Just a question hope somebody can answer cos I know something isn't set up correctly - set off a diwnload last night and switched the tv on when it was on 32%.  I then forgot about it and went to bed but when I got up this morning the Ps3 was still switched on but when I checked it - it was only one 40% but flicked straight over to 41 then 42% whilst I was watching.

Thisw makes me think that it flicked over to standby mode and it wasn't downloading - I know it should download whne in standby m ode so does anybody have any ideas why this would happen?

I usualy put an alarm on when im dowloading huge files so i dont leave my ps3 on all night but everytime i wake up its in standby mode. but it is still downloading maybe your internet Timed out.

never has before - had same broadband for years now - the 360 works perfectly or this, no I think I have a setting somewhere that effects this.

that is so weird - it hasn't happened to me before that I've noticed.
Will try tonight

may have had a connection failer, are you using wireless?

It's possible.

If there was a connection failure, he would have been signed out of PSN automatically, pausing the download until such time as the connection is restored and he'd signed back in (I usually turn my auto-signin off). then when the machine was used again it would auto sign in and continue.

I don't know about the standby mode during download though, perhaps the system went to standby after the connection break and just resumed when the console was woken up again.

However, as far as i know there is no auto shutdown or standby mode for the PS3, unless it's system software thats being downloaded and installed or Folding@home

Standby mode (red light) does not have a download mode. Also you do not need to sign into the PSN to restart a download from where you left off when you put your PS3 into Standby mode. In fact you can sign in, start a download and immediately sign out and it will keep downloading.

If you want to set your PS3 to shutdown around the time your download is done, just use Folding@home and it's automatic shutdown feature. You might as well be folding if you are just leaving your PS3 in the XMB while you download very large files. Downloads continue while Folding.