Should I Stay or Should I Go (YDL)?

YDL running on the Sony Playstation 3

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Should I Stay or Should I Go (YDL)?

Postby hcubed » 02 Oct 2011, 09:24

I hate to ask this, especially here, but I think the group here will be able to give me a balanced, realistic answer.

I have a PS3 60GB on 3.15 still. I have YDL installed. Sony pissed me off. I didn't buy it to play PS3 games on. I use it for media streaming and bluray playing. Now many new blurays won't play (if they're put out by Sony!) since I don't have the upgrade. To be honest, I haven't booted into YDL in forever. It's really never been useful to me. I'm not a developer. I thought it was cool that I could install Linux, but I have a couple desktops, a notebook, and a tablet now that are more powerful than anything I'll ever get out of the PS3 using YDL (not developing my own supercomputer, cluster software of course).

So, it's beginning to seem kind of like the end of the road... like I'm really not hurting anyone except myself by holding out from upgrading any longer. It was fun. It was cool, but it's not practical for me to do anything with.

Am I missing something or can someone affirm my thoughts?
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Re: Should I Stay or Should I Go (YDL)?

Postby billb » 02 Oct 2011, 18:09

The GameOS side of the PS3 far exceeds the capabilities of YDL/OtherOS in terms of media streaming and bluray playback, so it sounds like updating to the latest FW would be the best option for you. Either that or try selling your PS3 on eBay, noting that it retains the 3.15 FW and Linux/OtherOS capability.

Of course there are far better blu-ray players / media streaming devices than the PS3 available at a lower price (like this, for example). :wink:
PS3 60GB [CECHA01], FW 3.15, YDL 6.2, Samsung T260HD @ 1920x1200
Powermac G4 1.25 GHz x2, 2 GB RAM, YDL 6.2
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Re: Should I Stay or Should I Go (YDL)?

Postby ppietro » 02 Oct 2011, 19:01

As for my opinion on this issue, I bought a 360. :D

or

Sony can pry YDL out of my cold, dead, hands, etc. etc. etc. :lol:

Seriously though - I did make the decision to leave my PS3 at 3.15 until Sony puts back OtherOS. I have a feeling it will be there a long time.

To pick up the slack, I bought a 360 and stand-alone blu-ray player (by Sony - heh).

Then - my brother gave me a PS3 slim. I think he was just tired of my OtherOS ranting.

So - I have no real reason to upgrade my PS3 phat. (In fact, if I could safely downgrade it to 2.xx I would - I miss the old PLAYSTATION logo. :) )

I still use it for PS2 games, SACDs, and Linux. I admit, it's kind of a pain to switch PS3s when I want to access PSN. But - I could never willingly give up a feature I paid for - it's just not in my nature. (Especially when I've put all this time into Linux. I have my environment just how I like it - and I don't feel like re-creating that.)

One important thing to note. If you read none of the rest of my ranting, please read this: If you decide to upgrade and remove Linux - you won't be able to access that disc space any longer. If there's any data on there you need, pull it off before you upgrade.

To recover those 10 gigs, you will have to backup all of your data, repartition the drive to 100% GameOS and restore your data. You may find this easier to do before you upgrade.

Good luck with whatever decision you make.

Cheers,
Paul
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Re: Should I Stay or Should I Go (YDL)?

Postby hcubed » 02 Oct 2011, 19:28

Thanks for the replies. I have started taking a look at dedicated blu-ray/media streamers like the LG linked in a reply, but it doesn't look like I could replace the local streaming capabilities (file formats, etc.) of the PS3, upgraded or not. It sounds like a 747 jet but it plays about anything I throw at it, usually MKVs and MP4s, but also others. I hate to take another Phat out of the market (was thinking of selling on ebay just so someone who wants a 3.15 could get one) and replacing with a blu-ray/media player, but again... I don't see that I can find functionality replacement for less than what a PS3 slim would be.

Regarding updating firmware... I'm leaning toward it. Paul, thanks for the warning, but that shows how I never use YDL on PS3. It's installed and setup, but I have no important files on it because it's so yellow dog slow (I could resist the pun, no offense to YDL or this forum intended) that it's impractical for me to use instead of one of my many other fast PCs. ...as long as Sony doesn't take away media streaming next!
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Re: Should I Stay or Should I Go (YDL)?

Postby ppietro » 02 Oct 2011, 22:15

hcubed wrote:Thanks for the replies. I have started taking a look at dedicated blu-ray/media streamers like the LG linked in a reply, but it doesn't look like I could replace the local streaming capabilities (file formats, etc.) of the PS3, upgraded or not.


You might be interested in the stand-alone blu-ray player I have, then.

It's the BDP-BX57 - also known as the BDP-S570. (The BDP-BX57 is the Costco version.)

Specs are here:
http://www.docs.sony.com/release/specs/BDPS570_mksp.pdf

Basically - it's a 3D Blu-ray player that handles DLNA media streaming - kind of like a PS3. It even does SACD playback - which the current PS3s don't support.

  • BRAVIA® Internet Video: Access movies, music, videos & more
  • Built-in Wi-Fi® & 3D Blu-ray Disc™ playback capability
  • iPhone®/iPod touch®/ compatible Android devices “BD Remote” App
  • Quick Start/Load to watch movies faster than ever
  • DLNA® wireless streaming of photos, videos and music
  • Access detailed movie information w/Gracenote™
  • Cross Search for easy searching of BRAVIA® Internet Video
  • I/P Noise Reduction for improved BRAVIA® Internet Video playback
  • Enjoy music, photos and video via front USB slot
  • Plays Blu-ray Disc™ movies in Full HD 1080p

Note: I'm not a Sony employee or anything. I'm just pointing out this player as being a model that is feature comparable to the PS3.

Also Note: I think it's been superceded by the BDP-S580 (or BDP-BX58 at Costco, Sam's Club, etc.). Sony is currently listing that at $159.99. You can read more about it here:

http://www.store.sony.com/webapp/wcs/st ... 00044700e9

According to that page:

Supported Media
  • MPEG-1 Video/PS (.mpg .mpeg, .m2ts, .mts) : BD/DVD/CD/USB/DLNA
  • MPEG-2 Video/PS, TS ( .mpg.mpeg, .m2ts, .mts) : BD/DVD/CD/USB/DLNA
  • MPEG-4 AVC (.mkv, .mp4, .m4v, .m2ts, .mts) : BD/DVD/CD/USB/DLNA

Which leads me to think it can handle Matroska and AVC over DLNA.

Cheers,
Paul
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Re: Should I Stay or Should I Go (YDL)?

Postby hcubed » 03 Oct 2011, 19:46

Thanks Paul. That looks like it may cover all I really need. It would do folding of course, but otherwise, it'd fit the bill and probably wouldn't drown out the audio of the movie with it's cooling fan.

If I decide to not upgrade from 3.15 and sell it, is it appropriate to let people know here in case anyone in interested in acquiring... or not? Doesn't matter to me. If I sell it, it'll just be in hopes of making someone happy to find a 60 GB 3.15 PS3 for fair price.
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Re: Should I Stay or Should I Go (YDL)?

Postby billb » 04 Oct 2011, 02:20

hcubed wrote:If I decide to not upgrade from 3.15 and sell it, is it appropriate to let people know here in case anyone in interested in acquiring... or not? Doesn't matter to me. If I sell it, it'll just be in hopes of making someone happy to find a 60 GB 3.15 PS3 for fair price.


Sure -- that would be fine. :D
PS3 60GB [CECHA01], FW 3.15, YDL 6.2, Samsung T260HD @ 1920x1200
Powermac G4 1.25 GHz x2, 2 GB RAM, YDL 6.2
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Re: Should I Stay or Should I Go (YDL)?

Postby billb » 11 Oct 2011, 20:54

Maybe too late, but another thing to consider -- Sony releases firmware updates often enough for it to be a pain.

http://us.playstation.com/support/syste ... /index.htm

Sometimes when you haven't had time to sit down and watch a movie or something for a week you end up sitting through 10+ minutes of firmware updating before you can log in to PSN. :evil:
PS3 60GB [CECHA01], FW 3.15, YDL 6.2, Samsung T260HD @ 1920x1200
Powermac G4 1.25 GHz x2, 2 GB RAM, YDL 6.2
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Re: Should I Stay or Should I Go (YDL)?

Postby hcubed » 12 Oct 2011, 07:17

Thanks for the useful link showing each firmware update and what each does.

After looking into some replacement players and considering the features I use of my PS3, I've pretty much concluded that it would be better for me to continue using it to Fold (Folding@Home), stream media across my LAN, and play Blu-rays and DVDs. I don't want to watch 3D disks, and I really am not convinced that I can get the same versatility out of a blu-ray player/media streamer<$200. Also, it's all hooked up and working as I need it to; I really don't want to mess with putting it up for sale, buying a new one, taking a chance with new quirks, and having set everything up from scratch.

I'll probably update firmware because I simply don't and won't use the Linux anymore, and it's a pain in the butt to rent a Blu-ray and not be able to play it (without upgrading). Incidentally, that only happens so far with Sony-produced Blu-rays... interesting. I actually look up who put out the Blu-ray before renting one now. So far, if Sony didn't put it out, it'll play. Jerks at Sony!

Thank you all for the help you provided. It is appreciated.
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Re: Should I Stay or Should I Go (YDL)?

Postby ppietro » 12 Oct 2011, 21:57

hcubed wrote:I'll probably update firmware because I simply don't and won't use the Linux anymore, and it's a pain in the butt to rent a Blu-ray and not be able to play it (without upgrading). Incidentally, that only happens so far with Sony-produced Blu-rays... interesting. I actually look up who put out the Blu-ray before renting one now. So far, if Sony didn't put it out, it'll play. Jerks at Sony!


By the way - one more (weird) data point.

If you have the blu-ray of the movie Sunshine, upgrading the PS3 will cause the movie to always play with the Picture-In-Picture (PIP) commentary on.

Apparently, the discs are incorrectly mastered. Once the firmware was upgraded to 3D, this started occurring.

The only way to watch Sunshine without the visible PIP is to either send the disc back to Fox for a corrected version, or not update your PS3. ;)

Cheers,
Paul
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Re: Should I Stay or Should I Go (YDL)?

Postby hcubed » 13 Oct 2011, 08:26

Thanks, Paul. I love that movie, though I don't own it yet. Maybe if I ever buy it, I'll get the DVD and not the Blu-ray. The high-definition of Blu-ray is great, but otherwise, the standard and how it is managed kinda pisses me off. It's a pain in the butt compared to DVD disks. But the HD is awesome. Ugh.

I am actually beginning to revisit the idea of building an entry-level HTPC to work with my MythTV server. Slap a Blu-ray player in it and just be done with the PS3. I could fold on the HTPC (especially if I only used it for MythTV frontend), make it play all manner of video formats and containers, display photo galleries, play music, etc. I wouldn't be able to play the handful of PS2 games (the only ones I have) that I own, but I rarely do that anymore anyway.

I'll post here if I end up deciding to part with my PS3 3.15.
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