Playstation 3 and Blu-Ray

Sony's popular game console comes equipped with a Blu-ray disc reader compared to earlier models that only supported the DVD format. Consumers can also purchase stand alone Blu-ray players. The question then arises as to why would the PS3 be the best choice for a Blu-ray player?

First of all, many independent reviewers have praised PS3's high quality video playback ability edging ahead of the more specialized players such as Panasonic's DMP-BD30. And PS3's better quality comes at a cost that is similar and at times lower than its competition. Moreover, with the PS3 you are not getting just an awesome piece of equipment for watching your favorite blockbusters, but you also get a state of the art game console with some fantastic games bound to entertain you while you wait for the next major movie release.

Another advantage of the PS3 is that it already comes with the ability to connect to the Internet. This makes updating PS3's Blu-ray software a breeze. Some of the stand alone players do not have this option making it difficult to justify their purchase as a long time investment.

Blu-ray backers are currently in a format war against the HD-DVD format and its supporters. Currently, it is not clear which format will prevail as both have advantages and disadvantages when compared to each other. In addition, specialized Blu-ray players are also very expensive considering that are a new technology. It is possible for Blu-ray to lose this format war. If that happens, the money consumers spent on the specialized players will essentially be wasted. On the other hand, purchasing the PS3 with its dual functionality as a Blu-ray player and game console is a much smarter move. If Blu-ray loses its battle against HD-DVD, then if PS3 is your player of choice you will at least be able to continue enjoying playing state-of-the-art video games.

For these reasons, I believe that the PS3 is the best choice for a Blu-ray player today.

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