HTPC vs. PS3 on a 60" LG Flat Panel

[Arioch]

Hey guys,

New to the Bluray scene... I am currently in the market for a blu-ray player and leaning towards the PS3. I am currently running a LG 60pg60 60" flat panel. Would the PS3 upscale ok?

Also, thinking of building a HTPC for my TV and wondering if this would be a better solution for my viewing experiences.... I know the HTPC would run any Blu-ray movie but more or less looking for some do's and don't when it comes to Blu-Ray.

Sorry, I have been searching the site but haven't found any good posts on my questions...

Looking forward to being a sponge!

Arioch

[rarredoa]

Originally Posted by Arioch

Hey guys,

New to the Bluray scene... I am currently in the market for a blu-ray player and leaning towards the PS3. I am currently running a LG 60pg60 60" flat panel. Would the PS3 upscale ok?

Also, thinking of building a HTPC for my TV and wondering if this would be a better solution for my viewing experiences.... I know the HTPC would run any Blu-ray movie but more or less looking for some do's and don't when it comes to Blu-Ray.

Sorry, I have been searching the site but haven't found any good posts on my questions...

Looking forward to being a sponge!

Arioch

In my opinion a PS3, unfortunately does NOT upscale STD DVD's very well at all! For some reason the fan on the PS3 gets louder when playing standard DVD's. At least mine does. I myself have an HD DVD player, and the upscaling on it is by far the very best, next to one of those $2000 Denon std DVD players.

PS3 Will give u reference-quality blu-ray playback though!

HTPC's will give u a comparable performance when it comes to blu-ray though, just be aware of all the tech-specs with soundcards and software players though!

My HTPC give me reference video playback, but unfortunately the PowerDVD 8 Ultra, downcoverts the HD audio codecs, like Dolby True HD and DTS HD MA down to only 16 bit quality, for example, but PS3 gives u absolutely everything, full audio support of all codecs and top-notch video, just make sure u have HDMI on your receiver to handle all that

[Arioch]

Hey Rarredoa

Thanks for the info... My TV has the "latest" HDMI connections so it should work ok (i hope). Here's my specs for the TV

http://reviews.cnet.com/flat-panel-t...-32863623.html

Also, I do play alot more STD DVD's as the cost for the Blu-rays are still on the high side to build a blueray collection... I think the PS3 would be great, just concerned about the PS3's abilities to upscale 60". Also, dropping 300-500 on a PS3 would be great revenue towards the HTPC.

Arioch

[lojack1976]

Originally Posted by rarredoa

In my opinion a PS3, unfortunately does NOT upscale STD DVD's very well at all! For some reason the fan on the PS3 gets louder when playing standard DVD's. At least mine does.

I have a 60GB launch day PS3 and I don't have any problems with the fan. Its weird, but there was a point when a firmware revision made the fan speed up very loud, but somewhere along the line a newer firmware fixed it.
As far as upscaling ability I've only compared to everyday upconvert dvd players and the PS3 has been better than all of the ones I've seen in action, so I'd say its very good at upscaling though certainly not as good as a high-end upconverting player. I read a review somewhere...I can't remember where, maybe CNET, but I remember it being a high-end upconvert dvd player and it was compared to the PS3. According to the professional review that player was better at upconversion but only marginally. Its up to you whether the difference would be worth the money.

[rarredoa]

Originally Posted by lojack1976

I have a 60GB launch day PS3 and I don't have any problems with the fan. Its weird, but there was a point when a firmware revision made the fan speed up very loud, but somewhere along the line a newer firmware fixed it.
As far as upscaling ability I've only compared to everyday upconvert dvd players and the PS3 has been better than all of the ones I've seen in action, so I'd say its very good at upscaling though certainly not as good as a high-end upconverting player. I read a review somewhere...I can't remember where, maybe CNET, but I remember it being a high-end upconvert dvd player and it was compared to the PS3. According to the professional review that player was better at upconversion but only marginally. Its up to you whether the difference would be worth the money.

I should have been more careful, and agree 100% with lojack... U just have to audition, this was just the case with my equipment

[ps3andlovinit]

Originally Posted by rarredoa

For some reason the fan on the PS3 gets louder when playing standard DVD's. At least mine does.

60GB are louder than the 40GB and the 80GB mfg since ~ last xmas. Our 40GB is pretty much silent.

I've noticed a pattern that certain FW upgrades seem to increase the fan .. and then a subsequent release often kicks it back down. I think they get the features out and then optimize it further down the road. It hasn't always been the case but I've noticed it a few times now with the 60GB.

[Arioch]

I am putting all of my components in the closet behind the wall. Good airflow in there and I plan to run an RF remote. The fan noise shouldn't be a concern for me.

Are you happy with your PS3 as your primary Blu-ray player?

[callas01]

most people are happy with the PS3 as a BDP, it is easy to update the firmware, and plays BD's well, I don't own one but I have seen that some people say it doesn't upconvert SD DVD's that well.... If you want a good upconverting blu-ray player, try the panasonics, many of the owners of them (myself incl.) think they upconvert well, also most of the new BDP's all have ethernet ports and updating the firmware on those is really easy also.

[Arioch]

Well I still own an XBOX 360 and have used it as my primary DVD Player. Works pretty awesome actually.

My thoughts are if I go for an HTPC then I could archive my DVD's digitally instead on burning them all the time. The BD feature is just for those special movies that need to be "PERFECT". It will also replace my short lived Xbox 360HD player

Back to my original question... And perhaps this needs to be in a HTPC forum instead... But is the technology ready for my investment in a stand alone HTPC that can play BD with the very best visual and audio on the market. Ultimatley that is my goal. I know my TV is rather large and concerned about the challenges some people have mentioned about the 50+ screens.

[SkillzthatKillz]

i have a 40 gb that i use as my dvd/blu-ray player and it works pretty well. dvd's look good (about as good as they can look i guess) and the blu-rays look spectacular. i would probably recommend going the PS3 route for now as it is guaranteed to give very good results whereas the HTPC might not work as well because of the many different hardware configurations and ive heard many people have problems getting the software to work properly. i dont know if the PC market is quite where it needs to be for good blu-ray playback just yet. plus the ps3 has some sick exclusive games

[RIPSeanTaylor21]

Originally Posted by Arioch

Well I still own an XBOX 360 and have used it as my primary DVD Player. Works pretty awesome actually.

My thoughts are if I go for an HTPC then I could archive my DVD's digitally instead on burning them all the time. The BD feature is just for those special movies that need to be "PERFECT". It will also replace my short lived Xbox 360HD player

Back to my original question... And perhaps this needs to be in a HTPC forum instead... But is the technology ready for my investment in a stand alone HTPC that can play BD with the very best visual and audio on the market. Ultimatley that is my goal. I know my TV is rather large and concerned about the challenges some people have mentioned about the 50+ screens.

+1 For 360 Users