PS3 does not seem to be meeting my expectations

[ArchAngel777]

To give a little background - I am not a console gamer by any stretch. I prefer PC gaming by far. I owned an Xbox 360 and enjoyed it a lot, I never used it enough to justify keeping it. So I sold it off. This was about 1 year ago...

Now, once Blu-Ray won, I started looking into the PS3. Before this time, the PS3 felt like an inferior game unit. Blu-Ray was still iffy at that time so, in my opinion, the 360 was a better unit - excluding of course the reliability issues that it has.

So, I purchased my PS3 hooked it up and at first was impressed. The welcome screen and setup was pretty well polished. But then came time to actually use it... I have a few gripes with this system so far.

1) The 'Install' for the demos is taking forever. It is ridiculous. I downloaded Bourne and Turok demo, but then I went to play them and it said it had to install them. Well... I waited, and waited and waited... I couldn't even tell if the PS3 was doing anything at all, to be honest. Then, 5 minutes later a progress bar came up and moved about as slow as the download itself! Insane! As far as this aspect, the PS3 is a P.O.S.

2) Blu-Ray player lacks a zoom! I don't care about the elite people that say "Why would you want to zoom? That isn't how the director intended you to see it!" Well, by golly, I don't give a shit how the director wants me to see the movie. I want a zoom feature that any stand alone DVD player has. But, this PS3 lacks the zoom feature for DVD's and Blu-Rays, which makes it pretty much pointless for me now.

3) All the firmware updates to the machine... Could they go any slower? Why does the unit take so long to shutdown? It takes like 15-20 seconds before it actually powers off.

I don't know... I hate to be so picky but so far I really dislike this PS3. I thought it would replace my Philips upscaling DVD player, but since it lacks a zoom, I won't be using it except in rare situations.

:-( buyers remorse right now... If I didn't get such a good deal on this PS3, it would be returned ASAP. But, maybe someone has some solutions for me? If so, I'd be interested... I want to like the PS3, but right now I just aint feeling it.

 

[mugs]

1. Yeah, the install time for demos is kind of surprising. I honestly can't figure out how a machine with the PS3's power can take so long. But it's a one-time thing, no big deal.
2. Even if you don't want to watch the movie the way the director intended, why would you use the zoom feature on a DVD player? Just buy the full-screen movie where the picture actually pans to show you the most important part of the frame at any given time. Or you know, watch the movie the way it's intended.
3. Really, you're talking about an infrequent occurrence like in #1.

I hope these insignificant things aren't really ruining the system for you. I mean you enjoy the games, right?

 

[ArchAngel777]

Originally posted by: mugs
1. Yeah, the install time for demos is kind of surprising. I honestly can't figure out how a machine with the PS3's power can take so long. But it's a one-time thing, no big deal.
2. Even if you don't want to watch the movie the way the director intended, why would you use the zoom feature on a DVD player? Just buy the full-screen movie where the picture actually pans to show you the most important part of the frame at any given time. Or you know, watch the movie the way it's intended.
3. Really, you're talking about an infrequent occurrence like in #1.

I hope these insignificant things aren't really ruining the system for you. I mean you enjoy the games, right?

Most movies are 2.35:1 aspect ratio, I have a 16:9 (1.85:1 aprox) TV. I zoom in (crop the sides off) so that it fills the entire 16:9 picture. I lose a bit of the movie on the sides, but nothing that bothers me. Buying the full screen version would put black bars on the sides, again, something I am trying to avoid on my Plasma.

I can't stand any type of 'stretch', so the zoom features on my TV's are out. I have always used the zoom feature on my DVD players for this type of situation. Both me and my wife prefer it.

 

[NikolaeVarius]

Originally posted by: ArchAngel777
To give a little background - I am not a console gamer by any stretch. I prefer PC gaming by far. I owned an Xbox 360 and enjoyed it a lot, I never used it enough to justify keeping it. So I sold it off. This was about 1 year ago...

Now, once Blu-Ray won, I started looking into the PS3. Before this time, the PS3 felt like an inferior game unit. Blu-Ray was still iffy at that time so, in my opinion, the 360 was a better unit - excluding of course the reliability issues that it has.

So, I purchased my PS3 hooked it up and at first was impressed. The welcome screen and setup was pretty well polished. But then came time to actually use it... I have a few gripes with this system so far.

1) The 'Install' for the demos is taking forever. It is ridiculous. I downloaded Bourne and Turok demo, but then I went to play them and it said it had to install them. Well... I waited, and waited and waited... I couldn't even tell if the PS3 was doing anything at all, to be honest. Then, 5 minutes later a progress bar came up and moved about as slow as the download itself! Insane! As far as this aspect, the PS3 is a P.O.S.

2) Blu-Ray player lacks a zoom! I don't care about the elite people that say "Why would you want to zoom? That isn't how the director intended you to see it!" Well, by golly, I don't give a shit how the director wants me to see the movie. I want a zoom feature that any stand alone DVD player has. But, this PS3 lacks the zoom feature for DVD's and Blu-Rays, which makes it pretty much pointless for me now.

3) All the firmware updates to the machine... Could they go any slower? Why does the unit take so long to shutdown? It takes like 15-20 seconds before it actually powers off.

I don't know... I hate to be so picky but so far I really dislike this PS3. I thought it would replace my Philips upscaling DVD player, but since it lacks a zoom, I won't be using it except in rare situations.

:-( buyers remorse right now... If I didn't get such a good deal on this PS3, it would be returned ASAP. But, maybe someone has some solutions for me? If so, I'd be interested... I want to like the PS3, but right now I just aint feeling it.

1- Yeah, Dl's take long.

2- First time I've ever seen someone complain about zoom. I've never seen anyone use it. The lack of zoon makes the purchase worthless ??

3- Why does it matter if it takes long to shutdown? Do you actually stare at it as it turns off? I just leave when I press shutdown and I don't care.

 

[ArchAngel777]

Originally posted by: tenshodo13

Originally posted by: ArchAngel777
To give a little background - I am not a console gamer by any stretch. I prefer PC gaming by far. I owned an Xbox 360 and enjoyed it a lot, I never used it enough to justify keeping it. So I sold it off. This was about 1 year ago...

Now, once Blu-Ray won, I started looking into the PS3. Before this time, the PS3 felt like an inferior game unit. Blu-Ray was still iffy at that time so, in my opinion, the 360 was a better unit - excluding of course the reliability issues that it has.

So, I purchased my PS3 hooked it up and at first was impressed. The welcome screen and setup was pretty well polished. But then came time to actually use it... I have a few gripes with this system so far.

1) The 'Install' for the demos is taking forever. It is ridiculous. I downloaded Bourne and Turok demo, but then I went to play them and it said it had to install them. Well... I waited, and waited and waited... I couldn't even tell if the PS3 was doing anything at all, to be honest. Then, 5 minutes later a progress bar came up and moved about as slow as the download itself! Insane! As far as this aspect, the PS3 is a P.O.S.

2) Blu-Ray player lacks a zoom! I don't care about the elite people that say "Why would you want to zoom? That isn't how the director intended you to see it!" Well, by golly, I don't give a shit how the director wants me to see the movie. I want a zoom feature that any stand alone DVD player has. But, this PS3 lacks the zoom feature for DVD's and Blu-Rays, which makes it pretty much pointless for me now.

3) All the firmware updates to the machine... Could they go any slower? Why does the unit take so long to shutdown? It takes like 15-20 seconds before it actually powers off.

I don't know... I hate to be so picky but so far I really dislike this PS3. I thought it would replace my Philips upscaling DVD player, but since it lacks a zoom, I won't be using it except in rare situations.

:-( buyers remorse right now... If I didn't get such a good deal on this PS3, it would be returned ASAP. But, maybe someone has some solutions for me? If so, I'd be interested... I want to like the PS3, but right now I just aint feeling it.

2- First time I've ever seen someone complain about zoom. I've never seen anyone use it. The lack of zoon makes the purchase worthless ??

The reason you don't see more people complain about it is because of the film nazis out there who run around trolling people who use this feature. Go to any film/movie forum and if you happen to see someone mention zoom, you will find that the conversation degrades quickly. They will use terms like "You don't respect the director if you zoom" or "You don't deserve to watch movies if you zoom" and all sorts of other ridiculous claims made by the film nazis.

But yeah, I am probably in the minority as far as using the zoom feature. Anyway, stand-alone DVD players have this function. If it wasn't used, you'd have to ask yourself why they would bother putting it in.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: ArchAngel777


Most movies are 2.35:1 aspect ratio, I have a 16:9 (1.85:1 aprox) TV. I zoom in (crop the sides off) so that it fills the entire 16:9 picture. I lose a bit of the movie on the sides, but nothing that bothers me. Buying the full screen version would put black bars on the sides, again, something I am trying to avoid on my Plasma.

I can't stand any type of 'stretch', so the zoom features on my TV's are out. I have always used the zoom feature on my DVD players for this type of situation. Both me and my wife prefer it.

Black bars are not going to hurt your TV. If viewing them actually bothers you, then I have to wonder how you deal with the bezel of the TV. Why doesn't that bother you?

 

[ArchAngel777]

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: ArchAngel777


Most movies are 2.35:1 aspect ratio, I have a 16:9 (1.85:1 aprox) TV. I zoom in (crop the sides off) so that it fills the entire 16:9 picture. I lose a bit of the movie on the sides, but nothing that bothers me. Buying the full screen version would put black bars on the sides, again, something I am trying to avoid on my Plasma.

I can't stand any type of 'stretch', so the zoom features on my TV's are out. I have always used the zoom feature on my DVD players for this type of situation. Both me and my wife prefer it.

Black bars are not going to hurt your TV. If viewing them actually bothers you, then I have to wonder how you deal with the bezel of the TV. Why doesn't that bother you?

Actually, over time, you will get uneven phospher wear. Your second question is irrelevent. It doesn't matter why or if it does or does not bothers me. Trying to imply that there is something wrong with me and my wife for a preference doesn't make it any less true that the Sony PS3 lacks a zoom ability.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: ArchAngel777

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: ArchAngel777


Most movies are 2.35:1 aspect ratio, I have a 16:9 (1.85:1 aprox) TV. I zoom in (crop the sides off) so that it fills the entire 16:9 picture. I lose a bit of the movie on the sides, but nothing that bothers me. Buying the full screen version would put black bars on the sides, again, something I am trying to avoid on my Plasma.

I can't stand any type of 'stretch', so the zoom features on my TV's are out. I have always used the zoom feature on my DVD players for this type of situation. Both me and my wife prefer it.

Black bars are not going to hurt your TV. If viewing them actually bothers you, then I have to wonder how you deal with the bezel of the TV. Why doesn't that bother you?

Actually, over time, you will get uneven phospher wear. Your second question is irrelevent. It doesn't matter why or if it does or does not bothers me. Trying to imply that there is something wrong with me and my wife for a preference doesn't make it any less true that the Sony PS3 lacks a zoom ability.

I'm just trying to help you come to grips with the fact that it's an irrational mental issue that is preventing you from fully enjoying your movies.

 

[NFS4]

Wow, seems like some pretty lame reasons to hate on the PS3:

1) I normally start downloading a demo, switch my HDTV back to TV mode, then watch TV while it's downloading/installing -- you know, multitasking.
2) Don't understand the need for this, but whatever.
3) Firmware updates only occur every couple of months -- you couldn't have had the PS3 for THAT long. How many firmware updates could you have possibly sat through? And what matters how long it takes to shut down? What's the big deal? I turn the machine off, switch my HDTV back to TV mode (or off completely) and go about my business.

Buyer's remorse over those three items seems a bit drama queenish.

 

[ArchAngel777]

Originally posted by: NFS4
Wow, seems like some pretty lame reasons to hate on the PS3:

1) I normally start downloading a demo, switch my HDTV back to TV mode, then watch TV while it's downloading/installing -- you know, multitasking.
2) Don't understand the need for this, but whatever.
3) Firmware updates only occur every couple of months -- you couldn't have had the PS3 for THAT long. How many firmware updates could you have possibly sat through? And what matters how long it takes to shut down? What's the big deal? I turn the machine off, switch my HDTV back to TV mode (or off completely) and go about my business.

Buyer's remorse over those three items seems a bit drama queenish.

To each their own.

 

[ArchAngel777]

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: ArchAngel777

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: ArchAngel777


Most movies are 2.35:1 aspect ratio, I have a 16:9 (1.85:1 aprox) TV. I zoom in (crop the sides off) so that it fills the entire 16:9 picture. I lose a bit of the movie on the sides, but nothing that bothers me. Buying the full screen version would put black bars on the sides, again, something I am trying to avoid on my Plasma.

I can't stand any type of 'stretch', so the zoom features on my TV's are out. I have always used the zoom feature on my DVD players for this type of situation. Both me and my wife prefer it.

Black bars are not going to hurt your TV. If viewing them actually bothers you, then I have to wonder how you deal with the bezel of the TV. Why doesn't that bother you?

Actually, over time, you will get uneven phospher wear. Your second question is irrelevent. It doesn't matter why or if it does or does not bothers me. Trying to imply that there is something wrong with me and my wife for a preference doesn't make it any less true that the Sony PS3 lacks a zoom ability.

I'm just trying to help you come to grips with the fact that it's an irrational mental issue that is preventing you from fully enjoying your movies.

Again, just another example of a not so cleverly concealed attack.

 

[mugs]

Originally posted by: ArchAngel777
Again, just another example of a not so cleverly concealed attack.

It wasn't an attack at all, it was an attempt to help you. Although I should have realized from your earlier posts that you would see it that way.

Edit:
Can you see why I asked about the bezel? The bezel is probably the same color as the black bars, or worse, it may be a more noticeable color like silver. And yet you have no problem with the bezel, because you ignore it. It should not be too hard for you to ignore the black bars on the movie as well. If you notice them at all, you're looking at the wrong part of the screen when you're watching the movie. If you just look at the picture, your brain will filter out the black bars as unimportant information. They only annoy you because you let them annoy you - or rather, because you make them annoy you.

 

[ArchAngel777]

Originally posted by: mugs

Originally posted by: ArchAngel777
Again, just another example of a not so cleverly concealed attack.

It wasn't an attack at all, it was an attempt to help you. Although I should have realized from your earlier posts that you would see it that way.

Edit:
Can you see why I asked about the bezel? The bezel is probably the same color as the black bars, or worse, it may be a more noticeable color like silver. And yet you have no problem with the bezel, because you ignore it. It should not be too hard for you to ignore the black bars on the movie as well. If you notice them at all, you're looking at the wrong part of the screen when you're watching the movie. If you just look at the picture, your brain will filter out the black bars as unimportant information. They only annoy you because you let them annoy you - or rather, because you make them annoy you.

Mugs,

First of all, I have no issues with you. I want to state that up front. I know exactly what you are tring to do. But if you know how people work, are, etc... You would know that whether something is irrational or not, a few words isn't going to change the situation.

If it did, we wouldn't need drugs to treat mental disorders and of course, to some extent, everyone is OCD in their own right. Some worse than others.

So rather than debating why something bothers me, it is probably just better to ackknowledhe the fact that the PS3 does not have the feature and for that, I am dissapointed. Isn't that fair enough? Lets be reasonable, right?

I mean - lets face it, I 'prefer' the zoom function. But it doesn't mean I won't use the PS3, it just means what I stated - that I am very dissapointed. I never said that I was unable to watch a 2.35:1 movie on a 1.78:1 screen, it just means that I prefer to zoom with it.

So, lets not argue over or not I can or cannot do something. Preference is preference... If it was or could be dictated, then it wouldn't be preference, now would it?

So, unless you can come up with a secret way to find a 'zoom' function on the PS3, then the issue is dealt with. It means my complaint stands if it is factual, to which it. Now whether or not you agree with it is entirely your business. If you don't mind the black bars, I respect that and will not try and convince you otherwise. I am not interested in changing the opinions of others when it comes to something so subjective. If you like meat loaf, great... I don't particularly care for it, but I am not going stop you from enjoying it.

 

[darkswordsman17]

Well, all the lengthy install stuff on the PS3 seems to be silly. I don't know why everything takes so long. As for the zoom, why doesn't your TV have this feature? Any halfway decent TV, especially widescreen ones, should have several picture/aspect ratio adjustments, and they should actually be better than that of a typical DVD player since the TV likely has a better scaler (although in the case of the PS3, it could probably do a better job provided the software was good, which I don't know if that is the case or not). Check your TV, chances are it can do the zoom function you want itself so you won't be dependent on your player.

 

[BladeVenom]

I agree that a $400 or $500 Blu-ray player should have a feature that can be found on a $20 DVD player. Does your TV have a zoom feature?

 

[ArchAngel777]

Originally posted by: darkswordsman17
Well, all the lengthy install stuff on the PS3 seems to be silly. I don't know why everything takes so long. As for the zoom, why doesn't your TV have this feature? Any halfway decent TV, especially widescreen ones, should have several picture/aspect ratio adjustments, and they should actually be better than that of a typical DVD player since the TV likely has a better scaler (although in the case of the PS3, it could probably do a better job provided the software was good, which I don't know if that is the case or not). Check your TV, chances are it can do the zoom function you want itself so you won't be dependent on your player.

Most TV's that I have come into contact with have a zoom that stretches, rather than a true zoom. My TV does in fact have two zoom modes, but both of them 'stretch' the picture, they don't zoom in on it like a DVD player does. Think of it like 'overscan' if you will. TV's have anywhere from 1% - 7% overscan. The DVD zoom would be like triggering overscan an additional 20-25%

FYI - My TV has the following Zoom Modes

Set by Program
4:3
16:9
Zoom 1 (stretch)
Zoom 2 (more stretch)
Just Scan (No overscan)

 

[TheUnk]

Zoom is only useful for p0rn, and even then it's not that helpful in the end.

 

[pennylane]

1 and 3 seem like nitpicking, really. 2... okay I guess. If that's your kind of thing.

 

[iamwiz82]

Originally posted by: fanerman91
1 and 3 seem like nitpicking, really. 2... okay I guess. If that's your kind of thing.

1 and 3 seem like odd questions coming from a PC person, too.

 

[imported_Imp]

Install seems fine to me. I hadn't owned a console since Sega CD, so after putting up with 10 years of 1 hour install times, 5 CD swaps and updating drivers, I was very satisfied with the PS3.

I have very low standards for TV/movie watching so I won't comment.

The firmware updates are prety fast. I've only done it twice, but I have no conplaints. Again, compared to a computer where I have to download it, uninstall the old one manually, restart, install, restart, install DirectX again, restart, then pray nothing got screwed up, I won't complain.

Seeing as how you've had an Xbox360, maybe you were 'spoiled'?

 

[Dari]

Originally posted by: iamwiz82

Originally posted by: fanerman91
1 and 3 seem like nitpicking, really. 2... okay I guess. If that's your kind of thing.

1 and 3 seem like odd questions coming from a PC person, too.

well said.

OP, just contact Sony and ask them to put zoom in their next update.

 

[MmmSkyscraper]

I don't understand why demos have to install when it's finished downloading? On the XBOX, you're ready to play immediately

Edit: just remembered it's the same with Steam. There are no installers, just the download.

 

[ArchAngel777]

Some people have made some great points here. Let me try and clarify a few things.

The reason I am dissapointed with the first complaint is that Sony and Nintendo both ripped on Xbox 1 for being a 'PC', now, it appears that the Sony PS3 is MORE of a PC than the Xbox 1 ever was... I guess I expected the PS3 to be more like a console and less like a PC. The Xbox 360 on the other hand, seems to be more like a console.

The 3rd reason was just a small complaint. It is minor. I just don't understand why it takes so long to shutdown. Seems rather odd to me.

But seriously, the demo installs take FOREVER. Fact: One Turok was downloaded, I hit the install option and it took 25 minutes to install. That, to me, is unnacceptable. The first 5 minutes of the install is nothingness, you don't even know if the PS3 is working or not. The other 20 minutes was watching a progress of the installation.

It seems really sluggish going through some the menu's.

Now, again, I am not suggesting or making this thread into 3'60 versus PS3' or a 'PS3 sucks' thread, but I do feel the first two issues are a bit ridiculous. Especially since people tout that the PS3 is the best Blu-Ray player because it gets firmware updates. Well, if it doesn't have the features of a stand-alone player, then it is actually inferior, in my opinion.

So far the games seem fine though. I also didn't realize how big the unit was... I think it is actually bigger than the 360. It looks sort of funny on my entertainment system (but so does the Xbox 360).

 

[MarkW]

If a game is taking 25 minutes just to install, there might be something wrong the hard drive or something. installs take 7-8 minutes max on my ps3 (from clicking the game icon on the xmb to the install completed screen.)

It should be noted that the ps3 has by far the fastest loading times for blu-ray movies. If you truly are concerned about loading times, you might want to take this into consideration.

Also, I did a quick search online, and the only blu-ray player that I can find that has a zoom feature is DMP-BD30K.

It should be noted that it was just a user comment on amazon.com.

I did find this, but it still doesn't say how well the zoom feature works.

Hope this helps

 

[yours truly]

if you're so dissapointed with the ps3, like you say, sell it, like you did with the xbox360, and get a dedicated blu ray player instead