Posted 10/23/2008 at 01:00:04pm

Your cabinet cooling solution is probably more efficient than mine, but I'm pretty sure mine is cheaper! I added a USB connector to the power lines of a discarded chassis fan and propped up the fan on the top shelf at the rear of my cabinet and then plugged it into the USB port of my PS3. The fan is a 12v fan running on the PS3's 5v, so by default the fan runs way below design speed which results in super quiet operation. It is positioned so that it blows hot air out of the the top rear of the cabinet toward the front doors that I keep slightly opened. The fan only turns on when the PS3 is turned on, and since the PS3 is the primary heat generator in this cabinet, it is properly applied (IMHO). There was zero cost for this solution as the USB connector and fan were gathered from the junque drawer.

Posted 08/22/2008 at 10:43:17am

Actually, I did buy a Blu-Ray player. I have only purchased one Blu-Ray movie, because they are wayyyy too expensive compared to DVD movies. I rent Blu-Ray movies and buy DVD movies.

Before I choose a Blu-Ray movie at the rental store, I always scan the outside back of the movie container for an indication of the quality of sound I can expect, because DTS sound from a Blu-Ray disc is awesome, especially in an action movie. I have a great 5.1 sound system that makes Blu-Ray discs worth the (rental) price when the sound is pure DTS. The higher quality of the picture, i.e., Blu-Ray over DVD, is almost negligible. I mean, I have seen side-by-side comparisons, and there is no doubt that Blu-Ray is superior, but who notices that difference in the middle of a great car chase where most everything is a blur anyway!

My Blu-Ray player is a Sony PS3, so at least I got a really good game player, too, AND its firmware is easily upgradeable.