Is PS3 Still The Best Blu-ray Player??

[phatrat1982]

I like it how the PS3 fanboys praise it as the best for being 3-D capable yet most people say they are not interested in 3D. I also think it is stupid to just claim it is better because it plays games, yes it plays some video games, but unlike Blu Rays there are actually video games it does not play and some people actually prefer those games so as an argument that is kinda weak.

[lDlisturb3d]

Originally Posted by phatrat1982

I like it how the PS3 fanboys praise it as the best for being 3-D capable yet most people say they are not interested in 3D. I also think it is stupid to just claim it is better because it plays games, yes it plays some video games, but unlike Blu Rays there are actually video games it does not play and some people actually prefer those games so as an argument that is kinda weak.

umm not really, I like the PS3 because of its super fast load times, click of a button firmware updates, and incredibly fast processor, never mind that its a gaming console , so if i wanna go buy a PS3 game i can. Its all about the bang for your buck. No blu ray player on the planet can compete thats less that 250 bucks, why pay an extra 50 for the gaming feature.

Im a xbox guy so i do all my gaming on the box. I use my PS3 strictly for BD use. I love it so much that i own 1 fat 60g and 2 slims 120g. best blu ray player on the market unless you wanna pay 400 to 500 bucks for a oppo that performs on the same level as the PS3 with just a couple extra features. Sub placement, analog outs etc.

The PS3 has fan boys for a reason, if you dont want to waste your money and get a quality blu ray player get a PS3 BEST BANG FOR YOUR BUCK

[steelcity24]

The PS3 is the best Blu-ray player for me. I don't know about you, your friends, or your grandmother, but it is the best for me. If you don't want to play games or you don't need an internet browser, fine, something else is probably better for you. There is no best Blu-ray player, it is all a subject of opinion, and your wants and needs.

[brps3]

The PS3's advantages over BR players is that you dont have to worry about having the latest drivers. No need to insert an SD card. It can handle any BR disc you put in it. Dont have to wait 1-2 minutes for the disc to load.

As far as Im concerned yes it is the best BR player. BUT........if all you want is a BR player. There are good ones for $150 and less.

[Post Prod]

The Ps3 is not nearly as good of a deal as many think it is, once you take a look at how much of an energy hog it is, even in standby it rivals some refrigerators.

It's like paying for an additional subscription service. That stuff adds up if you think it will be your primary blu-ray, dvd, game and streaming device. If you own one now, you should really keep it unplugged when you're not using it.

But I realize a lot of Ps3 owners have their parents paying the electric bill.

[beechcroft]

This is not entirely true.
The PS3 slim on standby uses just about the same amount of power as a standalone BD player. Not quite so when it comes to actual playback, but that's the price you pay for having a single multi-purpose machine for both BD playback and gaming. Still, it is worth mentioning that the slim version is much less power hungry compared to the fat one: 2 times less power, to be precise.

[Exist2Inspire]

Originally Posted by bhampton

The Oppo is the only player that competes with the PS3 and it costs more and does less.

I would consider an Oppo someday but if my PS3 stopped working I could get a exchange from Sony for $149 and my PS3 does many things the $500 Oppo can't.

It has better build quality as well.

PSN network adds a lot to the PS3's capabilities and offers many free videos and games and so on.

New FW is coming to make the PS3 3D compatible for games and movies if your interested in that.

I use my PS3 to read content from my home's Media Server and also use the PS3's web browser.

(This is the longer version of my answer.)

-Brian

Yes, but here is the real kicker. To get full 3D-HD Picture, you will need an HDMI 1.4 spec machine. The PS3 is HDMI 1.3 spec. So even when the update comes out, the best that one would be able to get is 3D in 1080i. And, yet another possible issue is the connection from a 1.3 spec player to a 1.3 spec receiver.

But to answer the OP's question, it depends. If you play games on the PS3 then you should pay to have Sony fix it (or buy a new one, whatever is cheaper). If you just use it for playing Movies, then buy yourself an Oppo.

[Post Prod]

The Slim uses about 76w, which is indeed much less than it's bigger brother's 170w average. But still pretty hefty compared to say an Oppo that sits around 13w.

For an active gamer, it's still a good deal assuming you use it for around 5 years to do double duty.

But as far as using it strictly to watch Blu-ray's, the price tag people boast is a bit deceiving. and the extra power bill should be factored in to the purchase decision, even if you could care less about the environmental aspect of it. It's like driving around a Ford F150, but never hauling anything with it.

Extra features are nice, but you need to be using them for them to have actual value. If you really do play lot's of games, then there is value there. But if you don't, it holds zero value as a feature.

[Kurodude]

Originally Posted by Post Prod

But I realize a lot of Ps3 owners have their parents paying the electric bill.

Hehe, I lol'ed a little bit

It seems like the guys who enjoy the PS3 are on the younger end of the age spectrum. Nothing wrong with that. My friend has one and it works well and has a lot of great features. Personally, I don't care for the styling as it looks more like a game console than a home theater component. And using the controller to navigate menus seems a little juvenile, especially when my wife has friends over. I take pride in how my HT looks as well as how it performs. I like things to look very minimalistic and function simply. To me, it's part of the experience.

And while it has many things going for it, I must say that the PS3 is only an average upconverter compared to some of the standalone players, like my Pioneer 23fd, which does a more admirable job.

[Post Prod]

Originally Posted by Kurodude

Hehe, I lol'ed a little bit

It seems like the guys who enjoy the PS3 are on the younger end of the age spectrum. Nothing wrong with that. My friend has one and it works well and has a lot of great features. Personally, I don't care for the styling as it looks more like a game console than a home theater component. And using the controller to navigate menus seems a little juvenile, especially when my wife has friends over. I take pride in how my HT looks as well as how it performs. I like things to look very minimalistic and function simply. To me, it's part of the experience.

And while it has many things going for it, I must say that the PS3 is only an average upconverter compared to some of the standalone players, like my Pioneer 23fd, which does a more admirable job.

yup, jack of all trades, master of none. Although the Ps3 is the most update friendly.

[lDlisturb3d]

Originally Posted by Post Prod

The Ps3 is not nearly as good of a deal as many think it is, once you take a look at how much of an energy hog it is, even in standby it rivals some refrigerators.

It's like paying for an additional subscription service. That stuff adds up if you think it will be your primary blu-ray, dvd, game and streaming device. If you own one now, you should really keep it unplugged when you're not using it.

But I realize a lot of Ps3 owners have their parents paying the electric bill.

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.

[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.

[sokrman14]

It never was the "best", it was just the best value.

[CatBlu]

Originally Posted by sokrman14

It never was the "best", it was just the best value.

I would say that it is all subjective. For me best value has long term built in, great customer service, ease of use and reliability. In looking to upgrade a Sharp bluray player I consided (albit briefly) the PS but we are not into gaming and I was looking to make the house rock with awsome sound. So I went with the Oppo 83 SE and to me it is "best value".

For my son who is a gamer, he would not consider anything else so his best value is the PS.

My two cents.

[MacinMan]

Originally Posted by cetb

I would say that it is all subjective. For me best value has long term built in, great customer service, ease of use and reliability. In looking to upgrade a Sharp bluray player I consided (albit briefly) the PS but we are not into gaming and I was looking to make the house rock with awsome sound. So I went with the Oppo 83 SE and to me it is "best value".

For my son who is a gamer, he would not consider anything else so his best value is the PS.

My two cents.

Yeah I agree, it's true build quality and features differ between products but a highly expensive unit can fail just as easily and as quickly as a cheap one and sometimes they do. Sometimes the cheap units out last the expensive ones. Either way I would say buy what you need and what will support your future needs. Essentially, all players do the same basic things. Play blu-rays DVDs, and CDs and online streaming is becoming a popular common extra now as well. Things that may differ are the media formats outside the required disc formats the unit might support as a bonus. e.g. like the PS3 it has the ability to play games too. As far as power usage, that's also an extra depending on the unit. so buy what suits your needs and what will meet the needs you have.

Those are my two cents

[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]