and access all types of media wirelessly...besides the fact that this information is STORED on your device..gee a whole HD library stored on ur blu-ray..yeah I should probably buy a stand-alone because its a little quieter? lol

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I am impressed you picked up on one of the very few drawbacks to the PS3: power consumption. Other reviews have shown it to use an average of 183 Watts during Blu-ray playback: http://www.hardcoreware.net/reviews/review-356-3.htm However note that most HD TVs draw twice this amount of power. Also note that the new PS3 model due out before Xmas will use about half the power of the current model. So the time to buy is at Xmas when this happens and when the recommended retail price drops to $599. Then the only remaining issue is what another person pointed out: PS2 lasers tended to last less than 2 years, ket's hope they don't start dying. Finally, the slot-in drives are much harder to keep clean than the tray loading drives. This could also affect lifespan. The only minor, nontechnical, problem with the PS3 is that is resembles an anvil in shape and weight.

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if you find using the cross media bar 'intimidating' you have issues and shouldnt be using a blu ray player. Dust off the old VCR and stick to something you know.

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The Samsung BD-P1500 looks like a better option, free with the Samsung LCD, cheaper than PS3 if you get it standalone, plus I agree with reasons 1-5. Don't need a console anyway, im sure most of the people who posted here already have a PS3 and are defending it. Samsung BD-P1500 can also do multi region which the PS3 will never do, this is a big selling point for me.

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Wow! The PS3 sucks that much power. However, from the 7 reasons that have been put forward I believe that that is the only one that even slightly concerns me. Happy gaming, DVD watching, BluRay watching, music listening, web browsing etc...

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It's a piece of electronics, not your best friend (actually it probably is for most of these nerds). Just buy the best product instead of getting all emotional about it.

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The guys who have commented here have obviously never seriously done any research into audiofile equipment. The fan noise is a 100% deal breaker if you've spent any more than a grand on your av receiver/amp; you may as well put up with VCR sound quality (it actually sounds like these guys listen to their BR media through the TV speakers - enough said). And if you didn't store your AV equipment in a fugly 70's brown wood cabinet and instead have your equipment out in the open to be visually pleasing as well as produce high quality audio & video, then the appearance of the PS3 will make you run a mile to the closest stand-alone model you could find. Unfortunately most of the above comments are made by IT nerds who have no concept of anything other than how it fits in with how they use these devices - sadly the designers of most IT equipment etc fall into the same category. Thankfully CNET have started to branch out beyond their IT heritage and are considering products from a broader audience view - things like ease of use, reduced clutter, reduced carbon footprint and accurate representation of audio input/output DO MATTER, a lot more than game play or multimedia features of Blueray 2.0 to warrant purchase of a stand alone machine. All you dweebs commenting, please promise me you'll never go into a sales & marketing role because you'd struggle to sell ice to eskimos.

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THERE IS AN ADAPTOR FOR PS3 TO BE USED ON UNIVERSAL REMOTE(LOGITECH)..PLUS THE OTHER SIX REASONS ARE FALSE.............(I`M HD AND HOMETHEATE ENGINEER).

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