PlayStation 3. Whats the difference in the models?

[slipper]

So i might be interested in getting a PS3 mainly for its Blu Ray capabilities. Whats the difference in the difference models. I'm on the official Sony PS3 site and its lists 120gb, 160gb, 250gb, and 320gb. I'm just guessing but is the 160 a successor to the 120 and same with the 250 and 320? If thats the case, was it just a very minor spec bump or was there other features added?

 

[ghall]

The only difference is the hard drive size and possibly some slight modification to the hardware. The PS hardware, like the other consoles, are basically unchanged from when they first came out, though they have been improved to be more power and size efficient over the years.

Basically, no matter which model you get you will be able to play BluRays.

 

[peskaa]

The PS3 is far more complex than ghall is making out.

There are two main revisions, the original "Fat" models and the new "Slim" ones. The new Slims are smaller (obviously), and also support BRAVIA-Sync, use less power and make less noise.

The main differences between models of the same revision are simply the installed HD sizes (although you can replace this yourself very easily under warranty). This is very much the case with the Slims - they are identical except for the HD sizes. So for a new PS3 simply pick the HD size you want.

With the older "Fat" models, there are key hardware differences. The very original models (20GB and 60GB) in the US and Japan had built in hardware backwards compatibility, 4x USB ports, multi-card readers and chrome fittings on the 60GB version. Over time these got stripped away, leaving 2x USB, no hardware backwards compatibility and no card readers.


Wikipedia actually has a useful chart of all the models if you're that interested...

 

[tjb1]

I got a 120gb slim and I would recommend you buy the $60 extended warranty for it. I shipped mine out about a month before the 1 year ended to be fixed...HDD was dying and so was Multi AV out, got it back and they only fixed the HDD so before summer break im apparently going to have to smash the Multi AV for them to fix it. Glad I bought the extra 2 years because they dont seem to fix it unless it shows up under the test broken, but its clearly broken because my headphones only get left or right...difficult to get left and right. Yes I use HDMI for picture/sound to tv, but I need the Multi AV for my headset.

 

[slipper]

How is the Blu Ray player and DVD upconvenrting audio/video quality and load times compared to other dedicated Blu Ray players?

 

[e²Studios]

How is the Blu Ray player and DVD upconvenrting audio/video quality and load times compared to other dedicated Blu Ray players?

The PS3 is hands down the best Blu Ray player on the market. Even the folks over at AVS have said its the best blu ray player, and they are an extremely fickle bunch of people when it comes to audio/video.

 

[ashman70]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PS3

 

[peskaa]

How is the Blu Ray player and DVD upconvenrting audio/video quality and load times compared to other dedicated Blu Ray players?

Pretty damn good. In some ways the Slims are even better at it, as they support Bitstreaming of Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA rather than just Linear PCM.

 

[ActionableMango]

How is the Blu Ray player and DVD upconvenrting audio/video quality and load times compared to other dedicated Blu Ray players?

I have a PS3 Slim.

The DVD upconverting is considered mediocre. Casual viewers can't tell the difference. It might make a difference if you have a HUGE screen. For example, if you have a 100" projection or something, you'd probably want a better upscaler. It is perfectly fine for normal range of TVs up to 60" or so.

The BD quality is top notch for video and audio. Load times are very fast. It supports 3D. It gets frequent updates and as such is compatible with many BD titles that are troublesome on other players.

The PS3 has a long history of both gaining and losing features. Features gained include newer BD revision support, newer HD audio formats support, frequent title and bug fixes, video streaming (Netflix), and 3D Blu-ray support. Features lost include half the USB ports, media slots, hardware PS2 compatibility, software PS2 compatibility, SACD support, and OtherOS support.

The PS3 is region locked and won't play 50Hz content, so be very careful if you import movies. This is not a problem if you stick to buying titles in your region.

The Slim is quiet enough for home theater use. I've heard some people say the Fat's fans are too loud, but others say it's fine. I have no experience with the Fat.

The Slim can bitstream all of the lossless HD audio codecs. The Fat cannot bitstream those, but can decode them and output PCM.

My main complaint for home theater use is the lack of an IR port. Because of this, the situation for using a universal remote control is expensive and somewhat awkward.

The shape of the chassis isn't really suitable for stacking with other standard home theater equipment. (The PS3 has to be on top.)

If you are a gamer, it's a pretty good deal. If you're not, it's a bit expensive and awkward. Another contender for top blu-ray player is the Oppo. You might want to look into them if you aren't a gamer.

I hope this gives you more reasonable information than those people who say nothing more than "the PS3 is the BEST EVAR!!!1!!!1!!"