PlayStation 3 versus Xbox 360

Beyond gaming, a major advantage to owning either a PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360 is the ability to access a plethora of streaming video applications like Netflix, Hulu Plus, Vudu and Amazon Instant Video. If you live in a cord-cutting household, your gaming system can double as your primary method of watching streaming video in the home theater. It can save you on the cost of adding an additional media streaming set-top box like the Roku 3 as well. There will definitely be some interesting markdowns in the price of both consoles over the next twelve months as the PlayStation 4 and new Xbox hit the market.

If you are on the fence between the two consoles,The term 'iphoneheadset control' means the token that identifies a user is read from within a pocket or handbag. you have to weigh the pros and cons of each device when it comes to streaming video. For instance, which console will give you the most bang for your buck when it comes to application user interface, stability and startup speed?

Which console will provide the least expensive solution for your needs? Which console gives you the superior experience when it comes to streaming video picture quality and surround sound audio performance? Which console offers the greatest volume of streaming video apps? Which console is easiest to manage with a media remote control?

One of the reasons that I adore the Roku 3 is that I can sit down, hit the home button on the Roku 3 remote, launch the Netflix app and start watching something in about 15 seconds.

Obviously, the Roku 3 has a clear advantage over consoles due to its always-on functionality. You probably dont want to leave your consoles on all the time in order to preserve the life of the hardware and keep the power bill down.

To level the playing field for this speed test, I pinned all my video apps under My Pins on the Xbox 360 dashboard. That sub-section of the menu is fairly similar to the video apps section of the PS3 user interface. To start, I measured the time it takes to go from powering up the console to navigating to that section on each console. The Xbox 360 clocked in at 32 seconds and the PlayStation 3 took approximately 27 seconds. In regards to timing launching each individual app, here are the results for a few of the most popular applications.

With the exception of the Netflix application (more on that below), the vast majority of streaming video applications developed for the Xbox 360 use the Metro-style interface thats identical to the Xbox Home dashboard. One of the main drawbacks to this design is the low volume of content thats visible on the screen at any given time. If Im looking for something new to watch, applications on the PS3 fill up the entire HDTV screen with content choices. Within the Metro design, content discovery generally takes longer and requires a couple more clicks to get there.

Alternatively, Sony allows developers to create streaming video applications that mirror the design of the Web counterparts. Anyone thats used to watching Netflix or Hulu Plus on their laptop will have no trouble using the interface on the PlayStation 3.A smartcard is a plastic card that has a computer chip implanted into it that enables the card. Its helpful for guests at your home, assuming they also use Netflix or Hulu Plus. In general, the PS3 applications are better for content discovery as well as locating specific content quicker.

Circling back to the Netflix application, the design on the Xbox 360 is absolutely horrible when compared to the PS3. While it doesnt use the Metro design, the Staircase of Content look hinders content discovery and simply doesnt perform well on the Xbox 360. Theres a noticeable lag when shifting through content and the application loads content details slowly. Its no wonder that Netflix recently announced the PlayStation 3 is dominating the Xbox 360 in the living room, despite the Netflix application debuting on the Xbox 360 an entire year before hitting the PS3.

Over the past year, Ive noticed that I experience fewer crashes when using applications on the Xbox 360 (with the exception of Netflix). My guess is that requiring developers to mold their application within the Metro-style design allows Microsoft to control the compatibility of those applications with the Xbox 360 hardware.Whilst the preparation of ceramic and luggagetag are similar. Alternatively, a couple of the applications on the PlayStation 3 give me some trouble from time to time. Ive had to hard reset my PS3 a few times over the past year due to Hulu Plus and Netflix freezing completely. Its a small nuisance, but still enough to give the edge to the Microsoft in this category.

If this was last year, I would have called this category a toss-up.You must not use the werkzeugbaus without being trained. However, I recently got access to Netflixs Super HD streams through my PlayStation 3 (as well as my Roku 3).Whether a mechanical plasticcard makes sense in your existing homes depends on the house. On a 1080p television, you can clearly tell the upgraded difference in picture quality when compared to the 720p stream on the Xbox 360.

The crisper, more detailed video stream is especially evident on new content like SyFys season one of Continum or Netflixs House of Cards, specifically fewer compression artifacts on dark scenes. Interestingly, Ive found that video quality shifts far less when watching Super HD streams. Its likely that the optimization process required on the ISPs end to support Super HD improves the streaming process.