PS3 to replace HTPC?

[d33pblue]

Tell me why this isn't a good idea. I'm trying to come up with reasons, but not finding much.

I currently use a Athlon X2 based HTPC for what basically equates to just watching Hulu. I used to play and record video with it, but not anymore. I ditched my cable TV service some time ago, so the HTPC + internet is now my source of home entertainment.

I would like to upgrade the machine to be Blu-Ray compatible, but the Blu-Ray software situation on PC is so bad right now it makes me leery of this. It would cost me $60 for a drive, plus $60 for software. Even then I'm not even sure if my video or sound cards are up to snuff. I just think the HTPC is overkill for what I'm using it for.

A PS3 seems to do most everything I need, is cheaper, and surely draws less power (lower energy bills). The only thing is that I would need to play *standard* Hulu. What is the status of hacking standard Hulu to work on the PS3 these days? Feasible or not?

Thoughts appreciated

 

[Nebor]

I've been thinking this for a while. With the advent of DLNA and built in applications on TVs, blu-ray players and the PS3, the HTPC's role is really shrinking.

 

[dpodblood]

I use my PS3 as a media player, and 95% of the time is does everything an HTPC can do. Just download PS3 media server and away you go. Occasionally I will run into a movie which won't work properly though, and I need to drag my PC out to the living room to play.

 

[d33pblue]

I use my PS3 as a media player, and 95% of the time is does everything an HTPC can do. Just download PS3 media server and away you go. Occasionally I will run into a movie which won't work properly though, and I need to drag my PC out to the living room to play.

What movies are you having trouble with? DVDs or Blu-Rays?


Also, is anyone having success with Hulu standard on the PS3?

 

[Booty]

I don't have a PS3, but I think I'd miss the interface on my HTPC (I run Media Browser).

 

[thegimp03]

My PS3 has replaced my old HTPC. Plus, it looks so much nicer out in the living room. My wife would have hated the look of a HTPC sitting out there.

 

[airdata]

PS3 media server, netflix, bluray + dvd... Pretty good.

A downside is that the ps3 can get a bit loud. I used mine last night w\ netflix for the first time while my tivo spent over an hour doing some kind of update . Playback was really good.

I've been using PS3 media server for a while now to play back stuff from my computer. All and all it's probably cheaper too. You can pick up a ps3 for less than $300 online ( new ).

 

[sivart]

PS3 media server, netflix, bluray + dvd... Pretty good.

That will work okay, but it has its downsides.

1) PS3 fan may kick on and be loud when you don't want it.
2) No TV tuner (means no live TV through the PS3 in the US)
3) Hulu? Wasn't available in the free form when I had my PS3
4) I still had issues with certain file types
5) Streaming ISO picture quality suffered (especially on my 100" screen).
6) GUI is much nicer on an HTPC

 

[dpodblood]

What movies are you having trouble with? DVDs or Blu-Rays?


Also, is anyone having success with Hulu standard on the PS3?

There are certain blu-ray rips which won't play. They appear as corrupted data. There is probably a way to re-encode them, but I'm too lazy to figure it out.

Personally I don't understand why people say the PS3 can be loud. I have a fat model and I have never heard it when watching a movie, or even while playing a game. My 360 slim is much louder.

 

[Modelworks]

One of the samsung bluray players that can play apps would work. The hulu situation is very shaky right now and the whole hulu plus thing isn't doing well.

 

[d33pblue]

I ask about Hulu because that's basically the only thing I do with my HTPC right now. If I lost that I wouldn't be happy. If I had to pay $8/month for Hulu Plus, that wouldn't exactly be ideal - though getting Hulu in 720p would be nice.

The media interface of the PS3 wouldn't really be a big deal. I don't listen to music very often on the HTPC.

 

[0roo0roo]

the only thing that works without a headache..is a htpc. encoding gimped video just so a ps3 can handle it is a bit odd. other solution of a heavy duty pc transcoding on the fly is also very odd

 

[Emulex]

xbmc ftw. maybe they'll port it to ps3 now that they've rooted the machine big time.

blu-ray drives were $29 on BF so it's not like blu-ray is worth a h00t. and believe it or not an old Q8300 is pretty power efficient when not using much power. they hype the p00t out of how much power an htpc really is (and you only watch tv what 3-4 hours a weekday tops?) - so that 20 watt ion setup might be saving you 100watt a day tops?

they don't tell you the gimped out htpc's skip frames at high motion 1080p. and 1080p is not the end-all; 2K;4K - my 8300 can soft decode that (it will work hard) but when the time comes i'm good. setup. lower end htpc will be buying new gear for some new codec like VP8/Theora because their GPU didn't implement it and now some big-ahole company is dropping h.264 lol

 

[QueBert]

My PS3 has replaced my old HTPC. Plus, it looks so much nicer out in the living room. My wife would have hated the look of a HTPC sitting out there.

why not get a HTPC case that nobody would know is even a PC?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811280014

a HTPC + XBMC is almost perfection, a PS3's too limiting. XBMC for a home theater setup owns.

 

[dpodblood]

why not get a HTPC case that nobody would know is even a PC?

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811280014

a HTPC + XBMC is almost perfection, a PS3's too limiting. XBMC for a home theater setup owns.

Are you kidding? $235 for an HTPC case. I don't think so...

 

[d33pblue]

Just found this software that looks like it might be the ticket for me: http://www.playon.tv/playon/demos?id=ps3

 

[Emulex]

its hella buggy. as i said a htpc is the way to go.

antec micro fusion -> (not on sale today) http://www.amazon.com/Slim-Media-Cen.../dp/B001COAD1Y

cowboom/ebay -> find an asus q8300 quad core with the slant front - everything pops right in. i paid $184 for c2q 8300 2.5ghz;geforce 220, 1tb drive. didn't come with restore media but the SLIC 2.1 was present already.

Lenovo $25 remote

done. sell the ps3 to someone who games and let them deal with all the transcoding blues.

iirc the BLU-ray dvd-readers go for $29-49 depending on the sale du jour for pc. they all work fine. I use some app cyberlink powerdvd 10 ultra 3D with a free mounting utility virtual clonedrive to mount the iso's (kids scratch up the discs way too quick).

 

[notposting]

My case for HTPC was fairly cheap and it's pretty well camouflaged.

For your use, if Hulu will work then I think you would be good with a PS3. I have a different setup (WHS with MyMovies and 400 dvd rips, HDHomerun, 2 Media Center Extenders in addition to the HTPC) but that's why every situation is different.

 

[ro3ruaayw]

Tell me why this isn't a good idea. I'm trying to come up with reasons, but not finding much.

I currently use a Athlon X2 based HTPC for what basically equates to just watching Hulu. I used to play and record video with it, but not anymore. I ditched my cable TV service some time ago, so the HTPC + internet is now my source of home entertainment.

I would like to upgrade the machine to be Blu-Ray compatible, but the Blu-Ray software situation on PC is so bad right now it makes me leery of this. It would cost me $60 for a drive, plus $60 for software. Even then I'm not even sure if my video or sound cards are up to snuff. I just think the HTPC is overkill for what I'm using it for.

A PS3 seems to do most everything I need, is cheaper, and surely draws less power (lower energy bills). The only thing is that I would need to play *standard* Hulu. What is the status of hacking standard Hulu to work on the PS3 these days? Feasible or not?

Thoughts appreciated

I don't think it can become a full replacement, unless you don't own ANY pirated material at all. :whiste: Piracy is however very wrong, but just won't go away.

 

[Rio Rebel]

I bought a PS3 two years ago, and I built an HTPC about 9 months ago. No comparison. The PS3 can receive streamed movies, but there is so much effort involved. And the interface will always be poor. AND I have to store it in a specific format - no flexibility and extra work.

With my HTPC, I get a dvd (or blu-ray), rip it to ISO, and play it back through Media Browser with posters, plot info, actors, etc. It's a dream. And if I ever lose the original and want to create the disk, I have it in ISO format. There is simply no better way to create a movie library.

And that doesn't even include all the flexibility of having a PC over a PS3, for internet browsing, etc.

 

[Emulex]

rio rebel speaks the truth.

since i don't play games ps3 is overpriced blu-ray player that can't even support hdmi 1.4 (full sequential 3D and full linear audio).

seriously. antec micro fusion 350 - any cheap asus essentio dual or quad core - cowboom ebay Craigslist. stuff it in there. $25 lenovo remote. windows 7 comes with the pc. good to go. $50 for single tuner $99 for dual tuner (free qam/or ATSC) silicondust

 

[kreactor]

so the playon transcode the pc stream to ps3?

 

[dehemke]

Here's one vote for the PS3. I was an early adopter on the PS3 ($$$), so you can be damn sure I wanted to max out its uses which included replacing my HTPC at the time.

The PS3 is a great as part of a HT solution, but in order to really get the most out of it, you will still want a media server running PMS somewhere on the network. All the media lives and is downloaded to the 'server' which uses PMS to make it available to the PS3 via DLNA. I've run into very few videos that I could not play this way (recommend a wired connection) from all sorts of internet sources.

You will still have limited flexibility compared to a true HTPC, but it is far simpler and more elegant to use (wife or girlfriend involved? sorry to be sexist, but you'll prefer to PS3). Throw in a Harmoney and the bluetooth dongle, and using the PS3 can be nearly seamless.

Cons:
1) PS3 is terrible at playlist creation and manipulation. Not a big deal for videos, but awful for music (I either use PS3 or Samsung Pandora or use a logitech wireless music dongle to move music from a PC rather than attempt to use PS3 natively for music).

2) If Sony and its partners can make you pay for something, they will. So no Hulu, you will be paying for Hulu+.

3) Fan noise can be loud - especially on the phats.

4) websurfing on ps3 is painful and klunky even with a ps3 keyboard.

5) Controls - you will either be stuck using a separate PS3 remote ($) or controller (klunky/ugly) or pony up for a bluetooth remote dongle + remote ($$)... then again some HTPC schemes are equally bad.


Pros:
1) It doesn't scream "I read comics until I was 16" (I had an HTPC before the PS3, so I'm covered), nor will the wife or gf consider it an eye-sore

2) Simple setup. Plug it in, run PMS, and go. I've moved into the "gamers with jobs & family" category so no longer have the time nor desire to tweak and configure all the time. Also, Wife,GF tolerance for, "hang on a sec, PC needs to boot.. oh, hmm, that shouldn't happen, give me a sec" when she wants to watch a movie is low.

3) It is now quite cheap.

4) the PS3 hacking scene is just ramping up, so normal HULU might be possible in the not too distant future.

 

[Brainonska511]

....

Pros:
1) It doesn't scream "I read comics until I was 16" (I had an HTPC before the PS3, so I'm covered), nor will the wife or gf consider it an eye-sore

2) Simple setup. Plug it in, run PMS, and go. I've moved into the "gamers with jobs & family" category so no longer have the time nor desire to tweak and configure all the time. Also, Wife,GF tolerance for, "hang on a sec, PC needs to boot.. oh, hmm, that shouldn't happen, give me a sec" when she wants to watch a movie is low.
...
4) the PS3 hacking scene is just ramping up, so normal HULU might be possible in the not too distant future.

1) Right... You don't have to go with the world's ugliest case. You can easily buy a case that looks like a piece of HT equipment or just a standard, nondescript case.

2) Sleep mode - no waiting required. And once the machine is setup the first time, there isn't much tweaking required. WMC7 does a fine job of giving a good, remote-friendly interface.

4) I wouldn't buy something based on the remote possibility that something will be available later.

 

[Booty]

The PS3 is a great as part of a HT solution, but in order to really get the most out of it, you will still want a media server running PMS somewhere on the network.

If you're running a media server anyway, you can build or buy an extremely small HTPC (I use Antec's ITX case, and those ASrock ION systems are pretty sweet).

You will still have limited flexibility compared to a true HTPC, but it is far simpler and more elegant to use (wife or girlfriend involved? sorry to be sexist, but you'll prefer to PS3). Throw in a Harmoney and the bluetooth dongle, and using the PS3 can be nearly seamless.

My wife loves our HTPCs. She's not technically challenged, but she's no geek either... she has no problem using them.

It doesn't scream "I read comics until I was 16" (I had an HTPC before the PS3, so I'm covered), nor will the wife or gf consider it an eye-sore

With the separate server and small HTPC mentioned above, the eye-sore factor is pretty non-existent. Most people don't notice the HTPC sitting there with the receiver and center speaker.

2) Simple setup. Plug it in, run PMS, and go. I've moved into the "gamers with jobs & family" category so no longer have the time nor desire to tweak and configure all the time. Also, Wife,GF tolerance for, "hang on a sec, PC needs to boot.. oh, hmm, that shouldn't happen, give me a sec" when she wants to watch a movie is low.

Buy decent hardware. Install Windows 7. Install Media Browser. Install FFDShow & Haili Media Splitter. Setup your media libraries. Done. Well, for the most part. Point is, I can go from parts to a working HTPC in a couple hours. It's really not bad. Oh - and with an SSD and sleep mode our HTPC takes no longer to turn on than the TV.

It is now quite cheap.

Got me there. HTPC's aren't bad, but you're probably still looking at $500 or so.

the PS3 hacking scene is just ramping up, so normal HULU might be possible in the not too distant future.

I don't know if I'd want to rely on hacks to add flexibility/functionality. Plus, that could increase the cost or complicate the setup of the system.



Really, though, I can see why people choose either system. For me, though, the PS3 would be too limited and the HTPC has come a long way in the last couple years. I've built about 10 for friends and family after they saw my setup and so far haven't had many "support" calls (knock on wood).