BluRay players

I bought the Playstation and have only used it as a blu-ray player. It is the best one I've used and it's relatively cheap.

 

The Panasonic Viera series players have internet connectivity and can download stuff too. For $159.

IMO PS3 is worth it for the gaming, but I wouldn't buy it to be a standalone player... when it came out BluRay players were $300-500 too.

 

The PS3 is an excellent Blu Ray player but not worth the premium if you don't game. Check out the LG's. Like others, they have built in streaming for Netflix, Youtube and others. The PS3 also does this but you have to load a startup disk to do so. I watch more Netflix than play disks on mine.

 

Sums it up...

If I didn't play videogames, I would much rather get a 300 $ Bluray player than a 300 $ PlayStation 3.

There are tons of Bluray players reviews in Audio/Video magazines all the time, pick a couple and read the latest models' pros og cons and make up your mind.


Good luck, this technology is awesome.

 

If you just want to play Blu Ray movies and aren't worried about streaming or other bells and whistles, this is a pretty good unit for $78. Keep in mind that Blu Ray is just a "temporary" format like CD's and DVD's were.

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?dest=9999999997&product_id=11319406&sourceid=34542860533860156805

 

Get a Sony from Wally world for $150 & be done with it. They have the best on screen interface I've seen, and compliment a stereo rack (unlike a PS3 which wouldn't stack well).

 

Very interesting.

I know nothing whatsoever about gaming, but have been "pondering" giving it a go - It appears there are some very good driving "games/sims" out there now - Might be fun. I don't think I'd be into "online", multiplayer gaming [I reckon i'd get my ass kicked ] Streaming, net access etc is also appealing.

I also "need" a Blu-Ray player, and the G/F is asking me what Father Xmas should bring...

However, I'm still happy with my "old" Mitsubishi 55" rear projection TV. But, it doesn't have any HDMI ports. It does have a couple of spare component inputs - Can I use those?

Furthermore, it doesn't do 1080p - 1080i is the best I can do - Will a Blu-Ray player/PS3 be worth it? Handle it ok?

Does the PS3 do it's thing wirelessly? Or does it need ethernet string?

TIA, cheers,
Ian

 

You may want to look into at least a 46" LCD. Very cheap nowadays.

 

http://www.amazon.com/PlayStation-3-Component-AV-Cable/dp/B000MIXFWA

1080i is still going to look incredible for gaming... 1080i has the same number of pixels, the only difference is that the signal is interlaced instead of progressive. You shouldn't see any major differences.

PS3 has both 802.11g and ethernet, so you can pick whichever you want to use.

To the OP, I will just echo what others have said, the PS3 is a great blu-ray player, BUT if you don't game, then it is not worth the premium these days.

A year ago, you couldn't get a better player for the money, but this year has seen drastic price cuts, and so now it is far more cost effective to go with a standalone unit.

 

Just got a BluRay---Holy Cow---can't believe the pic quality with just regular DVD's---Worth every penny of the $197 I paid for it, the quality that is----I have since learned my lesson after buying a Sony TV on Nov 16, that did not work from the box----today is Dec. 14, still no replacement has been sent....Never will I ever buy another Sony product

 

Thanks for that - Very cool - At least I know it can be done with acceptable quality. However, reading the comments on the cable seem to suggest (I'm hoping wrongly?) that the ability to output at 1080i is dependant on the game itself? I'm hoping it's a setting in the box? Or, do all games, Netflix (etc) support that output?

Powerpig - Trouble is, I've really got nowhere "suitable" to put yet another TV

Thanks again,
Cheers,
Ian

 

That got me thinking - I guess some of 'em do a better job at "up-sampling" regular DVD's than others? - I wonder if the $78 unit (Holy-cow!) suggested is as good as, for example, the PS3?

Thanks again for the comments, cheers,
Ian

 

All Blu Ray players upconvert. You should be fine with the $78 player. Just keep in mind that it doesn't stream if that matters.

 

The output resolution for gaming is entirely dependant upon the game. Most games are 720p, very few are at 1080i, and I know of none that are 1080p.

The 1080i will benefit Blu-Rays the most.

This is technically correct and not correct. All blu-ray players will upconvert.

However, the quality of the upconversion depends on which chip the player has to do the processing. A cheaper player will have a lower quality chip for upconversion, and the quality will suffer. The new generation of chips are significantly superior to previous generations, so if upconversion is an important feature, make sure to buy a blu-ray deck with a quality chip. That said, the PS3 does a very nice job at up converting.

Keep in mind, that there are movies out there that will actually look worse by comparison when up-converted, as that will have a lot to do with the quality of the video coming off of the DVD. Movies filmed earlier than the mid-to-late-90s are where you are most likely to see this happen.

 

Darn it!.... I need to go check again, but IIRC my TV doesn't do 720p eek - Again, IIRC, I had to do some tweaks in the DVR (or my "processor", can't remember now) to get it to output a 720p signal as 1080i.

I guess that's something!

That's what I figured - I can't help thinking the $78 model *must* have cut some corners somewhere along the line....

Understood, and thanks again. I do have a pretty good DVD player in the system already, so will continue to use that for my "classics".....

Cheers,
Ian

 

FYI, there are ways to force the PS3 to output in 1080i. However, this can cause problems. When I did this to try to force my games to play in 1080p... some worked, some worked but froze the PS3 often, and then some just plain refused.

YMMV, especially with newer games. But if your tv doesn't do 720p, you will most likely end up running the games in 480p. It will still look 'good', but won't have that 'wow' factor of playing the game at its proper resolution.

 

Fast_Ian,

IIRC the PS3 will only push 720P through the component out, 1080 i/p is only available through HDMI.

 

hmm... I was never aware of that limitation. If that was a problem in the early days, it may have been fixed by a firmware update since.

This will require some research.

 

I think it's a "feature"....satisfied the studios copy concerns...I'll check mine and see if I can enable 1080 under the component out. Still (almost 3 years later), I think it's the best BR player value out there...amazing video and audio.

 

TIA for that.

I'm not sure now, but my G/F just got a couple of new TV's and I seem to recall reading somewhere in their manual(s) that you needed HDMI for 1080[i|p] - Component was limited to 720p. I'm sot sure, but have a "bad feeling".....

Hmmmm, maybe I'll get *her* a PS3

Cheers,
Ian

 

1080p can't be done over component. Not enough bandwidth for the digital audio or video.

 

I didn't like using the PS3 because its bluetooth remote didn't integrate with my home theater IR system. Maybe somebody has made a IR to Bluetooth converter for the PS3 but last year I couldn't find one.

Currently using the panny db80k, I really like the Amazon on-demand HD movies. Not all players support this. If you connect it to the Internets then make sure you buy an SD card for it too.

1080p over HDMI is the way to go. Picture quality is stunning. I don't watch regular DVDs anymore.

 

Incorrect.

1080p/60 is entirely possible *bandwidth* wise over component and Component is an *analog* connection.

When it comes to movies, the issue is the Studios. Through licensing they only allow 1080i to be output over analog connections, which means you must use a digital connection (HDMI) to receive 1080p while watching movies.

Since games do not have the same licensing agreements, it is entirely possible for them to output 1080p over component connections, however, if wahoowa is correct, there is some type of firmware/hardware limitation that will prevent that from occuring on the PS3.

Also, you would have to make sure that your TV is capable of receiving 1080p over the component connection, as not all TVs have processors capable of doing so.