The BD50 sounds like the the BD standalone product that comes closest to HD DVD specs, but how long off will it be before its priced so I can afford it. Around the web price speculation seems to be around $600 + MSRP. At that price I'll have to stick with my HD-A3 which does about the same thing as the BD50 accept DTS Master and 1080p which doesn't matter for most 1080p TV's that handle 1080i signal.
Playstation 3: Not the best Blu-ray player you can buy
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...not too mention play any HD format discs produced after May 2008. (Sorry, nonrev, I couldn't resist)
I wonder if this story spreading about the PS3 not being the best Blu-ray player, coming out at this time, isn't just intended to help increase sales of non-PS3 BD players.
Actually the original article came out the end of last year (Nov.?) on like CNET or something. I lost the link when my computer blew up.
S~
Or they are just saying they don't think the picture quality with the PS3 is up to snuff with some of the other players. Seems pretty black and white to me.
Most people agree that the way to mass adoption and over taking DVD is through standalones.
Oh, I certainly agree about standalones. I have a PS3 used only for movies, and I'm very happy with it. But I figure one day it'll get replaced by a dedicated player.
Standalones will be easier for the average person to operate. And hopefully by the end of this year software will have stabilized enough to where firmware updates will become few and far between.
Standalones will be easier for the average person to operate. And hopefully by the end of this year software will have stabilized enough to where firmware updates will become few and far between.
Have two PS3 and a panny BD10. I think the PQ on BLU-RAY pictures is comparable but the upscale on the BD10 is noticeably better. The last firmware updates for the BD10 have made alot of differences and all the the various problems have disappeared. PS3 is the better value by far and is what I recommend to others. Most people don't want to make the investment but would like to have a BLU-RAY player. So the answer to me is "it depends". Keeping a close eye on internet prices can change that argument, but as someone else stated "can you play a game on it?".
The problem with recommending the PS3 is that its notoriously horrible at upconverting. As no one expects DVD’s to go anywhere any time soon that’s a major flaw. Also most of us have pretty significant DVD libraries that we’d like to re-enjoy at near HD level on a good upconverter.
Actually its rated good at upconverting. But there are many that are better. Not including the Toshiba A-2 and A-3 which are not as good.
Your the first person I ever heard say the PS3 was a better upconverter then any HD DVD player. Ever BD lovers that own both always have sided with Toshiba. I want some of what your smoking, PM me so we can arrange you sending me some.
The BD10 is a worse upconverter than the PS3. Every professional review I've read has said so. AFAIK, the only Blu-Ray players (besides the Denon's when they appear) in league with the Toshiba's in terms of upconverting are the Samsungs. However, the Samsungs can't even play many new Blu-Ray discs.
Personally, I think the Blu-Ray standalones suck at upconverting #1 to save money and #2 to make people think Blu-Ray looks so much better than upconverted DVD even on smaller displays (which it doesn't).
I have an A2 so I can compare them. I have seen an A3 at a friends and was equally unimpressed. Yes, I have heard, that some other Toshiba models such as the XA2 are excellent.
The are several reviews calling the PS3's upconverting very good. E.g the following cnet report gives both the good and bad details they noticed.
PS3 DVD upscaling: A big improvement | Crave : The gadget blog
I have also seen some reviews of the low end Toshiba's, but couldn't find them quickly at the moment. Remember also that the A2 cannot output 1080P so upgraded DVD is only to 1080I. Perhaps that is part of the difference I am seeing.
The BD10 is a worse upconverter than the PS3. Every professional review I've read has said so. AFAIK, the only Blu-Ray players (besides the Denon's when they appear) in league with the Toshiba's in terms of upconverting are the Samsungs. However, the Samsungs can't even play many new Blu-Ray discs.
Personally, I think the Blu-Ray standalones suck at upconverting #1 to save money and #2 to make people think Blu-Ray looks so much better than upconverted DVD even on smaller displays (which it doesn't).
Huh? The BD10 is one of the better upconverting HD players out there behind the Samsung 1200 and Toshiba XA2. The BD10 uses two video processors, the MEI MPEG decoder and the Sigma Designs decoder. The BD10 easily passed almost all tests out of the box. 1.2 introduced the CUE bug which was not present in the initial software and was quickly corrected with 1.4 firmware.
Kris Deering retested the PS3 (2/29/08) after numerous firmware updates to correct DVD playback and reader complaints. The PS3 still failed most of the tests including the cadence tests which most players pass easily. For BD support the PS3 does just fine.
The problem with going by these reviews is that most are done with the initial software and then never revisited after CE companies release firmware to correct issues. Kris brings up another excellent point about real world viewing. Do the majority of users notice a difference? Usually not, unless it is something extremely severe. These tests are much more demanding than most things found during a viewing.
S~
Just to sum this up I think its fair to say the PS3 is one the worst upconverters out there, no where in the class of any of the Toshiba's or most other BD players. Did you confirm if your 'friends' TV was only a 720p most are?? Just face it Sony didn't build the PS3 with a chip set that placed a high priority on upconverting. This has been well documented and proven no matter what review link you post. Let me reiterate this thing is not a good recommendation if that person doesn’t play games or has a DVD library they want to watch. Just for simple BD playback is another story.
