One-and-Only PS3 as Blu-Ray Player Thread - Page 81

I've just done measurements of my PS3 vs my Oppo DV-970HD. Both are connected via HDMI, YCbCr 4:4:4, into a Crystalio II and then out via HDMI->DVI at 1080p60 to an LVM-47w1. Oppo is 480i out, PS3 is 480p out. Both were playing copies of the same GetGray disk, displaying the 10% Full Field and 100% Color Window patterns. Measurements were taken back-to-back with a Spyder2 using CalMAN software. Separate from measuring, I also displayed both sources simultaneously using the Crystalio's picture-by-picture support; viewed this way, all of the PS3's gray patterns (above 0%) were lighter/whiter than the Oppo's, including 100% white. Attached are the recorded measurements.

 

gray.pdf 157.935546875k . file

I don't want to get into the whole "is a $100 HDMI cable any better than a $6 HDMI cable" argument, but fundamentally as long as the digital signal is being passed with little enough degradation for the receiving end to decode the data, the bits coming out are the same as the bits going in, which means anything happening in between should be inconsequential.

- Talk

After doing a lot of reading this weekend, I'm seriously considering purchasing a PS3 when I can find one locally. I currently own a Toshiba HD-A1 and XBox360 with HD-DVD addon. With two little ones running around I don't get to do much gaming. I was going to wait until the stand-alone prices came down and/or reasonable price combo unit to go Blu-ray. Now I'm thinking I may just sell my XBOX360 and put that money towards a PS3. This way I can start enjoying movies on Blu-ray, use Toshiba to watch SD and HD-DVD's, and game when I get the opportunity.

Nice chart. Any place that describes the data we see there? Also, what about reading straight from the PS3 without the Crystalio just to eliminate anything it may do. With the Spyder2 all the measurements were based on the light output of your LCD, yes?

larry

Digital audio send via HDMI is encoded with error correction bits. Video is not, in case anybody was wondering...

larry

This means what for us lay idiots? PS 3 is better or worse than your PJ?

Actually, with no offense intended to the OP, it doesn't mean much. If he posted the Oppo data we could see how it compares to the PS3 fed through the Crystalio II into his Westy LCD. Unless I'm totally mistaken, the data is generated by a light/color sensor reading the output of the LCD screen. So unless you have the same setup with the same settings on the display, it may not interest you.

larry

There are two pages in the PDF, one is for the PS3, the other for the Oppo ...

WHAT? Really? I thought that all digital data is sent with error correction bits, but it's only useful on a two way bus.
But my last comp sci architecture class was ten years ago...

I am finding that as i play Blu-ray movies on the PS3, its seems to have to handshake as it goes through the different menus of the disc. The screen goes blank for a second before it moves on to the next screen. Is anyone else noticing this??

I've watched 15 Blu-ray movies on my PS3 & haven't seen that problem.

So with all this said. Would you guys recommend buying this player as a stand alone blu ray player? I might play some Final Fantasy games at some point but mainly it will be for blu ray. Thanks

There's a calibration guide for an older version of CalMAN on the CalMAN web site.

The PS3 has handshaking problems over HDMI->HDMI with the display, and the HDMI port on the display has a green clipping problem anyway. Direct HDMI->DVI would be faulty as the RGB levels are different (16-235 vs 0-255; the Crystalio handles this mapping).

Yes.

Yes, at $499 it the most economical way to get in the High Def game. I have the PS3 and the $363 Toshiba HD-A1 (Continental airlines promotion).

I use it as a dedicated BD player.

Thanks. I'll probably pull the trigger soon. I already own the A1. However, its in the shop at the moment! Bought my first Blu Ray discs today.

Woah, big thread....

I'm not part of the Club just yet, but I'll be picking up a PS3 in the next couple months (tax return), primarily as a Blu-ray player.

I have a Westinghouse LVM-47w1. I'll be prepping ahead of time, ordering cables from Monoprice, and probably picking up a remote if I can find one locally.

I'm aware of the handshaking issues with the Westies, but I've heard, in rumor form, that if you run HDMI>DVI, the problem disappears. So I'll be picking up one of those in addition to a standard HDMI cable, see what happens. Since I'll eventually own more than one HDMI device, and the TV has only the one HDMI input, the extra cable will come in handy down the road, I'm sure. I'll be running TOSLink for the audio, since I have nothing that supports the HDMI-spec audio. Which is also a bit of a pain, since I have only one optical input on my receiver, but I can get a switcher from Monoprice for next to nothing, so I'm not too concerned about that.

Does the YPbPr selection work over DVI as well as HDMI? I'm not sure which the TV supports, but I guess I'll find out when I hook it up and start fiddling with the settings. The BTB and WYW clipping concerns me a bit, but it's possible I might not notice it.

There is an option under BD settings on PS3 allowing Automatic, RGB or Ypbpr. Wouldn't using RGB allow for proper video levels, 0-255, when using HDMI to DVI adapter?

I own the Westy 42w2 and if I select ypbpr when using hdm-dvi, the screen turns pink. I have to use RGB to get the proper image. On the other hand, while using hdmi, the selection doesn't have any effect on the image during movie playback.

On an another matter, I did a calibration using AVIA and then again with the test pattterns on Sony blu-ray disks; I got different results in both instances. Brightness was way off with Avia. No wonder some of the movies I have watched recently had a washed out look to them. I had to dial the brightness down ten clicks when using the blu-ray disk test patterns. Of course, Avia is being output at 480p while the blu-ray disk patterns at 1080p. Should different resolutions affect the brightness as well as other user-adjustable parameters on one's display?

I thought I had this figured out before, but now I am stuck again...

After some research here, I was under the impression that I needed to set the audio output on my PS3 to bitstream, since my audio receiver does not have HDMI. Outputting via the optical audio connection, I am only getting 2.0 audio. My 360 HD player takes TrueHD audio, when present, and basically turns it into DTS quality audio that my receiver can play back--why won't the PS3 do the same thing and give me a version of the uncompressed audio via bitstream through the optical connection?

I am forced to watch "Kung Fu Hustle" in English because the only original language track is uncompressed, and I cannot get my PS3 to output the track through the optical connection as anything but 2.0. I tried setting it to both PCM and bitstream, and neither would give me surround sound. I thought that was the point of the bitstream setting, but I am obviously wrong.

Any ideas? I feel stupid...

Thanks. I don't believe when using HDMI->DVI that the video is converted to PC RGB. It appears to me that BTB and WTW are just clipped/snipped off.

larry

When you play the uncompressed PCM track from a Blu-ray disc and you use an optical connection, you will get 2 ch output with either bitstream or PCM output. You will only get 2 ch output with optical. If you want a digital surround sound track, then you'll have to select the Dolby Digital option on the disc. Or, you can let your receiver "upmix" the 2 ch audio into a Dobly Pro Logic IIx surround, which also sounds great.

The uncompressed PCM tracks on these discs are motivation to upgrade your receiver to a HDMI model. I'm still living in the year 2003 with a receiver that doesn't do HDMI, so that's one of the items on my wishlist. The new Denon HDMI 1.3 receivers are gonna rock and I want to see what Pioneer Elite brings later this summer.

I took a look at the three test patterns on one of my rental Sony blu-ray discs. Don't remember seeing a "tool" for calibrating brightness or contrast. What did you use?

I'm currently using a Pioneer Elite receiver that's connected to Sanyo Z3 with a HDMI-DVI cable with HDMI adaptor. I haven't had any problems with Toshiba HD-A1 or cable box running HDMI through receiver. Anyone forsee a problem running the PS3 (HDMI) with this set-up because of the adaptor?

I apologize if this has already been discussed (I couldn't find it in this thread), but has anyone been able to get anything other than 48kHz LPCM to be sent out of the PS3 when the uncompressed LPCM track is selected? I was expecting to see 96kHz, but I've only seen 48kHz signals being received so far... I am outputting A/V via HDMI.

Or is it that the software is only encoded with 48kHz?

[quote=cavalry12] if I select ypbpr when using hdm-dvi, the screen turns pink. I have to use RGB to get the proper image. QUOTE]

AFAIK DVI is RGB only so this is normal.

From what I see, no, it looks to me that the PS3 always outputs RGB as 16-235, it doesn't vary the RGB level based on HDMI vs DVI handshake.

Not surprising, DVI is RGB only.

I connect my PS3 directly to the TV via HDMI and to a non-HDMI receiver via optical. What set-up for the PS3 so I get audio at the same time via both HDMI and optical. I want to use TV internal speakers for gaming and HT speakers for video/ music. Thanks.

Sorry if it's already answered. I'm using HDMI for the PS3. Is it normal for the PS3 to not boot Blu-ray movies if you don't switch your TV to the PS3 video input before turning on the system?

Currently, you are unable to have both. You have to select either or with HDMI being the setting or optical.

It's an easter egg on sony disks. Hit menu, 7669 and then enter. I have only tried it on Underworld so far and it seems to work. You can calibrate brightness by using the first color bar pattern. Just look in the black area in the bottom right of the screen. There should be a barely visible white bar present. Turn the brightness way up till you see it and then bring it down till it's just visible. At least, that is my interpretation of the test. May be someone else can shed some more light if I'm wrong.

thoth and the rest, thanks for the clarification on video levels through hdmi-dvi. I'm still perplexed as to why there is such a difference when it comes to brightness with AVIA and Blu-ray disk patterns. Also, is there a way for my brightness to be off since I'm using hdmi-dvi? I say that because I watched kingdom of heaven and the whole movie looked washed out to me.

Thanks

Thanks for the reply--this is what I was afraid of. Normally I would just choose another audio option, but on Kung Fu Hustle they only included the original language track uncompressed--there is no Dolby Digital option on the disc. Frustrating! I just assumed that they would give an alternative to the people like me who don't have an HDMI capable receiver. If there is literally no way to downconvert/remix uncompressed audio to send to the optical connection, then they should never, ever include an uncompressed track without a DD 5.1 counterpart. I don't want to watch Kung Fu Hustle in English, nor do I want to watch it with 2.0 sound, nor can I afford to upgrade my sound system after spending $3500 on a new TV and PS3.

My HD-A1 has built in analog 5.1 outputs and my 360 will output a "dumbed down" 5.1 via toslink, but apparently my PS3 just wants me to spend more money.