Blu-Ray poll question....

[Cal Blacksmith]

I have had my PS3 for 5 months now and I have been nothing but happy with it. I bought it only for the BD but wound up playing games also. The codecs are great and I upgraded my HT receiver to match. The upgrade in audio quality was marked as well as the video but not so much so for us as we are on 720 and our old player did a good job at upscaling. The PS3 has got to be the best way to go for not so much $$$$. It does not make as much noise as my projector does and the RF remote is nice but not easily intigrated into an all in one remote. My AV rack has doors on it (but no back) so any noise issues are really not a problem for us.

All in all, a truly great way to go BD!

[RockOn4Klipsch]

Yes, I did have a PS3 and due to changes in my system I went with a standalone BD player. The PS3 was very audible from 12ft away during normal dialogue at reference levels. The SD upconversion I thought was really good until I saw the S550 and the Pioneer 51FD. The sound difference was a large change because I switched from digital (HDMI via PS3 to Onkyo 805) to analog (7.1 via Pioneer 51FD to Aragon Stage One).

The speed was very nice in comparison to the Pioneer, the s550 is much speedier than the Pio. The SD upconversion on both the standalones were much better than the PS3. As well as much much queiter.

I'm not a gamer so the acutal processing power the PS3 has is not that important, it helps with load speeds but the 3-5 second wait is not horrible. The upgrade option is nice via wifi but again firmware updates are easy enough to download and burn.

My experience has not been bad with the PS3, I think it's definitely the biggest bang for your buck. I enjoyed having the PS3, as the setup changed so did the BD player. the video card is pointless in the PS3 for all of us who are using HDMI to their TV now it's the DACs in the TV. Same goes for the audio.

As far as hype goes and being sold by what the manufacturer Print says is not really me, I'm sure I had it setup right I mean it's 1 cable right.....j/k. I always try to keep me ears and eyes open.

I never said the PS3 was crap, I think the hype has gotten alot of people hooked on the PS3 because of it's functionality , you hear the same thing all the time " Get a PS3 for a blu ray player, you get a blu ray player and a gaming system" It's a great component, but I think that the standalone may give you better performance in their speacialized arenas (ie audio and video). The PS3 has alot on it's plate to be great at.

I've been through a few BD players and with the exception of a few features I think they have all outperformed the PS3 on the audio and video side and all in the 399.99 price bracket.

I'm awaiting for the release of the oppo, i hope it's soon.

I've read and read that the PS3 is the best Blu Ray player more than once,

It connects to the internet, fixes itself of issues, and does have a great separate
audio and video card. If another format comes out it, will download
that off of the internet... hmm sounds like it is a home run to me?

That is because of the upgradeability I guess.

Yes.

I, on many levels, have to disagree.

That is ok, you can. But really say why. With your experience too?

The PS3 is loud and noisy,

I would disagree here... It does have fan noise perhaps louder than you prefer, because maybe you do not hear your BR DVD player in your standard rack. It tends to run hot too... (Loud and noisy the same thing here??) but again, away from you some distance, you should not hear it? Is this what you mean?

it does a poor job at upscaling Standard DVDs and is also shotty on the audio side.

If you have one, maybe you do not have it set up right? I would again just disagree here....

The benefits of the PS3 is speed and connectivity.The speed is nice, the connectivity thing is moot because BD Live is still in its infancy so profile 2.0 IMO is a waste of time.

Speed is always a plus for gamers, it also helps to process audio and video. Connectivity to your pre amp is HDMI, so one cable. I agree with you the BD live and profile is so new, it is not really developed yet. That said, new updates to firmware is a great thing, and again if something else comes out.. It will download it, and make it available to you too.. THAT is a plus.

in the 399.99 price bracket the PS3 gives the most bang for your buck but lacks in actual performance.The performance gap is closing ever so fast.

If you want to spend 399.99, this is a KILLER machine.. Sure if you spend 1,200, 3,000,... 10,000 - 20,000 dollars you "might" get better audio and video cards...but you should expect that too. But can you seriously hear it and see it? And will they upgrade to newer formats..?? Most will not. Were talking about shades of grey here.

When SONY launched this box, they hoped it would last 10 years or so in the market. That was a very agressive long term bet, it looks like they got it right! (OK, some early models had some issues..yes.. But today, it is a non issue.) In an age of, "I got to have it now...." you get it home, brag about it to your buddies on here, then read something else is sooooo much better and you throw it away in 2-3 years later, this is welcomed to the general public. As for us, we play new and older video games on this machine from the PS-3 and PS-2 era. With two small kids, their friends... My wife and I, it gets a lot of playing time, trust me. We also play movies on it, surf the net (yes possible and cool) ... It has performed flawlessly.

Performance gap?? OK, I will give you a lot of companies are chasing SONY and getting closer. But let's really stop here for a second... they all work off of the same standards really to be truthful. Or do you want say performance like a Anthem D-2 statement audio and video corrections through ARC in your gaming audio/video output of your BR DVD player? Heck, most Blu Ray movies are disappointing to me, because they are in 5.1. (I have 7.1) But they are getting better at going for 7.1 now it seems.

The biggest seller is the new codecs and or fixes for your machine through the internet. Add the gaming and internet options too... for 399.99 this is a great buy. I am not looking for a fight with you on this issue, but if you had one set up properly I doubt you would be saying the same things. I have a PS-3, and also a Sony 550 as well. Audio and video wise... both are just outstanding! Be careful your not getting into the hype of advertisers in print or on the net for your sole source of what is better! They gotta sell magazines or have a internet site move product too. What you get at home may change after you hook it to your system as well. To others reading this.. keep your eyes n ears open!

[RockOn4Klipsch]

The performacne issue could be the difference in display resolution indy, I see that you having the PS3 upscale to 720p vs 1080p. This could be a the perfomrance difference I felt the PS3 was lacking. It may at 720p be stellar, never tried it at 720p.

[davisindy]

There are a few versions of the PS3 and I have read opinions that some have a loud fan noise. I the current release model and I dont notice this, but it also sitting next to a noisy cable box so maybe that mask the sound.

As far as audio goes, my HD-A35 playing the Eagles from Melbourne in lossless (even though its not listed on the box as being encoded this way or the menu even) is as good of audio as my PS3 playing lossless. I think they both sound incredible. I use my HD-A35 to upscale DVD in lieu of the PS3 just because it easier for me. But video quality is excellent from the PS3 in 1080p Blu-ray.

Now I will say that nothing sitting on top of my speakers vibrate a single inch from their original position except on the Queen from Montreal in Blu-ray with DTS HD Master Audio where as then everything is displaced.