From doom9.org:
[QUOTE]
Soon after the news of BackupHDDVD broke and before there was any independent confirmation that it really worked as advertised, the Blu-Ray camp started their PR campaign to boast how their format was superior in terms of copy protection. But, their second DRM layer called BD+ is not being used right now - and the first steps towards decrypting the existing Blu-Ray titles on the market has already been made. Whether BD+ really holds up remains to be seen - the specs are not publicly available which prevents cryptography researchers all around the globe of verifying the claims of the BD+ creators - if history in cryptography has shown anything it's that the safest mechanisms are those that withstand the scrutiny of the academic community.
[/QUOTE]

From muslix64 on forum.doom9.org
[QUOTE]
This release is not for everyone! This is only for those who wants to experiment with early version of Blu-ray decryption.

Known limitations:
* Don't support BD+
* Don't support Volume unique key
* Only support one CPS unit key per disc
* I don't clear the HDMV_copy_control_descriptor in the stream
* Don't have any FAQ or document so far...

You have to provide your own CPS unit key.
The playback seems to work with VideoLan
Because I don't have any Blu-ray equipment, I will need the help of the community to go further with Blu-ray decryption.
I have only test this with one video file...

Stay tuned!
[/QUOTE]

Full Story: forum.doom9.org
Discuss on our forums: forums.ps3scene.com

From boardsus.playstation.com:
[QUOTE]
Yup it is real and took me all day. Got Qemu built, installed, and running in YDL and installed Windows 2000 Pro into a virtual machine then installed Wizardry Gold in Windows 2000 Pro. Complete with Soundblaster 16 sound. Used the Gimp in YDL to grab the screens. At any rate another milestone for the PS3! The YDL desktop is 50 inch HDTV so W2K is like about a 30 inch HD window?? Who said the PS3 was boring...
[/QUOTE]

Full Story: boardsus.playstation.com
Discuss on our forums: forums.ps3scene.com

From ps3fanboy.com:
[QUOTE]
Those two-faced bastards over at PC Magazine -- who just last month rated the PS3 over the Wii as the new console to get -- have published a Top 10 list of the "Most Overrated Products of All Time!"
1. Any version of MS Windows after Windows 95
2. :CueCat
3. Lotus 1-2-3
4. AOL
5. Apple iPod shuffle
6. Microsoft Bob
7. Google Video
8. Bose QuietComfort 2 Headphones
9. Microsoft PowerPoint
10. Sony PlayStation 3
[/QUOTE]

Full Story: ps3fanboy.com
Discuss on our forums: forums.ps3scene.com

From popularmechanics.com:
[QUOTE]
When PM's editors first hooked up our new PlayStation 3 to our Westinghouse HDTV, we were quite impressed by the beauty of the world's first 1080p gaming system. But we soon discovered an annoying little technological tic that caused the sound to cut out and the screen to blink on and off when we would launch certain games. Was it the PS3 or the Westinghouse TV?

From responses on our site, we realized we weren't the only ones with this blinking image issue. Many PS3 owners, who had their console connected via an HDMI (high definition multimedia interface) cable to a Westinghouse LCD--ours is the LVM-37w3--reported the same problem. Westinghouse customer support said they knew about the problem and advised using a component cable instead of HDMI--and to call back in a few weeks for a real fix. Unplugging and re-plugging the HDMI cable was our temporary workaround--a decidedly low-tech fix for a high-tech problem.

We spoke with Westinghouse monitor product manager Klaus Libor, who told us that our 37w3 set may well need an update to the firmware to correct the timing during HDCP authentication. "The PS3 expects a response that the TV is copy-protection ready in a certain amount of time," Libor says. "And the response wasn't coming quickly enough."

"Customers should call our tech support line, and we can schedule an in-home firmware upgrade," says Rey Roque, Westinghouse vice president of marketing. He promises it won't cost you a penny--he didn't say if he would do it himself.
[/QUOTE]

Full Story: popularmechanics.com
Discuss on our forums: forums.ps3scene.com

From ps3mods.blogspot.com:
[QUOTE]
With Linux and the Plextor ConvertX DVR - turn your PS3 into a Personal Video Recorder!

The Plextor ConvertX PVR model PX-TV402U is the ultimate personal video recorder for the PC. The PX-TV402U allows you to connect to a satellite TV, cable TV or broadcast TV signal and record programs to your PC. You can then watch the video from the PC or burn it to DVD for playback on a DVD player. You can also connect a camcorder, VCR or DVD player to record home videos to the PC. The heart of the PX-TV402U is its multi-format encoder chip which converts video to the DivX, MPEG-4, MPEG-2 and MPEG-1 formats as it is being recorded to the PC.

The PX-TV402U is the world's first DivX Certified PVR. Recording video in the DivX format gives users the ability to record 3 times as much video as normal without sacrificing quality. It also gives you the ability to record video into resolutions perfectly suited for playback on portable and handheld devices. The PX-TV402U contains an integrated high quality TV tuner to assure the highest quality video. The PX-TV402U is an external USB 2.0 device which connects to a PC running Windows 2000 or Windows XP.
[/QUOTE]

Full Story: ps3mods.blogspot.com
Discuss on our forums: forums.ps3scene.com

From gwn.com:
[QUOTE]
Speaking with EGM, a paper magazine, Bethesda Software's Todd Howard commented on the upcoming PS3 version of Oblivion:
"Drive speed matters more to me [than capacity], and Blu-ray is slower."

The developer is apparently duplicating critical data on the Blu-ray disc in order to fill up all the unused space, which improves load times for the game. Tests have shown that load times on the PS3 could be slightly slower than those on the Xbox 360, which has lead the developer to using data duplication techniques to improve the PS3's performance.
[/QUOTE]

Read More: gwn.com
Discuss on our forums: forums.ps3scene.com

From crave.cnet.com:
[QUOTE]
A member over at AVS Forum has posted pics of LG's Super Multi Blue HD Player apparently on sale at a CompUSA in Texas. In case you hadn't heard, the Super Multi Blue HD Player is LG's answer to detente in the next-gen DVD format war: playback capabilities for both formats bundled in a single player, the LG BH100 ($1,200 list).
The AVS Forum member confirms what Senior Editor David Katzmaier reported in an earlier Crave post--namely, that the player doesn't offer playback support for the whiz-bang interactivity features of HD DVD, which go by the acronym HDi. The player also ships without any sort of HD DVD logo because the BH100 did not gain approval by the DVD Forum, the body responsible for HD DVD licensing.
[/QUOTE]

Full Story: crave.cnet.com
Discuss on our forums: forums.ps3scene.com

From biz.gamedaily.com:
[QUOTE]
PS3 games like Resistance: Fall of Man and the upcoming Motorstorm already look fantastic. Sony CEO Howard Stringer argues that these games are barely using 25% of the system's "bandwidth." He also thinks Sony can break even on PS3 costs at the end of this year.
[/QUOTE]

Full Story: biz.gamedaily.com
Discuss on our forums: forums.ps3scene.com

From arstechnica.com:
[QUOTE]
So there you go: you can either install game assets on the hard drive or by place redundant game data around the disc. The problem in both of these solutions is that one of the advantages of Blu-ray become less compelling. Why bother with a large Blu-ray disc when you're putting that data on the hard drive before you play anyway? You could have simply put that extra information on a DVD and then moved it onto the hard drive The same can be said about the redundancy approach: why not just use a standard DVD and have it load quickly in the first place instead of doubling or tripling up your data on a slower but larger disc?

The Blu-ray drive is useful for movies, of course, but for gaming, Blu-ray doesn't look like it's the best choice until faster drives are released. There is every possibility of a future PS3 revision with a faster Blu-ray drive, but that won't help current PS3 owners. Blu-ray may be the future for storage that's both large and fast, but right now it seems shoe-horned into gaming applications. It seems like developers may actually do better by shipping some of their PS3 games on DVDs. Games will load faster and manufacturers will save money on the discs. Would Sony allow it?
[/QUOTE]

Full Story: arstechnica.com
Discuss on our forums: forums.ps3scene.com

From gamesindustry.biz:
[QUOTE]
Sony has confirmed to GamesIndustry.biz that the 60GB PlayStation 3 will retail for EUR 629.99 in Ireland - but said the price is still set at EUR 599 for the rest of Europe.

"Ireland is traditionally more expensive than other territories," the spokesperson explained.
"The VAT rate there is 21 per cent, whereas it can be as low as 16 per cent in other EU countries."
[/QUOTE]

Full Story: gamesindustry.biz
Discuss on our forums: forums.ps3scene.com

From gamesindustry.biz:
[QUOTE]
In an interview with CNET-owned site News.com, Stringer is quoted as saying, "We have got the European launch in April, which is very important to us."

But a spokesperson told GI.biz, "It is not the case that PS3 is launching in April," adding that suggestions otherwise are "incorrect".
"The date has been and still is March," the spokesperson confirmed.
[/QUOTE]

Full Story: gamesindustry.biz
Discuss on our forums: forums.ps3scene.com

From keshi.org:
[QUOTE]
The Debian Live CD distribution for PS3 is available at http://ps3.keshi.org/debian-live/. Since it also contains Debian-Installer, you can easily try and install Debian GNU/Linux on PS3 with this single CD.

The CD image is bootable with 20061208 release of kboot (PS3's standard bootloader).
[/QUOTE]

Official Website: http://www.keshi.org/moin/moin.cgi/PS3/Debian
Download: here
Discuss on our forums: forums.ps3scene.com

From threespeech.com (FYI: 'semi' official Sony Blog):
[QUOTE]
The latest of today's (seemingly very well-founded) rumours is that the official announcement on the launch date of the PS3 in Europe will be made next Tuesday (January 23). And as mentioned before, it's looking highly likely that the launch date itself will be March 23.
[/QUOTE]

Discuss on our forums: forums.ps3scene.com

As you know HD-DVD was 'hacked'. Using title/volume keys of HD-DVD releases it's possible to backup the movie on your PC HDD. A similar hack should be possible for Blu-ray as it uses the same AACS system. HDTVblogger.com now claims there's a way to retrieve title/volume keys of Blu-ray discs with the PS3:
[QUOTE]
I have received numerous (more than 3) independent reports that an exploit has been found on the PS3 that will reveal the title/volume keys for Blu-ray disks using a PS3. The procedure involves some minor modding of the boot process and Linux.

I have not been told of the exact process but the information makes it seem that the process is not that difficult once you know what you are doing and the lengthy steps are duplicated.
[/QUOTE]

News-Source: HDTVblogger.com
Discuss on our forums: forums.ps3scene.com

From Peuters via yahoo.com:
[QUOTE]
"Our channel checks yesterday of 52 retail stores, from boutiques to big-box retailers, showed that 28 of the 52 stores had PS3 consoles in stock, while none had Wii consoles in stock," American Technology Research analyst Paul-Jon McNealy said in the research note.
He added that those stores with PS3s in stock typically had units numbering in the low single digits, with only one major retailer having 60-plus machines in stock.

Sony spokesman Dave Karraker said the company is airlifting more than 100,000 systems into the United States every week, which is why units can be found at retail.
"It isn't because demand has weakened, it is because we have kept the supply pipeline moving," Karraker said.

By comparison, shortages of Microsoft Corp.'s Xbox 360, released in mid-November 2005, lasted well into early 2006.
[/QUOTE]

Full Story: news.yahoo.com
Discuss on our forums: forums.ps3scene.com

From Team Xtender:
[QUOTE]
We are proud to present the XCM SMART PLATE for (PS3). The colors available are the following currently:
* CHROME
* APPLE GREEN
* BLACK
* YELLOW
* WHITE

From gamesindustry.biz:
[QUOTE]
Sony has announced that shipments of PlayStation 3 units to Japan have reached the one million mark.

Software shipments for the next-generation machine had reached five million units by the end of December 2006.
[/QUOTE]

Full Story: gamesindustry.biz
Discuss on our forums: forums.ps3scene.com

Dragon Electronics released 3 new cables for the PlayStation3:
[QUOTE]
* Wireless Controller Power Charge cable for PS3 ($3.95)
With this cable, you can recharge your SixAxis wireless controller for Playstation3 via any USB slot.
Specifications:
- Quick charge function with any USB slot
- High quality and efficient
- Fully compatible with PS3 SixAxis wireless controller.

* Component-AV cable for PS2/PS3 ($6.45)
This high definition component-AV cable is compatible with both PS3 and PS2. On
PS3 it offers resolution up to 1080i/720p.
Specifications:
- Supports 1080i/720p resolution on LCD, Plasma or HDTV systems
- High definition and resolution yet durable and highly functional cable
- Fully compatible with Playstation 2 and Playstation 3 consoles and games.

* HDMI Cable ($10.95)
A high definition HDMI cable to fully enjoy your Playstation 3 power. Durable and high quality material.
Specifications:
- High definition and durable cable
- Supports Dolby digital and DTS system
- High speed and efficient signal transmission
- High resolution, deep and vivid colors
- Supports 1080i/1080p, RGB or YCbCr color signal, with LCD, Plasma or HDTV systems
- Fully compatible with Playstation 3 systems and games
[/QUOTE]

Buy Now: Controller cable ($3.95) | Component-AV cable ($6.45) | HDMI cable ($10.95)
Official Website: http://www.dragon-electronics.com
Discuss on our forums: forums.ps3scene.com

From next-gen.biz:
[QUOTE]
Analysts at Japan-based investment firm Nomura say that the PlayStation 3 will miss its fiscal year worldwide shipment target by 1.5 million on grounds of "poor sales" in North America during the holidays.

Market Watch reports that Nomura now expects Sony to ship only 4.5 million PS3s by the close of the company's fiscal year ending in March. The new forecast is only 75 percent of its previous estimation of 6 million shipped for the period.

Nomura also slashed its PS3 sales forecast for Sony's upcoming fiscal years, dropping shipment expectations to 10 million from 16 million for next year and to 11 million from 18 million the following year.
[/QUOTE]

Read More: next-gen.biz
Discuss on our forums: forums.ps3scene.com

From gamesindustry.biz:
[QUOTE]
TBWA has told GamesIndustry.biz that the UK advertising campaign for PS3 will begin towards the end of March - supporting suggestions from a senior retail source that the console will launch on the 23rd.

The source also confirmed reports that Sony is set to announce the final details of the launch within the next fortnight.
[/QUOTE]

Read More: gamesindustry.biz
Discuss on our forums: forums.ps3scene.com

From gamesindustry.biz:
[QUOTE]
IDC analyst Billy Pidgeon has told GamesIndustry.biz that Sony must produce more first-party software for PlayStation 3 or risk seeing more and more units left on shop shelves.

The IDC analyst said he agreed with Tretton that the power of the brand "is confirmed with the PS2's performance in the market", adding that sales of hit titles such as Guitar Hero 2 meant that last year "PS2 was helpful to most third-party publishers' bottom lines".
However, he continued, "The PlayStation brand doesn't appear to be helping the PS3. If NPD's numbers are correct, there are over 300K PS3s on retail shelves. That is not good for a console launch of only a million and it's not good for publishers with PS3 software."
[/QUOTE]

Read More: gamesindustry.biz
Discuss on our forums: forums.ps3scene.com

From 'Breath of Fire' on ps2-scene.org:
[QUOTE]
First take the torx bolt out slide the face plate off and remove few phillips screws. Take the metal cover off the top of the bd drive. Then remove the top plastic cover and unplug the sensor. Secure it down with a couple screws. Then cut a circle (with a plastic cutting saw bit) on the top cover. Your face plate now slides back over to allow swapping and still keeping the PS3 looking clean.

Boot the PS2 DVD and wait for it to load. Now hold the PS button and quit the game. Slide your cover back and push down on the disk secure magnet. It will stop the laser, but not the spinning. swap disks and press circle(jp) X to boot your backup.

Tested with 1.10 firmware, swap magic confirmed unplayable with 1.31, but this exploit is unconfirmed with that version of firmware. Swapmagic is only needed for PAL conversion and CD backups.

From kotaku.com:
[QUOTE]
EB/Gamestop is offering a hundred dollars credit towards any PS3 system with the trade in of your old PS2. Surprisingly, unlike most EB/Gamestop deals, you are not required to trade in any games, but you must have all of the following items; A working PS2 system including all appropriate cords and controller, a second PS2 controller and any brand 8mb PS2 memory card. The offer is good through Feb. 18.
[/QUOTE]

Read More: kotaku.com
Discuss on our forums: forums.ps3scene.com