14 DAY TRIAL // As the PlayStation 3 launch is getting closer and closer, some representatives of the Japanese gaming press received some PS3 demo units. One of the few that received a PS3 is the multimedia division of Japanese publication Impress Watch. They tried to review the PS3's multimedia features and managed to do so.
IGN managed to translate some parts of the review made by the Japanese publication and posted the translation on their website. First of all, they described the functionality of PS3's Cross Media Bar (XMB) interface. Impress detailed that by selecting the "Display Settings" icon from the settings menu, access is granted to a menu that allows you to choose your display connection. You can choose from "Component or D Cable", "Composite or S-Video" or "AV Multi or SCART", depending on your region.
You can also control the PS3's audio outputs. An Audio Output menu is available where you can select the AAC option or the Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1 options. Also, there are 3 audio cables available: AV Multi, an optical one and HDMI.
The Blu-Ray playback can be set up in the BD/DVD section of the settings menu. The menu language and the default audio subtitle languages can be selected here. Upon inserting a Blu-Ray disc in the PS3, you have to select it from the video menu in order for the playback to start. This is different from game discs where the playback starts immediately.
Future owners of the PS3 will be able to connect their PSP (if they have one) to the games console, and they access any data on the PSP's Memory Stick through the PS3's music and photo menu.
Looks like Sony has created a lean-mean-multimedia-machine that I can't wait to try out!