C-Mart

My in-laws just purchased a Mitsubishi 73" DLP and I originally was going to "sell them" on an upscaling DVD player. A friend of mine suggested a Blu-Ray player instead, as it will also upscale regular DVDs. I immediately jumped to PS3. For roughly $200 more than the cheapest of the cheap Blu-Ray player they can get the PS3 and be able to play games as well. (They wouldn't play games probably, but their daughter and grand-daughter that live with them would, and of course we're over there all the time) Couple that with a supposed $100 back when you get a new Sony Credit Card and spend >$300 and it seems like a slam dunk to me.

I mention this to my boss who immediately rejects the idea based on the fact that the PS3 was engineered as a game system not a Blu-Ray player, would, in-fact be an inferior player vs. a stand-alone player.

So, I pose the question to you - how does the PS3 hold up against the stand-alone players out there? Personally I have no qualms about it because my PS2 still holds out as the best DVD player in my house, but I want to be informed when I make the final suggestions to the in-laws.

P.S. Sorry if this is a repeat of a previous thread. I didn't even think to search. Mods - feel free to do what you do.

SoSpacey

The PS3 was not engineered to be a game player 1st; it was engineered to be a full media solution...game player, Blu-ray player and media center to stream music and movies. They didnt make a game player that just happens to be a Blu-ray player.

Sony knew the PS3 was key to Blu-ray taking off, so they made sure it was one of the best Blu-ray players on the market. It is network ready out of the box and can be updated when it needs to be.

the only drawback to the PS3, in my eyes, is the lack of analog outs but that isn't an issue with most people as most Joe6Packs don't know what analog outs do, nor do they know how to use them anyway. The other issue may be the bluetooth remote but there are workarounds to that. As a positive to the bluetooth remote, if you are streaming music to your PS3 you don't need a sight-line for an infrared remote so depending on how far you are from your PS3 you can theoretically change songs, etc from your kitchen without walking into your living room/theater room.

lizard

[You might get more responses if you asked this question in the HD forum, but I'll give it a try.]

The PS3 is widely considered to be one of the best Blu-ray Disc players in its price range. It is also does ok with upscaling regular DVDs, although it is not outstanding in that regard.

Advantages include:

• The fastest start-up and disc loading of any player; handles java heavy discs easily (in contrast to most other players).
• Well-supported by Sony with firmware updates.
• Very good Blu-ray Disc picture quality.
• Can decode and send lossless audio — both Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio — to HDMI equipped HT receivers.
• Profile 2.0 (If you don't understand this terminology, please check out the glossary at the bottom of the first post of the http://forum.dvdtalk.com/hd-talk/525042-blu-ray-disc-player-thread.html]Blu-ray Disc Player Thread).
• Plays video games, for those so inclined.

Disadvantages include:

• The PS3 is a huge power hog (hundreds of watts), compared to just about any other Blu-ray Disc player one cares to name — that’s why it is often reported to get so hot. The Panasonic BD30 is rated at just 25 watts, by contrast.
• No multi-channel analog audio outputs (for lossless audio with older HT receivers).
• No bitstreaming of lossless audio codecs (for use with the latest HT receivers with on-board decoding).
• No IR remote compatibility (meaning that one can't use a universal remote without an add-on device, and even that won't enable power-on). Also, one has to use the game controller as the remote or pay extra for a more conventional (Bluetooth) remote.
• The PS3 is a slot loader. While some might like that, I would guess that many of us don’t like trusting our discs to a slot loader, scratch-resistant coating notwithstanding.
• No LCD display panel on the machine.
• The PS3 is considered by many to be “ugly” as a home theater component.
• Some versions of the PS3 have a lot of fan noise (due to the considerable heat generated, I presume).


Most people who have PS3s seem to rave about them and it has become the standard by which many judge other "stand-alone" BD players.

Superman07

Good info on the power requirements. I did not know that!

C-Mart

Thanks for the info. At least now I'm a bit more informed on the issues for when I talk to my FIL.

John Sinnott

The reason I recommend PS3's to people who aren't knowledgeable about A/V equipment is because of the automatic updates. As Lizard mentioned, Sony's great with updating the unit and if your FIL has a wireless network in his house, it will do it automatically. No downloading files from the web, burning a CD and installing it like most other players.

Sdallnct

Your boss is simply wrong. There maybe reasons not to get the PS3, but picture quality is not one of them. It is still considered amoung the best BD players available at any price.

I agree with others. Once of the very best features is ease of FW upgrades. This is something needed by all of todays players. So you want it as easy as possible.

Even simple stuff is nice on the media center. D/L music on it for parties and such. Load photos of the kids and grand kids to show off. D/L trial versions of games to try before you buy.

Spiky

Um, no disrespect to anyone, but no one has yet complained about any BD player's BD picture quality. That's a testament to two things. (1) Frickin' miracles. Which has caused... (2) The complete lack of shitty BD video processing systems.

But don't worry, people on this website are sure to get that wish soon, too. Go China!

The PS3 is all about software. I'm quite impressed it is holding up so well against hardware solutions. That is beginning to fade.

Nick Martin

I live in an apartment, and while my hydro is included in the rent, that does explain two burnt fuses...

Thankfully I bought an inexpensive (in other words, cheap) HDMI receiver a couple of weeks ago that solves this, as my other receiver had one optical and one coaxial only.


I'd loves me a Harmony remote. I played around with one of those 1000 models (had to program it) and it was very nice indeed, but I've used like 4 remotes for years, so what's one more? Mine came with a remote and Batman Begins as part of a deal, so no cost complaint there but it's certainly a valid point.

I trust it more than a disc tray that I have to constantly clean off because of dust that may get inside the player.


At first I thought I would hate that, but I realize I hate LCD info displays now completely. I've always found them to be a distraction when watching a movie in the dark so this is a plus.


I like its unusual look, and it sits proudly above my entertainment unit. Plenty of ventilation up there, so it stays quiet at all times.

milo bloom

Minor tangent, I'm still a ways off from going Blu, but I'm leaning towards a PS3 whenever we do (we bought our PS2 for both gaming and it's ability to play DVDs). But that power draw bothers me. I know systems get revised under the hood as manufacturers learn to consolidate chipsets and such (like the Xbox 360), and I know the PS3 has already gone through a few iterations itself (losing the backwards compatibility kinda irks me), is there any chance Sony will do something about the power draw issue?

It bothers me both for the thought of increasing my electric bill even more, and the fact that's it not as eco-friendly.

Spiky

I really doubt that software can do that, at least not dramatically. The PS3 is what, 3 high-powered computers running together?

JackBurton

My PS3 is currently connected to a non-HDMI reciever via optical digital cable. When playing the Shine a Light Blu-ray, I noticed that there is an option for 2.0 PCM. I believe I've read that optical can handle lossless up to 2.1. Is this correct? If so, what setting would I put my receiver on, "Direct"?

JackBurton

Can anyone help with this?^^^ Thanks!

shaun3000

Shouldn't matter, so long as your PS3 is set up to output the bitstream. Alternatively, if you set your PS3 up to output PCM, it will output lossless, 2.0 PCM over your optical cable. If, for whatever reason, you prefer the marginal sound improvement of lossless over 5.1 surround, there you go.

JackBurton

Thanks, Shaun!