Okay, I tried to do a search to find my answers...

[Swish]

...in an old thread, but I keep getting 'no results' for blu-ray, even though I was staring at a thread with blu-ray in the title! WTF is that all about? Perhaps the site is just a bit slow and it's not working. Whatever.

Anyway, I'm beginning to get my new HT assembled and still need to settle on a good Blu-Ray player. My son is telling me the Sony PS3 is the way to go because the are 'future proof', but I'm not so sure that's a good enough reason to buy one. While I've read that the playback is pretty good, it has too many quirks to be part of a serious HT system. Also, I'm not into gaming, so that makes it even more of a stretch for me.

I'm leaning towards the Oppo BDP-83 at this point, and the price is right in my wheel house as I'm spending about $2K on a projector. Are there other players that I should be considering right now?

Thanks in advance for your opinions, and I know you guys have plenty of them to go around.

Swishdaddy

[Hyfi]

After all the research I have done, I'm going with the OPPO 83 myself. I don't care about wireless streaming pandora, I can do that thru the PC sitting right there.

[GMichael]

Next month the PS3 will become 3D ready. And when new features come out, it will get those too.
Not sure what you mean by quirky. Never had an issue with mine.

[ForeverAutumn]

I bought our first BD at Christmas and, of course, came here for advice. The Oppo-83 was recommended by pretty much everyone here and the only reason that I didn't go with it was that, coming right out of Christmas, it wasn't very budget friendly. I ended up getting a great Boxing Day deal on a Sony BDP-S560 and am really happy with it. It doesn't play all the audio formats that the Oppo does, but as a BD player, it's very good and half the price.

Having said that, the next DVD player that dies will probably be replaced with the Oppo and the Sony will become our secondary player (in a less used room).

[Swish]

Next month the PS3 will become 3D ready. And when new features come out, it will get those too.
Not sure what you mean by quirky. Never had an issue with mine.

...if the machine in on and you pop a DVD into it, nothing happens. Another is that there's no separate remote for movies. Perhaps those issues are dated and/or not a big deal. Again, I was just saying they were a little quirky. I guess I'm just reluctant to use a game device in my HT room to begin with, so maybe it's just a matter of perception for me? I also doubt it will have the build quality of a good quality Blu-Ray player.

If you have reasons to refute this, refute away please!

[Mr Peabody]

A fact of life every BDP will require firmware updates at some point. The PS3 is a good deal if you ever think you will play the games. Thinking about what it was when it came out and the fact that it could be upgraded to the latest technology is a good thing, that way it's not outdated in a year. Think about it, the PS3 can be 3D compatible with a simple update when every one else will probably have to buy a new machine. That's just and example, same with CA decks or whatever. With that being said I wonder about it's picture quality compared to a good stand alone. My daughter's boyfriend has a PS3 hooked up to a top end Samsung LCD and when we were watching Avatar it sort of looked like a game, in the graphics. It could be the effect of the frame setting but it would be interesting to hook something different to his set to see. The Oppo is a good choice. I saw Onkyo is coming out with a new unit I believe is around $599.00. Both Sony and Panasonic have good units. I personally love the picture quality of my Marantz. Speaking of firmware, the ease of the update would carry some weight with me.

Ask yourself what you want the BDP to do and start from there. Are you interested in BD Live to get more bonus stuff off the internet or jerk around while you watch the movie? Updating via the internet makes things easy so if your player will be far away from your router a wireless capability might be something to get. Do you want the player to play SACD? Questions like this may help narrow the search. If you are picky about speed, check reviews for load and play time. BTW, stand alone units are just now beginning to approach the PS3 in speed. With all this talk you'd think I'd have a PS3 :)

[eisforelectronic]

I haven't played a game on my PS3 for over 6 months. I pretty much use it as a Movie player most of the time. The rest of the time it serves as an easy way to store and playback some favorite music. The Controller isn't that difficult to use for movies or anything else and there is a remote available for it. You can even get an rf adapter if you want to program a Harmony remote to run it as well. Mine is also always connected to my router so updates are easy and BD Live features are always available, although I have yet to view anythng on BD Live.

[poppachubby]

Hey Swish, I still use DVD but I use my PS2 for it. I bought the component AV cables with quality gold plugs. It has a great remote and functions like a regular player with it. It has an optical output for digital sound, so great for music too.

I know that the PS3 is even better. The remote is really posh and extensive. Just as a music and movie machine I think it's a good move. 2 good friends of mine have one. They are both gamers but take full advantage of all it has to offer.

Here's a pic of my remote for the PS2, just to give you an idea about it. The PS3 remote is much more hi-tech looking, with expanded features...

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4077/4751531029_24b0b73b17_z.jpg

http://av.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/20061003/sce1.jpg

[GMichael]

...if the machine in on and you pop a DVD into it, nothing happens. Another is that there's no separate remote for movies. Perhaps those issues are dated and/or not a big deal. Again, I was just saying they were a little quirky. I guess I'm just reluctant to use a game device in my HT room to begin with, so maybe it's just a matter of perception for me? I also doubt it will have the build quality of a good quality Blu-Ray player.

If you have reasons to refute this, refute away please!
Well, if I put in a DVD, it plays. Never heard of anyone saying that it wouldn't. And I do have the separate remote for movies. It came free in the package I bought. Well, it was $0.01 as per the receipt. As far as build quality, it seems great. I've run it for hours and hours on some days without a single problem. It has over 1000 hours of playing time so far.

A PS3 will do a lot more than play BR, but it does cost more than a basic player and it may not be for you. It does not have analog outputs if that means anything to you. Otherwise, it's a great choice and is worth consideration.

[L.J.]

My 3 BR players are all PS3's ;)

I admit that I do game daily so bonus deal for me. I also store and stream various media, mainly music ripped to FLAC.

The PS3 can be set so any inserted disc starts playing back immediately.

[Woochifer]

...if the machine in on and you pop a DVD into it, nothing happens. Another is that there's no separate remote for movies. Perhaps those issues are dated and/or not a big deal. Again, I was just saying they were a little quirky. I guess I'm just reluctant to use a game device in my HT room to begin with, so maybe it's just a matter of perception for me? I also doubt it will have the build quality of a good quality Blu-Ray player.

If you have reasons to refute this, refute away please!

I think it's perception. A lot of home theater enthusiasts use the PS3, and don't play games at all. Aside from BD/DVD playback, the PS3 also functions as a networked media player (I use it to access audio and video files from my PC) and has a built-in internet browser.

The PS3 is still considered one of the higher performing Blu-ray players, and it's definitely the most future proof because all of the major functions are implemented by software that's easily updated. Other Blu-ray players have their functions hardwired onto the processing chips, and are generally more limited in what can be added via firmware updates.

I don't know about the newer slim models, but the PS3 that I use is very solid. Much heavier than most Blu-ray players, and Sony basically took a loss on each unit built (if you look at the component cost, the parts on a PS3 are worth a lot more than those on a standalone Blu-ray player) Also, keep in mind that all of the mastering facilities that the major studios use have PS3s setup as at least one of their reference players. This is a reason why the PS3 has not had a lot of the incompatibility issues that plagued other models.

As far as the quirks go, I just popped in a DVD and it went straight into the autoplay menu. Yes, using the game controller as a remote might be counterintuitive at first, but I've gotten used to it. If you still don't like it, the remote can be found for about $20 (yes, it's Bluetooth so you can't use most universal remotes).

In addition to all these reasons, one of the early reasons for going with the PS3 as a Blu-ray player was simply cost. At introduction, the PS3 was the lowest priced Blu-ray player on the market, yet it outperformed nearly every standalone model. Nowadays, the PS3 no longer has that price advantage and the performance on standalone players has caught up.

The Oppo is right now the best performing unit on the market, and it has DVD-A and SACD playback, if that means anything to you. EAch unit has its own advantages, but don't categorically exclude the PS3 just because it has gaming capabilities.

[pixelthis]

I have learned not to argue with PS3 fanboys on this site, they have me outnumbered.
But there is nothing it can do that cant be done better somewhere else.
I get all of the audio-video from my computer through a 99 dollar video card with HDMI
(video cards are cheap these days).
A friend had a PS3, I helped him set it up, performance was not the best.
I find that gamers and techies tend to like this option the best, but the op is like me, don't like having a video game cluttering up the ht.:1:

[TheHills44060]

I totally agree Pixel. I find it even more amazing that so many adults on these forums still play video games lol. The fact that someone outside of elementary school would even consider using one for movies still blows my mind.

EDIT: sorry if this post sounds offensive lol but it's just weird to me.

[RGA]

I just bought a PS3 and I can't recommend it strongly enough. Sure it's probably not the best blu ray player - it's a jack of all trades unit after all- but I can say it destroys the picture quality of the $80 Sony DVD upconverting machine that I bought not that long ago. The PS3 loads faster than my friend's top of the line Sony Blu Ray model. The slow damn loading times of the new machines are atrocious and the PS3 is considerably faster than the lot. The remote control I bought included a 6 foot HDMI cable so it was a nice package since HDMI cables are a complete rip-job. Monster for $100 WTF!

Anyway, I am very impressed with the picture quality. I am no videophile but even I can tell it's way better than any other format I have owne. The lack of audio outputs is a bit frustrating since my tube gear only accepts analog which means one is forced to buy some sort of receiver - after listening to 4 receivers priced above $4,000 and despising all of them I am going to have to really look at some way to do something about this down the line - but there are options I am sure. I can always run the outputs from the TV through the amp and it may work ok - limited to 2 channel but it's still better than the TV speakers. Although the TV speakers in the Insignia sound a lot lot better than my more expensive Sony. Picture quality on regular tv cable is far better on the insignia as well which is nice since I still in fact watch television shows.

back to the PS3. I'm not a big gamer - played pac man and Mario when I was a kid but I decided to buy a game called Dragon Age. Why? Because this is game considered to be one of the best games out there and I thought may as well.

Video games are nothing and I mean nothing like they were in the old days. This thing is hugely addictive and has a story that anyone who likes Lord of the Rings, or who any Knight based movie will like. In fact the storyline IMO is far better than LOTR.

You can replay this thing many times and each time will have a different story background. You can start as a warrior, an Elf and a Mage (Merlin) and you have a different backstory for each. I have started as a warrior (because I figure this would be easiest). I am an heir to a throne and the world of Ferelden is under attack by an evil unknown entity called the darkspawn (lots of history and lore to get into). My parents are killed and I have joined a group of Grey Wardens who are out to defend citizenry. People join you and you have rather deep interactions with the characters that can lead to infighting, love affairs, sexual relations, and a genuinely involving story and lots of bad guys and quests. You can play good or evil and that will change the way your followers treat you.

Before you scoff at games - I would suggest, if you don't want to spend the money that you buy an original XBOX for $25 at EB games used ($4 gives you a 1 year warranty) and
buy a game called Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic for about $7 used. (Same people make the Dragon Age game)

The Star Wars game is deeper, smarter, more entertaining, more interesting and holds more entertainment value and more sheer hours of entertainment to the dollar than all the Star Wars movies combined. $40 for a game that will give you at least 100 hours of entertainment versus spending $20 at a theater for a 2 hour movie most of which stink.

And what is also interesting is some of the great voice acting. Dragon Age has Star Trek Voyager captain Kate Mulgrew as one of the actors and Knights of the Old Republic had the actor who played Nelix. Splinter Cell has Michael Ironside and the X-Men has patrick Stewart.

These games are very deep. I am sure some of them stink as well but all ages can play these games and even if you're 70 these things can be enjoyable. The work involved in making them - $50 for a deep game like Dragon Age is very much worth the price.

[GMichael]

I just bought a PS3 and I can't recommend it strongly enough. Sure it's probably not the best blu ray player - it's a jack of all trades unit after all- but I can say it destroys the picture quality of the $80 Sony DVD upconverting machine that I bought not that long ago. The PS3 loads faster than my friend's top of the line Sony Blu Ray model. The slow damn loading times of the new machines are atrocious and the PS3 is considerably faster than the lot. The remote control I bought included a 6 foot HDMI cable so it was a nice package since HDMI cables are a complete rip-job. Monster for $100 WTF!

Anyway, I am very impressed with the picture quality. I am no videophile but even I can tell it's way better than any other format I have owne. The lack of audio outputs is a bit frustrating since my tube gear only accepts analog which means one is forced to buy some sort of receiver - after listening to 4 receivers priced above $4,000 and despising all of them I am going to have to really look at some way to do something about this down the line - but there are options I am sure. I can always run the outputs from the TV through the amp and it may work ok - limited to 2 channel but it's still better than the TV speakers. Although the TV speakers in the Insignia sound a lot lot better than my more expensive Sony. Picture quality on regular tv cable is far better on the insignia as well which is nice since I still in fact watch television shows.

back to the PS3. I'm not a big gamer - played pac man and Mario when I was a kid but I decided to buy a game called Dragon Age. Why? Because this is game considered to be one of the best games out there and I thought may as well.

Video games are nothing and I mean nothing like they were in the old days. This thing is hugely addictive and has a story that anyone who likes Lord of the Rings, or who any Knight based movie will like. In fact the storyline IMO is far better than LOTR.

You can replay this thing many times and each time will have a different story background. You can start as a warrior, an Elf and a Mage (Merlin) and you have a different backstory for each. I have started as a warrior (because I figure this would be easiest). I am an heir to a throne and the world of Ferelden is under attack by an evil unknown entity called the darkspawn (lots of history and lore to get into). My parents are killed and I have joined a group of Grey Wardens who are out to defend citizenry. People join you and you have rather deep interactions with the characters that can lead to infighting, love affairs, sexual relations, and a genuinely involving story and lots of bad guys and quests. You can play good or evil and that will change the way your followers treat you.

Before you scoff at games - I would suggest, if you don't want to spend the money that you buy an original XBOX for $25 at EB games used ($4 gives you a 1 year warranty) and
buy a game called Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic for about $7 used. (Same people make the Dragon Age game)

The Star Wars game is deeper, smarter, more entertaining, more interesting and holds more entertainment value and more sheer hours of entertainment to the dollar than all the Star Wars movies combined. $40 for a game that will give you at least 100 hours of entertainment versus spending $20 at a theater for a 2 hour movie most of which stink.

And what is also interesting is some of the great voice acting. Dragon Age has Star Trek Voyager captain Kate Mulgrew as one of the actors and Knights of the Old Republic had the actor who played Nelix. Splinter Cell has Michael Ironside and the X-Men has patrick Stewart.

These games are very deep. I am sure some of them stink as well but all ages can play these games and even if you're 70 these things can be enjoyable. The work involved in making them - $50 for a deep game like Dragon Age is very much worth the price.

Have you tried any of the many free demos available? Or checked out all the movies availble, as well as free previews? Stored any pictures, music or videos on the hard drive? The list of things that this thing can do is huge, and it keeps growing.

[GMichael]

EDIT: sorry if this post sounds offensive lol but it's just weird to me.

It's all good. All points of view are welcome. Even Pixy's.:biggrin5:

[TheHills44060]

ok good...thanks Gmichael.

I'm just so far out of the loop on that type of stuff anymore. I find myself trying to promote pure audio gear especially to the younger crowd.

[L.J.]

I totally agree Pixel. I find it even more amazing that so many adults on these forums still play video games lol. The fact that someone outside of elementary school would even consider using one for movies still blows my mind.

EDIT: sorry if this post sounds offensive lol but it's just weird to me.

Guess I won't tell you the list of cartoons I watch regularly :D

[eisforelectronic]

I do have one gripe about my PS3, it doesn't play DTS CD's.

[kexodusc]

I have 2 BluRay players, a $200 LG and a PS3. The PS3 is a shade better in PQ but loading times are much quicker and overall I like the machine more.

My projector fires onto a 104" screen, which tends to reveal picture quality issues. I would recommend the PS3 to anyone even if they never used it for games. To audiophiles, the streaming capabilities are incentive enough - I stream FLAC all the time.

Sony has outdone themselves with the PS3.

[Hyfi]

I have 2 BluRay players, a $200 LG and a PS3. The PS3 is a shade better in PQ but loading times are much quicker and overall I like the machine more.

My projector fires onto a 104" screen, which tends to reveal picture quality issues. I would recommend the PS3 to anyone even if they never used it for games. To audiophiles, the streaming capabilities are incentive enough - I stream FLAC all the time.

Sony has outdone themselves with the PS3.

All the PS3 info given is great. I will still probably go with the OPPO anyway. I don't game, don't care too. I also already have a PC hooked into my system and can store files, stream anything through the stereo or home theater.

But the PS3 does sound like a great option for some.

Does the PS3 play HDCDs?
The OPPO does not tout it but will play them as far as the deeper documentation goes. I have several that are not marked as such but light up the HDCD light on my Rotel. Im interested in the audio playback from the OPPO also.

[GMichael]

All the PS3 info given is great. I will still probably go with the OPPO anyway. I don't game, don't care too. I also already have a PC hooked into my system and can store files, stream anything through the stereo or home theater.

But the PS3 does sound like a great option for some.

Does the PS3 play HDCDs?
The OPPO does not tout it but will play them as far as the deeper documentation goes. I have several that are not marked as such but light up the HDCD light on my Rotel. Im interested in the audio playback from the OPPO also.

This is what I found, but maybe LJ or Sir T can confirm.

From this site: http://www.ps3sacd.com/faq.html#_Toc177216815

Is PS3 compatible with HDCD?

Yes, PS3 plays HDCD discs but it will not decode the HDCD signal. It can play a HDCD as a regular CD and feed the HDCD signal to an AV receiver to decode. Make sure you’re using the 44.1 kHz output setting because sample rate conversion will garble the HDCD signal.


So this yes = no to me.





--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[pixelthis]

I do have one gripe about my PS3, it doesn't play DTS CD's.

I don't see why not.
My one DTS CD plays fine on my CD optical out, any DVD or CD player should be able to shoot the DTS signal to a receiver that can handle DTS.
oF COURSE iffen you try to play it through the analog outs, then of course you will get hash
over a CD player, or a DVD player without onboard decoding.:1:

[Mr Peabody]

I look forward to hearing your impressions of the Oppo.

[eisforelectronic]

I don't see why not.
My one DTS CD plays fine on my CD optical out, any DVD or CD player should be able to shoot the DTS signal to a receiver that can handle DTS.
oF COURSE iffen you try to play it through the analog outs, then of course you will get hash
over a CD player, or a DVD player without onboard decoding.:1:

I use HDMI

[Woochifer]

I totally agree Pixel. I find it even more amazing that so many adults on these forums still play video games lol. The fact that someone outside of elementary school would even consider using one for movies still blows my mind.

EDIT: sorry if this post sounds offensive lol but it's just weird to me.

Why would it be weird? The market for video games is more than twice as big as the box office receipts for movie theaters. Elementary schoolers alone don't account for that magnitude of market activity.

As I stated in my post, people who use the PS3 to play Blu-ray discs are not encumbered by perception. The reality is that the PS3 remains a very high performance Blu-ray machine, with a lot of other functionality outside of video gaming. Just because it happens to be a gaming console is no reason to overlook its formidable Blu-ray performance.

I hardly play any games on my PS3. It use it primarily as a Blu-ray player, but I also use it as a wireless media player for streaming YouTube videos, and accessing the music and video files on my PCs.

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

I totally agree Pixel. I find it even more amazing that so many adults on these forums still play video games lol. The fact that someone outside of elementary school would even consider using one for movies still blows my mind.

EDIT: sorry if this post sounds offensive lol but it's just weird to me.

Think about what you are doing Shodulik, you are agreeing with Pixel for goodness sake! He takes a small exposure to the PS3, and turns it into expert advice. Now that is big joke.

First, the PS3 is one of the best performing Blu ray players out there still. It is still one of the fastest loading, and best performing. Since it uses an all software solution for its processing, it is every function is easily upgradeable. One of the best kept secrets about it(I only learned this recently) is that during a couple of updates, the Dts decoder has been given the lastest decoding instructions which improves Dts decoding products performance. Try that with a stand alone Blu player with a SOC solution. Its upscaling algorithms have been upgraded(try that one with a stand alone as well), and the machine has the most accurate algorithms for Dolby TrueHD decoding - and all of this could be upgraded at any time, something that cannot be done with stand alone players. It will be 3D capable in another month of two. I have three of the phat boy PS3, and they make very good SACD players, and has some of the best upconverting algorithms for CD playback
With a small investment in an external program(playon) I am able to watch programming available online, including Hulu(premium), comedy central, MLB network, NFL network(I can watch both baseball and football live and in HD) just to name a small few, and it gives me access to over 10,000 different programs, not to mention netflix and pandora. I also have access to thousands of online music stations. Since it is connected to my network, it can also access a library of over a 1000 DVD's stored on an raid array of 6TB external drives, and library that continues to grow as I store more of my DVD's onto the drives.

I can do all of this without getting up from my seat. Try that with the stand lones!

So it is not so weird when you actually see all the PS3 can do, and with the Cell processor only being used at about half its potential, this machine has quite a was to go in adding other features.

Personally I think it is weird that anyone would be so stuck on its gaming capabilities, when this thing can do so much more even if a person doesn't even play a game on it. I am just now getting into playing games, and I am finding that my hand/eye coordination is greatly improving because of it. It is also a stress buster.

Lastly consider this. Every post production house, encoding and compression house, every film studio in Hollywood uses the PS3 as a quality control machine to check Blu ray movies on. Here at Disney, they have about ten of them in the post production area. Because of this, PS3 owners have experienced the fewest playback issues when it comes to both DVD's and Blu rays.

I am sure it plays Dts CD as well, as it does have a Dts decoder built in, and it can play those disc and regular CD's at 44.1khz.

[eisforelectronic]

I guess I'll try those DTS CD's again

[Swish]

....even Pixel. :biggrin5: But seriously, my concerns about the PS3 have been refuted and I'll certainly have to give it a serious look. I do have some DTS cds that I love to play to show off my awesome 7.1 audio system, so if it can play those, as well as performing a stellar job with Blu-Ray, I think I'll be buying one instead of the Oppo. My son, who is 27 and still likes to play video games (he's a PC freak by the way, so he's not playing checkers), will go bonkers with that and a 110" screen. He has his own place, but I'm betting he'll want to visit us more often.

You people are the best!

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

For those of you who are wondering how to play Dts CD on the PS3, you must set your sound settings to 44.1khz, and unclick 88.2 and 176.4 and they should play just fine. The default setting for the PS3 is 48khz, which does not allow 44.1khz sample rate Dts Cd's to play.

Don't forget to return the sound settings to being able to sample all formats after listening.

[pixelthis]

I use HDMI

Should be no problem.
A DTS CD has a DTS signal just like a DVD, should pass through an HDMI with no problem.
YEP, my DIANA KRALL disc plays fine, sounds pretty good, as a matter of fact.:1:

[eisforelectronic]

Should be no problem.
A DTS CD has a DTS signal just like a DVD, should pass through an HDMI with no problem.
YEP, my DIANA KRALL disc plays fine, sounds pretty good, as a matter of fact.:1:

Then I need to find my Diana Krall DTS Cd! Ha ha!

[harley .guy07]

I have the oppo bdp-83 and in my opinion there is know question which one is better for home theater, home audio, or any other use other than gaming. I love my oppo and will stand by it especially while using it as a transport for my ps audio dac.

[pixelthis]

Think about what you are doing Shodulik, you are agreeing with Pixel for goodness sake! He takes a small exposure to the PS3, and turns it into expert advice. Now that is big joke.


the path to all knowledge




First, the PS3 is one of the best performing Blu ray players out there still. It is still one of the fastest loading, and best performing. Since it uses an all software solution for its processing, it is every function is easily upgradeable. One of the best kept secrets about it(I only learned this recently) is that during a couple of updates, the Dts decoder has been given the lastest decoding instructions which improves Dts decoding products performance. Try that with a stand alone Blu player with a SOC solution. Its upscaling algorithms have been upgraded(try that one with a stand alone as well), and the machine has the most accurate algorithms for Dolby TrueHD decoding - and all of this could be upgraded at any time, something that cannot be done with stand alone players. It will be 3D capable in another month of two. I have three of the phat boy PS3, and they make very good SACD players, and has some of the best upconverting algorithms for CD playback
With a small investment in an external program(playon) I am able to watch programming available online, including Hulu(premium), comedy central, MLB network, NFL network(I can watch both baseball and football live and in HD) just to name a small few, and it gives me access to over 10,000 different programs, not to mention netflix and pandora. I also have access to thousands of online music stations. Since it is connected to my network, it can also access a library of over a 1000 DVD's stored on an raid array of 6TB external drives, and library that continues to grow as I store more of my DVD's onto the drives.


BLAH BLAH BLAH.
The load time on the PS3 I used was not that much faster than the SAMSUNG my buddy wound up buying.
AND NOW WE ARE ON COST. Paying extra for a PS3 when you can get a BLU player
for half the price is silly, like buying a hot rod that will do 200 mph when you can only do
seventy. NO ONE WILL NOTICE THE DIFF.


I can do all of this without getting up from my seat. Try that with the stand lones!


like you couldn't use the exercise


So it is not so weird when you actually see all the PS3 can do, and with the Cell processor only being used at about half its potential, this machine has quite a was to go in adding other features.


Most of which you don't need.
Any player these days can be easily upgraded


Personally I think it is weird that anyone would be so stuck on its gaming capabilities, when this thing can do so much more even if a person doesn't even play a game on it. I am just now getting into playing games, and I am finding that my hand/eye coordination is greatly improving because of it. It is also a stress buster.


You don't have a problem with stress. You are a carrier.


Lastly consider this. Every post production house, encoding and compression house, every film studio in Hollywood uses the PS3 as a quality control machine to check Blu ray movies on. Here at Disney, they have about ten of them in the post production area. Because of this, PS3 owners have experienced the fewest playback issues when it comes to both DVD's and Blu rays.


EXPLAINS a lot about ALL OF THE COMPATIBILITY issues.



I am sure it plays Dts CD as well, as it does have a Dts decoder built in, and it can play those disc and regular CD's at 44.1khz.

Of course it plays DTS CD, every machine on earth that passes a digital signal will play a DTS CD, you just have to pass it to a receiver with a DTS decoder, or play it on a DVD
or BLU player with internal decorders. A 30 dollar CD player with a digital out will play a DTS CD. Shows what you know, not that it matters, format wont be around that long,
if it even still is.
TO REPEAT , buying a PS3 and paying the extra cash is silly for most people.
THE TEN PEOPLE that buy a Sony 8 thousand dollar 3D front projector (that you think will be a "mainstream" item) might have use for one.
IF A PS3 has such a great form factor, why doesnt Sony put the guts in a standalone?
Because they(unlike you) understand that it is engineered for gaming, and a lot
on it is overkill for the average user, although it might make a great device for production houses to use...oh never mind.
NOT EVERYBODY IS GROSSLY OVERPAID, and gets production samples, and can
sit around watching grossly over engineered equipment playing mediocre movies whos
one claim to fame is that stuff comes out and hits you in the face.
Although once it sees your face I AM SURE it will turn around and head back into the screen.:1:

[Swish]

...so now I have to get my room set up ASAP, but there's much to be done. I still need to get all my A/V cables and speaker wires run, paint the room, build and install my screen, buy and install my projector, then set up the room. Anybody free next weekend? :dita: