Are PS3's multi regional?

[gekke henkie]

Quotes:
It doesn't matter that Blu-ray titles are usually encoded at 1080/24p - at least for the main feature.

It doesn't? When >95% of the discs are encoded in HD, why wouldn't that matter? If the PS3 would be multiregional, then the TS would be able to play all these movies. So, yes, it matters most in this discussion, IMHO.

The fact remains that:
1) There are 50hz Blu-ray titles (1080/50i, 576/50i). Titles that have either some or all content in these formats (there's no 480/50i content - it's 576/50i)

Irrelevant fact; <5% of the discs have their main feature in these formats. (You are right about that 576/50i, my mistake)

2) 1080/50i and 576/50i (as well as 1280x720@50p) are part of the Blu-ray specifications

Irrelevant again. Yes, it's in the spec for possible implementations, but since almost nobody has a use for it, why spend money and make the players even more expensive?

3) US PS3s are not supporting what is in the Blu-ray specifications.

Yes, they do support everything that is obligatory. Not all possibilities are, luckily, that would make all players almost identical and too expensive.

4) This is a problem for both consumers and the studios.

You are the 1st one I have heard about making SD content on BD discs into a problem. Inconvenient (concerning the extra's) yes, but a problem? No.

5) 50hz or 25p is the native recording format for many productions. Not supporting it also means format conversions and lower quality video & audio encodes (like Blu-ray encodes slowed down by 4.096% or things shot at 50i which get converted to 60i), as well as increased costs for the studios.

No, almost every movie is shot in 24 frames, not in 25p (let alone in 50i). This only relates to some productions only meant for TV/video (like soaps, etc), but most discs are movies and they (I dare to say about >90%) are shot in 24p.

If a consumer owns a display that doesn't accept 50hz content (the format used in broadcasting to most of the world's population) - because the manufacturer has disabled it, other US players - those that actually support what is part of the Blu-ray specifications - allow it to be converted by the player into something the display does support.

It is not because manufacturers disabled it, it is because implementing 2 standards (especially a 50i standard in a 110V/60Hz power environment) costs money, and because almost nobody in the US cares about this anyway, manufacturers don't have to charge more for their TV's (and would make competition harder for them). By the way, although most of the world is on 50Hz, most TV-series come from the US and are in a 60Hz setting AFAIK.

And why would someone not be able to view 480/60i content? Are you saying there are PS3s that don't support that too?[/QUOTE]

Yes, like US-PS3's will not play 50Hz, I think the EU-PS3 of the Topic Starter will not play 60Hz, but I'm not sure, since many European players support both formats (although most US players support the NTSC format only)