Considering PS3 for Blu-ray and Media Center

[Halon451]

I know on this forum a lot of people are quick to toss out the PS3 suggestion when it comes to selecting a BD player for their system. I have to admit, that after reviewing many of the data and specs on the console I find it to be a very impressive machine.

I'm not a huge gamer, although I do still have my old original Xbox in my system lineup, which I haven't used for games in months. I wouldn't mind playing some of the fantastic games I've seen for the PS3.

So here I am, contemplating buying one of these, and thought I would pose a few questions to those who own one, and continue to suggest them:

1.) My receiver is not capable of decoding the lossless audio formats that the PS3 is capable of decoding internally - will I be able to receive lossless audio if I set it to PCM? I'm not sure if my receiver is capable of this. (i.e., is the Yamaha RX-V361 able to receive multi-channel PCM?) Otherwise, I am assuming that I can still get standard DD or DTS via bitstream connected via digital audio output on the PS3, correct?

2.) Media streaming - a VERY attractive feature of the PS3 that no standalone player can seem to touch. How has this played a role in your setup and configuration?

3.) Internet capabilities - from what I have seen, the PS3 does come with some kind of Internet browser, but I have also heard that not all websites work. This is also a very attractive feature for me, as it will allow me to get rid of that clunky of desktop tower I keep connected to my system, which is only used for occasional internet video streaming to my rig anyway.

4.) Remote Control - What are your thoughts on the IR adapter for the PS3, and are you able to make it compatible with a standard Universal remote?

5.) Upconversion of SD DVD's - thoughts and opinions?

There is one HUGE drawback for me, in that Sony doesn't have Halo 3, which was one of my all-time favorite games for the Xbox. I guess it's not that huge, and I could live with the compromise if all the above are to my satisfaction.

Thanks y'all.

EDIT: Nevermind on the Multichannel PCM - I just realized that Multichannel PCM doesn't work unless it's hitting the receiver via HDMI. I need to think before I type next time.

 

[jwenthold99]

Hope the following helps......

1. Not sure about the abilities of your receiver, but yes, DD and DTS is available over optical out.
2. Media streaming ability is one of my main uses for the machine. I am ripping all of my cd's and DVD's to my computer, mainly to protect them from my one year old. I use tversity, and work great.
3. It does have a browser, and it is just usable. It's not great, bit if you set it up with a bluetooth mouse and keyboard, it's not horrible.
4. Don't have an adapter, no feedback
5. I think up conversion is awesome, especially compared to my old 480i sony dvd player. I have heard the oppo units are better, but I have no complaints at all.

Overall, I think it is great, especially for the price, even if you don't game much. I am debating at this point if it is really worth it to upgrade my receiver to take advantage of lossless, we'll see

 

[Halon451]

jwenthold, thanks for the comments.

If I do end up purchasing the PS3, I'll eventually get around to upgrading the receiver as well. The old low-end Yammy is decent enough to get me by, but obviously getting into higher levels of video and audio capability it is severely lacking. For the time being I could live with standard DD or DTS (it's what I've got now, so wouldn't be anything different), and at least the pq would be miles above what I have now.

 

[jwenthold99]

jwenthold, thanks for the comments.

If I do end up purchasing the PS3, I'll eventually get around to upgrading the receiver as well. The old low-end Yammy is decent enough to get me by, but obviously getting into higher levels of video and audio capability it is severely lacking. For the time being I could live with standard DD or DTS (it's what I've got now, so wouldn't be anything different), and at least the pq would be miles above what I have now.

I am in the same boat... for now I am content (sort of) with just DD and DTS, but a new receiver is going to happen at some point. Picture quality was the main reason why I got the PS3, and it's ability to play SACD (at least on the model that I have).

 

[Halon451]

I am in the same boat... for now I am content (sort of) with just DD and DTS, but a new receiver is going to happen at some point. Picture quality was the main reason why I got the PS3, and it's ability to play SACD (at least on the model that I have).

Are there models of the PS3 that don't play SACD? I thought they all did.

 

[Davemcc]

IIRC, the old 60g and old 80g PS3 play SACD, but I don't think any of the new models do. They have a new 80g that doesn't. It only plays SACD over HDMI so you would need a new receiver anyway, at least v1.2 or 1.3a.

I replaced my PS3 in the living room because the fan is quite loud sometimes, something to consider.

 

[EJ1]

Are there models of the PS3 that don't play SACD? I thought they all did.

Only a couple of SKU's play SACD's.

http://www.ps3sacd.com/faq.html#_Toc180147566

Here's a chart comparing other features: http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/17/holidaze-2008-playstation-3-sku-chart-revisited/

 

[Halon451]

IIRC, the old 60g and old 80g PS3 play SACD, but I don't think any of the new models do. They have a new 80g that doesn't. It only plays SACD over HDMI so you would need a new receiver anyway, at least v1.2 or 1.3a.

I replaced my PS3 in the living room because the fan is quite loud sometimes, something to consider.

SACD capability isn't necessarily a deal breaker for me, as I don't even own any SACD's (yet anyway). But it's good to know this, as I want to consider all the little nuances before making a purchase.

Loudness of the fan - I had heard (or read) before that this machine is actually quieter than the Xbox 360. This could be a deal breaker if it is too bothersome when watching movies.

 

[Halon451]

Only a couple of SKU's play SACD's.

http://www.ps3sacd.com/faq.html#_Toc180147566

Here's a chart comparing other features: http://www.joystiq.com/2008/11/17/holidaze-2008-playstation-3-sku-chart-revisited/

Excellent link EJ1, thanks!

 

[DTS]

I don't consider the fan noise on the PS3 to be an issue, I mean its nothing compared to the 360 which is quite audible. If your standing next to it {PS3}, you can hear a soft fan, by the time you get to your seat I doubt you'll hear it, by the time you start a movie and play it at any volume, I'm pretty darn sure your not going to hear it {unless your Steve Austin and have your bionic hearing aid cranked to the max }

 

[Halon451]

I don't consider the fan noise on the PS3 to be an issue, I mean its nothing compared to the 360 which is quite audible. If your standing next to it {PS3}, you can hear a soft fan, by the time you get to your seat I doubt you'll hear it, by the time you start a movie and play it at any volume, I'm pretty darn sure your not going to hear it {unless your Steve Austin and have your bionic hearing aid cranked to the max }

LOL, no in fact my hearing is probably a bit less than average to be honest due to a long history of playing in live bands and working around large industrial machinery. Thanks for the comments.

 

[trnqk7]

I have yet to hear the fan in my ps3 while playing any video game or watching any movie. I don't have it setup for streaming movies, but a friend of mine has his setup to stream from a media server and it works very well. Just dependent on your connection speeds

 

[Halon451]

Well, streaming is okay with my current connection, but I've already pre-wired the house with Cat 6 for eventual use with a Gigabit network, which the PS3 does looks like it supports. I may eventually install a separate media server for something similar, but for now it will be coming directly from the web if I do any streaming - limited by my outside connection speed, which is cable. These are all things that truly attract me to this device, to have this capability far beyond the games.

 

[lcdguy]

wll i have some opinons on this. I have a ps3 that i use for blueray and music aside from gaming of course. But as far as video playback i find it doesn't have a great listing of support containers / codecs. For this i use a popcorn hour which IMHO owns the ps3 in that respect as the only container it doesn't seem to play is ogg/ogm. I would consider this as well as it's about 1/2 the price of the ps3 and can output 1080p over hdmi

www.popcornhour.com

 

[Seth=L]

Points about the PS3 to address.

It is not loud, my Toshiba HD-A3 is just as noisy (only the fan inside of it just sounds cheap).

The PS3 cannot output multichannel LPCM over any connection other than HDMI. Optical is limited to Dolby Digital and DTS bitstreams as well as 2 channel PCM.

The PS3 has a hard drive to store pictures, videos, music and other data and can also function in a network as a media device (I have not tried networking it to do this, so I don't know how well it works).

PS3 loads faster than any known Blu-ray player.

The upscaling with latest firmware scored very high on the HQV test for a $400 Blu-ray player.

http://www.hometheaterblog.com/hometheater/2007/01/review-sony-playstation-3-bd-playback/

You can see here it scored 120 out of a possible 130, which would be impressive for a stand alone upscaling DVD player at the cost of $400 (Oppo anyone?).

http://www.hometheaterblog.com/hometheater/2007/06/hqv-benchmarks-now-in-hd/

And we see again here that the PS3 is no slouch. With the Blu-ray HQV tests they score 100 out of 100. The Blu-ray performance is magnificent.

If you get a new receiver you need only worry about the capability of the receiver to decode 7.1 LPCM over HDMI. The receiver having on-board Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD decoders is not only unnecessary considering the PS3 does all those itself, but the PS3 can't bitstream Dolby Plus, TrueHD, or DTS-HD anyway. Basically when the PS3 decodes the HD audio internally and converts it to Hi-rez multichannel PCM the end result is the same. Bass management and all other digital post processing will still be in full use in the receiver, so the sound will be the same.

 

[Halon451]

Wow, thanks Seth - great information there, and I appreciate you taking the time for the reply. It kind of makes you wonder why anyone wouldn't just purchase a PS3 if they're in the market for a BD player to begin with, especially for the price. I know BD players have fallen off drastically as of late, price-wise, but the good ones are still comparable to what the PS3 costs, if not a little less and without all the fancy functionality that the PS3 can do.

If I get this, which at this point I think it's a 99% certainty, I'll post some thoughts on its networking capabilities as a media device, because I just KNOW I'm going to rail this thing of every single thing it's capable of doing. It's just too much fun not to!

 

[jostenmeat]

Wow, thanks Seth - great information there, and I appreciate you taking the time for the reply. It kind of makes you wonder why anyone wouldn't just purchase a PS3 if they're in the market for a BD player to begin with, especially for the price. I know BD players have fallen off drastically as of late, price-wise, but the good ones are still comparable to what the PS3 costs, if not a little less and without all the fancy functionality that the PS3 can do.

I was trying not to post, until you said the above. Some of us want to bitstream. Depending who you ask, bitstream is the wtg if you are paranoid of digital clocking and jitter mgmt issues.

The PS3 did not pass all HQV tests in the AVS battery, if you look in the Six Bluray Player shootout thread I posted here. The PS3 specifically failed Motion Adaptive Processing.
http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=47892

The PS3 is a whopping 8 seconds faster load than the BD-30, last year's model. I expect current models are even closer.

To the best of my knowledge, you cannot use shotgun audio output of optical + HDMI for those who care. Must fiddle with menu each time.

You also must fiddle each time with menu to bitstream DTS-ES or Dolby EX if you happen to enjoy 6.1/7.1 system.

So, for ME as a non-gamer, who does not care about downloading trailers, I want the best Bluray PQ (as that's my ONLY use), and I can have it for less money.

I don't need to buy a BT/IR adapter either. Add that to the cost.

If you actually use all of the features of the PS3, then its a no-brainer.

But don't expect all of us to buy in.

 

[Halon451]

To the best of my knowledge, you cannot use shotgun audio output of optical + HDMI for those who care. Must fiddle with menu each time.

Hehe, I figured my comment would finally elicit the more negative comments I've been seeking on this device.

Your quote above, I don't follow - could you elaborate? Are you saying that I would not be able to bitstream via optical while using HDMI at the same time?

As right now, my receiver does not have HDMI, I will be having to bitstream standard DD or DTS to my receiver while sending full res video via HDMI to my TV - I kind of figured this wouldn't be a problem, but your statement now makes me wonder. Maybe I just didn't understand what you're saying.

 

[jostenmeat]

Hehe, I figured my comment would finally elicit the more negative comments I've been seeking on this device.

I don't have much negative things to say about the PS3. It is an incredible value. Its just not for "anybody". I have recommended the PS3 as much as anyone else, as well.

Your quote above, I don't follow - could you elaborate? Are you saying that I would not be able to bitstream via optical while using HDMI at the same time?

This would not bother ME. Its for those who actually use their TV speakers, for instance, late at night. Ya know, leaving HT off, unmuting TV. So, that HDMI audio is not being carried to TV, if you are using SPDIF to HT, for one instance, until you fiddle with menu. Again, to the best of my knowledge. I don't own one!!!!!

As right now, my receiver does not have HDMI, I will be having to bitstream standard DD or DTS to my receiver while sending full res video via HDMI to my TV - I kind of figured this wouldn't be a problem, but your statement now makes me wonder. Maybe I just didn't understand what you're saying.

I'm confused now as well. Ummmmm, don't worry about bistream setting of lossy codecs unless you actually have 6.1/7.1. Non-issue I believe for 5.1 user. But, see, I am a 7.1 user, and I actually bought my bdp months in advance of the pre/pro upgrade to hdmi....

 

[ParadigmDawg]

I think the PS3 is an awesome system for BD, CD and WMP playback as well as a great gaming system. I also use it for some basic internet surfing and it seems fine.

No matter what Seth says, I find the fan to be quite loud and this is the only thing that bugs me.