10 REASONS TO OWN A PS3 IN 2007

Actually I can't think of ten reasons. This is marred by the fact that some of the exclusives such as Metal Gear Solid 4, Final Fantasy, and GT5 won't actually be out until 2008 so I can't include them in this article. Also some exclusives aren't exclusives anymore. Resident Evil 5 and GTA 5 will be seeing the light of day on the Xbox 360 as well. So let's work with what we have then shall we? I think I can pull five good ones out of the bag.

1) Best Blu-Ray player: The PS3 is still the best Blu-Ray player out there, let down only by the fact that you have to use a Ps3 controller to operate the functions and it can't be run by a universal remote as it uses bluetooth and not infrared. Ignore this fact and you're left with top of the line home theatre capabilites at a bargain price.2) 1st device to take advantage of HDMI 1.3: If you pair the PS3 with the KDL-70XBR3, Sony's 70" monster ($32,000) you'll have the first two devices that have the HDMI 1.3 standard. This means, the best picture performance known to man as of March 2007. HDMI will soon be the standard (learn more about HDMI 1.3 here) is all upcoming HDTV's.

3) Resistance Fall of Man: This game is so much fun. If you haven't tried it already, beg borrow or steal a Ps3 for a bit of pure, Quake like fun. Graphics are what we'd expect for a next generation title, although we didn't have to wait a year to get it. Very rare for a release title to perform and look as this game does.

4) Motorstorm: Of all the titles coming up, the only exclusive worth a huge mention is Motorstorm. The physics in the game and use of the six-axis controller add a huge element of playability. The game is displayed in glorious 1080p and is a whole lot of fun.

5) Playstation Network online gaming: Gaming I said, not content. Sony are still due some time on the content, so I'll be fair, they still need time to work on this. But the online gaming experience is excellent sans the spotty bluetooth headset in-game performance. I was playing Resistance with 40 people and there wasn't a sign of lag or slowdown in site. If I tried that on Xbox live, I usually get the equivalent of a blue-screen of death.

So there we have it. We still need to wait for some Ps3 content. I also own an xbox 360, so I'll stick to what I said in a previous article; my Ps3 shall primarily remain a Blu-Ray player with exclusive movie titles pouring in by the week while my Xbox shall enjoy upcoming titles such as GRAW 2. Right now, if a title is released on both platforms, I'll be going for the Xbox version, as the spotty Ps3 voice support is a huge let down from the overall online experience.

I can think of at least 10 things/changes I would like to see happen with regards to the overall PS3 experience, so I think that will be my next article. Some time this week, I'll also do an article on 10 reasons to own an xbox 360 in 2007.

Update: Of course, a couple of day after writing this post, Sony released this which could possibly make up for all the current short-comings and keep us entertained for quite some time. All of a sudden, Xbox live looks very old-school!

PRESS RELEASE: DLP HDTV Continues Market Leading Momentum into 2007

New Slim Form Factor Models, Consumer Demand for Full High Definition 1080p Resolution and Competitive Pricing Drove Increased Market share in 2006

DALLAS, March 1 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- DLP(R) HDTVs, based on technology developed by Texas Instruments (TI) (NYSE: TXN), ranked number one in all 1080p HDTV sales for 2006 within the microdisplay category, according to data from leading U.S. consumer and retail information company, The NPD Group. Indicators point to another strong year for DLP with January 2007 statistics reporting DLP HDTVs leading with double the sales of 1080p over the nearest competitor in the same segment.

DLP's overall units sold in the highly competitive 50 inch and above HDTV arena experienced a year over year growth of 63% from December 2005 to December 2006, according to NPD's retail tracking service. This performance cemented DLP's position as the leader in the microdisplay category and advanced its position in the HDTV market overall.

In 2006, DLP sold more HDTVs at a screen size of 50 inch and greater than any other competing technology in the U.S. including plasma with 28.9% market share in units, according to NPD. In the HDTV 40-49 inch screen size space, DLP retained its advantage over other technologies by dominating in price per square inch. DLP led in sales of 1080p resolution microdisplay models in the U.S. during December, with 61.6% market share in units. More
than one quarter of all 1080p HDTV sales in the month of December were DLP models (27% overall market share in units). Total unit sales of 1080p with all technologies increased year over year by an increase of almost seven times from December 2005 to December 2006, demonstrating growing consumer demand.

DLP's growth was driven by several factors including Samsung's introduction of slim cabinet models in October 2006; increased consumer demand for full high definition 1080p resolution; and competitive price points. The 2007 DLP HDTVs from Samsung include a complete line-up of slim DLP HDTV offerings and great cabinet styling, with other leading manufacturers also expected to introduce slim models in the future. Slim DLP HDTVs provide a bigger screen in a smaller space than competing technologies while offering the thinnest free standing display at their screen size, at approximately half the weight of plasma TVs. The new slim form factor expands display options to include easy shelf mounting.

TI DLP Products expanded its collaborative marketing efforts with manufacturing customers in 2006, which when combined with the DLP national advertising campaign, resulted in achieving the highest awareness scores experienced by DLP among potential HDTV buyers. Marketing and advertising efforts included television campaigns, a major sponsorship with NASCAR and
retail programs.

"We're extremely pleased by the progress DLP has made during the past year and see further growth in 2007, thanks in large part to the innovations of our customers and our supporting brand and marketing efforts," said Adam Kunzman, business manager, DLP HDTV Products, Texas Instruments. "We expect to see a tenfold increase in the number of slim form factor models offered to consumers by DLP customers in 2007, which will continue to be a stabilizing force for DLP in the 40-49 inch space. This expansion of DLP product lines and innovations such as solid state LED illumination, combined with the increasing demand for 1080p quality, provide a great environment for DLP market share to grow."

"DLP was successful in claiming a significant amount of market share in 2006, particularly in the larger screen sizes, 50 inches and above" said Stephen Baker, vice president, industry analysis, The NPD Group. "Even during the holiday season when the so-called 'flat-screen war' was at its
peak for the year, DLP proved to be a viable contender against not only other microdisplays, but also against plasma and LCD."

SOURCE: PR NEWSWIRE

EXCLUSIVE SPIDERMAN 3 HD FOOTAGE DURING HEROES EPISODE & 7 MINUTES FOOTAGE AT NBC.COM, MARCH 5TH ONLY!

CULVER CITY, Calif. and BURBANK, Calif., March 1-- As Peter Parker's Aunt May once said, there's a hero in all of us. That will be true as Monday, March 5, becomes a night of heroes -- Columbia Pictures, in anticipation of the release of Spider-Man(TM) 3 on May 4, will air an exclusive one-minute clip from the film during the broadcast of a cliffhanger episode of NBC's top-rated new show "Heroes," then premiere seven and one half minutes from the film online, exclusively on NBC.com, for 24 hours.

As "Heroes" moves towards the exciting conclusion of its second storyarc of its first season, viewers of the show and Spider-Man fans will get alook at Spider-Man(TM) 3 with a brand-new 60-second clip from the movie that contains a cliffhanger of its own. Then, immediately following the broadcast, Web-crawling viewers and movie goers can go online to catch the premiere of a revealing seven and one half minute film sequence that will have viewers on the edge of their seats as it is streamed in highdefinition at NBC.com.

'Heroes' and Spider-Man both share a common theme: everyday people and how they deal with finding themselves in extraordinary circumstances," saidValerie Van Galder, President of Domestic Marketing for the ColumbiaTriStar Motion Picture Group. "Because of that, this is a great programming marriage -- it makes for a night of event television and a rare opportunityto see a scene from one of the summer's most highly anticipated movies. Wecouldn't be more excited to unveil seven and one half minutes of the movieto help whet the appetites of Spider-Man fans everywhere."

"We're so pleased to be teaming up with Columbia Pictures to present our audience with such an exciting event," said Vivi Zigler, Executive VicePresident, NBC Digital Entertainment and New Media. "This partnership not only gives our users an exclusive sneak-peek at Spider-Man(TM) 3 -- a film they will undoubtedly want to see -- but also increases the richness oftheir experience by allowing them to stream it in HD, a first for NBC.com."

The one-minute Spider-Man(TM) 3 clip will drive viewers to NBC.com to see the exclusive seven and one half minute scene from the movie, which is NBC.com's first-ever HD-streamed presentation, on any platform. The event will be promoted with ads in USA Today, Los Angeles Times, New York Times,and TV Guide, as well as online and on the radio. It will also be heavily promoted on NBC. Columbia Pictures' Spider-Man(TM) 3 reunites the cast and film makers from the first two blockbuster adventures for a web of vengeance, love, and forgiveness that will transport worldwide audiences to thrilling newheights on May 4, 2007.

Source: Columbia pictures & Press Release