criticism of PS3 as a blu-ray player - Blu-ray Forum

Marlon · 08-22-2007, 02:12 PM

Blu-ray is now truly blessed with films of the utmost transfer quality and the two films I'll be using for testing purposes will be 'Eight Below' and 'Flightplan'. Also I'll be comparing the PS3 to the reigning bluray champion which is, of course, the elite Pioneer BDP-94HD (or as its known in Australia LX-70). Needless to say I own both machines as well as the sammy BDP-1000, which is not really worth bothering about.

Firstly, as I watched these two films on my pioneer, I was struck just how, on the whole, remarkably pure, grain free and pristine these films looked. It was just beautiful. I mean seriously beautiful to watch. I might also add that the pioneer also showed up just how artificial and superimposed the grain effect looked in the otherwise splendid movie '300'. The only other way I can describe the aforementioned movies is that they are of a crystaline beauty in terms of presentation, but as I learned, the better the setup then so much better will be results.

I thought that it would be interesting to compare the PS3 bluray performance with the pioneer with respect to these two films. If you're already getting that sinking feel, then I can tell you it'll only get worse. Anyway I'll cut straight to the chase.

1.) Compared to the pioneer the COLOURS rendered by the PS3 are manifestly inferior and the skins tones are especially bad, really BAD. Actually the PS3 made the actors look rather ashen or sallow or pasty (you can take your pick). I really couldn't watch those films any further and the pioneer's rendering quality is just incomparably better.

2.) The CONTRAST of the PS3 is again very inferior to the pioneer and as a consequence the PS3 picture quality lost a lot of vividness. I found the PS3's picture quality looking quite dim and dull in comparison to the pioneer.

3.) The PS3 suffers from GRAINESS where the pioneer has the barest minimum or none at all. This was the most suprising find of the test and I can say that never will the PS3 touch the pristine rendering qualities of the pioneer. The grainy performance of the PS3 spoilt the movies for me and in particular the many close ups in 'flight plan'.

The main purpose of this post is not to bash the PS3 which I really love as a gaming platform, but to report to you the differences between it and a truly great stand alone machine.

Iceman_II · 08-22-2007, 02:20 PM

Interesting that your review is pretty much 180 degrees out from just about every other review I have read. Maybe you have a bad PS3.

I find it hard to believe that while nearly every other review I have read says that the output of the PS3 is either close to or as good as various standalones, your review comes back with saying skin tones are "ashen" and "sallow" and the picture is "grainy"

Did you recalibrate the monitor separately for the PS3 and the Pioneer, or did you use the "one setting fits all" theory.

partridge · 08-22-2007, 02:34 PM

I use my PS3 as a blu-ray and upscaling DVD player. I have no complaints at all on picture quality. Fair enough I don't have access to any standalone players, but when magazines give the PS3 9/10 for its playback performance I have to question your findings.

The blu-ray movie side of the PS3 is absolutely what it was designed to be; a showcase for blu-ray, unlike the PS2 which was in no way a showcase player for DVD.

Appreciate your opinions, but to make the claims you've made you must have a faulty PS3; my playback is bright, vibrant and damn near perfect. I'm sure there are better standalone players, but there's no way they would make the PS3 look as bad as you suggest.

Marlon · 08-22-2007, 02:43 PM

I'm just reporting the god honest truth. The calibrations are the same for both machines and there is nothing wrong with my PS3. Owning a larger 46 inch sony 1080p lcd tv, the differences may be more readily seen than on smaller tvs. I'll have to respectfully disagree that the PS3 is any where near as good as the pioneer, in fact I thought the samsung had better PQ because it had better contrast and more vividness to the colours. The PS3 can't do proper skin tones because the colours are duller and muted and its contrast levels are, incomparison, quite bad. If you have just made the jump from DVD to PS3 bluray, then the PS3 will look flawless but its an average player, merely adequate, in comparison to the pioneer.

Smackos · 08-22-2007, 02:43 PM

What are you using to connect up to your display with each player?

NutsAboutPS3 · 08-22-2007, 02:45 PM

How are your players connected to the tv? If via HDMI I find it hard to understand how the colours and contrast can differ - surely it simply reads the values from the disc (albeit after decrypting and decoding) and sends them out via HDMI, as it's all digital I would expect any player to output the same colours?

dialog_gvf · 08-22-2007, 02:47 PM

Many intelligent people with spectacular HT systems use PS/3s.
Many of the professional disc reviewers use PS/3s.

I have definitely heard that the Pioneer Elite picture is superior. But, then I would not only expect that, I would absolutely demand it. It would be a complete embarassment if it weren't true.

But, is the difference worth the cost difference, and the lack of Profile 1.1 and 2.0 compatibility?

Now, as for grain. Does that indicate some sort of grain suppression filtering on the Elite? That would be positive for many, although it does mean the picture is being altered from the reality on the disc.

Gary

Marlon · 08-22-2007, 02:52 PM

The sony 46 incher has 2 hdmi inputs and I've got them both connected with a high end nordost cables (with silver conductors, triple shielding, so on and so forth) which perform really well, much more so than a standard cable.

Iceman_II · 08-22-2007, 02:55 PM

We have found the problem!

You say that you used the same calibrations for both machines... if your calibrations were optimized for the pioneer, the PS3s performance would suffer, and vice versa. If one set of calibrations fit all, then all TVs would come from the factory preset, and you would never need to adjust.

Before you get all pompus over your 46" set, my PS3 looks OUTSTANDING on my 60" Sony, lots of POP and many "3d effects" (depending on the source).

I am sure that the picture on the pioneer is probably a bit better, it had better be for the price premium you have to pay... but your "review" if thats what we are calling it, portrays the PS3 as a piece of garbage, and that it most definately is NOT.

Smackos · 08-22-2007, 02:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marlon

The sony 46 incher has 2 hdmi inputs and I've got them both connected with a high end nordost cables (with silver conductors, triple shielding, so on and so forth) which perform really well, much more so than a standard cable.

Yeah very nice, have seen them. I won't even ask how much they've set you back..

Am very suprised by your results though to be honest. Did think that there'd be a slight improvement at non-viewing distances (like 3 inches from the screen, that sort of thing) but for you to say that it's pretty obvious is quite astounding. Like everyone else here I'm really happy by the performance given of my PS3 for PQ against the standalones it's not fell short so far. Either way fair play to ya buddy.. enjoy what ya got either way..know I am

wem003 · 08-22-2007, 02:59 PM

Not being ugly - but it just seems like your post is about justifying audiophile level purchases.

I was open to the discussion, but after telling us about your great display, great player, great cables, etc... just doesn't match what I have experienced with this machine.

I haven't tested other blu-ray players, but I have had several upconverting DVD players and this is the best I've seen.

Marlon · 08-22-2007, 03:06 PM

How can I make a fair comparison if I have one set of conditions for the one machine and another set for the other machine? There is no common ground to then make a comparison. I've set up the tv to my liking, which DOESN'T FAVOUR one machine or the other, and only then I made a fair comparison. Of course I'm not saying the PS3 is 'garbage' its terrific. If you just made the jump from DVD it'll then appear to be flawless.

Iceman_II · 08-22-2007, 03:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marlon

How can I make a fair comparison if I have one set of conditions for the one machine and another set for the other machine? There is no common ground to then make a comparison. .

That statement alone tells me that you know not of what you speak.

The question is how can you expect two different companies to have two different machines to output EXACTLY the same hue/saturation/sharpness levels. It isn't about having "common ground" as you say, its about correctly calibrating the video to account for differing outputs from two different pieces of equipment, thereby putting them on an even footing. Any piece of equipment can be made to look like crap if the calibration is off, and if those settings "HAPPEN" to be optimal for another piece of equipment, then one could draw the conclusion that one is far better than the other.

When tests are set up for reputable reviews, the systems are usually calibrated, otherwise, the results are simply subjective and meaningless.

cawgijoe · 08-22-2007, 03:33 PM

No issues with my PS3. The PQ is top-notch.

SGIBES · 08-22-2007, 03:49 PM

That is just not true, IMO anyway, are you sure you dont work for Pioneer or in retail trying to sell their players?

petethebaker · 08-22-2007, 04:07 PM

I do not know how you base your opinion but my ps3 has an incredible picture on my hitachi 51 hd. Really you must have a bad machi ne or your calibrations are wrong.

ack_bak · 08-22-2007, 04:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iceman_II

That statement alone tells me that you know not of what you speak.

The question is how can you expect two different companies to have two different machines to output EXACTLY the same hue/saturation/sharpness levels. It isn't about having "common ground" as you say, its about correctly calibrating the video to account for differing outputs from two different pieces of equipment, thereby putting them on an even footing. Any piece of equipment can be made to look like crap if the calibration is off, and if those settings "HAPPEN" to be optimal for another piece of equipment, then one could draw the conclusion that one is far better than the other.

When tests are set up for reputable reviews, the systems are usually calibrated, otherwise, the results are simply subjective and meaningless.

Agree with Iceman. You should calibrate both HDMI sources individually. It really sounds to me like you calibration is off for the PS3. I own a Samsung standalone player and a PS3 and the PS3 looks sharper to me than the Samsung using the same movies as a reference (and it is ever so slight).

Icemage · 08-22-2007, 04:14 PM

One quick question: Have you updated your PS3 firmware and set the HDMI RGB output to Full? If you haven't, that might be what's causing your washed out colors. Should also check the other calibration settings and report them here.

bryaaaant · 08-22-2007, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Icemage

One quick question: Have you updated your PS3 firmware and set the HDMI RGB output to Full? If you haven't, that might be what's causing your washed out colors. Should also check the other calibration settings and report them here.

just found that option a couple days ago and wow - made a huge difference.

CptGreedle · 08-22-2007, 04:19 PM

It could be something set wrong, it could be a bad PS3. But there is no reason a PS3 should have worse quality than a stand alone player. The thing is built like a tank and is more powerful than my computer. It should be able to give you the best quality available.
As they said, make sure the setting on the PS3 is at "RGB output FULL". It makes a big difference.
Otherwise, see if an exchange will fix it.

08-22-2007, 02:12 PM	#1
Marlon Banned Member since:Jul 2007	criticism of PS3 as a blu-ray player Blu-ray is now truly blessed with films of the utmost transfer quality and the two films I'll be using for testing purposes will be 'Eight Below' and 'Flightplan'. Also I'll be comparing the PS3 to the reigning bluray champion which is, of course, the elite Pioneer BDP-94HD (or as its known in Australia LX-70). Needless to say I own both machines as well as the sammy BDP-1000, which is not really worth bothering about. Firstly, as I watched these two films on my pioneer, I was struck just how, on the whole, remarkably pure, grain free and pristine these films looked. It was just beautiful. I mean seriously beautiful to watch. I might also add that the pioneer also showed up just how artificial and superimposed the grain effect looked in the otherwise splendid movie '300'. The only other way I can describe the aforementioned movies is that they are of a crystaline beauty in terms of presentation, but as I learned, the better the setup then so much better will be results. I thought that it would be interesting to compare the PS3 bluray performance with the pioneer with respect to these two films. If you're already getting that sinking feel, then I can tell you it'll only get worse. Anyway I'll cut straight to the chase. 1.) Compared to the pioneer the COLOURS rendered by the PS3 are manifestly inferior and the skins tones are especially bad, really BAD. Actually the PS3 made the actors look rather ashen or sallow or pasty (you can take your pick). I really couldn't watch those films any further and the pioneer's rendering quality is just incomparably better. 2.) The CONTRAST of the PS3 is again very inferior to the pioneer and as a consequence the PS3 picture quality lost a lot of vividness. I found the PS3's picture quality looking quite dim and dull in comparison to the pioneer. 3.) The PS3 suffers from GRAINESS where the pioneer has the barest minimum or none at all. This was the most suprising find of the test and I can say that never will the PS3 touch the pristine rendering qualities of the pioneer. The grainy performance of the PS3 spoilt the movies for me and in particular the many close ups in 'flight plan'. The main purpose of this post is not to bash the PS3 which I really love as a gaming platform, but to report to you the differences between it and a truly great stand alone machine.

08-22-2007, 02:43 PM	#4
Marlon Banned Member since:Jul 2007	PS3 is working perfectly well I'm just reporting the god honest truth. The calibrations are the same for both machines and there is nothing wrong with my PS3. Owning a larger 46 inch sony 1080p lcd tv, the differences may be more readily seen than on smaller tvs. I'll have to respectfully disagree that the PS3 is any where near as good as the pioneer, in fact I thought the samsung had better PQ because it had better contrast and more vividness to the colours. The PS3 can't do proper skin tones because the colours are duller and muted and its contrast levels are, incomparison, quite bad. If you have just made the jump from DVD to PS3 bluray, then the PS3 will look flawless but its an average player, merely adequate, in comparison to the pioneer.

08-22-2007, 02:52 PM	#8
Marlon Banned Member since:Jul 2007	Tv has 2 HDMI inputs...... The sony 46 incher has 2 hdmi inputs and I've got them both connected with a high end nordost cables (with silver conductors, triple shielding, so on and so forth) which perform really well, much more so than a standard cable.

08-22-2007, 03:06 PM	#12
Marlon Banned Member since:Jul 2007	There is no problem with the settings How can I make a fair comparison if I have one set of conditions for the one machine and another set for the other machine? There is no common ground to then make a comparison. I've set up the tv to my liking, which DOESN'T FAVOUR one machine or the other, and only then I made a fair comparison. Of course I'm not saying the PS3 is 'garbage' its terrific. If you just made the jump from DVD it'll then appear to be flawless.

Similar Threads
thread	Forum	Thread Starter	Replies	Last Post
Is PS3 Still The Best Blu-ray Player??	Blu-ray Players and Recorders	blurayjunkie	191	07-05-2010 03:19 PM
New PS3 article mentions that the PS3 is still the best BLU-RAY player overall.	Blu-ray Players and Recorders	HDTV1080P	5	04-13-2008 03:51 AM
Ps3 Or Blu-ray Player????	Blu-ray Players and Recorders	TheNatureBhoy	5	09-18-2007 09:55 PM
Follow up post:Vindicating the 'criticism of PS3' post	Blu-ray Players and Recorders	Marlon	17	08-27-2007 03:45 PM
What is wattage of Sony PS3 as Blu-Ray player vs. other Blu-Ray Players?	Blu-ray Players and Recorders	markw	2	05-02-2007 02:16 AM

08-22-2007, 02:20 PM	#2
Iceman_II Expert Member Member since:Jan 2007 Location:Ft. Worth Home Theater Gallery:2 Blu-ray collection:308 Blu-ray reviews: 4	Interesting that your review is pretty much 180 degrees out from just about every other review I have read. Maybe you have a bad PS3. I find it hard to believe that while nearly every other review I have read says that the output of the PS3 is either close to or as good as various standalones, your review comes back with saying skin tones are "ashen" and "sallow" and the picture is "grainy" Did you recalibrate the monitor separately for the PS3 and the Pioneer, or did you use the "one setting fits all" theory.

08-22-2007, 02:34 PM	#3
partridge Blu-ray Ninja Member since:Oct 2005 Location:England	I use my PS3 as a blu-ray and upscaling DVD player. I have no complaints at all on picture quality. Fair enough I don't have access to any standalone players, but when magazines give the PS3 9/10 for its playback performance I have to question your findings. The blu-ray movie side of the PS3 is absolutely what it was designed to be; a showcase for blu-ray, unlike the PS2 which was in no way a showcase player for DVD. Appreciate your opinions, but to make the claims you've made you must have a faulty PS3; my playback is bright, vibrant and damn near perfect. I'm sure there are better standalone players, but there's no way they would make the PS3 look as bad as you suggest.

08-22-2007, 02:43 PM	#5
Smackos Senior Member Member since:Jun 2007 Blu-ray collection:149 Blu-ray reviews:1 Trading Score:8	What are you using to connect up to your display with each player?

08-22-2007, 02:45 PM	#6
NutsAboutPS3 Expert Member Member since:Apr 2007 Location:UK Blu-ray reviews:1	How are your players connected to the tv? If via HDMI I find it hard to understand how the colours and contrast can differ - surely it simply reads the values from the disc (albeit after decrypting and decoding) and sends them out via HDMI, as it's all digital I would expect any player to output the same colours?

08-22-2007, 02:47 PM	#7
dialog_gvf Moderator Member since:Nov 2006 Location:Toronto Blu-ray collection:320	Many intelligent people with spectacular HT systems use PS/3s. Many of the professional disc reviewers use PS/3s. I have definitely heard that the Pioneer Elite picture is superior. But, then I would not only expect that, I would absolutely demand it. It would be a complete embarassment if it weren't true. But, is the difference worth the cost difference, and the lack of Profile 1.1 and 2.0 compatibility? Now, as for grain. Does that indicate some sort of grain suppression filtering on the Elite? That would be positive for many, although it does mean the picture is being altered from the reality on the disc. Gary

08-22-2007, 02:55 PM	#9
Iceman_II Expert Member Member since:Jan 2007 Location:Ft. Worth Home Theater Gallery:2 Blu-ray collection:308 Blu-ray reviews: 4	We have found the problem! You say that you used the same calibrations for both machines... if your calibrations were optimized for the pioneer, the PS3s performance would suffer, and vice versa. If one set of calibrations fit all, then all TVs would come from the factory preset, and you would never need to adjust. Before you get all pompus over your 46" set, my PS3 looks OUTSTANDING on my 60" Sony, lots of POP and many "3d effects" (depending on the source). I am sure that the picture on the pioneer is probably a bit better, it had better be for the price premium you have to pay... but your "review" if thats what we are calling it, portrays the PS3 as a piece of garbage, and that it most definately is NOT.

08-22-2007, 02:59 PM	#11
wem003 Active Member Member since:Jul 2007 Location:Apex, NC Blu-ray collection:29 Blu-ray reviews:1	Not being ugly - but it just seems like your post is about justifying audiophile level purchases. I was open to the discussion, but after telling us about your great display, great player, great cables, etc... just doesn't match what I have experienced with this machine. I haven't tested other blu-ray players, but I have had several upconverting DVD players and this is the best I've seen.

08-22-2007, 03:33 PM	#14
cawgijoe Special Member Member since:Feb 2007 Trading Score:1	No issues with my PS3. The PQ is top-notch.

08-22-2007, 03:49 PM	#15
SGIBES Senior Member Member since:Apr 2007 Location:Chicago IL Trading Score:1	That is just not true, IMO anyway, are you sure you dont work for Pioneer or in retail trying to sell their players?

08-22-2007, 04:07 PM	#16
petethebaker Member Member since:Feb 2007 4K collection:232 Blu-ray collection:935 Digital collection:1 iTunes collection:226	I do not know how you base your opinion but my ps3 has an incredible picture on my hitachi 51 hd. Really you must have a bad machi ne or your calibrations are wrong.

08-22-2007, 04:14 PM	#18
Icemage Blu-ray Ninja Top contributor Member since:Jul 2007	One quick question: Have you updated your PS3 firmware and set the HDMI RGB output to Full? If you haven't, that might be what's causing your washed out colors. Should also check the other calibration settings and report them here.

08-22-2007, 04:19 PM	#20
CptGreedle Blu-ray Ninja Member since:Jul 2007 Location:Sworn super-hero now services Atlanta (and suburbs). Blu-ray collection:128 Blu-ray reviews:5	It could be something set wrong, it could be a bad PS3. But there is no reason a PS3 should have worse quality than a stand alone player. The thing is built like a tank and is more powerful than my computer. It should be able to give you the best quality available. As they said, make sure the setting on the PS3 is at "RGB output FULL". It makes a big difference. Otherwise, see if an exchange will fix it.

Best Blu-ray Movie Deals