The technical questions have been answered extremely well so I'll add in a few comments on the question as to why the PS3 was toted as THE value in BD players. (At least until the stand alone price drops.)
Why it is totes as a solid value solution to get into BD is that for the price.....
- It was one of (maybe the first) to support all the new audio codecs. (via HDMI only)
- Because it's owned by Sony, the owners of BluRay, it is always patched insta-quickly for new features. Just plug it into your Internet access.
- I also plays CDs, DVDs and some models even play SACD
- It streams music and movies from your PC or compatible devices.
- Downloadable TV and movie content is available.
- and of course, it plays games.
To be fair, using a PS3 controller to run a movie will drive you nuts until you get used to it or curse and swear your way to buying a 3rd party workaround.
Also, stand alone players have finally come down in price. Now you have to decide if the additional features are worth the PS3 price point vs. a player that does just BluRays and other disks.
For me, the streaming audio potential was the logical deciding factor and the games were the fun factor, so it was PS3 for me. Plus I scored a sweet deal.
