Blueray player versus Playstation 3

[jphegers]

I have been sitting on my PC the whole day already researching this subject and have got nowhere as there are so many for and just as many against.
The the best thing going for the PlayStation is the ability to download new firmware, that stand alone blue-ray players do not have, and also the built-in hard drive for storage as well as 3D capabilities.
My question is are there people using this set-up who can give inputs about the pros and cons as well as the picture quality between the play station and a standalone blue-ray player.

[naughty]

IMHO if you wish to just play blu-ray and DVD and you dont want to play games then dont bother with the PS3

my reasoning is as follows :

1) blu-ray players are now getting cheap - you can get some very decent players at around R1799 or so from Sony and Pioneer that will be capable of mixing it up with R10k from Denon and Cambridge audio and the like - sure the more expensive players will be better but only marginally so
2) the new generation of standalone players has as many value added features as the PS3 and only lacks the gaming aspect
3) picture quality as well a saudio quality will be more-or-less like for like IMHO because the PS3 is excellent for blu-ray and dvd playback
4) if you buy the standalone player and an external harddrive (of whatever size you like up to 4TB (i think) the new generation blu ray players generally use USB to function pretty much as a media player for many PC based file formats and a lot of them have DLNA and NAS streaming functionality built in eg the Sony BDP-S370 - if you want 3D though you might have to up to the S570 which has everything including the kitchen sink built in and you will only lack the gaming functionality

having said that i reckon its all a toss of a coin because the PS3 is a really multifunctional unit and theres absolutely nothing wrong with its video playback facilities and its as good as most standalone players ..... with the way that technology is changing nowadays though i reccommend sticking to entry level players instead of going to high ned players unless you really go the whole way and get something totally top notch like an Oppo BDP95 - that thing plays every format known to man through its USB and E-Sata inputs and it also has uprated analogue outputs so it functions as good as a mid-fi CD player for the purpose of stereo music playback (one of the very few units that will easily match purpose built units for this functionality

if you already have a decent CD player then i reckon something like the Sony BDP-S370 or the soon to be released in SA (no ETA available yet from sony) BDP-S380 is going to give you decent enough service but the standalone players will never be as versatile or as multifunctional as the PS3 .... so if i was in your shoes the PS3 would edge it slightly

[hamin_aus]

You might as well have entitled this thread Six of one versus half a dozen of the other

There is no discernible difference between blu-ray on a PS3 versus a dedicated blu-ray player on any screen I have seen.
I went PS3 for versatility, and because it came free with the TV

[jphegers]

The function that especial grabs my attention is the capability of having to be able to download firmware updates,witch makes it more future proof than a standalone player and also the capability to upgrade the hard drive to a bigger size should the need arise.

[hamin_aus]

Future proofing is not something you have to worry about when it comes to proprietary optical disc formats like CD, DVD and blu-ray.
Think about it.
A CD player from 1985 will play a CD made yesterday.
As will a DVD player from 1995.
The same will be true for blu-ray.

[ryanrich]

If new features and capabilities are released then a device like the PS3 would be able to make use of them, whereas an older BD player wouldn't. A perfect example of this is 3D content, which can be played by a PS3, but not all BD players as far as I know.

[hamin_aus]

Samsung has already released firmware for many of their blu-ray players that will enable them to support 3D
AFAIK any blu-ray player made in 2010 or later can be upgraded for 3D, it's just a matter of if/when the manufacturers get around to rolling out the updates.

[RuadRauFlessa]

I'd go PS3... what if you do decide you want to play a couple of console games with friends at a beer fest....

[jphegers]

If new features and capabilities are released then a device like the PS3 would be able to make use of them, whereas an older BD player wouldn't. A perfect example of this is 3D content, which can be played by a PS3, but not all BD players as far as I know.

That was my exact thoughts as well when speaking about future proofing.

[hamin_aus]

But there's no guarantee the PS3 will be able to support every new feature that comes out with a simple firmware update.
It cant even play PS2 games

Anyway, I think we can all agree that the answer to the OP's question is that a PS3 pwns a standalone blu-ray player

[Hman]

*spanner in the works*

A PC capable of playing Blu Ray movies would be even betterwith regards to "future proofing"

[hamin_aus]

*spanner in the works*

A PC capable of playing Blu Ray movies would be even betterwith regards to "future proofing"

*spanner in your head*
Considering the average lifespan of a PC is 2-3 year these days, the derp is strong in you.

[jphegers]

It's still a brilliant media hub - streaming, Vidzone, iplayer, music visualisers, photo viewer - all for free, as well as the video store and.... erm... Blu-Ray !
So don't you guys think the PlayStation will be a better proposition for the lounge and then a blue ray recorder for the PC in your Study/bedroom?

[Stuart]

So don't you guys think the PlayStation will be a better proposition for the lounge and then a blue ray recorder for the PC in your Study/bedroom?

Whatever floats your boat. As everyone says, it's six of one and half a dozen of the other.

[RuadRauFlessa]

It comes down to personal choice......

[Hman]

*spanner in the works*

A PC capable of playing Blu Ray movies would be even betterwith regards to "future proofing"

*spanner in your head*
Considering the average lifespan of a PC is 2-3 year these days, the derp is strong in you.

*spanner in your ewe*

So after 3 years the pc would stop working? And it would be impossible to upgrade on a hardware/software level? So a console with no immediate replacement in sight which consists of a locked in set of hardware is better?

[StarBound]

You buy a ps3 for the games first then the other features. But ps3 can do a lot of stuff and its a 3D bluray player.

[hamin_aus]

So a console with no immediate replacement in sight which consists of a locked in set of hardware is better?

If you cant see several obvious reasons why a PC loses to a PS3 as your primary blu-ray player and vicariously as a part of your home theater/entertainment setup then please sit quietly in the corner facing the wall

[Hman]

I shall not. I will not.

[jphegers]

So a console with no immediate replacement in sight which consists of a locked in set of hardware is better?

If you cant see several obvious reasons why a PC loses to a PS3 as your primary blu-ray player and vicariously as a part of your home theater/entertainment setup then please sit quietly in the corner facing the wall

ROFL well put hahaha

[rustypup]

a standalone or internal is a far better approach than a pointless piece of outdated console kit... my standalone connects wirelessly and alerts with OS/firmware updates, plays music/movies/pictures and connects seamlessly with my htpc... i fail to see why i would need that extraneous excuse for an "entertainment system"... :/

there again, i believe i own a sum total of 6/7 movies in bluray, (ok, probably more but i'm struggling to tie a number down)... mostly because very few are worth the effort... 3D will have zero effect on this...

[hamin_aus]

i fail to see why i would need that extraneous excuse for an "entertainment system"... :/

You wouldn't because you are the proverbial wet blanket and nobody setting foot in your house ever expects to be entertained.

[jphegers]

a standalone or internal is a far better approach than a pointless piece of outdated console kit... my standalone connects wirelessly and alerts with OS/firmware updates, plays music/movies/pictures and connects seamlessly with my htpc... i fail to see why i would need that extraneous excuse for an "entertainment system"... :/
As i do not have a PS3 and do not know much about them could someone inform me whether the hard drive in the PS3 can perform the same function to those who do not own a PVR decoder?

[rustypup]

nobody setting foot in your house ever expects to be entertained.

you go, girl!

[naughty]

*spanner in the works*

A PC capable of playing Blu Ray movies would be even betterwith regards to "future proofing"

actually to throw the spanner back at you - a PC is a noisy thing with loads of fans working ..... that is it will be if its some type of fast high end PC - and the fan noise adds to the noise floor and the idea behind blu-ray is topnotch video quality as well as topnotch audio quality and if you really want the HD audio then you are well advised to have a more silent method of playing blu-ray

if i have R100k worth of audio/video equipment to play the sound of my movies then i would be really irritated if i hear fans droning on in the background during quite passages of movies

hence why the PC with the blu-ray capability is only the secondary blu-ray playback unit at my place - i dont need the PS3 cos i dont want games and i want to replace my standalone blu-ray player with something that has some newer features and im contemplating getting a Sony BDP-S380 - this recognizes NTFS drives so i can play MKV-HD files that are up to 40gigs in size from external drives - the PS3 has the drawback for me i that it only recognizes FAT32 hard drives connected to its USB ports and this is a huge disadvantage hence i need something that works for my purposes until i can afford to buy a proper Media player like the AC Ryan FLUXX which is the greatest thing since sliced bread as media players go (its all about the quality of the playback and as ive said i would be wasting my time with R100k worth of audio/video playback equipment if i did not use that to its fullest) so yep - the video playback being full HD is one side of the equation and then you want the proper HD audio capability

so yep the higher end standalone players do have uprated power supplies and improved DAC units etc etc etc which can improve the experience for you even though that may not seem obvious and looking at it purely from an HD video point of view - you will see almost no difference by using a PS3 as opposed to a standalone player .... for me the standalone players make huge sense cos i get huge discounts on those (sometimes i pay 40% less than everyone else ) whilst with a PS3 which is naturally more expensive anyway i dont get any discounts so i simply cannot afford one ie read that as i wont find spending the extra cash toward one to be worth the investment ..... but thats just me - everyones own requirements differ - so if you do game or have someone in the family interested in console gaming then by all means the PS3 is a more versatile item to purchase

i wholeheartedly cannot recommend a PC as the hub of a serious system - if its just a PC with blu-ray capability as an afterthought then fine .... but i wont rush out to sell my standalone blu-ray player just cos ive got a PC which can play blu-ray and even output it to external AV receivers via HDMI - for a bedroom system or a study system the PC with a small TV or a largish monitor is more than acceptable ..... but its nowhere close to the standards required for a serious videophile setup

as far as 3D goes im not fussed about it - yes its awesome but it just doesnt float my boat and even my audio dealer buddies agree that despite them selling 3D capable TV's by the container load its still seriously flopping because there just is no content available