The PS3 Review Thread

[Robert Siegel]

Originally Posted by Arr MiHardies

Oh god, please tell me it enables Dolby TruHD and DTS-MA bitstreaming... please... Im sick of having all these movies coming out dts ma, with no other hd audio options, and being forced to hear the core tracks.

DITTO...the funny thing is that none of the PS3 sites or the gamer sites I visit daily say anything about it, so I am dubious about the update and am using caution and waiting. A bad update could screw everything up inside the system. I will update it only from the PS3 US website.

I agree with you, I pray for the DTS MA upgrade. I wonder if it would contain version 2.0...since they demonstrated 2.0 features at CES with the PS3, it must have been in working order. I would rather have DTS MA....I am waiting on my first viewing of some of the Fox discs I own until I can hear the lossless tracks. Over at the Joystiq forums, there's an insider that says Sony has been working hard with DTS on this issue, so we can only hope they figured it all out!

[drdeputy]

Originally Posted by mntwister

DITTO...the funny thing is that none of the PS3 sites or the gamer sites I visit daily say anything about it, so I am dubious about the update and am using caution and waiting. A bad update could screw everything up inside the system. I will update it only from the PS3 US website.

I agree with you, I pray for the DTS MA upgrade. I wonder if it would contain version 2.0...since they demonstrated 2.0 features at CES with the PS3, it must have been in working order. I would rather have DTS MA....I am waiting on my first viewing of some of the Fox discs I own until I can hear the lossless tracks. Over at the Joystiq forums, there's an insider that says Sony has been working hard with DTS on this issue, so we can only hope they figured it all out!

What I hear is that it's only a minor fix for a few games, no more than that.

[Robert Siegel]

Here is a story I found on the latest PS3 update, it's just a small one, sadly, nothing for the blu-ray side of things.

http://www.joystiq.com/2008/03/13/ps...online-titles/

[Cinemaddict]

Is PS3 really the best Blu-Ray player, or is it just best for the price?

What if every Blu-Ray player (including the PS3) was exactly the same price... Which would you reccomend I choose?

[WriteSimply]

Originally Posted by Cinemaddict

Is PS3 really the best Blu-Ray player, or is it just best for the price?

For now, the best. The speedy loading times takes the cake. Not many people have a 100" or bigger screen to notice the slight difference in PQ.

What if every Blu-Ray player (including the PS3) was exactly the same price... Which would you reccomend I choose?

The PS3.


fuad

[boss]

Originally Posted by Cinemaddict

Is PS3 really the best Blu-Ray player, or is it just best for the price?

What if every Blu-Ray player (including the PS3) was exactly the same price... Which would you reccomend I choose?

From what a lot of people said on here is that it is a lot better. Plus:

1.) Internet access.

2.) Games

3.) Quickest load time.

4.) Great Blu-ray quality.

I'm sure there's more, but those are some of the main things. Mine loads amazingly fast. I remember my DVD player, that took forever to load. This thing is super fast. Really, really happy with mine so far.

[syncguy]

Originally Posted by Cinemaddict

Is PS3 really the best Blu-Ray player, or is it just best for the price?

What if every Blu-Ray player (including the PS3) was exactly the same price... Which would you reccomend I choose?

I recommend PS3 as the best value player, so it has to be PS3. As I have noted previously it delivers an awesome picture with finest clarity, smoothness and rich colours even on a large screen, if you have a good blu-ray transfer (one example: Curse of the black pearl).

However, the DVD upscaling capability of PS3 is not the best amongst what I have seen. I expect, upscaling algorithm of PS3 could be improved. We may see better upscaling with new firmware upgrades (assuming it is implemented in firmware).

[Robert Siegel]

Originally Posted by WriteSimply

For now, the best. The speedy loading times takes the cake. Not many people have a 100" or bigger screen to notice the slight difference in PQ.

The PS3.

I have a 150" screen and the PS3, are you saying that there would be a better picture coming from a stand-alone player?


Also, has anyone here who owns a PS3 noticed that when you go to the menus from within a movie, make a selection (for instance to change to a special feature) that while it changes, sometimes the picture breaks up, a flash with lines or just a flash? I find this happening and also sometimes right before the disc starts reading. Is this normal? I have the 60gb model, everything plays fine though.

[syncguy]

Originally Posted by mntwister

Also, has anyone here who owns a PS3 noticed that when you go to the menus from within a movie, make a selection (for instance to change to a special feature) that while it changes, sometimes the picture breaks up, a flash with lines or just a flash? I find this happening and also sometimes right before the disc starts reading. Is this normal? I have the 60gb model, everything plays fine though.

Yes, PS3 does this time to time. I have seen lines appearing when something is changed through a black screen but not picture breakups. I will check this again.

[guartho]

Originally Posted by syncguy

if you have a good blu-ray transfer (one example: Curse of the black pearl).

Did they ever fix the cropping issue on that one?

[WriteSimply]

Originally Posted by guartho

Did they ever fix the cropping issue on that one?

They did. If you live in the US, contact them and they'll exchange the discs for you.


fuad

[owa]

Originally Posted by mntwister

I
Also, has anyone here who owns a PS3 noticed that when you go to the menus from within a movie, make a selection (for instance to change to a special feature) that while it changes, sometimes the picture breaks up, a flash with lines or just a flash? I find this happening and also sometimes right before the disc starts reading. Is this normal? I have the 60gb model, everything plays fine though.

Don't think I've ever seen anything like that on either of my PS3s.

[owa]

Originally Posted by Elandyll

Next day, I start by signing up on the PSN network (screen keyboard is a bit of a pain, but option is nice to have ), and setup the wireless access.
2 minutes later, I am online !

The screen keyboard is actually improved over what they had initially. The original keyboard was essentially a cellphone interface. Even with the improved interface, I still ended up getting a wireless keyboard (Logitech mediaboard).

[boss]

www.monoprice.com


I have to comment on the HDMI cables from Monoprice.

After purchasing the $88 HDMI Monster cables (I wanted to watch tv and didn't want to wait for cables in the mail). My HDtv looked great.

I ordered my monoprice cables after all of the advice from people on this site and my stepbrother who does IT for Target corp. My monoprice cables arrived today and I switched them out. Since they were only $3.56 each (I still can't believe how low priced they are), I ordered 3 sets, even though I'll only need 2.

They look amazing. Just as good as the $88 Monster cables. I was a skeptic, mostly because I couldn't believe ANYTHING that cost under $4 would be worth a dang.

So, if you want cables, order them from monoprice. You won't be disappointed. (Now all I need to do is return my Monster cables and get my money back.)

[PeterTHX]

Originally Posted by boss

I have to comment on the HDMI cables from Monoprice.

After purchasing the $88 HDMI Monster cables (I wanted to watch tv and didn't want to wait for cables in the mail). My HDtv looked great.

I ordered my monoprice cables after all of the advice from people on this site and my stepbrother who does IT for Target corp. My monoprice cables arrived today and I switched them out. Since they were only $3.56 each (I still can't believe how low priced they are), I ordered 3 sets, even though I'll only need 2.

They look amazing. Just as good as the $88 Monster cables. I was a skeptic, mostly because I couldn't believe ANYTHING that cost under $4 would be worth a dang.

So, if you want cables, order them from monoprice. You won't be disappointed. (Now all I need to do is return my Monster cables and get my money back.)

Then when someone has connection issues, random picture or audio dropouts, snowstorms of colored dots, and in the end the cables just plain falling apart after a couple years...

HDMI cables shouldn't require ferrites either.

I'm not saying Monster is the answer but I have seen enough cheap HDMI cables screw up people's HTs.

[Robert Siegel]

Originally Posted by boss

www.monoprice.com


I have to comment on the HDMI cables from Monoprice.

After purchasing the $88 HDMI Monster cables (I wanted to watch tv and didn't want to wait for cables in the mail). My HDtv looked great.

I ordered my monoprice cables after all of the advice from people on this site and my stepbrother who does IT for Target corp. My monoprice cables arrived today and I switched them out. Since they were only $3.56 each (I still can't believe how low priced they are), I ordered 3 sets, even though I'll only need 2.

They look amazing. Just as good as the $88 Monster cables. I was a skeptic, mostly because I couldn't believe ANYTHING that cost under $4 would be worth a dang.

So, if you want cables, order them from monoprice. You won't be disappointed. (Now all I need to do is return my Monster cables and get my money back.)

This is what happened when I called in my HDMI cable order from Blue-Jeans cable....I was ready to order the 20.00 cable, which is still 1/4 the price of the Monster Cable....and he told me not to bother, that the 4.00 cable will do exactly the same job as even the 100.00 cables that some are selling. He said the only time you need a better cable is when you are going over 10 feet. He also said it is completely false that you need a so-called certified HDMI 1.3 cable, that any of them will carry the signals that 1.3 uses.

Boy, it's rare you get that type of honesty from a company anymore, considering he lost about 55.00 by telling me the truth... I will definately order from them again. I ordered 4 and they work beautifully.

[boss]

Originally Posted by PeterTHX

Then when someone has connection issues, random picture or audio dropouts, snowstorms of colored dots, and in the end the cables just plain falling apart after a couple years...

HDMI cables shouldn't require ferrites either.

I'm not saying Monster is the answer but I have seen enough cheap HDMI cables screw up people's HTs.

How have cheap cables screwed up people's HT's? (What's an HT?)


I understand what your saying, I'm a buy quality guy too. But if I need to buy 2 more cables for $3.56 each in 5 years, over the range of 10 years it will cost me less then $16. And if it's 20 years it will cost me $32. Which in 20 years is worth it, since just one of the Monster cables was $88.

I expect these cables to last quite awhile, it's not like their getting tons of movement or anything that would lead to them breaking. I haven't had any audio problems, spots or drop outs. If I do, I can afford another $3.56 cable.

[Cinemaddict]

[QUOTE=boss;714683So, if you want cables, order them from monoprice. You won't be disappointed. (Now all I need to do is return my Monster cables and get my money back.)[/QUOTE]

I went to monoprice and saw a lot of choices for HDMI cables. Which one should I get? Could you post the link to the one you got?

[WriteSimply]

Originally Posted by Cinemaddict

I went to monoprice and saw a lot of choices for HDMI cables. Which one should I get? Could you post the link to the one you got?

Get the one that fits your requirement. Get one that is long enough to be comfortable but short enough that you won't have to spool the extra cables behind your set. Here's the page.


fuad

[syncguy]

Originally Posted by mntwister

This is what happened when I called in my HDMI cable order from Blue-Jeans cable....I was ready to order the 20.00 cable, which is still 1/4 the price of the Monster Cable....and he told me not to bother, that the 4.00 cable will do exactly the same job as even the 100.00 cables that some are selling. He said the only time you need a better cable is when you are going over 10 feet. He also said it is completely false that you need a so-called certified HDMI 1.3 cable, that any of them will carry the signals that 1.3 uses.

Boy, it's rare you get that type of honesty from a company anymore, considering he lost about 55.00 by telling me the truth... I will definately order from them again. I ordered 4 and they work beautifully.

The well built HDMI cables are robust with low signal attenuation and good shielding to minimise interference. These factors are more important if the cable is long, say more than 5 meters, if it is less than 5 m, the above mentioned factors are less important. Also, your application, whether you are running 1080p or whether you are using deep colour impacts on the ability of the cable to carry the signal.

The thickness of inner conductor (i.e. 22-24 SWG is better than 26-28 SWG) and the amount of shielding could impact on picture quality depending on the cable length and the operating environment (i.e. interference).

The best way is to test a particular cable for your configuration and keep it if it is working. Although, it works in one configuration it may fail in another. So, there are differences in cable quality which could impact on your application, however, these differences may or may not reflect in the price.

I normally pick up non-expensive (but not necessarily the cheapest) cables from a local store where I can return if not working.