Have to say, Patch 1.4 took care of my issue. I froze up at level 19, but with the patch I'm now pushing level 43 with no problems in sight.
Well, none that can't be fixed by a reset, anyway, and a problem that I can fix that easily is no problem at all.
Anyway, good on ya, Bethseda. Not sure what you did, but patch 1.4 changed this from a regretted purchase to one I've definitely gotten my money's worth on. Since I made no secret of my displeasure in the past, let me not be one of those who only speaks up when the wheel needs grease:
Skyrim's one hell of a product, even on the PS3. A little bit of a rocky start, true, but the patched version now comes heartily recommended.
Anyway, I'm off to go kill me an Emperor. ^^