Randy,
I have either the 40 gig, or an even smaller version. I don’t recall what it is other than it was the first generation unit to hit the shelves. I do not play games. I bought it for Blue Ray only. My kid plays a couple games on it, but I don’t dare get caught up with that habit. I also bought a Panasonic BD 30 so I could hear DTS-M. I got tired of waiting for the PS3 to decode this format and bought the BD 30 when it came out. I also have a Toshiba HD-A35. I sit 12’ away from an 8’ 2.35 screen. I have all three set up to output 1080P/24.
So, in regards to video performance between the PS3 and the other two, I can’t tell a difference. They all look fantastic. The PS3 is truly an impressive machine. It loads immediately, never gives me trouble in any way and you can do all sorts of cool things with it. Now that it will decode DTS-M (or will shortly), the only two negatives I can think of are: 1) it’s ugly and looks weird on an EQ rack with the other electronics 2) the blue tooth remote and lack of discrete commands.
There’s also a never ending debate in regards to where the decoding needs to take place; the source or the audio processor. I can not tell a difference between the two.
Its appearance is something only you can determine if it is worth worrying about. The remote issue can be over come by using a cheap Bluetooth to IR converter. It still lacks commands, but it does help.
