PS3 Media Playback

[tuoyo]

 

 

 

 

 

Okay I need some help from PS3 owners that use it for more than games. I need to buy a HD Camcorder and I have narrowed it down to either a Canon that uses SDHC or a Sony that has a HDD. Both cameras record in AVCHD which is some new format used in Blu Ray players. I can just transfer HD video filmed with the camcorder to my PC and watch on that but not sure if PC would be powerful enough to play the video back without skipping or freezing. Also having to turn on the PC to watch videos is not all that convenient so thinking of possibly getting a PS3 to play back videos shot with the camera and I have a number of questions:

 

1. Which PS3 models have SD/SDHC card readers (in case I go for the Canon)?

 

2. Which PS3 models have USB inputs?

 

3. Can I connect any external USB hard drive to the PS3 USB input and view videos and pictures on it from there or is there a special PS3 USB hard drive like there is for 360? With 1hr HD video recorded with the camcorder taking up about 16GB of HD space even the 80gb PS3 would be filled up in no time. I have a 500gb USB hard drive and would be great if it could be connected to a PS3 and I could watch videos from there.

4. How advanced is the PS3 interface for music? Does it come anywhere close to Windows Media Player and show album art, have support for playlists, random play mode, etc?

 

5. Due to ridiculously higher costs of both camcorders in UK I am probably going to get the camcorder from the US. Does anyone know if I will be able to play the recordings on a PAL PS3 or would I also need to get the PS3 from the US?

 

6. I think I read somewhere that the PS3 remote is controlled by bluetooth. This may be a deal breaker for me as I use a touchscreen universal remote and this does not support bluetooth and don't want to have to use 2 different remotes (getting rid of remote clutter was the reason why I invested in an expensive universal remote in the first place). Does anyone know if there are any Blu Ray players (other than the PS3) that you can connect a USB hard drive to and access files from there?