Blobs in Postgresql

Hi all-

I am evaluating databases for use in a large project that will hold image
data as blobs. I know, everybody says to just store pointers to files on the
disk...can't do it here...the images are of a confidential nature and access
to the database (and resulting client app) will be highly restricted. The
underlying platform will likely be Linux though Solaris x86-64 has been
suggested as well.

I did some tests with MySQL and found the results very sub-par...the
standard blob field only holds 64k (they have three types of blobs for
whatever reason) and the real problem is that my uploads and downloads have
failed because of packet size issues...this can be solved somewhat with
server settings, but I get the impression that blobs are barely supported.

So turning to Postgresql, can I get any recommendations, suggestions and
tips on blob handling in the database? The image sizes will be pretty
variable, from a few kilobytes to several hundred megabytes, so I need
something that will handle the various file sizes, hopefully transparently.

Thanks for any info,

Ron