Blu Ray Advice

tam

the entry level sony is good,there all much of the same around the price mark what tv do you have

neill

I've been keeping an eye on standalone players and there do seem to be a number of £200 - £300 profile 1.1 players out in the next few months. Look up the Samsung BDP-1500, Philips BDP7200 and a French brand launching a £180 player soon.

If you want a player that can be upgraded for profile 2.0 (BD-Live online features and extras) I think the PS3 is the only current player.

I've got a 32inch Philips LCD bought about a year or so ago (not sure of the model number off the top of my head - but I get a pretty decent picture via HDMI from both my BT box and my DVD player which upscales).

What's profile 1.1 and 2.0?

regards, Tam

Wiki has a good BluRay page

But basically:

Profile 1.0 was the launch spec, basically the movie playback spec had been set.
Profile 1.1 all new players have to meet this spec and it means the more advanced bonus features are supported (picture in picture, etc)
Profile 2.0 adds network connectivity so extra features and services can be accessed via the internet.

tam

the only way to get the sacd playback is via hdmi into an hdmi equipped amp

neil

Tam

If the SACD feature is important, you will have to hurry and try to find one of the "old" series PS3 with 60GB HD, 4 USB connectors and Flash card slots.

The actual 40GB model is not SACD capable anymore, and the PS2 compatibility is gone too...

happy playing
Adrian

Thanks everyone.

That's interesting about SACD (doesn't seem that any 60GB models still are around from what I've seen). To be honest, it's not a big deal. I've got perhaps 20 or so hybrid discs in my collection and, anyway, I don't know whether SACD through a playstation will actually be superior to CD through a CD5x.


regards, Tam

The 80gb PS3 plays sacd's through the a/v output
AND will convert 2 channel sacd's into 48k pcm and send it through the optical digital output (with the latest software on the PS3 site)!
I got the darn 40 gig model, so now I have to trade up to try this
Nat

Unfortunately, from what I read, only the 40GB model is available here in the UK. I suppose it's possible that we may get the better model here at some point though.

regards, Tam

Bummer

They are doing a Lego Indiana now

...with a Lego Batman and Robin to come......

Tam - having recently "got" a PS3 last month I thought I could add my thoughts.....

I say "got" as I had amassed enough points on my Sony visa card to get a PS3 for free, although I had to spend to get the points in the first place, and a scary amount it was too - finally buying some Naim last year helped.....
The only "extra" bits I spent money on were a 15m optical cable, Cord HDMI cable, an extra controller and some games/blue ray discs. It's all gone up into our Den, seen here - http://www.avforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=507595 although I need to update that site with new pics.

Before getting the PS3 I spoke to a chap at the Aberdeen Sony Centre, and the Sony Card helpline specifically asking about the models.
Sony no longer produce the 60G PS3 (for the uk) for a couple of reasons, but mainly down to cost.
The 40G model will be here for good, and it's anybody's guess whether the Japan/USA 80G model will ever get here....same old story, it sucks living in the UK when it comes to consumer electronics....

The 40G model has been trimmed down from the 60G by the following - 2 USB ports not 4, no memory card reader slots, no SACD playback, and no backward compatibility for PS2 games (although they may be able to play games in the future using emulation software, but they don't have the "chip" to play PS2 games proper).
The 40G does however cost significantly less, is quieter and more efficient, and more stable due to internal power tweaks......mind you saying that mine locked up while playing Oblivion last night......

Sony are also going to be releasing a new PS2, similar to the slim version available now but with the power supply built in, hence the removal of the backward compatibility as they still think they can make money on the PS2 format, and who am I to argue......

As for the sound quality, it is quite impressive, but, I have a more impressive sound stage from my Rotel DVD player.....
We watched the Lord of the Rings trilogy on the PS3, upscale’d to 1080P, and while there were noticeable improvements in the picture quality the sound was not as sweet, and I feel that is half the enjoyment of any movie experience…..
It's maybe not a fair comparison as my amp doesn't do HDMI so cannot deal with the hi-res audio, but saying that it doesn't detract from the enjoyment of a blue ray movie, and the picture quality is simply stunning!!

As a home entertainment hub – blue ray playback, games console, internet browser, digital photo and video storage/library – the PS3 is more than capable and I would seriously consider it.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,
Ali

two new sony players are due in summer and autumn.. Pricing looks good (at least for the US models) and both have ethernet connections to update the profile.

http://www.engadgethd.com/2008/02/26/sony-announces-bdp...blu-ray-players-sin/

I've just bought a 40GB PS3, not realising all the limitations in the machine. Ah well...

The picture quality into a CRT isn't particularly wonderful, and I actually think it's possibly worse off Blu-ray than DVD (Casino Royale on each), perhaps because of the extra work it's trying to do to go all the way down to 576i. Severe aliasing issues. Sonically it's ok but nothing special.

quote:

Originally posted by Frank Abela:
I've just bought a 40GB PS3, not realising all the limitations in the machine. Ah well...

The picture quality into a CRT isn't particularly wonderful, and I actually think it's possibly worse off Blu-ray than DVD (Casino Royale on each), perhaps because of the extra work it's trying to do to go all the way down to 576i. Severe aliasing issues. Sonically it's ok but nothing special.

A PS3 connecting to a CRT?

The other thing to mention about the PS3 is that firmware updates for the system are regularly available for download, and are free. This represents an efficient way of keeping up to speed with recent advancements, something i'd think you'd be unlikely to get with a dedicated Blu-ray player.

phil

Well, my Panasonic blu-Ray player's had a couple of downloadable updates since I bought it about three months ago.

A problem will occur when the current crop of blu-ray players become obsolete.(something that'll happen sooner rather than later I suspect)

Then the support for the older players will disappear overnight!

Reading Frank's note above, I originaly was using my PS3 60 GB through my Loewe Planus CRT before getting my Samgsung 1080P LCD, the picture quality at full 1080P into the LCD is stunning for games and still excellent for the blu ray movies and upscaled DVD. I use this as my prime movie player now. Still have the Loewe for the std definition in the playroom with normal sky. The PS3 doesn't give a good picture into CRT, you do need to use it's full capability via HMDI into 1080P resolution. Like said before it is updateable to the new 2.0 format via the ethernet connection. A PS3 is a goos all round player for the present, now bluray seems to have won the format wars then hopfully the manufacturers will concentrate on improving the technology to get the best from it. As an aside I see that Sony are doing Blueray DVD rewriter drives on some of their computers now.

regards

I appreciate that the PS3 gives far better results into high definition panels. However, I have been holding out so long I may as well just keep holding out while the newer technologies come along.

Every 6 months sees a major increase in feature set and significant improvement in picture quality from both plasma and LCD anyway. I have been waiting patiently for some sort of stability and it still hasn't really happened. The KURO line from Pioneer has been the benchmark by some margin in terms of contrast levels and nothing else comes close yet. Of course, I can't fit a 42" screen in my room (not and survive the fallout with the wife) so I sit here twiddling my thumbs watching a Panasonic CRT thinking about upgrading my 2-channel - which of course means I can't spend the money on a screen!

now that Blu-ray is happening, I think I've decided I want a full HD 1080p panel, probably 32", possibly a little larger, but not much more. Certainly no larger than 37". It has to have a fabulous picture (of course) with excellent motion (my biggest bug bear). So far, I've not seen anything I would be genuinely happy with, so yes, I'm using a PS3 into a CRT and intend to do so until the panel technology catches up with CRT - or at least makes it a bit closer.

Who knows? Next week's Panasonic might do the trick...

Keep holding out for........... OLCD (Organic Liquid Crystal Display) technology. Sony already put out a small TV (comercial product)

quote:

Originally posted by Stewart B:
The PS3 doesn't give a good picture into CRT, you do need to use it's full capability via HMDI into 1080P resolution.

Phew - that saves me some money.

I'll not be buying into "large telly" until my Sony CRT dies, and, based on my old 4:3 one, that'll be never, since that one (13 years old) is still working fine in my mate's rig.

Pity though - Colin McCrae Rally on the PS3 at the Bristol Hifi show kicked ass!

BTW, still only have a Playstation One

Tuan

Actually it's OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_light-emitting_diode

It produces it's light by itself without the need of background light as in LCDs.

The Sony XEL-1 is the first TV in serial production with this technology. But 11 inches is not really homecinema like yet

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Prod...1665327724&langId=-1

Before there where only smaller displays like in electrical shavers or car hifi. It is still a problem to make them last long enough for commercial applications. And of course the size has to grow...

PS3 is jolly good into anything I have tried, from small CRT to big CRT (Both via SCART etc), and into 1080p 16:9 Pannie via HDMI or component or SCART.