Is the PS3 the best BluRay player for money?

Dman001

I am looking for the cheapest BluRay player around and the PS3 seems to be the best value for money. I am not really interested in using it for games, but using it for media mostly. How would you rate the PS3 for BluRay playback and for DVD upscaling and media playback?

311

I'm getting better sound from my dvd's on my htpc ,playing through optical on an external usb soundblaster box.

I couldn't believe how clear my pc was compared to the PS3.

Obviously HDMI is superior with trueHD for sound ,but optical wise I'm sure standalone blu-ray players are equal ,if not better.

As it stands the for me ,if I want good sound I use the HTPC . The ps3 is handy for watching TV Series and standard films.

Dman001

I have found this for about €246 delivered so I think I will wait to buy this. http://www.pixmania.com/ie/uk/1048427/art/sigmatek/sbr-1000-blu-ray-player.html

mathias

The simple fact of the matter is , regardless of how it goes , the PS3 is the only fully featured Blu ray player currently on the market.

All other standalone players are hobbled in some way , for the next generation of standalones it looks like this issue will be addressed , starting with the Panasonic BD 50 , but any currently available players are stuck on early profiles and are simply not worth the money.

Why on earth would you spend a considerable amount of cash for a player that cannot do all that blu ray has to offer.

So , until a standalone comes out that is either profile 2.0 or has the connection and memory to upgrade , ( they are on the way but you'll have to wait) the PS3 is The Only Blu ray player to buy , and is about half the price into the bargain.

byte

Dman001 wrote: »

I have found this for about €246 delivered so I think I will wait to buy this. http://www.pixmania.com/ie/uk/1048427/art/sigmatek/sbr-1000-blu-ray-player.html

Hmm, it does not seem to have any audio outputs? Maybe it just outputs audio through HDMI cable?

It also won't play DivX/Xvid files.

mathias

As it stands the for me ,if I want good sound I use the HTPC . The ps3 is handy for watching TV Series and standard films.

As far as I know there is no solution for playing HD audio soundtracks on a PC as of yet , and I mean the new Dolby true HD and DTS master HD audio.

PC soundcards and integrated soundcards us the term " HD audio " to mean an entirely different thing , and does not mean its capable of playing the new audio formats.
Which I might add , cannot be sent over an optical of spdif connection as those connections do not have the bandwidth.

So far , the only HDMI implementations Ive seen on PC's can only pass spdif down the HDMI which means they cannot do the Blu ray HD audio soundtracks. Which instantly makes the PS3 a better option.

311

Mathias I never said I get Hd audio ,I actually said "obviously hdmi is superior with trueHD for sound".

I started by talking about optical and I've never mentioned playing blu-ray's.
One of the questions asked was about dvd upscaling.

mathias

Apologies then , the way I read it I thought you were answering this question from the OP !

How would you rate the PS3 for BluRay playback and for DVD upscaling and media playback?

311

In fairness my post was quite clear .

ShaneU

The best thing about the ps3 is that the blu-ray features are constantly being updated by sony through online updates, I'd definitely recommend it over any stand-alone player.

Dman001

mathias wrote: »

The simple fact of the matter is , regardless of how it goes , the PS3 is the only fully featured Blu ray player currently on the market.

All other standalone players are hobbled in some way , for the next generation of standalones it looks like this issue will be addressed , starting with the Panasonic BD 50 , but any currently available players are stuck on early profiles and are simply not worth the money.

Why on earth would you spend a considerable amount of cash for a player that cannot do all that blu ray has to offer.

So , until a standalone comes out that is either profile 2.0 or has the connection and memory to upgrade , ( they are on the way but you'll have to wait) the PS3 is The Only Blu ray player to buy , and is about half the price into the bargain.

What else has BluRay got to offer? That BD Live thing seems a bit gimmicky. Anyway, can't most BluRay standalone players get updates?

Mossy Monk

Dman001 wrote: »

Anyway, can't most BluRay standalone players get updates?

No.

Dman001

I know that a Samsung BluRay player got updated to 2.0.
I'm wrong.

ongarite

Blu-Ray Profile 2.0 which PS3 supports requires internet connection and 1GB of local storage for features on disc.
No 1.0 or 1.1 standalone players would have these features hence the reason PS3 with built-in HDD and net connection and FW updates is the best option.

Dman001

ongarite wrote: »

Blu-Ray Profile 2.0 which PS3 supports requires internet connection and 1GB of local storage for features on disc.
No 1.0 or 1.1 standalone players would have these features hence the reason PS3 with built-in HDD and net connection and FW updates is the best option.

Sorry I missread an article on a website. Right, so the PS3 is the best value BR player. Does it do a good job on upscaling DVDs?

ongarite

I would say its also one of the best DVD upscalers on the market, comparable to Denon players which cost much much more. All things considered its a cracking media player with Blu-Ray, DVD and DivX playback.

mathias

Yes it does a very good job of upscaling , its easily on a par with some standalone upscaling DVD players on the market.

If you want a Standalone Blu-ray , its wise to wait for about 3 months , in 3 months at the latest , the profile 2.0 players will be in the shops , with the Profile 1.1's and 1.0's taking a big hit in price as a result.

Me , Im waiting for the BD 50 and some reviews, I wouldnt even consider anything less than a profile 2.0 , it would be sickening to fork out for an expensive standalone blu-ray as it stands when the better players are so close , and at the moment they are beaten by a games console anyways.

Dman001

Thanks all. So PS3 seems like a good buy.

Snake Plisken

PS3 is deffo the best Blu-Ray player out there, its so good I bought 2 1 for region B and I imported a Region A one