John Falcone, April 1, 2009
Murphy's Law seemed to be the theme for Blu-ray in 2006. In addition to firmware foul-ups and component shortages, a lackluster slate of early Blu-ray movies let underdog HD-DVD steal the show. But a new year means new opportunity: the number of available Blu-ray titles is soon expected to surpass that of HD-DVD, and there are actually some players you can buy. So far, the PlayStation 3 is the runaway winner, offering excellent Blu-ray playback in addition to its HD gaming and multimedia capabilities--all for hundreds less than the price of competing players. Moreover, the PS3 is the only player that boasts bleeding-edge HDMI 1.3 compatibility, and it's going to remain in the line-up for years to come. Meanwhile, the other first-generation players shown here will be soon overshadowed by their inevitable successors, certain to be on display at the 2007 Consumer Electronics Show. In other words: Blu-ray fans who can't get their hands on a PS3 should wait to see what the second-generation players will offer later in 2007 before taking the plunge.
| Product name | |
|---|---|
| Price | Pricing not available |
| CNET editors' rating | |
| Average user rating | |
| Review date | November 13, 2006 |
| The Bottom Line | The high-end Sony PlayStation 3's larger hard drive and ability to play PS2 games makes it a worthwhile alternative to the cheaper model--so long as you're willing to wait several months for the more promising exclusive titles to hit store shelves. If backward compatibility is your top priority, this hard-to-find model may be worth the search. |
| Similar Products | Compare more products |
| Features | |
| Media Type | Flash memory card Blu-ray |
| Processor type | Cell |
| RAM installed size | 256 MB |
| Graphics Processor | NVIDIA RSX |
| Video RAM installed | 256 MB |
| Max resolution (external) [Jul 2, 2008 from CDS: Video Output] | 1920 x 1080 |
| Full specifications | Full specifications |
| Buying choices | Pricing not available |
