# Blu-ray Player vs. PS3



## j.heiser (Apr 28, 2010)

Hello,

For the price of a blu-ray player today, you can practically buy a PS3. Is there any differences in there capabilities? Would I be better off purchasing a decent blu-ray player or a PS3?


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## dyohn (Apr 17, 2008)

That depends. Are you a gamer? What is your receiver or preamp?


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## j.heiser (Apr 28, 2010)

I'm not a huge gamer (don't even own a console), but I used to play and would play some games on it if I bought one. Receiver is an Onkyon 876.


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## dyohn (Apr 17, 2008)

The 876 has modern HDMI inputs and you will not need legacy analog audio, so a PS3 is possible for you. If you think you'll want to play games with it, then go for it. If you want the same sort of functionality without the gaming capability, look into the Sony BDP-S570 blu ray player which can be had for around $250. Enjoy.


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

If your not going to want 3D a stand alone player offers very good playback. For under $120 you can buy the Panasonic DMP BD60 said to be the very best PluRay player available for under $200 (I have one). Its upscailing quality is on par or better than the PS3 and BD playback is rock solid.


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## tombonge (Nov 19, 2009)

The interface on the PS3 is a little strange, and there are many options that don't apply to Blu-ray and sometimes it is hard to find the option you are looking for. There is also no IR receiver on the PS3 so if you want to use a universal remote you need an expensive adapter. You need to pay an additional $20 for a bluetooth remote if you don't want to use one of your controllers as a remote. 

If you can get over those things, it makes an exceptional Blu-ray player. I would argue it makes one of the best players unless you are going to spend quite a bit more. Sony regularly adds new features with firmware updates so you can be confident that new features that come out will not require you to buy a new player. For example a firmware update is adding 3D Blu-ray support. Even if you don't buy any games, there are great games on the PSN store for a few dollars that are fun for the casual gamer. It also has a very good upscaler, is was not so good a few years ago but they have updated it. It plays many other video formats from a USB drive or video can be copied to the internal HD. It has built in WiFI. You can stream video from your mac/pc. There is a browser that plays flash video. Netflix, the PSN video store, the list keeps going on.


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## corock (Sep 7, 2009)

I've always used my PS3 for Blu-ray. However, my local Denon dealer (I know its his job to sell me stuff, and he does a pretty good job of it) told me once he tried a Denon player he would never go back to watching movies on his PS3.

I understand his bias, but it put the seed in my head that maybe I could get better quality from a stand alone. I've never seen or searched out a direct comparison between a PS3 or quality stand alone.


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## Ares (Nov 23, 2009)

I have to agree with what has been said already, in terms of PQ of blu-ray there is no difference between the PS3 and a standalone, the upscaling is where things get interesting. The upscaling is on par with the Anchor Bay ABT1030 chip, of course some standalone BDP's will offer better upscaling but they may not offer the versatility of the PS3. You can also use the PS3 to store music files here is a list of formats that the PS3 will play:

The following types of files can be played under







(Music).


Memory Stick Audio Format(ATRAC)
MP3
- MPEG-1/2 Audio Layer3
- MP3 Surround
MP4(MPEG-4 AAC)
WAVE(Linear PCM)
WMA
Just make sure you have a large enough HDD to store all the music you want. I use WAVE since it will not compress the audio.


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## corock (Sep 7, 2009)

I'll definately be adding another PS3 when I build my dedicated HT room, but now that they don't support SACD I'll probably have to get a stand alone anyway.


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## j.heiser (Apr 28, 2010)

I love the features of the PS3 (blu-ray, games, music, netflix, etc.). I just don't see the reason to pay $250 for a blu-ray when I could pay $300 for a PS3 and get all of the bonus features. 

Tony-I ordered the Onkyo 876 today!! Should be in next Thursday. I'm going to give the Panasonic a look right now. I love the fact of the price but how is the quality of it? 

I def don't like the remote control issue with the PS3. I have to purchase a universal remote for my system (Any recommendations?) and need to control everything through and IR receiver which I plan to mount somewhere near my center channel. I won't be able to be sitting in the main area and access the electronics so I must be able to control everything from that IR controller.


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## corock (Sep 7, 2009)

I use a Harmony 880 pro. I love it. I like the 880 better than the newer models and the pro version has seperate buttons dedicated to audio and video adjustments, which I find a must. I also use the harmony adapter so I can control my PS3 with it. Solves most of the control issues with the unit. Some say its expensive, but I think its a minor cost to integrate the PS3 into my universal remote.


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## Ares (Nov 23, 2009)

To control the PS3 I use the Bluetooth remote which costed me $25 local, I personally don't like IR remotes because you have to point it at the device and sometimes you might not be at the right angle for the IR receiver to pick it up vs a bluetooth as long as I'm within 30ft of the device I can control it.


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## mdrake (Jan 31, 2008)

I use a PS3 as both my blu-ray player and my music player. I can stream uncompressed wave files from my laptop to the PS3. I personally do not care for the PS3 remote as it has no back light and the buttons are in strange locations. But this is a minor flaw in an otherwise great device. 

Matt


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## lsiberian (Mar 24, 2009)

I've had a PS3 and a Stand alone player. The Wii is the gaming system I wish I had now that I've played all 3. I'd get a stand alone and a Wii. I realize some of the mature titles aren't on it, but there is nothing like being able to swing the hockey stick to take a shot.


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## Ares (Nov 23, 2009)

Soon the PS3 will have the Move then you could swing away till your hearts content


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## SteveCallas (Apr 29, 2006)

I agree the PS3 just makes a lot of sense at this stage. It's one of the best blu ray players, it will get all of the firmware updates in the future, it is a 120gig media storage device for your HT, and it can play games if you are ever interested.


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## corock (Sep 7, 2009)

The PS3 is a great all in one device. Everytime I see a cool media gadget that I might want to buy, my PS3 already does it. They would make it even better if there was a 17" model that would integrate into a stack of components.


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## Rancho5 (Aug 20, 2009)

OK. Here's what convinced me to return my Panasonic and go with a PS3. Costco has them for 329 with a controller and a remote. But what REALLY got me was Costco's warranty policy. Their usual "we don't warranty ipods, laptops, dvd players, camcorders and cameras for over 90 days", DOES NOT apply to the PS3. I was told that they would "make sure I was happy" if the PS3 ever gave me problems. When I checked out the guy ringing me up told me he was on his third one.

Sure enough, 5 months after purchasing it, the hard drive failed. I lost tons of photos but have them on disc anyway. I took it to Costco and they gave me another one. Just be sure to make lots of copies of the receipt and keep the original box. 

$329 for a "forever" BR player/media system...not bad!

EDIT: And I just installed MediaLink that enables me to stream all of my iMac media to the PS3 flawlessly! I was skeptical but no more.


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## sepman1 (May 6, 2010)

The PS3 is what I have been using for the past few years. My only complaint is the fan noise. I am not sure if the new slim is as loud. Anyone have thoughts on this?

I just bought a Panasonic dmp-bd60 and its load times are pretty good. I was going to buy a Pioneer Elite, but read the load times were horrible...


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## Ares (Nov 23, 2009)

sepman1 said:


> The PS3 is what I have been using for the past few years. My only complaint is the fan noise. I am not sure if the new slim is as loud. Anyone have thoughts on this?
> 
> I just bought a Panasonic dmp-bd60 and its load times are pretty good. I was going to buy a Pioneer Elite, but read the load times were horrible...


I have heard about fan noise since launch of PS3, here is the thing not all PS3's will be loud. I own a 40GB and it's was not loud with the stock fan, my brother in law owns a 40GB 2nd generation and it's loud. It will come down to what fan was used during production since Sony has used different manufactures for their fans. So in short this would apply to the Slim as well.


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## SteveCallas (Apr 29, 2006)

The slims are a lot quieter than the previous "fat" ones.


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## recruit (May 9, 2009)

The PS3 is still one one the best BD players and the speed of loading discs also helps quite a lot !


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## abstract mind (Apr 30, 2010)

It really depends on if you're going to play the games and use the other features or not. If so, then yes. If not, then no.


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## gsmollin (Apr 25, 2006)

PS3 as a BD player is a real mixed-bag. I can enumerate:
1. PS3 loads faster than almost all stand alones.
2. PS3 has a Bluetooth remote that won't integrate with any other remote system unless you buy special hardware.
3. PS3 gives top-notch video and audio performance.
4. PS3 can only support one output style at a time: Either HDMI, component video OR composite video, but never more than one. Even a $49 player can support all three, at least until the analog sunset.
5. The PS3 can play games on your home theater.
6. Your kids will tie up your home theater for hours playing games on the PS3, when you want to watch a movie.
7. The PS3 can stream audio to your HT setup.
8. With the video turned off, you can have handshaking problems with the HDMI HDCP and the music streaming won't work anyway.
9. The PS3 has a powerful "cell engine" video processor that can accept unlimited updates to make it future-proof.
10. The PS3 consumes many watts of power, has a noisy fan and will overheat your HT rack if you don't have front-to-rear air movement.
11. The PS3 can lay down or stand up on its side and still operate.
12. The goofy shape of the PS3 doesn't fit any HT rack correctly.
13. The PS3 has wired or wireless connectivity and can update firmware easily.
14. You can't control the BD live connectivity silently: If you turn it off, you will get asked to turn it back on every time you put in a movie.
15 The reliability of the PS3 is a mixed bag as well. I am on my third laser.


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