Customer Reviews

PlayStation 3 250GB System

5 star:		(126)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

NOTE: (Nov. 9, 2010) - The PlayStation 3 320 GB with a larger disc is now available for the same price. Another option is PlayStation 3 320GB System with PlayStation Move Bundle which would make sense if the Move was something you wanted with your PS3.

_______________________________________

< BEGIN REVIEW >

Briefly, the PS3-250 is the exact original PS3 'Slim' with a twice as large hard disk.

I had the opportunity to actually see and use a PS3-250 on the Sunday prior to its launch. As I expected, the only difference between the ps3-250 and the PS3-120 is the larger disk with everything else the same. Many reviews of the PS3-120 are HERE.

< END OF REVIEW >



Once the decision was made to get a PS3, 2 important questions might be:

- Which model to buy? PS3-120 or PS3-250?

- To upgrade or not to upgrade to a 500/640GB PS3?

Based on personal experience and the experience of other PS3 owners that I know, the options are the following - remember, these are my views:



PS3-120, no upgrade
---------------------
Buy a PS3-120 and do not upgrade if you use it mainly to play movies and you rarely download games from the PSN store. It will take you very far and it should have sufficient room for storing thousands of pictures and a lot of music besides it playing Blu-ray content and CDs.

I found that 120GB would not be enough for me. After a couple of years of use, with a few downloaded games, many more demos, lots of pictures and songs and some videos the kids made with the PS3 Eye we've breached the 120GB threshold. I would not worry about that if all I wanted was one of the better Blu-ray players. In addition, anybody comfortable with backing up/restoring the PS3 and upgrading the disk can postpone the upgrade step for later.


PS3-250, no upgrade
---------------------
Buy a PS3-250 and do not upgrade if you do plan to download a few movies and games but not a lot of them AND/or you don't feel comfortable with upgrading your PS3 yourself.

Anyone who is not an almost-exclusive movie viewer and doesn't want to mess with screws and OEM disks should buy the PS3-250. It should have enough capacity to last for quite a few years with good disk space management (delete the demos and downloads you no longer need).


PS3-120 upgrade to 500/640GB
------------------------------
Buy a PS3-120 and upgrade it to 500/640GB IF you don't mind swapping the PS3's disk. You get to upgrade your PS3-120 to quadruple capacity for very little expense and probably for less than a PS3-250 would cost you (see next paragraph). This should buy you peace of mind for the rest of your PS3's lifespan.

Keep in mind that a 500GB HDD such as the 500GB Scorpio Blue Mobile Sata 5400RPM 8MB 2.5IN or the Western Digital 640 GB SATA OEM Notebook Hard Drive WD6400BEVT (Scorpio Blue) if you don't mind the extra expense can be had for about 90 dollars at the time I am writing this. That would make a 500GB upgraded PS3-120 appear a little more expensive than the PS3-250 BUT you are left with a brand-new 120GB HDD (the drive originally in the PS3) when you are done and you can either sell it or use it as an external USB-powered backup drive or maybe to upgrade your laptop's drive. This would effectively set the price of the 500GB upgraded console to match that of the PS3-250.

There are many online guides that detail the process. I will post a couple URL's in a comment to this review.


PS3-250 upgrade to 500/640GB (not recommended)
------------------------------------------------
Do NOT buy a PS3-250 if you are planning to upgrade it to 500/640GB unless you really need a spare 250GB external HDD instead of a spare 120GB HDD and think that the price difference is worth the larger spare drive.



EVALUATION

The PS3-250 while not for everyone, deserves its 5 stars. In my view, there is enough value added by doubling the storage capacity to justify the price difference over the PS3-120.


______________________________________

NOTE: If you want to upgrade you are better off if you upgrade immediately.

This way you avoid the backup/restore hassles and therefore greatly simplify the process. I would include the upgrade HDD on the same order with the new PS3 and maybe add a HDD enclosure if planning to use the drive I removed from the PS3 as an external drive.

I had no idea which unit to buy, the 120 or the 250 GB Playstation 3. I ended up with the 250 out of fear that the 120 would leave me desiring more space later. If you don't know anything, here is what I see so far. On the Playstation network, you can download game demos and marketing videos for games free. I haven't found myself doing this a lot yet. Of course, you can also delete them easily after you watch them.

Most playable games even old ones cost to download so I have decided to just buy a couple of the popular ones and am hooked on those and the stunning DVD and Blu Ray movie quality for now. You are not going to be able to download games like Modern Warefare 2 to your hard drive from the PS network that I can see. WHen you buy a game at the store or here on amazon in disc format, you have to install it first. This may take some hard drive space. So far, one game I have takes nearly 3 GB and another takes up less than 1 GB but the games also called for an update download which I don't know how much space that took. At this rate, you could install maybe 100 store bought disc format games.

Playing movies on disc doesn't seem to take hard drive space. You can download movies from the Playstation network. If you do much of this, I image you'll need more space but the movies I was interested in cost the same amount to buy from amazon or wal-mart as to download so if you can wait to go to the store or recieve a package, you don't need to download it. You can rent movies also. I imagine this is a download that is disabled after a time period or after it is viewed or something. You can also download TV shows like "The Office" for $2 an eposode. If you want to do a lot of that, maybe the bigger HD is a good idea.

I am thinking you would do well with just the 120GB unless you know you are going to make a collection of movies and TV shows and low priced downloadable games on your Playstation.

You can also save photos on the Playstation as well as video. If this is part of your plan, well again more space may help. The PS3 has USB ports where I believe you could load photos and home movies from to view on your TV.

You can also access your applications on the www like facebook.

Bare in mind that there are a lot of folkes out there with older PS3's that have only 40 and 80 GB drives who love their playstation and don't feel the need for the 250 GB drive.

I don't feel upset that I spent the extra $50 to get the larger drive because it might be useful later, but if I knew then what I know now, I would have been comfortable buying the 120 for my purposes which is playing a small number of games (not a small amount of time, just a small number of games because they cost a lot) and watching some Blu Ray movies.

If you still find it hard to make a decision, ask yourself if you want to spend more money because both models are the same except the HD size which you can upgrade later. By the time you buy the unit, HD cable, a game, maybe another controller and remote control for Blu Ray, you'll be in deep on the expense and maybe another $50 isn't acceptable.

It is a very good and fun product. After I spent all the money on what I needed, I debated on hooking it up or sending it back because it was a lot of money; I'm very glad I hooked it up and delt with the expense. It is everything I hoped.

Prior to getting the PS3, we had a Sony BluRay player, an Apple TV and a PC hooked up to our Sony Bravia LCD TV. PC was used for Netflix and backing up the Apple TV, Apple TV was used to rent and buy movies, and the Sony BluRay Player simply played BluRay DVDs. After learning about the functionality of the PS3, I was sold.

We've had it for about 2 weeks now and I am ever impressed with it's capabilities and quality. Keep in mind, this is the first type of gaming system like this we've owned (we do have a Wii but I put this in a different class). Here's my take on the various functions and their quality, smoothness and quickness of processing/playing.

Gaming - Amazing quality with no hesitations at all (playing Call of Duty - Modern Warfare 2) and I've been playing quite a bit since we first got it. Like the Wii, you can download old games like Mortal Kombat II and new ones for PS3 and the PSP. Initially, I didn't think I was going to play that much but the graphics and the games have been really cool. Not much of an online player at the moment but it seems that most have this option available. Even Mortal Kombat II. You can create user profiles on the PS3 which automatically link to saved game data. Automatic and very nice. Create additional users so they can advance at their own pace.

BluRay - Discs load quicker than the Sony BluRay player we bought about 9-12 months ago. Thoroughly impressed with the quality of the picture. You can also play older discs and they'll work just fine.

Netflix - You'll need to get a disc from Netflix to be able to do this. We've watched Instant Watch movies via PC/Internet on our TV and the quality wasn't too bad. I say acceptable and sometimes the movie would freeze for a few seconds. On average about two freezes per movie. We were expecting the same thing via the PS3 but were dead wrong. The quality is AMAZING and there has not been one hiccup in the video. This really impressed us...and I'm a picky [...] so don't take that compliment lightly. :)

Renting/Buying Movies/Shows via PlayStation Store - Lots of shows available for viewing, including the current season of whatever season you're into. We don't rent these but it's nice to know we can in case the DVR gets goofed up for some reason. As for movies, the files are larger compared to Apple TV/iTunes downloads but with this the quailty is much better. HD movies are available but they're pretty big, about 6 GB! If you're buying movies then it's worth the wait and the extra 5 dollars. SD movies are still good quality for basic rentals. However, if you have a good cable connection you may want to rely on your On Demand Rentals to bypass waiting for long HD downloads. Again, PS Store is good for purchases and I encourage it to save on materials/resources...go green where you can. :) Only downfall with buying/renting movies this way is that the files don't have chapter markers so you can advance through sections of the movie like you can with a DVD. Hopefully they change this.

Internet - If you need to access the web you can but you'll probably want to pick up the Logitech keyboard to do this. The speed of browsing isn't too fast and the viewing area isn't the largest. I'll walk over to my computer to do a search rather than use the PS3.

Photos/Music - Depending on your computer setup (Mac or PC) you may need to get some additional software in order to turn your computer into a media server. Then, through your wireless network you can access the music and play it through the PS3. Same goes for photos...or you can load the photos onto the PS3 directly, same goes for the music. Really amazing features but take a little research on what file formats are compatible, etc.

PS3 Backup - With an external drive attached, you can back up the PS3, which is great.

Overall, I say go for the 250GB if you're into being green like me and wish to download games, movies and load photos and music. This device is truly an all-in-one and like I said, I'm picky. Not to mention I understand technology pretty well. If, after taking a realistic inventory, you will use all or the majority of the services, grab one of these suckers. I'd also recommend going Sony for your TV and surround sound. They all work really well together.

Enjoy!

Hi there,

Let me give you some background:

I purchased a PS3 60 GB model at launch back in November 2006. I have loved everything about it ever since. I even upgraded the hard drive to a 250 GB hard drive about a year and a half ago.

Why did I choose to purchase this new, slim, 250 GB model?

Honestly, it's a great deal for what you get. It's cooler (temperature wise), more energy efficient, and it takes up MUCH less space than my previous model. (Not to mention the much nicer, matte black finish as opposed to the older piano black finish which is a scratch/fingerprint magnet.)

Thinking about the new 120 GB vs. this 250 GB model? Maybe this will help:

Originally, I had planned to buy the 120 GB model and upgrade to a 250 GB or 320 GB hard drive myself. However, at the $349.99 price point, there's no need to perform the upgrade myself. For a quality Western Digital or Seagate 250 GB hard drive, you'll be spending anywhere from $50 to $70 plus shipping and/or tax, and for a 320 GB hard drive you'll be spending upwards of $75. Honestly, there really isn't any reason for that with this model. Why go through the hassle when Sony offers a great package at the perfect price point?

I for one am happy with my purchase which I received today from Amazon and am happily inagurating it with the GI Joe: Rise of Cobra blu-ray. For almost anyone that I can think of, the 250 GB hard drive will be more than enough space. However, should the need arise in a year or two (or three), a 500 GB hard drive will be dirt cheap and easy enough to install.

By now, the PS3 has been extensively reviewed and this latest iteration (the "slim") has been out in the 120gb format for 2 months now (since September 1st, 2009).

To summarize the benefits:
- Slimmer, lighter, and more energy efficient than the prior "fat" PS3
- Blu-ray player built-in
- Netflix streaming (yay!)
- Free online service (vs. subscription based X-box live)

The negatives:
- No backwards compatibility with PS2 games
- Bluetooth remote only (and not included, so need to purchase a remote to use as a dvd/blu-ray player, no IR (but a number of bluetooth-to-IR solutions like Logitech Harmony Adapter or Infra-red to Bluetooth Adapter)
- No more Linux support

With Blu-ray player prices now dropping to the $100-$150 range, the PS3 makes for an expensive option as a Blu-ray player only. As a home media center player/HTPC device, it really shines and is a great deal (you can't build a HTPC with a blu-ray player for less). It IS somewhat limited, however, as a HTPC as its browser is not up to par. Too bad Sony dropped linux support for the PS3. The addition of Netflix streaming (currently requiring a disc but supposedly becoming native in a future firmware update) just ices this cake.

edit to address the HD upgrade issue:
Yes, you can buy the 120gb for $50 less and, yes, you can install whatever capacity 2.5" hard drive you'd like fairly easily as long as you're willing to pay for a new hard drive. BUT, considering that (1.) you'd still have to spend extra money (more than the $50 difference), (2.) spend time and effort to upgrade and (3.) you'd then have an extra 120gb hard drive afterwards to go through the hassle of ebaying (unless you turn it into another usb/backup drive--I've got too many as it is). I find that it is just not worth it. Spend the extra $50, get the 250gb installed by Sony and warrantied by Sony.

OK so the system is pretty cool. It does a lot and was very easy to set up. I'm not much of a gamer yet and wanted it for it's multimedia capabilities as much as anything. It's great for that. I have used it to stream Netflix, which it does without a hick-up (that is when the system works). You can surf the web, which means you can view content from youtube and hula on your TV. The picture quality is not fantastic but it's better than watching stuff on my computer screen. I can stream Pandora to my surround system and I love that feature. I also put all my music and photos on it. It's a little cumbersome compared to your average MP3 player but again, it's great to always have my my music where my entertainment system is versus hooking up my Zune every time I want to play music on the main system. It also lets me play photos and my music playlists at the same time. I'm an avid photographer and I love this function. It means I can run my photos on the tv at a party while playing music. If people want to check out the photos they can but if it bores them, they don't feel pressured to sit through my photo shows. Games are fun too. I downloaded High Velocity Bowling and love it. I didn't realize that PS3 used motion activated controls for some games like the Wii does. Sony Home is interesting but I'm female and guys hit on you there all the time. That is not all bad, I'm 50 years old and it's been a long time since someone put the moves on me but guys, tell me. Why does it matter if you score in a virtual word??? What happens if I come back to your place??? I do like that you can bowl, and play video games in the virtual chat room or beam into the Sodium game. Sony also doesn't charge for Sony Home.

So why am I only giving it 3 stars? Well after using it for 4 weeks, the optical drive stopped working. It would no longer play games, DVDs/Blueray or stream Netfix. I called Sony and they told me I would have to send it back for repair. To Sony's credit, they did send me a box with a pre-paid shipping label but that meant I had to wait a week before I got the box and was able to send the PS3 back. So, I was without my brand new system for about 3 weeks. I got a refurbished unit back and though it looks OK, who knows how much use it's had. Sony's handling of the issued isn't horrible but I think they could do a bit more for someone like me who paid $350 for a system that broke in a month. I got the system back with nothing plus I had to go through the trouble of setting everything up again. Sony didn't even have the latest firmware installed on the replacement unit they sent me. If Sony wants customer loyalty, they could throw me a bone. You know, include a letter apologizing for my inconvenience and letting me know that customer satisfaction is important to them. Include a credit in the online store for like $15 or $20. Even $5 would make be feel like they cared a little. Sony, are you listening? I have many expensive Sony product. This experience leaves me somewhat dissatisfied. I also worry about the system holding up after the warranty is over.

Update 11/17/11 - The refurbished unit I received from Sony to replace the above unit has been working without a hiccup. I still worry about the longevity of the unit but it really is a great entertainment system that does a lot of cool stuff.

OK, I admit I'm new to the PS3, but I'm quite knowledgeable about technology in general and I am a certified PC technician.

First of all this is an amazing piece of technology for the money. An IBM cell 8 way processor with built in Blue Ray, Wifi, graphics, bluetooth, 250GB hdd etc., for $350.00! I would have only dreamed of being able to buy this at this price point ten years ago. I had preordered this thing on Amazon and was surprised to get delivery of it the day after it was released. Bravo Amazon!

I did find the setup of this beast a little intimidating. OK, I admit, I didn't read the directions, but knew intuitively what needed to be done. Connect the cables, power it up, then try and get it on my wireless network. First of all I have a very strong security framework on my router. I use a 64 bit random WPA key with MAC filtering. The first thing I did is have it auto detect the network. No problems here, found my network name just fine. Then it asked for my security key. Here is where the fun began. I know I could attach a USB keyboard, and in retrospect, that would have been much easier to input the key. However, I didn't have a USB keyboard laying around anywhere. So - on I went with inputting it using the dual shock controller. This was a bit unintuitive to learn how to use. Once I got the hang of it, no problem. I then inputted the key and told it to connect. It wouldn't connect. Then I figured out I had MAC filtering and would need to find the MAC address on the thing. That was pretty straight forward but now I found it didn't keep the security key I had spent 20 minutes typing into it before. ARGH!!! So I went through the process again and this time it connected.

Next, I found it was using an older operating system so I had it update it online. I guess I was kind of dissapointed that Sony didn't have the latest operating system on this thing since it was so new - but guess it missed the cutoff on that one. This took about 45 minutes sice I have a pretty slow connection out in the country. That worked fine. Now I had to input and register on the PlayStation Network. Also no problem, but time consuming.

Now, I'm just about done, but I found out I had to register the bluetooth controllers. This also was not very intuitive. You mean it doesn't just find them and register them on their own? Nope. So I went through the procedure of registering the dual shock controller on separate channels. BTW, you also have to charge them up through the USB connectors while the PS3 is powered on.

I also bought one of the BD bluetooth remotes. I put the batteries in and went through the procedure of holding the start and enter buttons until the menu changed on the screen. Nothing happened. I held it for five minutes. Still nothing happened. I tried literally everything and it still didn't work. I got on the forums and didn't find much out here so I could only assume it was a bad remote. Then I pulled the batteries that came with the remote and tested them. They tested perfect. Hmmmmm....very frustrating. For grins, I thought I would change the batteries with a fresh pair of alkaline batteries. Guess what - now it registered! Go figure!!! I'm glad I tried that because otherwise I would have sent the remote back. Why would Sony put batteries in this thing that won't drive the remote properly?

So - Hooray - now it is set up and everything works. Only took me about 2.5 hours. Granted, I have a very secure network, didn't read the directions, and have never used a PS3 before but to be honest, I think Sony needs to do some work to make this thing easier for people to set up. I couldn't imagine giving this thing to my parents and expect them to set it up without them screaming and throwing it through the window in frustration.

I still give it 4 stars, but for a new user, I think Sony still has some work to do on making the setup process and menus easier to use. Now that it is set up, everything works great.

The technology, graphics, and capabilities of this console are awe inspiring. You can find used games on Amazon for a song, and the blue ray player in this thing is excellent. Probably as good as any player out there. I really like the wireless controllers and also like the stealth size of the PS3. I hear virtually no noise from it that others have complained about and actually think it is very well built. I like the capability to upgrade the hard drive in the future and only wished I had a faster network where I live as downloading demos takes me forever.

All in all this is a killer device. If Sony would make the setup process a little easier I think this thing would be perfect and a solid 5 stars. To be fair, it is a very complex piece of gear and with this much functionality, there is a lot to learn.

Your mileage may vary from mine, but this was my experience with it as a brand new user. If you are looking for a gaming console and need a blue ray player anyway - this is a no brainer.

I originally wrote a review on the original 60 gb PS3 right after it launched in November, 2006. Like the original 60 gb the new PS3 slim 250 gb is almost as good once you get past its few flaws. The new Playstation 3 has the same specifications as the previous models, but it's 32% smaller, 36% lighter and 33% more energy-efficient than the regular Playstation 3. It sports a slightly different look and the touch buttons are now replaced with real buttons. I have to say the SONY Playstation 3 is one amazing system. With a 250 gb hard drive you will have plenty of memory to download a ton of stuff. One of the most welcome features is the PS3 Slims ability to bit stream both Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. As for the games we are finally starting to see the true potential of this amazing system. You get an amazing blu-ray player that is future proof thanks to the system being able to receive firmware updates via the web. If you have a 1080p HDTV you will be amazed at the picture quality which is up to six times more detailed than DVD. You also get theater quality sound and picture that DVD, cable, satellite HD, and even apple TV just can't touch because of their bandwidth limitations. If you have standard DVDs the PS3 upscales them to 1080p which brings all your DVDs to life. Don't expect blu-ray quality from watching DVDs, but do expect them to look much better and sharper because they are being upscaled to look better on your HDTV. I like the fact that the system has online connectivity and that it also has a built in browser should you just want to surf the internet. Most of all I like the fact that you get built in wi-fi. if you all ready have internet access you just have to set this up with your wi-fi router, or if your lucky enough you might be able to pick up free wi-fi if you don't have internet access. You can download your favorite music/videos to the ps3 hard drive and if available online it will display the artist names and songs. You can even connect a USB keyboard (along with almost any type of USB device) to make surfing the internet faster and more enjoyable. With the recently launched Playstation Store you can play demos, download classic PS1 and PS2 (and some new PS3 games) games, get wallpapers, and watch blu-ray and new movie trailers. With the new virtual world Home you can create a virtual character and explore the virtual world. If your friends have a PS3 you can meet them in home and Play virtual Pool, bowling, or invite them in to a PS3 game to play with you. You can rent movies (some in HD) from an always growing catalog and purchase many of them. The things that this new PS3 lacks from the original 60 gb model is SACD support, it only has 2 USB vs. the 4 on the original. The top left part of this PS3 doesn't open up like the old one because this one lacks the memory card slots. The good thing is that this PS3 is so much quieter and takes up less space than my original 60 gb because it uses a smaller chip which now makes it use less electricity. That was my biggest annoyance with the original PS3 was that it got a bit loud sometimes when watching movies or playing games which I felt a bit distracting. This new model is as quit as a mouse. The PS3 does everything. It plays CDs, DVDs, and, blu-ray discs. You get video chat, an internet browser, digital photo viewing, Playstation store movie rental (and video game) and purchases, and now Netflix streaming. The PS3 will likely be your home entertainment centerpiece. I have to say I am very happy with giving the Playstation 3 a chance and I highly recommend it for anyone who appreciates a great game system with some awesome entertainment features. With the new PS3 slim and a long overdue price cut SONY is back in the game, and with new games like Uncharted 2 and may other exclusives this is going to be the start of the new Playstation revolution. This system may be lacking some of the original PS3 60 gb features, but it is still one awesome entertainment powerhouse that I highly recommend!

Other than not being able to play PS2 games, the slim 250 GB is a great choice. For $350, you get a unit that is highly capable of playing awesome games, and BluRays + DVD movies.

It's far more power efficient and weighs less than the "fat" design using a much more sleeker motherboard along with a smaller CELL Processor.

The unit also doesn't have a "power brick" unlike some of it's competitors ahem*microsfot*ahem which is great. The power supply unit is built right into the PS3 yet the PS3 is still relatively light in weight.

When in use, the slim PS3 is relatively quiet. You will notice that it will get a bit warm after a while, but that is normal since the unit is smaller, and the plastic casing of the unit is closer to all the circuitry.

Unlike the "fat" model, Sony went with a matte finish on the top and bottom (no finger print magnet like the "fat" while giving it a glossy shiny on the sides. The disc tray area has a glossy finish as well.

A big change from the "fat" model is that the Eject and Power buttons are now physically buttons as opposed to touch sensitive ones.

With the PS3, you get access to the PlayStation Network where you can purchase digital copies of games from the PSone era along with PSN exclusive titles such as Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 and more!

Hopefully, Sony will release a software download or include in a firmware update to enable PS2 games.

Overall, I'm glad that I waited to get this PS3. There is a slightly cheaper 120 GB model but I'd definitely get the 250 GB model because you will eventually fill up the hard drive with a lot of stuff from game saves (PS3, PS1, and PS2), game installation files (for quicker load times; if a game offers the options), and content downloaded from the PlayStation Network.

I've been kicking the tires and debating which high end game platform to purchase for the last two years or longer since both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 hit the market.

I jumped on the Nintendo Wii bandwagon the day it launched as I'm a huge fan of the Legend of Zelda series and this was a must have for me. I have been playing most games on it such as the Guitar Hero and Rock Band series as well as the Mario titles however I get bored of most of the games pretty easily. There have been many times over the last two years that I filled a cart with the 'starter' pieces of both systems, and deleted the cart instead of pushing the button.

In the end, I chose the PS3 for the following reasons:

1) More of my friends that had both systems were buying games now for the PS3 when the titles were on both PS3/Xbox
2) For the $349 price Point I get both online game play and wireless networking included in the game vs. an additional $150 at purchase and $50 a year afterwords
3) Bluray Movie Playing.

Having got four titles with the purchase as part of my order I am very happy with my purchase. I got 'kid friendly' games such as Little big Planet and Ratchet and Clank as well as some of the more mature titles of Call of Duty: MW2 and Borderlands.

My only complaint is there is no mention that the HDMI requires some kind of copy protection crap to work. If your TV is High Definition this doesn't guarantee it will work. I've got a 2001 57" CRT Projection HDTV that does up to 1080i and has a DVI port. I've been using my satellite DVR and other devices switched through an Outlaw 990 Pre-Amp for years with on issues. The PS3 fired up and gave me a nice big black screen with no error messages or anything. It took me an hour of troubleshooting and web surfing to figure out that my TV doesn't have this HDCP copy protection junk so it won't work with my PS3. Being one to understand digital rights protection concerns at the same time this is stupid and it should at least give you a message out that port to the display what is going on. no picture isn't enough.

Other than this I had no issues getting the unit up & running on the PSN and playing some games locally and online using my wireless network.