Blu-ray/playstation 3

[xdetroitx]

Ok, here is my question.....A Blu-ray dvd player costs upwards of $800.00, but the Playstation 3 w/ a Blu-ray dvd player built in is $600. So, for $200 cheaper I get the Blu-ray and video game console. What's the difference in the Blu-ray players? Does the sony play dvds with equal quality as the Blu-ray dvd player? Thinking about getting the xbox360 soon but I would settle with the Playstation if it meant I could finally see my new tv play 1080p for the first time(I have OTA hd and no cable).

[KungFuNat]

we have done extensive testing with blue ray and HD-DVD here at work, and the PS3 is as good as, if not better than all current blue-ray players on the market... unfortunately its regular dvd playback is nothing special, but sony is working on a firmware update to improve this.

[Professor.Ham.Slap]

As a Blu-Ray player, it's pretty slick. But if you're looking at it for any game playing I'd look elsewhere right now. As it would be there really aren't any great titles on the market right now nor will there be for a little bit yet. In my opinion you might be better off with the Xbox 360 for HD gaming. Plus, for the same price you can add a HD-DVD player to that and get 1080p content that way for roughly the same price (HDMI cable taken into account).

[mas]

Quoting from one of several sources posted today:

One of Sony's senior executives, Executive
Deputy President Yutaka Nakagawa, is quoted by several US and Asian
press sources as saying that, in the interest of finding cost savings,
his company is considering exiting the production end of the Cell
processor business.

Sony's low sales of the PS3 are not looking good.

I would hold off on both formats until the economies of scale have a chance to bring prices down and there is a more compelling reason to invest.

[sunburnwilly]

Hey , I took the plunge and got a PS3 . As far as the Blue Ray player , I'm not that impressed . It does look good and the menu and chapters come up much quicker than a DVD . But the sound quality is not nearly as good as my old Sony NS999ES DVD player ! It does have a certain benefit though . My Sony DVD player only likes pristine discs . Sometimes discs that I get from the local library will not play in it . So far the PS3 has had no problem in this regard ! Need I mention that you can get 5 regular DVD's from the library each week free of charge and they have an excellent selection .

[xdetroitx]

All I needed was one negative comment to change my mind. I bought the xbox360 for my kids when they were here for Christmas. So, I did have 10 days to audition it and was impressed. Im just really wanting a 1080p player. I am guessing Blu-ray is going to win over Hd-dvd only because of more disc space and all your local BestBuys and such are pushing it a lot more than Hd-dvd.

[mas]

Actually, as of CES 2007, Toshiba is now touting HD-DVD with a greater capacity over Blu-Ray by 1GB - the score being 51GB to 50GB. Thats 'real world' and not the 18 layer or whatever fantasy the latest cocktail party buzz is over some theoretical limit.

And you might want to let Sony know, as they are literally talking of dropping the cell processor to reduce their costs. That's not the talk of a winner. Rather its the talk of a company realizing that their CFO is turning blue from holding their breath!

[Darien]

I have had my PS3 for about 2 1/2 months. I have it hooked up via HDMI to my Panasonic 42in Plasma thats 720p and 1080i. The games look awesome of course, movies look good too. When it comes to Blu-ray movies though... its totally title dependant! I have the mission Impossible movies and those look good, esp 3. The older movies like Stargate dont look as good. Its not the player its the title! The transfer by some of these stuios is embarresing. The crappy codecs they have used and the poor film condition is horrendus! These studios took little effort with some of these titles. You can see the dust from the masters on your Blu-ray copy! They should have taken more care to restore thier masters and used only the best transfer methods. Its seems so rushed and careless by a few stuios.

But on the flip side when you get a good transfer title like MI3 etc its stunning. And I dont even have a 1080P monitor! I wouldnt hesistate to do it again. Sony has alot of backing on the PS3 and the Blu-ray format. To say the PS3 isnt selling isnt true. Its doing well and is just making it European release now! Who cares about the game system anyways. Like you said, its a blu-ray player for ALOT less. I bought it for the Blu-ray plaer, the game system to me is just a bonus. Also mine has wi-fi and a browser. I was checking my yahoo webmail with it yesterday. I also have a Nikon SLR dig camera. I can throw my Compact flash memory stick with the photos on it and view them on my HD TV through the PS3.

Bottom line is the PS3 has alot to offer and even if your not going to use all its features and functions. Its a great value.

Check out Amazons reviews for the specific blu-ray title. The feedback has been good about which title has the good transfers and which dont. Good way to avoid a mistake on a title with a bad transfer.

[mas]

Blu-Ray PS3 sales are not doing very well. And Sony's financials are not performing anywhere near where they had hoped and expected.

That is not to say that they are not selling units, but it is no where near what they had hoped. And with their minuscule profit margin, if they are making anything at all, they are now officially talking (just this week) of dumping the cell processor.

This does not bode well for the format nor the PS3.

[el jopez]

Natgun, funny you say that as everyone I have spoken to and articles I have read has pointed the PS3 as being the best upscaling DVD player on the market Logic would say then its a waste of money to invest in a Meridian DVD player et al. if you can get something that play DVD's, Blu Ray and I believe SACD cheap and effectivley. I'm sold on the SACD for 600 with everything else as an added bonus. It adds out in the end IMO.

Eh, so Sony is in the red, we all knew this was going to happen. IBM said it first when no one else in the tech market wanted servers with Cell chips in it, it was unpractical compared to what else was around for way cheaper. Either way yay for IBM and ATI, they are the ones coming ahead with this console war!

[ndskyz]

Huh...the PS3 doesnt do ANY upscaling of DVD's....at all..(not yet) It does a decent job of playing DVD's its no better than my Samsung Upconverting DVD player at 480p. It does not however upconvert DVD's to 720 or 1080i like my sammy does. The fact that it plays BD and SACD and has a 60gig Hardrive in it makes it a no brainer for my HT. MP3s at 320kb hundreds on my HD has replaced my CD changer. And SACD at 176.4K via HDMI into my Onkyo 804 in "Pure Audio"mode.. Sounds amazing. Be advised the PS3 DOES NOT do SACD via Toslink..for some reason it's Stereo or HDMI. So keep that in mind.

[Darien]

They are not dumping the system at all, they are in fact going to use a smaller processor thats less expensive to manufacture that provides the same performance. For me that would be an upgrade. Your twisting the truth a little here. Your context would imply the PS3 is going to be abandoned and it is fact not the case at all.

While I havnt seen the figures for the PS3 sales, I know its still selling and they never meant to make money on the system but in game Licencing. Your angle here seems to be a ploy to convince someone the PS3 has been a failure for Sony. This is not the case.

[Professor.Ham.Slap]

They are not dumping the system at all, they are in fact going to use a smaller processor thats less expensive to manufacture that provides the same performance. For me that would be an upgrade. Your twisting the truth a little here. Your context would imply the PS3 is going to be abandoned and it is fact not the case at all.

While I havnt seen the figures for the PS3 sales, I know its still selling and they never meant to make money on the system but in game Licencing. Your angle here seems to be a ploy to convince someone the PS3 has been a failure for Sony. This is not the case.

I don't think he meant to say that they are abandoning the PS3. They truly did however announce that they were planning on dumping the cell design.

Sony would never admit it, but the PS3 has been somewhat of a failure thus far. I mean the Wii is still selling off the shelf within minutes of being put on the shelf, it also took the Xbox 360 forever to overcome the demand, but the PS3 really is readily in stock virtually anywhere. The store I work at has had them in stock every day since about three days after Christmas. There just isn't the software to support it.

[sunburnwilly]

They are not dumping the system at all, they are in fact going to use a smaller processor thats less expensive to manufacture that provides the same performance. For me that would be an upgrade. Your twisting the truth a little here. Your context would imply the PS3 is going to be abandoned and it is fact not the case at all.

While I havnt seen the figures for the PS3 sales, I know its still selling and they never meant to make money on the system but in game Licencing. Your angle here seems to be a ploy to convince someone the PS3 has been a failure for Sony. This is not the case.

I don't think he meant to say that they are abandoning the PS3. They truly did however announce that they were planning on dumping the cell design.

Sony would never admit it, but the PS3 has been somewhat of a failure thus far. I mean the Wii is still selling off the shelf within minutes of being put on the shelf, it also took the Xbox 360 forever to overcome the demand, but the PS3 really is readily in stock virtually anywhere. The store I work at has had them in stock every day since about three days after Christmas. There just isn't the software to support it.

As with most of the hardware launches ... Admitidly , this is probably the worst . Heck , I'm still playing Resistance Call Of Man . "Anybody got any pointers on that last level ?" it's a ***** ....

[ndskyz]

Actually as far as PS launches go the PS3 was one of the better ones...and thats not saying much. Most consoles sold in the shortest amount of time. How quickly people forget that the PS2 was a horrid launch with HUGE supply shortages, and to top it off an even bigger shortage of Memory cards. If you got a PS2 you couldnt even save your stinking game progress...took me a month after launch until I got a memory card...All the naysayin on the PS3..is really a waist of time. Sony is not going to let the PS3 die...Period.At any rate.

The last level of RFOM you need to use your big guns. There is plenty of ammo stashed around so keep moving. Lob as many granades as you can at the Chimera when they are far away. Shotgun on the ones closest to you. The Big flying spider thing (forget the name) Use the Lark on him. Basically its an all out battle the faster and better you are at changin your weapons the better off you'll be.All the while keep shooting at the Rods with your Machine gun. Also dont forget to use the Bullseye tag, this way you can shoot and the bullets go directly to the target..you dont have to aim, and sometimes the bullets go around corners. Im on the Frozen Thames river now my second time through on "Hard mode. It is much harder cant wait to see how hard the last level is.

As with most of the hardware launches ... Admitidly , this is probably the worst . Heck , I'm still playing Resistance Call Of Man . "Anybody got any pointers on that last level ?" it's a ***** ....

[damonrpayne]

One of my favorite topics! Too bad there's a lot of FUD in this article. Let's review:

-Sony is talking of "outsourcing" the Cell processor to people who specialize in chip production. This is what everyone else does.

-Sound quality didn't impress? You coud have the PS3 setup improperly. Out of hundreds of reviews I've never heard anyone do anything but rave about the sound on BluRay, especially the uncompressed PCM tracks.

-PS3 is not selling well? On what planet? More sales launch-to-date than the xbox 360, the previous gen PS2, and record breaking pre-orders in Europe.

-BluRay is outselling HD-DVD by 2:1 margin and the market share is growing, granted the market share of HD formats is still barely 1% of what DVD is.

[mas]

They are not dumping the system at all, they are in fact going to use a smaller processor thats less expensive to manufacture that provides the same performance. For me that would be an upgrade. Your twisting the truth a little here. Your context would imply the PS3 is going to be abandoned and it is fact not the case at all.

While I havnt seen the figures for the PS3 sales, I know its still selling and they never meant to make money on the system but in game Licencing. Your angle here seems to be a ploy to convince someone the PS3 has been a failure for Sony. This is not the case.

If this is aimed at what I said, your (mis)interpretation is utterly fantastic...as in "completely incorrect". As as such the only one twisting the truth is you!

I never said the platform was going to be dumped. I didn't even imply it.

SONY's vice president made the comment regarding the cell processor. I simply reported it. And as far as "going to use a smaller processor thats less expensive to manufacture

that provides the same performance. For me that would be an upgrade."

Huh!? I don't think I have seen as grand a case of spin placed on top of a patently false technical statement in quite a long time! If only such were possible. And you are obviously not well versed in the cell technology.

The irony in this entire line of reasoning is that everything you have posited is based upon your personal 'feelings'. And the facts that I have cited have come from directly from Sony (and supported by industry organizations such as iSupply) over the past several months.

A ploy? Personally I don't give a crap about any of the game systems. I have yet to invest in ANY of the independent gaming systems from ANY platform. And anyone who knows me knows that I am NOT a big, or even a small, MS supporter!

But I do understand CPU and related systems technology as well as market strategy and economic analysis. And it is not based, except in the minds of some who fervently 'wish' for something to happen, on emotional desires.

And thus far even Sony has implied that they are not only either losing money on or 'about breaking even' on the PS3, but they have even revised their sales figures down and directly stated that due to market and financial pressure that they may cease both manufacturing and using the cell processor as a direct result of cost. FACT!

Spin it as you desire. That does not read as a spectacular success for Sony! I don't have to convince anyone of anything. But you might want to direct your comments to the various Sony executives who are directly responsible for making the statements!

That's not a ploy. That's fact! You are the only one with a dog in this hunt. And I love how you predicate your conclusions on...hmmm...let's see...the fact that "(you) havnt seen the figures for the PS3 sales, I know its still selling

and they never meant to make money on the system but in game Licencing." Yes indeed, a very solid fantasy where the platform is not intended to show a profit. You might want to inform Sony, as they seem rather concerned regarding that 'lack of profit" motive!

If you want to show that any of the above statements are false, please do so. As far as your implying that I am misrepresenting any of the market developments, I think you need to go back and check my sources. All are available.

Bottomline: The marketing of the PS3 is a BUSINESS. You can fervently hope that a particular technology succeeds for whatever emotional reason you prefer. But in business, economics plays a more strategic role than wishful thinking. I know. Not only do I have a Super Beta Hi-Fi unit, I also have had quite a few Macs, and I even like (and understand!) the cell processor.

I might suggest avoiding any Strategic Management courses. You'd be eaten alive. []

[mas]

One of my favorite topics! Too bad there's a lot of FUD in this article. Let's review:

-Sony is talking of "outsourcing" the Cell processor to people who specialize in chip production. This is what everyone else does.

-PS3 is not selling well? On what planet? More sales launch-to-date than the xbox 360, the previous gen PS2, and record breaking pre-orders in Europe.

-BluRay is outselling HD-DVD by 2:1 margin and the market share is growing, granted the market share of HD formats is still barely 1% of what DVD is.

What planet?

Earth calling Damon.

And if you are going to quote sales figures, please distinguish between Blu-Ray disks and hardware units! Ooops! But any port in a storm!

Outsourcing the cell production....Hmmmm. You might have read a little further. To whom exactly? IBM isn't even producing it and there appears no reason for them to pick it up simply to absorb the costs that Sony can't! ...Been there and done that with Apple and low power G5 production! Oh, but they moved to a different processor base due to IBM's lack of incentive to devote additional resources to a product with only marginal support. And Toshiba? I think you will find them more averse to losing money than either Sony or IBM.

Your sale figures are utterly fantastic. And these have been the precise subject of the bruhaha the last 2 months.

This fanboy stuff has reached a fever pitch...and the similarities to the Monty Python Black Knight routine are stunning!

[mas]

Wii Continues Dominance in Japan

by Ed Oswald, BetaNews 2/6/2007

Nintendo's
Wii console continues to be the surprise success in the next-generation
console race, outselling the Sony PlayStation 3 by a two-to-one margin
in Japan during the month of January.

Only 148,000 PS3s sold
during the month, compared with 405,000 Wii consoles, Japanese gaming
magazine Enterbrain said Tuesday. Sony's lackluster success in a region
normally considered its strongest again brings up questions of the
console's overall success.

The company has repeatedly maintained that shipments of the
console are ramping up -- most recently saying 1.84 million shipped
worldwide before the end of 2006 -- however sales numbers from analyst
firms have just not added up to those numbers.

Scattered, although
unconfirmed, reports have been received of PS3 consoles actually
sitting on shelves, being passed by for the cheaper Xbox 360 and Wii
consoles. Price may actually be the problem in Japan as well.

The
base model PS3 sells for 49,980 yen ($416 USD) in Japan, compared to
29,800 yen ($246 USD) for the base Xbox 360 and 25,000 yen ($207 USD)
for the Wii. Enterbrain said it believed the much lower price was
helping sales.

1.4 million Wiis have sold in Japan, over double the 614,000 PS3s sold. Both consoles launched in November 2006

[ndskyz]

You know I recall reading articles of the same type about a year and some months ago. Just change Wii to PS2 and PS3 to X box 360... 360 is still around...

Looky here

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20051228-5862.html

MS is hoping the 360 will make a profit almost 1 1/2 years after it hit the market. And yet they are still losing over 100 bucks on each unit sold... They make their money on games. Sony is no different, the PS3 isnt going anywhere. Even as a Cheap BD player (to get BACK ON TOPIC) Sony is losing money on the PS3, as a unit. Where they will make money is 1. Games. and game license And 2. since sony is a pretty big movie house BD sales.

Wii Continues Dominance in Japan