Why the PS3 Isn't the Best Blu-ray Player

Ben Drawbaugh writes, "Not too long ago we asked you what the best Blu-ray player was and as many would expect one of the hottest answers was the PS3. At $400, with the PS3's ability to be updated to support just about any new Blu-ray feature, it seems like the best value; but there's one thing about the PS3 that is often overlooked. No, we're not talking about the lack of IR remote (easily solved with a $15 adapter) we're talking about the limited audio codec support. Sure, the PS3 supports Doby TrueHD decoding internally, but it lacks a big one, DTS HD. For whatever reason, the PS3 does not support bitstream output, -- no, not even TrueHD -- only PCM and since there's no DTS HD decoder built in, that leaves out one of the hottest new codecs."

[scrillakiller]

i mean really who cares.i baught it for games which is what i primarily do with it but damn am i glad that it plays high def movies to cuz i use it second for that.i got 10 gmes and 14 movies.as long as i can put the disc in and watch a movie im happy.

[Capt CHAOS]

If you've got 14 BluRay movies and things like this don't matter then you should have just stuck to buying standard DVD.

[Bombomb]

um
i mean really who cares.i baught it for games. i got 10 gmes and 14 movies.

If I were you id go out and buy 5 more games to make that statment/ratio look better ..

As new hardware become better the PS3 as a blu-ray will only lag behind. special chips and such cannot be addons for the ps3. By that time the trojan will have already done it's dirty work so it won't matter.

[IcemanK2]

I watched Rescue Dawn the other night which has DTS HD Lossless, I selected that and watched the movie. My receiver was showing it was decoding into DTS.

[resistance100]

I've got 19 blu-ray films and counting i love HI-Def =D

Sure the ps3 may not be the best blu-ray player, however its the only one which you can gurentee that always be uptodate with each profile, and at an extreamly affordable and value for money deal

http://www.pslegion.com/

[bombzombie]

anybody is disagreeing with this statement. It's a very accurate reflection of the current state of things. Frankly, I hope that Blu-ray players get better. Hopefully SOny can incorporate the improvements into future machine iterations. When did gamers become anti-tech advancement?

[scrillakiller]

well obviously u dont have a ps3.yes 14 bluray movies.all i care about is i get the 1080 picture when i put in a movie.dont care about pip or playing a game from the movie with other people.i just want to watch and then go back to playing warhawk

[Capt CHAOS]

I just think that for just picture quality it's not enough of a pure win. You can get very good picture quality with DVD superbit and a descent DVD player, I think everyone is focusing on the visual elements too much and forgetting about the audio elements (another reason why the 360 makes a bad DVD player - too much fan noise).

[BulletToothtony]

that chaos doesn't have an hdtv, because there's a huge difference between the 2 formats, chaos may say that he does but it's obvious when people don't know what they're talking about

[ITR]

I'm sorry but not all movies look that great in HD.
Bad transfers, frame cropping, bad edits, crazy edge enhancement, high grain, no special features.

(HD DVD)The Game: Bad transfer(barely better then DVD) and it only comes with stock DVD special features.
(Blu Ray) Robocop: Bad transfer..even after it go re-minting process and Fox what happened to the special features you promised? (Robocop fan)

What's with all the rush jobs? Even brand spankin new movies have issues.

[Mikey_Gee]

Good to know. I wonder if an update can address this ??

[techie]

yuh it can...didnt realise they were holding it back.

edit: it does support bitstream already...the article is wrong.

[ITR]

I'm not sure it's that simple. Because someone has to pay for that DTS HD decoder and the license to use it on the machine. I have a feeling it'll be passed on to the consumer...which is you and me.

[Meus Renaissance]

Omg, now he'll start posting those articles on how HD-DVD is going to win. I'm not a tech buff, as long as my PS3 displays Blu-Ray in high definition, and the movie looks good, and my remote can pause, rewind and play, I'm happy.

[Ashta]

PS3 -does- support Bitstream.

It's in the freakin' audio/video setup options. As for the story title? No, the PS3 is not the -best- Blu-Ray player out there, but it IS the most functional BR player at the pricepoint.

[bombzombie]

FYI guys, this is an excellent post that brings out the technical deficiencies of the PS3 for an audiophile. I bought a PS3 even knowing this "BITSTREAM" issue. The PS3 is flawless in video performance - no stone unturned there.The problem is this - Sony has hired Silicon Image to make the HDMI 1.3 chipset for the PS3. It ends with the 4 digits 9132. The HDMI 1.3 chipset used in the Panny player ends in 9134 which Silicon Image has proven in full capacity that the bitstream of HD audio codecs are possible as i experimented with it myself after buying a capable receiver and the DMP-BD30. But nowhere has Sony published the specs for the 9132 and early indications are that the bitstream is not possible. HDMI 1.3 spec mandates bitstream audio and if the PS3 cant do it then its not a HDMI 1.3 player!..... http://en.wikipedia.org/wik... read the spec on HDMI 1.3 and get back to me....Sometime it makes sense to read the details before posting stuff.

[heyheyhey]

i thought that dolby should be enough i mean does anyone really need to bother themselves with hundreds of different codecs- dolby is good enough

[tatical]

I only agree because I don't have a surround sound setup. I only listen to the HDTV speakers and a subwoofer.

[wil4hire]

Because Bloodmask is insecure about the 360's sales and 08 lineup. :( Thats why.

Because Bloodmask realizes all 360 exclusives of 08 are multiplatform PC games.

Because Bloodmask realizes its time to jump out.

Seriously though,

Most people's receivers don't even support those. Only the midrange-high end. Those people, will have stand alone bluray players I am sure, or PS3's because it gomes with a GAME SYSTEM/DVDplayer/PhotoShows etc.

No Sony defense force numbers are needed here. Sony Playstation Sales are on the rise. No stopping it now.

Bloodmask, you constantly fail on a daily basis. I am reporting you to the admins.

[Skerj]

I don't see any other BR players with PS3 features, so to me it is the best player. Then again I bought it as a game system first, the BR is just extra, futureproof FTMFW!!

[eagle21]

See everything else this badboy can do and call me in the morning.

[pwnsause]

sorry on changing the topic but according to VGcharts, it has begun
http://vgchartz.com/hwlaunc...

[whoelse]

I guess this feature is next. A lot of people have been begging for it and even on the PS3 updates thread on the Official PS US boards.

[achira]

another bs article from xbot bloodmask.

[Marceles]

"When the PS3 hit the street it was recognized as one of the most full featured Blu-ray players to date, but it seem now that PS3 owners aren't getting everything they thought they were"

Dude...no one who owns a PS3 is a super audiophile that much that they're thinking "I'm buying a PS3, and it BETTER support DTS HD or else I'm taking it back." Everyone who's bought a PS3 has gotten mostly everything they got they were getting, a system that can play PS1 through PS3 games, a blu-ray player, free PSN service, and capable of playing games and movies at 1080p. That's it, no one got into details about it supporting HDMI 1.3a and DTS HD and all of that other BS. If it supports it then it's a good surprise, if not, no one was looking forward to it in the first place. All new firmware improvements that have been given to the PS3 are a welcome surprise and increase the PS3's value even more.

[rushbd]

this article is not 100% correct.

[tfur]

Just do uncompressed 7.1 PCM...

[XXXRATED]

my ps3 does it just fine just checked you need to have a reciever that can do it thats all. mine is a $4800.00 denon avr-4806ci. it supports all even 7.1 linear uncompressed audio!

ps. it doesn't matter though because uncompressed sounds worlds better anyway. go figure why blu ray is winning!

[LeX]

That's very interesting, because I was going to buy a PS3 soon. Mainly as a Blue-Ray player because I think its a pretty crappy gaming machine.

[captainpwn]

Therefore, according to Captain PWN's results, the Sony PLAYSTATION 3 is the superior movie player. As well, Captain PWN concludes that PLAYSTATION 3 is a more powerful gaming player, and the fruits of Sony Computer Entertainment's labour will pay off in 2008.

[Xbox is the BEST]

is a superior movie player against the 360 but it does not have better games and never will.

[rushbd]

how can u say that?

did u just take one of ur balls to predict it ?
or did u take a crystal ball out of ur ass to predict it?

[heyheyhey]

never will? take a look at this please

http://ps3forums.com/showth...

[OldGamer]

Man, people just can't stop nit-picking about the PS3 and what it DOESN'T do. Guess what, it won't make toast or watch your children either, so I guess many would say it's a failure! Duh...

For me personally, every blu-ray disc I own sounds great on my surround sound and I have no idea what type of audio it uses. And I really don't care.

One thing that IS certain, PS3 is now Profile 1.1 compatible and there are a lot of blu-ray players that can't be upgraded by a firmware update. Sucks for those who bought one of them and now can't watch the newest blu-ray titles.

So in this regard, PS3 is a superior blu-ray player than many already out there. But if there's a player out there you think is better, or has ALL the features you're looking for, than by all means, buy it.

Different strokes for different folks, ya know?

[jaja1434]

They can watch the movies just fine. The older players just can't play the PiP because of the lack of a second video/audeo decoder. But they can still play say Resident Evil:Extinction without a hitch.

[prowiew]

Why is it that some people here are just stupid?!!. First. The article doesnt say that the ps3 sucks. It just says is not the best blu ray player. They are not even saying is the worst!. Why people get angry at news like this!. Second. The website especialize in gadgets, not games. So why defend the system saying it plays games, price, etc. Also, why bash bloodmask??. He didnt write the article. I know he may sound like a fanboy sometimes, but common'! It is engadget who wrote the article!

[xplosneer]

I read that the decoder was a version released last year early that could not bitstream DTS-HD, and it's not possible to upgrade via firmware. Sorry, it just won't happen. Luckily, they can still do other lossless formats.

Regardless, being the first 1.1 spec player available pretty much negates this for now.

[GITPWNED]

crap player. crap machine.

[Karebear]

Why would you want DTS-HD ?? It runs uncompressed linear-pcm via HDMI. You really don't get any better than that...

This is a confusing concept. Maybe its a problem for people who don't have HDMI receivers for their setup?

[ITR]

Unless your receiver can decode True HD and DTS HD you'll never heard the difference.
Many receiver's are just HDMI pass through. It does nothing for your audio.
If you want to hear DTS HD go to a store that specializes in Home Theatre and I'm not talking about Best Buy either. DTS was amazing back then and it's new codec is even more amazing.

DTS for me will always sound better then Dolby. Go pickup twister and listen to it in both Dolby and then DTS. The Dolby is just front loaded sound, but the DTS sound will just envelop you.

[Kain81]

Get a life girl

[Guwapo77]

Was the PS2 the best DVD player on the market? No it sure wasn't. But what it did do was help the DVD become the medium in households around the world.

My PS3 hooked up to my Onkyo SR-705 sounds dreamy to me. I don't have any complaints.

[Slayer OP]

What the hell man? Who really cares? People are not buying this thing for a blu ray player despite what fanboys will tell you.

[Strife Lives]

Is as good as the dvd player is to the ps2. The original wasnt the greatest,mine got broken 3 times, disc read error crap,but when I got the slim line ,it was better ten fold. Its technology folks

[SaiyanFury]

The PS3 is a BD player and generally it succeeds at what it does. It may not support DTS-HD, which sucks, but when you think about it, that's not that big of a deal. You need to shell out a lot of money in order to get an A/V Receiver that can even process those high end audio codecs. Hell, I paid 1000 dollars for my Yamaha receiver last year and it doesn't even relay Dolby TrueHD. Of course I plan on changing over to a better model this year sometime, but most people who have HD setups don't have tonnes of money to throw around on high end home audio receiver setups.

[Bleucrunch]

Dont worry Im sure sony knows this and will address it. True HD sound is freaking sexy.

[Rice]

Whats the difference between True Hd and Dts HD.

[Guwapo77]

Next to nothing. Extremely small difference in the way they compress the data. The difference between DTS-HD and True HD vs uncompressed - the compressed versions don't wait space on the disk for periods with zero sound. Uncompressed will place data to represent silence. Anywho, its alot more technical than that...but thats it in a nutshell.

[mistertwoturbo]

I'd rather pay $400 for a 40gb PS3 and be able to play games, watch BD's, listen to music, go on the internet with the web browser, play online, remote play with my psp, etc. etc. than a standalone player that does nothing but watch bd's.

[Figboy]

Blu Ray is kicking so much @ss market-wise, that instead of the old flame wars of "this HD DVD player is better than this Blu Ray player," we get "well, *THIS Blu Ray player is better than *THAT Blu Ray player."

Blu Ray is winning this format war, when it's biggest competition is itself.

i own about 9 or 10 Blu Ray movies, and about 9 or 10 PS3 games.

i bought my PS3 primarily for games, but i'm not going to ignore it's Blu Ray functionality, especially when i have the HDTV to put it to use.

personally, i think the sound is *FANTASTIC, but i don't have a sound system set up yet, but i will sometime this year.

considering how upgradeable the PS3 (ie, it just got PiP support via the BR 1.1 update a few weeks ago), i don't doubt that they can remedy this particular "shortcoming."

also, i thought the PS3 *DID support bitstream? or is that option in the sound settings just there for kicks?

[ReBurn]

My PS3 is the best movie player I've ever had. Bar none.

[big0]

It may not be the best bluray player but stand alone players don't offer a quarter of the features that a ps3 has so the ps3 is a much better deal.

[The Dude]

I would pickup a Samsung BD-UP5000 that way when blu-ray is gone you can play all those HD-DVD movies.

[solar]

who was your favorite Family Fued host? i gotta go with Ray Combs. too bad he committed suicide :(

[WilliamRLBaker]

SOny says new sku!!
But then again so does microsoft;)

[Antiomo]

Its the best bang for the buck though..... This is why ppl buy the ps3 as a blu-ray player not only as a gaming machine.

Its like a civic, many ppl find alot of value in a civic but its not the best car in the world.

[rich13er]

They are both very comparable to each other. But if your looking for a great High def player you can't beat the LG - 16x Internal Blu-ray Disc/ HD DVD Double-Layer DVD±RW/CD-RW Drive for 229 at best buy online. Installed it into my PC last week and works like a charm.

[Rice]

My Ps3 hooked up with my Samsung home theatre system sounds like Brianna banks moaning.

[snoopgg]

is why xboxlive is no longer the best online console experience and why the 360 is not the best hddvd player available. Who cares if it isn't the best bluray player, its still better then having to upgrade your 360 to a lackluster hddvd player.

[moujahed]

Aslong as you have a kick azz surround system with 1080p 7.1, or even 5.1... sh!t aslong as you have a decent surround system hooked to your television you dont have to worry about this.

[JasonX43]

You also forgot that it doesn't contain a CD/DVD/BD burner, but this is just nitpicking as usual! Get of the PS3's back!