Is PS3 Still The Best Blu-ray Player??

[Post Prod]

Originally Posted by lDlisturb3d

Umm not really, i pay my own electric bill which usaully ranges from 80 to 100 bucks.

The Ps3 is the best, im not dumb nor going to fall into a marketing rip off, If you want a multifunctional, reliable, good quality bd player then buy the PS3, the only bd players that can compete with it are the oppo's and look how much they cost! In addition they arent better IMO.

If you arent broke get a PS3 but if money is tight for you then go ahead their are other options but you wont get the same options and quality as a PS3 END OF STORY.

Just because you pay your own electric bill doesn't change the fact that, yes, many PS3 owners do not pay their own electric bill compared to those who own stand-alones. It is a gaming console after all, kids tend to ask for those for xmas. and it doesn't change the fact that the PS3 is indeed a power hog compared to stand-alones. That doesn't matter to you? Superb! It matters to some of us who are simply looking for efficient and quality home theater equipment. So if you are only playing movies, paying 5-10 times more in electricity to do the same activity you would on a stand-alone, is not a non-issue to many.

I'm not knocking the Ps3, I've owned six of them. It's a superb all-around unit, but it's not for everyone. If you don't care about gaming it's possible it's not the player for you. There are many players now well under the $200 mark that have just as good BD playback, similar SD DVD upscaling and similar networking/streaming services like netflix.

This wasn't the case a year ago. A year ago I would've leaned people much more towards the PS3. But the market has changed and it's no longer the no-brainer it once was. If it was, we probably wouldn't be having this conversation in the first place. and as time goes on, Sony may well upgrade future unit hardware for the 1.4 spec, but this leaves current owners in the same boat as current stand-alone owners. Stuck in 1.3a land. and we can debate the usefulness of this, but the fact remains there are hardware limitations currently. Of course if you require multi-channel audio outputs, the PS3 was never an option for you to begin with.

The PS3 is the best player for you? Great! It's a fine machine! But don't confuse yourself, your needs and aesthetic with everyone else. There is no end of story on a subject so subjective, no matter how many sentences you bold, underline or how sticky your caps-lock button is.

[lDlisturb3d]

Originally Posted by Post Prod

Just because you pay your own electric bill doesn't change the fact that, yes, many PS3 owners do not pay their own electric bill compared to those who own stand-alones. It is a gaming console after all, kids tend to ask for those for xmas. and it doesn't change the fact that the PS3 is indeed a power hog compared to stand-alones. That doesn't matter to you? Superb! It matters to some of us who are simply looking for efficient and quality home theater equipment. So if you are only playing movies, paying 5-10 times more in electricity to do the same activity you would on a stand-alone, is not a non-issue to many.

I'm not knocking the Ps3, I've owned six of them. It's a superb all-around unit, but it's not for everyone. If you don't care about gaming it's possible it's not the player for you. There are many players now well under the $200 mark that have just as good BD playback, similar SD DVD upscaling and similar networking/streaming services like netflix.

This wasn't the case a year ago. A year ago I would've leaned people much more towards the PS3. But the market has changed and it's no longer the no-brainer it once was. If it was, we probably wouldn't be having this conversation in the first place. and as time goes on, Sony may well upgrade future unit hardware for the 1.4 spec, but this leaves current owners in the same boat as current stand-alone owners. Stuck in 1.3a land. and we can debate the usefulness of this, but the fact remains there are hardware limitations currently. Of course if you require multi-channel audio outputs, the PS3 was never an option for you to begin with.

The PS3 is the best player for you? Great! It's a fine machine! But don't confuse yourself, your needs and aesthetic with everyone else. There is no end of story on a subject so subjective, no matter how many sentences you bold, underline or how sticky your caps-lock button is.

Bro just stop it, if you're fine with a cheap blu ray player thats you!!! The forum clearly states is the PS3 still the best blu ray player, and statistically YES YES YES and every way, BEST BANG FOR YOU BUCK. If you care about power consumption go get the PS3 fat and turn it off when you're not viewing it.

Just a bit of advice, look at the top 25 HT's on this site, i can promise you that 90% of them have a PS3, and probably dont game on it. If your gonna make statements make sure have have facts to back them up. The PS3 is the hottest blu ray player on the market.

[guitarist155]

just thought I would jump in for fun yay arguments!!! so about a 102'' screen, I have quite a few calibrated displays for photography work, they are more accurate then most and there is really not a difference, I also am pushing a 120'' screen and love my ps3 more than any other player. as for fan boys, there are just as many stand alone fan boys. eventually it breaks down two the fact that even in comparison to ultra cheap blu-ray players some people still don't like the ps3 because it does more than just play movies, this gave it a bad rap to some, it's like hauling groceries in a porsche 911, it's still a porsche, I am still going faster than others and I have stuff to eat when I get there

that being said, look at the features of the stand alones see what you do and don't need then look at the price and pick, then compare that player to the ps3 and pick which you want.

i say ps3, not because I am a fanboy but because I love my player.

[MacinMan]

Originally Posted by guitarist155

just thought I would jump in for fun yay arguments!!! so about a 102'' screen, I have quite a few calibrated displays for photography work, they are more accurate then most and there is really not a difference, I also am pushing a 120'' screen and love my ps3 more than any other player. as for fan boys, there are just as many stand alone fan boys. eventually it breaks down two the fact that even in comparison to ultra cheap blu-ray players some people still don't like the ps3 because it does more than just play movies, this gave it a bad rap to some, it's like hauling groceries in a porsche 911, it's still a porsche, I am still going faster than others and I have stuff to eat when I get there

that being said, look at the features of the stand alones see what you do and don't need then look at the price and pick, then compare that player to the ps3 and pick which you want.

i say ps3, not because I am a fanboy but because I love my player.

Ok, I have a question here, I went to do some research on purchasing a PS 3 just to see how much extra it would cost me then a stand alone player. I'm thinking about the slim because it sounds like the cheapest deal. Well according to walmart's site they don't have the slim and the ps3 hardware they list is no cheaper then $400 I thought the slim was like $250 or 300 something like that. With what I would use in a player I don't think i'd want to pay anymore then $250.

[Post Prod]

Originally Posted by lDlisturb3d

Bro just stop it, if you're fine with a cheap blu ray player thats you!!! The forum clearly states is the PS3 still the best blu ray player, and statistically YES YES YES and every way, BEST BANG FOR YOU BUCK. If you care about power consumption go get the PS3 fat and turn it off when you're not viewing it.

Just a bit of advice, look at the top 25 HT's on this site, i can promise you that 90% of them have a PS3, and probably dont game on it. If your gonna make statements make sure have have facts to back them up. The PS3 is the hottest blu ray player on the market.

What statements did I make that are not backed up by facts? That more kids own PS3's than they do stand-alones? Is that supposed to be a joke? Do you really think parents are buying their kids stand-alones more often than PS3's? Logic would dictate younger people are more attracted to a game console, while older people would be more attracted to more conventional stand-alone units.

As you have probably read in this thread, there are a lot of people here who do not think it is the best player for everyone. It's a matter of opinion which features matter the most. This forum is made up of individuals and you would be hard pressed to get "the forum" to wholly agree on anything, let alone this.

You think the PS3 is the best bang for the buck, fine. Thanks for sharing your opinion. But there are other people here who have different opinions. and none of these opinions are fact, so stop pretending your opinions are fact.

Am I fine with cheap blu-ray players that's me? Did you miss the part where I said I've owned six PS3's? I've also owned about 15 other stand-alones and some how I was able to own all of them with out having some bizarre obligation to defend them blindly on a forum. Just because something costs less than a PS3 doesn't make it cheap. Does that mean anything that cost more than PS3 is too expensive? How about if the price drops on the PS3 to $200, will the PS3 then be cheap to you?

and if I care about power consumption go get the fat and turn it off when I'm not using it? Why would I do that if I care about power consumption? That doesn't make any sense in the world. If I care about power consumption why would I buy a PS3? If you don't care about paying higher electric bills, well bless your heart, but don't dismiss people that do care.


Again, I'm not telling anyone not to get one. I'm saying they're great, just not for everyone. You are saying they are without a doubt for anyone and everyone without exception and it's not even worth a discussion. Which sounds like someone trying to sell PS3's like it's a religion. Calm down and respect the fact that your opinion is not the end all be all for what is the best blu-ray player. Choice is what makes this world great, we should all bre grateful we have several different options for several different types of consumers. Because everyone is not like you and everyone else is not like me.

[Post Prod]

[Petra_Kalbrain]

The PS3 may not be THE BEST BLU-RAY PLAYER anymore, but it is still, by far, the BEST VALUE BLU-RAY PLAYER.

[lDlisturb3d]

Originally Posted by Petra_Kalbrain

The PS3 may not be THE BEST BLU-RAY PLAYER anymore, but it is still, by far, the BEST VALUE BLU-RAY PLAYER.

i can live with that +1

[briangccf]

I traded my "fat" PS3 for a Oppo BDP 83 se thinking I may have been missing out on something and I was tired of the fan noise. Truth be told I love the Oppo player for what is does and its build quality but it was not worth the extra 600 I had to pan out because like a PS3 it also has a fan and makes fan noise, about the same as my new slim with the new 40 chip. Sony has also dropped their SACD ambitions in favor of their replacement format Blu-ray. Sony developed both, no need for 2 high storage disk formats when everybody will own a blu-ray player. I also started missing the ability to play a game if a chose to, I'm not a big gamer but at least with a PS3 I don't have to buy a separate gaming system and look more like a geek then I already do. I couldn't notice a difference in sound or picture quality either! ones and zeros are the same no matter what player is reading them, the rest is snake oil! So, before my 30 day return policy was up I packed up my Oppo and bought the new slim. I have it running into a Cambridge Audio Dac Magic along with my computer into a Anthem amp and Studio 100 speakers. Being able to surf the web is cool also and stream Netflix. The ps3 is just a power house with endless possibilities. I cant see not owning one! Maybe one day I will own both but if you can only pick one, the winner is hands down the PS3 with Oppo in second!!! I'll never understand why people would even consider the rest of the players unless they are getting them for like 100 dollars to save money. Go PS3, Go Oppo, or Go home and save your money!!! ;-)

[richieb1971]

The biggest difference is scaling of SD content. PS3 does a fine job, can't speak for the standalones.

Oppo is better at being modded for region ALL playback and has a 50/60hz switch/conversion.

Oppo has SACD and is most likely quieter than the older models of PS3, it also sports the right HDMI socket to pass bitstream audio.


If thats an argument for a standalone, thats pretty much all you got going for it. For me, I want the best of both worlds. I have 2 60GB machines, which I would happily get rid of for a Oppo and slim. I have 2 PS2's so B/C is useless to me.

[Post Prod]

Originally Posted by briangccf

I traded my "fat" PS3 for a Oppo BDP 83 se thinking I may have been missing out on something and I was tired of the fan noise. Truth be told I love the Oppo player for what is does and its build quality but it was not worth the extra 600 I had to pan out because like a PS3 it also has a fan and makes fan noise, about the same as my new slim with the new 40 chip. Sony has also dropped their SACD ambitions in favor of their replacement format Blu-ray. Sony developed both, no need for 2 high storage disk formats when everybody will own a blu-ray player. I also started missing the ability to play a game if a chose to, I'm not a big gamer but at least with a PS3 I don't have to buy a separate gaming system and look more like a geek then I already do. I couldn't notice a difference in sound or picture quality either! ones and zeros are the same no matter what player is reading them, the rest is snake oil! So, before my 30 day return policy was up I packed up my Oppo and bought the new slim. I have it running into a Cambridge Audio Dac Magic along with my computer into a Anthem amp and Studio 100 speakers. Being able to surf the web is cool also and stream Netflix. The ps3 is just a power house with endless possibilities. I cant see not owning one! Maybe one day I will own both but if you can only pick one, the winner is hands down the PS3 with Oppo in second!!! I'll never understand why people would even consider the rest of the players unless they are getting them for like 100 dollars to save money. Go PS3, Go Oppo, or Go home and save your money!!! ;-)

With all due respect, it's a tad more than "ones and zeros and the rest is just snake oil". If that were true, every dvd and blu-ray player on the market would produce the same picture and sound. and even if that were true, which it obviously isn't, then there would be no point in buying anything but the very cheapest player on the market.

Although I will concede, after reviewing over 30 blu-ray players, actual blu-ray playback is virtually identical in terms of video quality player to player. The real differences are less subtle in regards to audio and more so SD DVD play back.

I say this all in defense of the PS3, because it's SD DVD performance is no slouch. It was pretty sub-par when it first hit the market, but it's easily as good if not better than the majority of stand-alones, with obvious exception of ones with Reon or Abt solutions.

[X400]

Originally Posted by Post Prod

How about during Blu-Ray playback?? (and how about the BDP-80 and 83 since that up there is the old dvd player)

And how much does that come down to $$$ wise?


& does it make up for the difference in price of the units after say a year?



edit bdp-83 idles 35W PS3Slim idles 75W (cnet says it uses 80.9W during blu-ray playback so Im assuming the bdp-83 also uses more) PS3 Fat (1st gen) 171W

BDP-83 $499.00
PS3Slim $299.99

Does the ps3 slim consume $199.01 more power??

BDP-83 if left on 24hrs a day for 1 year (using my local energy fees) = $19.23 a year
PS3Slim if left on 24hrs a day for 1 year (using my local energy fees) = $41.20 a year
PS3Fat of left on 24hrs a day for 1 year (using my local energy fees) = $93.92 a year

Energy price difference of $21.964 a year

You'll have to use your Oppo for 9 years before you make up the $199.01 price difference of the Oppo/PS3slim (AND THATS IF YOU USE IT 24/hrs a DAY EVERYDAY)


edited to add info for ps3fat 1st gen (even though its not for sale nemore)

[Mooseteets]

heh my PC uses 250watts idle and 350 watts watching a dvd/blu and 500 watts playing a game.
my media center PC uses 110watts idle and 240watts when watching HD content for comparison.

also somone said earlier that using the controller to navigate blurays isnt that good, well i tend to agree, the best thing i bought for my PS3 was the bluray remote, its bluetooth as well so it doesnt even need line of sight like a normal IR remote.

[jonesyg27]

Originally Posted by X400

Does the ps3 slim consume $199.01 more power??

BDP-83 if left on 24hrs a day for 1 year (using my local energy fees) = $19.23 a year
PS3Slim if left on 24hrs a day for 1 year (using my local energy fees) = $41.20 a year

Energy price difference of $21.964 a year

You'll have to use your Oppo for 9 years before you make up the $199.01 price difference of the Oppo/PS3

Well, the Oppo did save me somewhere between $400-$1000 by not having to buy a new receiver to get lossless audio, so that's a consideration too.

[briangccf]

To me the DACs make the only real difference rather they be in your receiver, pre-amp, or out board DAC like I use. Most disk players are just transports of the ones and zeros to the decoders so rather you use a hard drive, thumb drive, or disk player the outcome should remain the same using the same DAC. There is nothing magic about these disk that 4000 dollar players will find unless its artificial, just ones and zeros that need to be converted back to the original analog signal using a quality DAC. This is why I mostly use computer music now, video is another story because it takes up so much room so Blu-ray should be around for a while. So my point is... If you have a quality receiver or preamp that takes HDMI and can decode the new sound formats, nothing comes close to a PS3. If you need good Dacs or you cant use HDMI with a older receiver go with a Oppo BDP 83 se! I feel these 2 players are the best for the money for what they do with the regular Oppo 83 being in the middle performance wise. this is all just my opinion though and a very simplified explanation cause I'm tired and have other things to do. ;-)

[lDlisturb3d]

Originally Posted by X400

You'll have to use your Oppo for 9 years before you make up the $199.01 price difference of the Oppo/PS3slim (AND THATS IF YOU USE IT 24/hrs a DAY EVERYDAY)


edited to add info for ps3fat 1st gen (even though its not for sale nemore)

Great point i bet he doesn't reply to this post with any common sense.

[Post Prod]

For crying out loud what is your deal with this "common sense" attacking crap? Why do you need to take a different point of view so personal.

I never recommended the Oppo over the PS3 and I've said several times the ps3 is a great machine, just "might" not be for everyone. Why do you need to take this so personal? When I'm in most cases agreeing with you?


I never said only kids buy PS3's. I said I bought 6 of them and that's not counting the ones I've bought as gifts. It seems any thing that isn't 100% glowing positive about the PS3 said here, is just too much for you to take, or is something that should be just dismissed as nonsense. What I did say was "I realize lot of PS3 owners don't pay their own electric bill". Which is true. and it was a caveat for the Ps3 for crying out loud as to why power consumption might not matter for a lot of PS3 owners. It wasn't meant as a jab at the PS3, again it was in the same post that said I've boughten them myself, so it would be me jabbing myself.

This isn't the freakin format war, relax, breathe deeply, I'm not your enemy.

I also never said the power consumption would offset the cost of an Oppo or anything close to it. It makes me wonder what the point of replying is when everything I say is taken out of context. It seems there is a mindset here that this is a oppo vs ps3 battle to the death. Which is just absurd. There many fine players out there besides these two that are ideal for all kinds of different consumers. If you love the format, you should be supporting other companies that also make quality players, not just blindly dismissing them as hunks of cheap crap because they don't play PS3 games. You bought a PS3, that doesn't mean all of the other players need to be called cheap.

If people only bought the PS3, what exactly do you think that will do to the blu-ray market? Will other CE manufactures want to even make them? The PS3 is fantastic because it's what dragged the format out of the niche, but it can't sustain the entire industry on it's own. Competition is what drives companies to make better products. and unless you own Sony stock, blindly bashing other players as "cheap" that you have zero experience with does nothing but hurt the format.

Back to the power consumption. This isn't a huge deal, and it's not likely a deal breaker for anyone that isn't interested in buying the most "green" blu-ray player. It's just one of many little factors to take into account when making a purchase. It's not a huge cost, but it's a cost nonetheless, so we shouldn't ignore it.

Look, I work in post in tv/film, and I do home theater installs on the side. I have a tremendous amount of hands on experience with not only a lot of home theater equipment, but the source material itself. Although I've been a member/reader for a while, I rarely post here because of this kind of stuff.

What is the point of a forum if everyone says the same thing and agrees, and uses the same exact equipment? How is this advancing the hobby or the format in general?

[Post Prod]

Originally Posted by X400

How about during Blu-Ray playback?? (and how about the BDP-80 and 83 since that up there is the old dvd player)

And how much does that come down to $$$ wise?


& does it make up for the difference in price of the units after say a year?



edit bdp-83 idles 35W PS3Slim idles 75W (cnet says it uses 80.9W during blu-ray playback so Im assuming the bdp-83 also uses more) PS3 Fat (1st gen) 171W

BDP-83 $499.00
PS3Slim $299.99

Does the ps3 slim consume $199.01 more power??

BDP-83 if left on 24hrs a day for 1 year (using my local energy fees) = $19.23 a year
PS3Slim if left on 24hrs a day for 1 year (using my local energy fees) = $41.20 a year
PS3Fat of left on 24hrs a day for 1 year (using my local energy fees) = $93.92 a year

Energy price difference of $21.964 a year

You'll have to use your Oppo for 9 years before you make up the $199.01 price difference of the Oppo/PS3slim (AND THATS IF YOU USE IT 24/hrs a DAY EVERYDAY)


edited to add info for ps3fat 1st gen (even though its not for sale nemore)

Yup that all looks about right! I wasn't saying this to steer anyone to an Oppo, you may be confusing me with another poster, the graph simply cites one of their dvd players as a point of reference. It's not the BDP83. I know the new fat model PS3's have revised their hardware so it averages around 130-140 now.

I did try to imply if you own it less than 5 years it might be moot for you. If someone was considering the Oppo BR player, I doubt power consumption would be of any concern anyways, because of it's heft price tag, unless the person buying it was trying to find a "green" player.

I would think the power consumption info would be useful for people really pinching pennies and eyeballing players cheaper than the the PS3 Slim. I have a lot of clients looking for something in the $200 ballpark for example. and I have assistants who have even asked me what's the cheapest blu-ray player they could "live" with and still enjoy the format to it's fullest.

There's still a lot of people who want to jump in, but the $299 price tag is still too high for what many see is a fancy dvd player. and I've tried talking people into a PS3 based on it's other features, but many just don't care about any of the extra features, they simply want something that will play blu-rays. I'll even try to sell them on a Slim by saying it's the most painless one to do firmgrade revisions on and then that of course just starts freaking them out in general.

[Zman2k2]

Wow! The personal attacks are rampant in this thread. Really uncalled for. Post Prod, as for arguing as to whether the PS3 is still the best or not, you will find that arguing for other players is a losing battle when it comes to PS3 fanboys. I see a few in this thread, as I'm sure you do too. When it comes to talking reasonably to a fanboy, they simply refuse to see the other side of the argument. Threads like this continually end up in personal attacks and arguments about the posters "Mama", or other such useless comments. I would suggest, for your sanity, to refrain from further arguments, as they seem to fall on deaf ears.

As for whether the PS3 is the best, I personally bought an Oppo BDP-80, but recommended a PS3 to my brother-in-law. I CAN see the usefulness of certain players in certain situations, and with two boys, he'll get plenty of use from a PS3. I had a PS3, and never used it to it's potential, and my wife found it intimidating to use. Really it comes down to situation. But that argument is lost on a fanboy.