Sony says BYO HDMI, limited 1080p for low end

To say that the lead up to November's launch of the PlayStation 3 has been peppered with pitfalls is an understatement. First and foremost is the price tag: $599 for the top-of-the-line version and $499 for a version with a smaller hard drive, no built-in WiFi support, and perhaps most importantly for a device meant to get Blu-ray into homes everywhere, no support for HDMI.

Those who opt for the more-expensive PS3 with its larger hard drive and HDMI port will have to shell out an additional $25 or so for an HDMI cable, which will not be included with console, according to Sony's PS3 FAQ. You won't need HDMI for 1080p games if you can find a television set that fully supports 1080p over component cable, but good luck finding any such TV. They don't appear to exist.

As a result of Sony's decision to keep HDMI off the $499 PS3 model—likely as a cost-savings measure—those opting for the less-expensive console will effectively be left out of the 1080p goodness altogether. According to Sony, "copy-protected Blu-ray video discs can only output at 1080p using an HDMI cable connected to a device that is compatible with the HDCP standard." No HDMI cable, no 1080p. Sony here is not referring to the controversial Image Constraint Token for Blu-ray and HD DVD movies. Rather, they are referring to a provision in the AACS licensing agreement that strictly forbids 1080p output over anything but HDMI.

The lack of HDMI, and therefore 1080p support, undermines comments made by Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios president Phil Harrison. Last winter, he attacked the competition by dismissing the Xbox 360's HD capabilities, saying that "1080-progressive... is the true definition of HD." It looks like the low-end PS3 falls short by Sony's standards, at least when it comes to commercial Blu-ray movie playback; it still supports 1080p gaming over component cables, but the list of TVs that will do 1080p over anything other than HDMI is short, at best.

The Xbox 360 currently supports 720p and 1080i, but not 1080p for gaming. With an add-on external drive to be unveiled later this year, Microsoft will also add HD DVD support to its console. We expect this device to support a maximum of 1080i as well.

Sony plans to make 2 million PS3s available at launch, 4 million by year end and 6 million by the end of its fiscal year on March 31, 2007. In an interview earlier this week, Sony Computer Entertainment America CEO Kaz Hirai reiterated the company's commitment to making those numbers, but analysts aren't convinced that Sony will be able to pull it off.

With the lack of 1080p support on the low-end, failing to include HDMI cables, relying on brand-new technologies, and the price of its next-gen consoles, Sony may be setting itself for disappointment when the PS3 finally arrives on store shelves. Will the PS3 ultimately succeed? That's up to the gamers, and it depends on how they feel about the moves Sony has made.