HiFi version of PS3?

Jens · Joined: 11 Nov 2007 Posts: 99

I recall reading hints that Sony gave some two years ago which suggested the company would release a version of PS3 in the future that would be more HiFi-like or positioned as an A/V device. I'm not sure whether that referred to the cabinet design or to the specs and electronics (or perhaps even something like the 'PSX' DVD/HDD Recorder device but based on PS3 instead of PS2+XMB) but so far nothing's materialised and nothing new is announced.

What's more, I can't seem to find back anything about these rumours. Does anyone here know what I'm referring to?

Brandon B · Joined: 14 Oct 2007 Posts: 392

I've seen people mention a rumor like that. IMO, it would have to be referring to cabinet design, as performance and spec wise, the PS3 is already very hi-fi for any sort of digital output. Its redbook CD playback and SACD playback are quite good, its performance on blu-ray for both video and audio are very good.

The complaints one sees are generally from people who object to it being a game system, are pissed that their universal IR remotes cannot operate it, or were hoping to get good analog audio performance out of it. Or all three.

So IF you see anything like this, if they have done any market research, it would be a high end cell based bluray player that also does CDs and SACDs. But in that case, they would have no reason to keep the game capability, just the video, photo and music streaming capabilities, along with some pared down version of the XMB, and market it as a high end media and (almost) universal disc player.

Brandon B · Joined: 14 Oct 2007 Posts: 392

The new Sony megachanger appears to be most of what I thought. I imagine it is not based on the Cell though. Anyone note if it played SACDs?

The Seventh Taylor · Joined: 17 Aug 2007 Posts: 401

You mean the ES HES-V1000 Blu-ray Home Entertainment Server? If I were Sony I'd have based the internals of this player on the PS3, both for the great UI (XMB) and the SACD playback (especially considering the anyway steep price of this and likely modest volumes) but it seems to be not SACD-compatible.

I also came across this new product, a Sony BD Mega Changer somewhere in the 2009 CES coverage

but I doubt there'll be SACD in this one. It's probably not even ES series.

Brandon B · Joined: 14 Oct 2007 Posts: 392

The one in the pic is the one I meant. It does have a truncated version of the XMB (settings, pictures, music and video).

Even their non-ES older DVD megchangers sometimes had SACD support (at least the one my dad has), but they do seem to moving away from it.