From the sound of this, it's a controller issue

Mar 9, 2007 08:09 GMT  ·  By

Ever had any problems with your PS3 when trying to view DVDs? You have probably had and so had Brian Ashcraft writing at Kotaku. He reported that while trying to view a DVD (Superman Returns), the DVD menu popped up totally random, seven or eight times, without any interference from him. The guy is totally in the blur and, although the menu is very familiar to everyone (the standard DVD menu for the PlayStation2 also) it pops up on its own.

There are various problems that can happen with a system that does that. I'm not an expert or anything like that, but I did encounter this exact problem myself, with my PS2 that is. Leaving aside firmware or software issues, the problems can vary from too high temperature or too much humidity, to problems with the PS3's SIXAXIS.

Still, the controller is the most plausible reason for this. Ashcraft specifically mentions that he uses his PS3 only to view DVDs. My advice to you Brian is to try playing a game or two and see if your controller sends out signals to the machine, even when you're not pressing any buttons. It's the only way you'll ever find out if the problem is with the machine or the controller. And for goodness sake man, play some games on it; it's a PS3, not some crappy DVD player you get on the corner for 10 bucks! Check out the titles available for it. They're not many but they're all great.