Some PS3 questions
 

I was debating getting a PS3 and had a few questions....

1) Is the Blu-Ray player just as good as a stand alone Blu-Ray player, especially when it comes to the audio aspect of showing movies?

2) Is the new 80 GB edition with MGS4 in it backwards compatible with PS2 games? I know the original 80 GB PS3s were but the 40 GB versions were not and I didn't know if this most recent edition allowed you to play PS2 games.

3) Is College Football pretty fun on it, i.e. like on the PS2?

4) Does it have any type of history of breaking like the Xbox's Red Ring of Death?

I eventually want a Blu-Ray player and if this is just as good as a stand alone player in all aspects, I would be happy having a Blu-Ray player that happens to also play NCAA Football. Any answers are appreciated.

1. Yes, with the firmware updates it's probably one of your better bets for a BD player. I'm not a big audio guy so I can't help you there.
2. Yes, the MGS4 80GB bundle will play both PS1 and PS2 games.
3. Can't comment here, but I'd imagine it is or is pretty close.
4. No, nothing along the lines of the RROD.

1) Actually it is better than almost every other BD player on the market. The only downside is it doesn't bitstream the advanced codecs, but if can decode them all including DTS HD Master Audio. However, you will need an HDMI compatible receiver for the PS3 to output this sound to. The PS3 is a full profile 2.0 player and unlike every other BD player it is glitch free and has no trouble with advanced features.

2) Like the previous 80GB it is 90% backwards compatible with PS2 games. Sony has a website were you can check compatibility with individual games.
http://www.us.playstation.com/Support/CompatibleStatus

3) Yeah, the Madden and College Football games are pretty much as good as ever.

4) No. There have been cases here and there of disc read errors, but they are very minor overall. There doesn't seem to be an epidemic of problems like the 360 or the PS2 disc read errors. My 60GB is 18 months old and has probably close to a thousand of hours of use with no issues.

it does a good job of upscaling DVD's too...

Wasn't this exact thread posted a couple days ago? Hmph.

Don't forget me!

I just came back from Walmart picking up a second PS3 (mostly for Blu-ray), the 40GB Spiderman Bundle. I was surprised they still sell it, i thought it was phased out, how long ago did they discontinue that bundle??

Also picked up Metal Gear Solid 4. AWESOME GAME!!!

Check out this updated review of the PS3 (in terms of a Blu-ray player), dated just this past April. It does a great job of explaining everything.

That's a link to monoprice.

Edit: OK I'm an idiot...misunderstood what you were going for there.

It's a link to a $5 HDMI Cable from monoprice. A must.

While it lacks a few things in the audio department (optical out), if you've got an HDMI receiver or an HDMI TV, there should be no problem. Many still consider it to be the best Blu-ray player and as more Java (BD-J) content hits machines, you can bet the PS3 will be the one most often tested on. That, and even if you don't play any games, it may have the option for you to rent movies down the line plus it can stream content (movies, pictures, audio) from your home PC.

Yes, it handles BC through software. Meaning that it's not as good as the 60GB's BC, but more inclusive than the 360's.

Not that I have heard of. If you're deciding between the PS3 and the 360 and you play a lot of games, I would say the 360 has a stronger library and you'll miss out on the smallest amount of big titles with it. Hardware wise, the PS3 is pretty good. The only problems I've had with it is occasionally losing the wireless signal in my home network.

If this is your main criteria, I highly recommend the PS3.

Don't listen to this man, it certainly has optical out.

I read that as, if you use optical your audio options are limited compared to HDMI. Not that it doesn't have optical audio at all, which it does.

You lost me. But I can assure the OP that the PS3 does have digital optical out because I use it.

I was thinking the same thing. "Huh? I have mine hooked up through optical."

Still don't understand the distinction he was trying to make. Bottom line, if you don't have an HDMI receiver, you have the optical audio on the PS3 that you can access ... because it is there.

ugh, Yes the PS3 has optical audio!

However you will be limited to the types of audio that will be decoded through the optical connection. For example, through the optical output you will not be able to get TrueHD, or DTS-HD audio. If you were to use HDMI however you would be able to decode those audio streams.

Stop spreading lies!


http://image.com.com/gamespot/shared...ation/0006.jpg

I guess I still don't understand why that's worth mentioning. We are always limited by the equipment we have. I think the most important thing is that the PS3 will decode all audio formats, depending on the set up that you have. Which is to say, of course, that the PS3 has optical audio (and other audio options as well). :)

FUD! FUD! FUD!

rotfl

You're right it was completely irrelevant for me to explain the limitations of optical audio to a guy coming in asking about a Blu-Ray player. I should probably just assume he'll be hooking it up via composite cables as well. ;)

When someone asks specifically about how the PS3 audio is compared to other stand-alone Blu-ray players, I'm pretty sure he knows what optical is and we don't need to assume he's hooking it up via composite.

Well, that's what the system comes with. That's what I should use, right?

Okay then that seems fair. But so long as we're assuming things, why would a guy who comes in specifically asking about the audio of the PS3 compared to other Blu-Ray players (assuming now that he must be an audiophile based on your logic) give a fuck about a substandard system for audio? Can't we then assume that he must have the very best in home audio equipment and therefore the existence, or lack of optical audio is irrelevant since he would obviously be using HDMI to pass sound?




BTW the PS3 has optical audio, in case anyone was wondering. :)

Actually, I don't think that's something I would assume just because receivers with HDMI haven't been around for too long and seem to only now be becoming more affordable. And with how much money it costs to get a good receiver, I can see where someone might still have a receiver that doesn't have HDMI (ahem, like this one here).

As for the OP caring about it ... he didn't say that he cared about optical. The only reason anyone said anything about the optical was because it was stated that it didn't have optical audio.

Cool. The moral of the story is the PS3 makes an excellent Blu-Ray player, and has many nice audio options. The OP should buy one. :thumbsup:























I can't wait till timorrow when someone else is kind enough to grace us with another thread just like this. ;)

I think we can agree on that!

Please see my posting in the HD forum. It tells you the LIMITATIONS of the optical out:

http://forum.dvdtalk.com/showpost.ph...82&postcount=8

The optical out certain DOES lack in the audio department! It outputs only 5.1 max while only the HDMI can support 7.1 audio formats.

btw, I was being sarcastic while making a dig at Sony for including substandard cables with their hi-def system.

I know Corvin, I wasn't replying to your post. I thought it was funny :)

Actually, if you want to simplify it that much, that's not true. DTS-ES discrete is a 6.1 format and works over optical (see: LOTR EE DVDs).

HDMI supports hi-rez codecs. PS3 output via optical will downrezz hi-rez to a more compressed audio type - DD5.1 or DTS5.1.

Just more lies - I don't believe you!

Also and FWIW, SACD playback (there are still a few of us who CARE about the format) is limited using the optical out connection. There is no true hi-rez multi-channel output. Both the 2-channel and 5.1 multi-channel audio signals are downconverted. I do not currently have an HDMI receiver, but from what I've read, you do get full featured SACD playback using the PS3's HDMI jack.

And apparently SACD support has been removed from the 40 GB versions.

There are some hardcore audiophiles that say the PS3 is not as good as players that bitstream the info to a receiver for decoding, but I tested a few discs on my PS3 and my Denon and I honestly didn't have either the ears or the speakers to tell the difference. I thought the PS3 did a great job with SACDs, but as you say it can only output the decoded audio over HDMI.

I AM the original poster and I thank you all for your replies. I'm going to get one, I just need to find the MGS4 Bundle. Thanks!

According to many articles I've read the PS3 is considered the best Blu Ray player out there. The latest HDTalk article even mentions this.

I was actually about to ask this very question while reading thru this thread. Oh well...and I just got a 40GB.

Do they even still make SACDs?

For the most part, as far as rock releases go, no. There is still the occasional import disc (the first 7 Moody Blues albums were reissued as "deluxe" hybrid discs about a year ago.) But, since SACD has been relegated to the scrap-heap of "audiophile" type status, it is a non-factor in the US except for some classical and jazz labels. More's the pity, since this is another great format that Sony has somehow managed to botch.