PS3: Good Blu-ray Player Under $600, or Best?

[Guest]

The PS3 as a Blu-ray player

PS3: Good Blu-ray Player Under $600, or Best? : Read more

 

[Guest]

I can't believe you even bother mentioning the remote. You make a massive deal that the PS3 does not include one, it costs a mere $20 to buy one, infact where I am, the PS3 is actually alot more than $20 cheaper, so your hassle is simply picking it up when you walk past the accessories aisle.

Having seen all 3 players in action, I personally think the PS3 wins by alot more than a hair. The media and upscaling capabilities are without a doubt the finest around, the Blu-Ray playback is solid, even if you never touch a game, it's a bargain. That said everyone I know that's bought a PS3 as a blu-ray player has ended up buying a handful of games from the online store!!! You might think you are not a gamer, but there is one inside all of us! A couple of seconds of playing Gran Turismo 5 Prologue around the alpine track is usually enough to convince people...

 

[ejkitchen]

I agree with MikeTheBike. The PS3 does not win by a hair. It wins by alot more. Image, speed, compatibility, versatility and ease of use.

First, you are completely off on the remote and you should have written one sentence. "Remember to buy it at the same time or simply go to your nearest electronics store and pick it up". You also are not fair when it comes to the menus. My friend paid over $900 for his Sony BD player and it sucks in all respects including menus and it's Ethernet connection is useless. My PS3 is simple and easy to configure. I DO NOT OWN A SINGLE VIDEO GAME. I HATE VIDEO GAMES. I never played console games nor do I intend to start. Me and my better half use it SOLELY to watch movies and download previews. The only time I have to use that stupid joystick thing is when the system needs an upgrade. For some reason, you need to press that silly button on that remote and accept the end user license with the arrow thing.

And when it comes to image quality, well I am sorry, I own a few HD titles and they are amazing. Now keep in mind I have Pioneer Elite Plasma so I don't see the artifacts you talk about. The image is stunning. And I also use my PS3 to watch DVDs and boy is it good. And all of that with SPEED SPEED AND SPEED. Put the disc in, click on the little video icon and watch.

Connectors? Please. If you buy a Blu-Ray player and you need anything else other than HDMI, then I don't know what to tell you. If you really make your decision based on a connector then get another player. If your TV is too old for this or you want component then don't buy a PS3. People get carried away by this. I am an average consumer and all I want is a fantastic image. But a fantastic image is not one where I use scientific instruments to measure crap. It's an image where when I watch the BBC's Blue Planet, I go WOW. When I watch an action movie it's awesome and my eyes don't complain or notice obvious things (such as on my previous LCD TV). So when you write a consumer article, careful what you say to whom. Make an enthusiast section and give them the gory details. And try to find a happy medium to talk to people like me and say you know what, the image on the PS3 is pretty amazing and blows any DVD out of the water hands down. Also check your TV because Casino Royal has no artifacts on my TV.

BTW, what does my PS3 do when we're not watching movies? Folding proteins 24/7. Everyone should do that.
EJK

 

[Guest]

Why on Earth would you need RCA or S-video for watching Blu-Ray discs? Do you plan on watching Blu-Rays on a tube TV? HDMI is the standard right now for high definition video, and the PS3 has that. What HDTV have you seen that doesn't include at least one HDMI port? I haven't seen one.

I keep my PS3 in my TV stand and I can't hear if its on. I previously had a Toshiba HD-A3 HDDVD player, and that thing was loud.

 

[Guest]

Have you heard about Sony's new dedicated Bluray players in Europe? What HiFi of UK has just reviewed the new budget BD 350 player (go to their website www.whathifi.com). It's game over for the PS3 as a Bluray player. If you want gaming, go for it. If you want movies in the best quality get a dedicated player. Funny, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

 

[truerock]

In general, when I see a review of a TV or some other video device that gets all knotted up over the remote control, I assume the reviewer is intellectually impaired and write off the article as probably inaccurate. Remote controls are (usually) incredibly inexpensive sub-components that are irrelevant to a purchasing decision. I recall a review of a $6,000 plasma TV that couldn't get over the fact that the included remote control was not multi-function (I prefer single function remote controls, except for the 1 multi-function control I purchased a couple of years ago). Giving credence to the remote-control as a significant issue has become the other most idiotic, over-used review criteria: The book was better than the movie (duhh!).

 

[truerock]

In general, when I see a review of a TV or some other video device that gets all knotted up over the remote control, I assume the reviewer is intellectually impaired and write off the article as probably inaccurate. Remote controls are (usually) incredibly inexpensive sub-components that are irrelevant to a purchasing decision. I recall a review of a $6,000 plasma TV that couldn't get over the fact that the included remote control was not multi-function (I prefer single function remote controls, except for the 1 multi-function control I purchased a couple of years ago). Giving credence to the remote-control as a significant issue has become the other most idiotic, over-used review criteria: The book was better than the movie (duhh!).

 

[Guest]

I play Blu-Ray movies on both my 37" 1080p LCD and a 120" 1080p projector... I've done extensive comparisons of the playback quality of Blu-Ray vs. FFDShow enhanced DVD's (a lot closer in quality than most would guess)... which is only relevant in that if the PS3 was throwing artifacts in the black level I'd see them... I have not. I suspect your cables or setup was flawed.

I guess I'd also take issue with your connections complaint... the PS3 has component and HDMI output (the only two video standards that are applicable for HD content), and supports TOSLINK optical and HDMI audio (the only standard 7.1 audio connection it doesn't have is copper digital).

Honestly, if you're buying a Blu-Ray player and are planning to connect it via svidio or component or dog forbid... COMPOSITE... you'd be FAR better served buying a better display first. All those standards are dead... why complain that a state of the art machine isn't supporting standards that would cripple its capabilities. The same is true of connecting 7.1 channel uncompressed audio to a pair of rca inputs... get a decent HT Stereo THEN get the PS3.

 

[Guest]

edit... replace "Honestly, if you're buying a Blu-Ray player and are planning to connect it via svidio or component or dog forbid... COMPOSITE" with
"Honestly, if you're buying a Blu-Ray player and are planning to connect it via svidio or coaxial or dog forbid... COMPOSITE"

 

[falchard]

Internal Blu-Ray drives now sell for $145. Its completely possible to make a Media Center PC for less then $400 that can play Blu-Ray and ports to your HDTV.

 

[nukemaster]

Good comparisons.

Thumbs up!

 

[jpmucha]

I appreciate the comparisons of start-up times and image quality. In agreement with the article, my PS3 is a little louder than I'd desire for home theater equipment, although as long as you're sitting a healthy distance away, its acceptable.

However, I do agree with posters above that the PS3 shouldn't be marked down too heavily for lack of a Blu-Ray remote or component video. Currently, for example, at the BestBuy website, a PS3 console, the remote, and the component cable can be purchased for $450, which is well under the article's $600 price limit. My understanding is that without a HDCP compliant connection, all you get is a downsampled movie, so S-video and composite are non-factors. Now that I think of it, my PS3 didn't include an HDMI cable ... should the HDMI functionality be discounted?

Also, do the other dedicated Blu-ray players have the periodic updates that the PS3 has? Perhaps I missed it, but I don't remember the article covering this topic. Sony recently added support for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio to the PS3. Perhaps corrections for the rendering issues can be solved through updated firmware.

 

[Guest]

This article does not do the PS3 justice, having tried all three of these machines, the PS3 won by a mile (not a hair). The lack of remote and bundled HDMI lead is hardly worth mentioning, as you can buy both, and still be $150 within your $600 budget.

I think that $150 was far more valid a point to mention to be honest.

You would be hard pressed to find any reason NOT to chose a PS3 over these other 2 units (or indeed any current standalone). Perhaps if it did not fit your AV rack, but that's about the only real reason.

Even if you never intend to play games on it, it's still a fantastic buy, pop the memory card from your camera in, and enjoy a HD, very stylish photo slideshow, with annotated dates and times. Stream media around your house, fill the HDD with high bitrate audio, and have all your CD's to hand. Hell, it even upsamples CD audio, in a similar way to picture upsampling.

The list of non-gaming features is endless. If you want it for games too, then it's even more of a must-buy.

 

[Guest]

I, too, have had all three of the Blu-ray players mentioned in the article. It is no contest; the PS3 is clearly superior for all of the reasons previously mentioned. I'm also at a loss concerning the reviewers comments about how the PS3 displays dark scenes. The problem that he mentions seeing is something I've never seen, nor have I read about it in any of the other online PS3 blu-ray forums.

 

[Guest]

I definitely suspect the authors setup or test was somehow flawed. Perhaps he was comparing the component output of the PS3 to the HDMI output of the other two or something along those lines. From my evalutation of the PS3 & HD content there is a SLIGHT difference in image quality between the two interfaces (HDMI was a bit cleaner at 1080p). The thing is... it's only really noticeable when playing games (since component only plays movies at 720p or 1080i, a comparison isn't fair).

The one valid concern is actually the noise level, which isn't an issue for projection (our PS3 is at least 15 feet away from the closest viewer), but is noticeable with an LCD panel when volume levels are low. If your rack is VERY close to your seating position you might be concerned with noise... though a bit of planning could avoid the problem (placement and/or enclosures with rear venting would resolve any problems).

 

[Guest]

This is an article that I have been looking for for a while. However, I would love to see the NEW Sony S350 reviewed. It is supposed to make up for all the downfalls that the S300 suffered. Also, there is a S550 coming out this fall which is also supposed to be just as good as the S350 but with the addition of decoding DTS MD Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD onboard.

 

[Guest]

Why would you want HD content on s-video... it can't display it.

Nuff said.

 

[palladin9479]

Your seriously comparing a console gaming system (that's deliberately sold under cost at a hefty loss) to dedicated video players? Yes I know the PS3 can serve as a cheap Blu-Ray player, that's because your paying less then what it costs to manufacture it and Sony is relying on game licensing and sales to actually make profit.

Commercial Blu-Ray drives are getting cheaper and cheaper every day, with the corresponding dedicated units getting cheaper as well. Also up-scaling isn't anything fancy nor revolutionary. Your video output can never have a higher quality then its source, if that source is a DVD then the output will have the quality of a DVD. Up-scaling is just stretching + interpolation to make a lower quality video source fit onto a higher resolution screen without creating artifacts or pixelation.

 

[Guest]

The reviewer obviously have setup the PS3 wrong. i would guess what he is seeing is black crush.

The player has the ability to select full or limited range of colors, and depending on the television either have to be set.. information wether he used RGB or Y/Pb/Cb Pr/Cr

a bit more info can be seen here.. http/uk.playstation.com/help-support/ps3/guides/detail/item68546/RGB-Full-Range-(HDMI)/

 

[Guest]

Personally, the lack of a digital coax output (from what I could tell from online documentation I read) was the deal breaker for me. I send the HDMI to my projector, but needed to put the audio into to my sound system. I bought the Sanyo BD-p1400 as a 'temporary' solution until there are more choices. So far, I'm very happy with the Sanyo (price $229).
- Dave