We did it. We bought a Playstation 3. We didn't want to, since there aren't many games for the P3 that aren't also available for XBox. In fact, none of this would have happened if we hadn't first bought the crappy Blu Ray player.
There's something about having a high-def TV that gradually convinces you that you don't just want a Blu Ray player, you need one. And once you talk yourself through the doubt and conservatism that always accompanies media switches, there you are, in the Blu Ray aisle at Best Buy, overwhelmed by the meaningless points that they use to bulk up the "features" descriptions. (The worst is when they allude to the design or basic controls as a feature. I don't look at it as a bonus that my DVD player has a "play" button. I tend to expect that.)
Anyway, we ended up with a seemingly capable Insignia Blu Ray, but when it got home, it was the worst-behaved Blu Ray player ever. It stuttered and stalled, loaded in geological time, and clawed up the furniture. Not to mention that it couldn't even play the new James Bond movie--not, as some might claim out of an innate sense of taste, but because its firmware was out of date, and there was no practical way to update it.
I know that some people would claim that you should try to work through these things, but watching a Blu Ray disc shouldn't be a painful experience that makes you long for VHS. The problem we discovered, on taking it back to the store, is that unless you're willing to sell your first born, Blu Ray machines that solve the loading and easy updating problems are prohibitively expensive. But the PS3, which of course, can play Blu Ray and has better memory and wi-fi capability than almost anything else in that price range was the obvious solution. This is kind of a bummer, since it's a big, ungainly piece of electronics that hunkers on the entertainment center like a sad, lonely hunchback. But at least we have something that plays Blu Ray discs that isn't in danger of being hurled out the window in frustration.
I've been reading a lot about how these companies like Netflix and Apple want to charge like $300 for some box that sends your internet signal to your HDTV. Bullshit. For the price of a cheap video card, (unless you already have a video card with an Svideo out) you can hook up the internet to your HDTV. This is great for Youtube, watching TV shows, movies from the networks, downloading movies etc. This is especially good if you happen to have a bare bones system lying around that you can tuck behind your HDTV or entertainment system, otherwise, you will have to have cords long enough. Still though, for the price of $30 in cords, you can have internet on your nice TV.
"You don't have to watch downloaded video only on your computer screen: hook up your computer to a television to watch video on your hard drive with the big-screen effect."
All you need to do so is a locate the TV out port on your computer (s-video, RGB) and the right cables. Check out the back of your PC or the sides of your laptop for an S-Video port. (If you don't have one, video cards with S-Video ports are available for under $100.) Then, check your TV's inputs. Many TVs have S-Video ports in so you'll need an S-Video to S-Video cable. If not, an S-Video to RCA cable will work. Connect the computer to the television while the computer's off and the TV's on. Then turn on the computer to give your machine the chance to detect it has an external display available."
Also, some computers have RGB or AV cable hook ups, which means you can stretch those cords also towards your HDTV.
When you do have your computer hooked up, which, as stated, is easy. I mean, very very easy. You'll want to check out sites like www.watch-movies.net and watch movies streaming online that are still in the theater. For instance, when I go home tonight, I'll be watching the new James Bond, Quantum of Solace on my 52" HDTV instantly. I hope this small blog/tutorial has been helpful, and good luck!
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