PS3, HTPC, or straight up blu ray

[Sho'Nuff]

Last night, my PS3 got the dreaded "red blinking light of death," and is now inoperable. As a result, I am in the market for a new blu-ray player that also has netflix streaming capability.

Is a ps3 still the most versatile out of the box solution for bluray/netflix watching and occassional gaming? Or would a boxed HTPC be a better option? If so, which HTPC would you recommend, bearing in mind that I have done little to no HTPC research.

Finally, are any of the sub 100 blu ray players out there worth their salt? Between myself, my wife, and my son, we "heavily" used the PS3 (~4-8 hours per day) and will likely do the same to the next piece of hardware.

Thanks for the help.

Soxfan

 

[Brainonska511]

How much are you looking to spend and what are you looking to do with it?

If you want free Hulu access + all the internet video available (eg: shows available through browsers but not through special apps/channels) + Netflix + Blu-Ray, an HTPC might be for you. They're really easy to set up with W7 and WMC, especially if you don't need to play with codec packages. There are a wide variety of hardware options too. You could get a basic HTPC case, blu-ray drive, Athlon II X2, AM2+/AM3 board, ram, hard drive, and maybe an HD5450, HD55xx, or HD6350...

A dedicated blu-ray player could also fit your needs, but some of them have issues with streaming. It could be a good option though and it would be cheaper than building an HTPC/BD player.

PS3 - you already know that one...

 

[alcoholbob]

I guess the question is, do you have a sizable PS3 library and/or intend on gaming on the PS3?

 

[Sho'Nuff]

How much are you looking to spend and what are you looking to do with it?

A dedicated blu-ray player could also fit your needs, but some of them have issues with streaming. It could be a good option though and it would be cheaper than building an HTPC/BD player.

PS3 - you already know that one...

I used to use the PS3 for gaming, but over the last year or so it has been mainly used as a media device. That is, we have used it to watch blu-ray movies and stream content via netflix. We've tried hulu and various other internet tv services, but have generally found them unsatisfactory. Either they don't have the content we want (hulu), or cannot stream it at a resolution that is suitable for display on our 50" tv (tv network sites).

Obviously an HTPC can handle netflix and blurays. If we can get one that is affordable and can also handle additional streaming content in a way that is satisfactory, then I would seriously consider it.

As for cost, I would like to keep the whole suystem under $500, if possible. And while I can certainly build an HTPC myself (I've built hundreds of computers over the years), I'm so busy lately that I would rather just buy something off the shelf.

 

[Sho'Nuff]

I guess the question is, do you have a sizable PS3 library and/or intend on gaming on the PS3?

In the past, I did quite a bit of PS3 gaming. But I haven't games on the PS3 in any meaningful way in the last year or so. Thus, the ability to game on the replacement system is a "nice to have," and not a "must have" feature.

 

[sdifox]

so just get a player. Plenty in that price range.

 

[Brainonska511]

At $499, there is the Dell Zino: http://www.dell.com/us/p/inspiron-zino-hd-410/pd?oc=dddwfw3&model_id=inspiron-zino-hd-410 (blu-ray, wireless)

Realistically, any cheap system should work for HTPC - it just might not blend in very well with entertainment equipment.

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

ps3.
can game if u decide to, can stream from netflix, act as a media center, play files from your pc, best bd player and most 'future proof' due to constant software upgrades.

 

[smitbret]

The LG Blu-Ray players are supposed to be very good for streaming, try the BD590 or BD530. If I didn't have a PS3 already, I'd really look into one of them. The BD6** looks like a crapper, so far.

It's been mentioned before, but the nice thing about the PS3 (other than the possibility of gaming) is the constant upgradability. You won't find a streamer or BR Player that is more future proof. Eventually, you'd think they'll offer new firmware that supports .mkv, but who knows? One thing I have noticed is that with the newest firmware upgrade to the PS3, it has a difficult time finding PC based media streaming services. I had been running XP Pro with different versions of Twonky, Mezzmo, Tversity, Nero and PS3 Media Server. After the firmware update, I noticed that it sometimes took upward of 5 minutes for the PS3 to recognize the server, with the exception of Twonky. When I upgraded to Win 7 Pro, the problem dissappeared.

That being said, for the $299 that it would cost for a new PS3, I might also consider a two box setup and a Harmony 700 Remote Control. Get a WD Live for streaming and a good Blu-Ray Player. You lose gaming, get a better streamer and still have Blu-Ray player for about the same price if you don't mind two boxes.