This was posted in another thread, but I thought I should bring it out since I'm curious what others think of this. RR6, I'm not trying to put you on the spot or anything...I was gonna do a thread already and thought this would be a great first post.

Quote Originally Posted by RR6
I'm an old fart and don't know a PS3 from a PT109. However, some of these reasons below are definitely legitimate and objectionable for me and eliminate my consideration of a PS3. I don't play games. #'s 1 & 4 (since I have a non-HDMI receiver) are important for me and #'s 2 & 3 are maybe. Curious about opinions from you guys that know the PS3 well. For people who don't do games and have an HDMI receiver would you still recommend the PS3 versus the Sony S350 or Panny BD-35?
If I were purchasing a player today and had a budget of let's say $600, I would go with a PS3 in a second. In most cases I recommend the PS3 as a BR player except for those who are looking to use analog ins on older AVR. The PS3 does much more than BR playback. So let's say you run out and purchase a newer Sony or Panny that is great for CD/DVD & BR playback...Well that's great and all but it stops there. The PS3 offers these same functions with the added bonus of media center capabilities including streaming, wifi, internet browser, Video download service, 40 or 80 gig HD for photos/videos/music, SACD on the 80g model, bluray & movie trailers, excellent support with continued firmware updates that improve media playback as well as functionality.

I've had my PS3 since Dec of 06 and have had no issues. Improvements for CD, DVD & BR playback in the form of latest BD profile, audio/video noise filters as well as various display settings to improve PQ. The latest update added the ability for automatic shutoff(sleep timer), Flash 9 support for the internet browser, noise filters for video content played directly from your HD. The continued support has been awesome.

Now, I now some of you could care less about surfing the web or emailing friends from your BR player. That's understandable. I consider these additional features to be a huge bonus on top of a player that is already excellent at bluray, DVD, SACD & CD playback.

Another bonus is the gaming aspect. You may have no interest in gaming, but you never know. Free game demos will at least give you the opportunity to try a few out. My wife is not a gamer, but she plays a few with me. Not all games are shooters ya know

Six reasons you shouldn't use the PS3 as your Blu-ray player
Posted by Matthew Moskovciak 70 commentsShare E-mail Print (Credit: CNET Networks)OK, before the angry fanboy comments roll in, let's get this out of the way: the PlayStation 3 is the best Blu-ray player on the market right now. It sits at the top of our best Blu-ray players list, we consistently use it as the reference that we judge other Blu-ray players against, and it's the only player on the market right now that supports Blu-ray Profile 2.0 and onboard decoding for both Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. And it will always be the only Blu-ray player that streams media, has a browser, and plays PS3 games. Virtually everyone looking to buy a Blu-ray player should go with the PS3 right now.

However, with that in mind, there are a few legitimate reasons why someone wouldn't want to use a PlayStation 3 as their main Blu-ray player. Let's check them out.
I think this article is old but I'll go over the six points.

1. Doesn't work with universal remotes.
Sony decided not to include an IR receptor on the PlayStation 3, and home theater fans have been complaining ever since. The lack of an IR receptor means that the PlayStation 3 won't work with universal remote controls, so you'll have to use the PS3 controller or the separate PS3 BD remote to control it. It's definitely a pain for anyone who is used to activity-based macros such as "Watch TV" and "Watch Blu-ray" to control their home theater.
I use my Harmony just fine with my PS3 and it controls 99% of the functions. The only thing it can't do is turn the PS3 on. But, the PS3 turns on automatically when you insert a disc, so......

2. It's louder than standalones.
Although every PS3 seems to be different, the PS3 can occasionally get loud once its fans start spinning. For audiophiles, that can be a pretty big drawback, especially if you start to hear a whirr during every quiet scene in a movie. You'll have better luck keeping the PS3 quiet by keeping it in a well-ventilated area, but standalones are quieter in general and don't mind having other gear stacked on them.
I sit about 10 feet from my PS3 and never hear the fans unless I walk up to it. I've had my PS3 almost 2 years and leave it on all day. Yes, the fan does kick on but no way I can hear it from my sitting position. I'd have to turn off everything, and really listen for it I guess.

3. Interface isn't as easy to use.
This isn't an issue for tech enthusiasts, but Sony's Xross Media Bar (XMB) is packed with options and can be intimidating for neophytes. Although we generally like the XMB for zipping around the PS3's functions, using a standard Blu-ray player where you just need to put in the disc and hit play is definitely a lot easier.
The PS3 can be set to automatically play an inserted disc. No menus, no cross bar....Just insert the disc and it plays.

4. You have an older AV receiver and need multichannel analog outputs.
If you're using an older receiver and want to use its multichannel analog inputs to get high-resolution soundtracks, you can't do it with the PlayStation 3. You're better off going with a standalone Blu-ray player with onboard Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio decoding, like the upcoming Pioneer BDP-51FD and Panasonic DMP-BD50. Of course, if you're OK with standard DVD-style surround sound, you can still get that with the PS3's optical SPDIF output, which is compatible with nearly all modern receivers.
I agree with this. No analog outs on the PS3 means no HD audio with older AVR's. I knew I was gonna get an HDMI AVR eventually, so I went 9 months with just my PS3 hooked via optical to my 2805 until I was ready to upgrade.

5. You want to be green.
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 standalone 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 such as the Philips Eco TV. (Check out our guide to TV power consumption for more green tips.)
I really don't have a comment on this. I have 3 sound systems, 2nd fridge, deep freezer, 4 aquariums and a huge electric bill to go with it.

6. I need to see my receiver light up and say "Dolby TrueHD."
Even if you do have a new HDMI-capable receiver, you'll never get the Dolby TrueHD light to turn on with the PS3. That's because although the PS3 can decode both DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD, it can't send those soundtracks in bit stream format and allow the receiver to decode them. Of course, this isn't really a legitimate reason, as you're still getting the same high-resolution audio, but some people just need the comfort of seeing the Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio lights on their receiver.
This was a waste. As stated, your getting the same thing. But the PS3 does have an advantage. Since the decoding is done in the player, you can listen to the extra content on advanced authored disc that requires the decoding to be done by the player. You loose this with bitstreaming.