Is there a better option than the PS3? - Page 2

The 40 GB PS3s are whisper quiet, even when horizontal on a rack, provided you don't get a rare bad one.

I'd expect DTS-HD HR/MA decoding shortly after players that support the decoding hit the market. Sony's been doing its best not to burn the other CE companies, like Toshiba did selling players for dirt cheap.

There have been numerous indications it is coming, that DTS helped write the code. It's probably done, but in addition to letting other companies in on the cash cow Blu-ray will be Sony will save money by selling their own players (at profit) that can decode it before they upgrade the PS3 that loses them money in every sale.

So, is there a better option than the PS3? NO!

And it's been confirmed licensing is a nonissue. You pay for DTS, you've paid for DTS HD MA.

Can the PS3 play PS2 games?

What's the best going deal on the PS3 right now? (I don't want to open up a card either)

from sony site.

Note: This model will not play PS one® or PlayStation® 2 games. For compatibility with all PlayStation systems, please check out the PLAYSTATION®3 80GB here.

That is the problem, isn't it. It is all speculation and vaporware and "trust me, I know". Which is exactly what your post is. We have been getting this for a long time. Of course there are better options, some players can bit-stream, giving you DTS-HD/MA today. I stand by my assertion that if you care about audio, you should avoid the PS3.

I think we'll see it, but if it is squashed for political reasons, t's just not a deal breaker for me. The movies are great with the DD and DTS, and as I've pointed out even if a better option comes along somewhere down the line the PS3 will always have some value. Sell it. Move it to another room. Play games on it. etc.

For instance, are you still running the first DVD player you ever bought? Or even the second? The PS3 is a nice way to get in to Blu-Ray and still have something useful even after upgrade-itis inevitably sets in.

I know at first glance I poo poo'd the thought of running a gaming toy as an A/V component, but it's come along way since release, and after reading all the posts from users claiming that it's actually one of the best players on the market - I took their advice.

So if DTS-HD/MA is a deal killer, fine, wait for a player that supports it how you need it - in the meantime I'll be playing Ratchet and Clank on my PS3. It's unbelievable how good the demo of that game looks and sounds on my Pioneer Plasma and ancient Sony DA5ES 5.1 system (and I haven't owned a console since the Atari 2600). Unbelievable.

HD Gaming is just another way to exploit and get more out of our systems.

You give something. You get something. And who knows, wait a bit and we may get even more.

Anyone who took a pass on the PS3 last year because it didn't support upscaling DVDs or outputting 1080p24 likely regrets it now.

Audio quality is not important to you (and there is nothing wrong with that), so buying a PS3 is probably a good choice.

Okay so I thought I got it, but one question that I still have is regarding the PCM vs. LPCM.

Are these the same thing or different? I always thought that PCM was just the way information was sent by players that can decode TrueHD and DTS-HD/MA into receivers to process the sound through receivers as opposed to bitstream. Reading above, it says that PCM is a lossless format like TrueHD etc.

So when you are saying that the PS3 will send the audio to a receiver capable of accepting PCM thru HDMI, am I then hearing PCM or TrueHD at that point??

PCM

Get the PS3 if you are a gamer also. It's worth it. The Blu-ray playback is one of the best and continues to be upgraded. BD 2.0 has already been demoed on a PS3 in CES 2008.

The sound from your speaker is the pcm. Even when the player bitstreams (or sends the TrueHd) to the receiver to decode you are still hearing pcm. The only difference is where the TrueHD is being decoded to pcm, the player or the receiver.

Personally, I would hold off buying anything other than the PS3 for a player at the moment. There are several players coming out in the next 6 months that will have many much anticipated features and solve a lot of playback and decoding issues while at the same time come in at $400 or less. Panasonic has a BD50 and Samsung has a supposedly MUCH improved 1500 just to name a couple...

You can then sell your PS3 for almost what you paid for it or keep it for a game system.

Late to the gate here but wanted to make a few comments;

1. Sony has confirmed the PS3 will be upgradeable to profile 2.0 BD Live.
2. On the insider thread an insider with BDA connections strongly hinted at DTS-MA support for the PS3 as soon as some standalones have it. In other words, it's not there currently for "political" reasons
3. The new PS3 40GB is based on a new 45nm process version of the cell and doesn't get very hot at all. Mine sits with a bunch of other components. It never gets warm to the touch and I never even hear it running.
4. The most compelling reason NOT to get a PS3 is the lack of integrated IR control capabilities, and the fact that it's not nicely stackable in an equipment rack.

Hello,
I think a big factor to consider is that Sony loses money on each PS3 sold. The original 60gb model cost $840.00 to produce. This is in stark contrast to all standalone BD players which you wish to compare. Aside from a Sony bias, I cannot fathom why someone would purchase anything else in the low end. All bets are off, however, if you have a HDMI 1.3 processor. The uncompressed codecs are stunning. I like having both a PS3 and a BDP-95. The speed of the PS3 is huge. Loading is so fast.
Cheers,
Audiodork

ABCD so are you saying that other Blu-ray players sound better than the PS3 and that is why you should avoid it or are you saying to avoid it because it does not currently do DTS-MA?

So basically do DD+, TrueHD etc sound better on other Players when they are sent PCM over HDMI to your receiver than they do on the PS3?

Thanks,

Not a huge deal, but the newer PS3's have a 65nm version of the Cell, not 45nm. They were all originally 90nm. It would be very nice if we had PS3's with 45nm Cell's and RSX's (the graphics chip), but I doubt it will happen anytime soon.

My mistake. The 65nm must run cooler in any case, as mine hasn't had any heat/noise issues.

I have a question about the PS3 and Audio.
Do I set the PS3 audio to Bitstream or PCM for the best sound to my receiver?
I have a Denon 2307ci receiver & I do use HDMI to the receiver.

At this point PCM is the desired setting. If the ps3 offers an upgrade to bitstream Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD-MA, then there might be a reason to go bitstream instead. All of the above is assuming HDMI for audio.

If your using optical/toslink, leave it at bitstream if you have a half-decent AVR.

-Splints

The latter. IMO DTS-MA is becoming more important as Fox and New Line start releasing more and more titles.

Thank you splinters.

I am also a HD DVD guy that's going Blu due to WB's announcement and from all of the research I've done (most if it on AVS), the PS3 seems to be the best BD player for me other than the Panny BD50 (I'm using a Denon AVR-2807). I care about audio and want the ability to support DTS-MA but I don't want to drop more than $400 - 500 on a BD player. So, the biggest drawback for me is #4 - lack of IR since I use a Harmony 880 remote..but if I get the PS3, I'll suck it up and get the Nyko USB IR adapter/remote.

Now, the question is: how would I know I'm buying the 65nm 40GB PS3? Should I just try to buy one that has the most recent manufactured date?

At the end of the day, I'm really leaning towards the PS3 but the Panny BD50 is very tempting.

I'm with koolio on this one - looking to go from Red to Blu. My biggest concern is any possible heat issue with the PS3 as it will need to go in my A/V rack (it has airflow in and out on the back).

If you have any air flow at all it will be fine. The fan may get loud on its highest speed though. If you are not right beside don't worry about it.

Thanks Joe! I'm guessing that the fan noise is probably comparable to the HD-A2 I had, which I couldn't hear once the glass door to the A/V rack was closed.

imo it is more important to get a player that plays discs well and is fully supported then it is to worry about dts-ma at this time.

the ps3 is the only player that can be counted on as a stable platform that will be around for a while. it is a guarantee that all discs are fully tested in a ps3 before they ship.

if and when they come out with players that can do it all, you can sell the ps3 to a gamer and get back a good chunk of the money. however, the bd standalone players become obsolete quickly and the ce companies want you to buy a new player every model year to get the latest features.

if you are into electronic gadgets, the ps3 has A LOT of extra features that no other bd player can come close to. i would not give up all of that just to get DTS MA.

also there are A LOT of really nice receivers out there that have better audio capabilities then some of the low budget receivers people are buying (just to get DTS-MA decoding).

imo somebody is going to put DTS-MA in a player eventually... maybe even the ps3.

since bd does not support combo/twin discs, you are going to have to buy a second player at some point if you want to play discs in another room. when that day comes and i move the ps3 into it role as a secondary player, at least i know it will still be supported for years.

I think I'm gonna get the PS3 today at Best Buy and give it a shot.

I'm with you, TonyS, in hoping the fan noise isn't bad. My media center cabinet has good breathing room so I hope it won't be an issue. If it is, I'll just return it. From what I've read, the noise won't be anything like my Xbox 360, which sounds like a wind tunnel!

So you guys all agree on one thing : THE PLAYSTATION 3 IS THE BEST BLURAY PLAYER OUT THERE for know. I really want a fast bluray player i think the ps3 is the only one that takes seconds to read bluray java disc.

I'm in exactly the same boat as koolio is, components and all. aside from the ir and DTS-MA isues, what would be the advantage of the BD50?

This was exactly my thought process in selecting the PS3 as my 1st BD player.

Another way to look at it is that now that BD is going to be the dominant HDM format, the $399 PS3 sets a benchmark for other CEs in what they must deliver to consumers to get them to buy their standalone player.

Slow, buggy, standalones might sell at $249 but not at the $399 prices we saw last year.

Soon the choice will be a budget profile 1.1 BD player or the "fully featured" PS3. For those wanting advanced audio, I suspect Sony will allow several standalones to have DTS-MA support for months before updating the PS3 with the support, but eventually I do expect it to have this also.