DVD Josh

Now, I don't think it's the best BD player, just the best value in BD players. But I do agree with many of the points of this article.

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Not too long ago we asked you what the best Blu-ray player was and as many would expect one of the hottest answers was the PS3. At $400, with the PS3's ability to be updated to support just about any new Blu-ray feature, it seems like the best value; but there's one thing about the PS3 that is often overlooked. No, we're not talking about the lack of IR remote (easily solved with a $15 adapter) we're talking about the limited audio codec support. Sure, the PS3 supports Doby TrueHD decoding internally, but it lacks a big one, DTS HD. For whatever reason, the PS3 does not support bitstream output -- no, not even TrueHD -- only PCM, and since there's no DTS HD decoder built in, that leaves out one of the hottest new codecs. Sure, only ~15% of Blu-ray titles even include a DTS HD sound track, but judging by the upcoming releases from Sony, Disney, Fox, New Line and Lionsgate, we'd say this number is going to get a lot bigger. At this point, the best option is the Panasonic DMP-BD30 and a newer HDMI 1.3a A/V receiver with all the decoders built in, but who knows, maybe Sony will figure out a way to upgrade the PS3.

http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/01/02...lu-ray-player/

Noonan

My receiver is from the pre-HD digital era so I've never truly heard the new formats. Is DTS-HD really that much better than the Lossless PCM you can get from the PS3?

XavierMike

No. The problem is that many discs (Fox, I'm looking at you) have DTS-HD MA as the only lossless option. So, the best the PS3 can do is the DTS core (at 1.5mbs) which is good, but it is not lossless.

hauntnut

I don't think it will be too long before the PS3 gets the firmware update it needs to allow for bitstreaming of lossless audio codecs, and internal decoding of DTS-HD Master. I can remember when the naysayers were complaining that the PS3 wasn't Profile 1.1 compliant, and that has since changed. Even at 1.5 Mbps, DTS has never sounded better on my system. I'm quite happy with my PS3 both as a gaming device and as a Blu-Ray player.

cpgator

So because it does not support 1 audio type, it is not the best? That seems to be ignoring many other factors.

Supermallet

I believe the ability to bitstream lossless audio is actually part of the hardware configuration of HDMI 1.3. That is, it's not something that can be enabled through software. It's an optional spec for 1.3 and the PS3 did not include, so, as far as I know, it will not be able to bitstream lossless audio in the future. But it can decode True HD as PCM and pass that along without HDMI 1.3, and it will almost certainly receive an upgrade to decode DTS HD MA in the same fashion. In other words, it doesn't need to bitstream.

Houstondon

I'm sure the folks having significant problems with their Panasonic players might disagree with the assessment above.

http://forum.dvdtalk.com/showthread.php?t=520518

Mr. Cinema

How happy would the other CE makers be if the PS3 eventually becomes a 2.0 BD Live player that can decode all lossless audio for under $400? I'm guessing not very.

Mr. Cinema

Certainly seems to be a small group. I've had mine for 2 months and have had 0 issues. There are also very few complaints in the large owner's thread at AVS. You usually hear only complaints about products, but I'm sure most have had no trouble.

DthRdrX

It may not be the best, but it certainly has done the job the best while we wait for newer hardware and price drops.

kvrdave

I can't imagine how any of them were happy that the PS3 was so cheap comparatively, anyway. I can't imagine manufacturing a BD player unless there was Sony kickbacks, etc. It looks like a huge money loser when you have to compete with the PS3.

mcghee84

I also haven't had any problems with my Panasonic. Some discs are slow to load, while others seem wonky when it comes to some of the advanced special features. But I get the impression from forums like this one, reviews, etc., that that's just BD-Java, not the player; and when it comes to playing the feature, I've never had a problem.

Deftones

Do yourself a favor and go read the AVS forum on the Panasonic. It's one of the highest, if not highest rated player in the Blu forum over there.

Edit: I see someone already beat me to the punch. to Mr. Cinema.

I haven't hooked mine up yet, but just based on that forum and reading through each player's thread, I chose the Panasonic.

WMAangel

Hmmm, can anyone else see what's wrong with this statement?

The first two studios mentioned have never used DTS-HD on any of their releases, and don't have any announced plans to do so!
They have both been using uncompressed PCM since the beginning, and while Disney continues to do so on all their titles, Sony has now been using Dolby TrueHD along with or instead of PCM in some instances...

QuePaso

Close Encounters Of The Third Kind from Sony has DTS HD MA.

True_Story1011

So your saying it still can be done or that you have to have a capable receiver?

Hammer99

+1. I've also had no issues with my BD-30, it's a great player. But I do miss my PS3 on my main system, it's just a lot slicker... as soon as DTS HD-MA gets added to the PS3, I will swap the 2 players. Too bad I'll probably have to get a HDMI 1.3 receiver for my secondary system then, it never ends lol.

Supermallet

For devices that internally decode the lossless codecs and output them as PCM, you don't need an HDMI 1.3 receiver, just an HDMI receiver capable of getting audio through the HDMI input. A player like the HD-A35 requires an HDMI 1.3 receiver to get DTS HD MA, but if/when the PS3 is upgraded to decode DTS HD MA, it would not require an HDMI 1.3 receiver.

Houstondon

Guys, the machine has only been out a short time and then in limited (thanks to Christmas?) quantities. I got to play with it extensively at a friend's place (two separate occasions) and found:
1) The up conversion was pretty bad, no, make that real bad.
2) It was the quirkiest player I've tested, both units having to go back. The one that "sort of worked" for a day would not play the Jenna Haze Oil Orgy at all, had issues with Underdog, and eventually quit playing BR discs altogether. The guy at the store rolled his eyes and said "not another one"...

I'm sure that it could be a fine player but relying so heavily on the responses at a couple of online forums as the definitive sources regarding quality strikes me as...curious. Personally, I want them to work out all the bugs because I want a stand alone player, and I'm willing to pay for all the bells and whistles, but please don't mistake my comments as anything other than my trying to point out that based on my personal experience, there does seem to have been a bad run of them floating around.

darkside

Exactly. I can't think of a standalone BD player yet that wasn't missing major features or very quirky. The PS3 is really the major exception and will be the best supported through updates.

No DTS MA sucks, but has to be a possibility down the road through firmware. If not why the fuck is anyone using it? Just stick with TrueHD or PCM studios.

I'm also not finding many BD players with HDDs or that let me stream all my media and music to my TV. The PS3 has to get credit for all of its multimedia abilities. It can do things you would have to spend big bucks on a home theater PC to get.

Jericho

I've always thought that the PS3 would be able to decode DTS-HD, it's just it hasn't been added yet. There are some rumors that it hasn't been added in part because it's already such a good player, that adding DTS-HD would further piss off other BD player manufacturers (whose players already do less at a higher price than the PS3). Not much actually decodes DTS-HD these days, either on the player or receiver side. I have a fairly new decently expensive receiver from Denon that doesn't even decode DTS-HD.

Supermallet

The latest line of Onkyos decode DTS HD MA and Dolby True HD.

WMAangel

Doh!
You're right about that one, BUT that was just the one title specifically at Spielberg's request, as he seems to get whatever he wants on all the handling of his own films (like how his movies were not included as a part of the Paramount/Dreamworks HD DVD exclusivity....)

With that one special exception, my point is still valid....Engadget shouldn't mention Sony and Disney in their DTS-HD MA argument if they have never used the codec and do not have any announced titles coming out with it.....

The Bus

The PS3 may not be the best now (or in the future), and I fully expect that. But it's been the best for over a year. At the end of this year or next when great BD players are $199 or less, will it matter?

Shannon Nutt

Given the low price and the fact that it does so many other things that stand alone players do not, the PS3 is a great little machine, IMHO. It's the perfect option for those who want to take the dive into Blu-ray but don't want to spend a fortune doing so. I see myself getting a new HD DVD player LONG before I upgrade to a new Blu-ray machine, and price isn't the only factor for saying that.