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Official Playstation 3 Blu-Ray player Thread

#1
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11/17/06 at 9:38pm
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I hope I can make this the official thread, but I wasn't sure.

Anyway, who's got one? I know whoever has one probably won't take a break from it for a week, but just in case you get some time, let us know how it performs.

I am sure everyone would like to know about Blu-Ray performance in comparison to the Samsung, Panasonic, and the Philips. And of course how does it stack up to the Xbox 360? How good is the SACD playback?

Thanks for input in advance,
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#2
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11/17/06 at 10:32pm
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Re: Playstation 3,.... well who's got one?

Got one ordered through Costco.com this morning. Only took 3+ hours but I guess that's better than sitting out in the cold for 48. I should have it (hopefully) sometime next week. Can't wait!

DVD & Blu-ray - It's all about the movies!
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#3
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11/18/06 at 2:16pm
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Re: Playstation 3,.... well who's got one?

Got one at launch, projecting 1080/60p on a 110" screen.

In short,
-Blu-Ray PQ can be as good as the best out there (both formats).
-Menus and load times are fast like a DVD player.
-Audio is stellar (Black Hawk Down....*yum*).
-The photo slideshow with the falling prints is uber cool.
-Resistance seems pretty fun, but I haven't had the chance to play much.
-Buy Blast Factor. $8 of old school arcade goodness in 1080p.
-The controller motion sensing is cool and I hope it gets utilized a LOT.


Some bad:
-My Xmen 3 skips. I think I got a bad disc though. Will find out tonight.
-HDMI port can be fickle.
-They need more content online.
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#4
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11/18/06 at 3:57pm
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Re: Playstation 3,.... well who's got one?

I got one...just finished hooking it up. In the process of trying to calibrate using the DVE DVD via HDMI. Problem...it won't pass BTB. Anyone else tried this?
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#5
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11/18/06 at 4:17pm
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Re: Playstation 3,.... well who's got one?

Haven't gotten online much. Got Resistance, Black Hawk Down, and Kingdom of Heaven. Great looking machine. Don't have a calibrated image, so I can't judge the BD content so well yet.
Hey buddy...did you just see a real bright light?
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#6
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11/18/06 at 6:44pm
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Re: Playstation 3,.... well who's got one?

Out of all the BlueRay players I've used, this one is easily the most user friendly and fast. So fast in starting, running and managing menus that it puts every other bluray player to shame.
My Current DVD-Profiler


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#7
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11/18/06 at 7:38pm
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Re: Playstation 3,.... well who's got one?

I managed to snag one off ebay for not too much of a premium. It'll be here early next week.

My questions:

1. I want to hook up to my 720p Sony. Is HDMI the way to go or is component good enough. Do either require special cables or are normal cables usable?

2. I just saw that it plays SACD. What's the best way to hook up the sound? I assume it does not have the RCA type 5.1 channel connectors similar to what I use to connect my DVD-A player to my receiver. My receiver just has the one set of 5.1 inputs.

Help much appreciated. I want to be ready with the right cables when it arrives.
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#8
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11/18/06 at 9:27pm
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Re: Playstation 3,.... well who's got one?

I do not believe it has 5.1 analog output. So the only way to experiance it is through HDMI. The PS3 converts SACD to 192/24 LPCM and sends it out via HDMI to a capable receiver. It also does this for Dolby True HD.
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#9
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11/18/06 at 10:08pm
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Re: Playstation 3,.... well who's got one?

So its a new receiver. My wife's gonna love that news!
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#10
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11/19/06 at 6:25am
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PS3 Blu Ray Playback... First Impressions

Guys,
I must say, I agree with what was said in another thread. The Blu Ray Playback on this is Flawless... The boot load time on my PS3 is 8 Seconds, and disc load time is approx 6 seconds....

Watched Ice Age MeltDown, and all I can say as it was Jaw dropping Video.... PQ looked 3D....

More to come... Have MAdden 2007 In Wrap still...

So I do have a question... I have the 20 Gig version. Would a Wireless Bridge work to get me online?? Output from the Bridge via Ethernet???

Steven Simon
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Steve's Home Theater
Email: darth23@optonline.net
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#11
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11/19/06 at 6:39am
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Re: PS3 Blu Ray Playback... First Impressions

Congrats on the purchase. I don't have any answers about the wireless bridge but as you finish setting up and start testing, do test the lossless audio capabilities if you can and report ack here with your findings.

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#12
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11/19/06 at 7:33am
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Re: PS3 Blu Ray Playback... First Impressions

Neil,
I just ran XMEN United. I have all the fox titles 11 I think.... I have Optical for Sound.... Also running HDMI converted to DVI to my 1080i Pioneer Plasma... The Audio on X3 was that DTS Lossless.. Sounded Fantastic... Super wide, robust sound imaging... The transfer on X3 looks a tad on the soft side to me, as well as some grain....

Now Kingdom Of Heaven is Playing as we speak.. The image on this BD is stunning.. Night and day..... Super sharp, vivid colors, and super rich detail.... I guess it all goes by the authoring and Codec they used...

Let me ask u this... Is this PS3 capable of doing these higher end Audio tracks? Do I not need to be using HDMI or 5.1 Analog to achieve??

If not, I pressume my PS3 is Downsampling on the Bitstream??

Steven Simon
HTF Administration
Steve's Home Theater
Email: darth23@optonline.net
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#13
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11/19/06 at 8:58am
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Re: PS3 Blu Ray Playback... First Impressions

Sounds great, looks like I'll try to snag one of these when they actually become easily available, for use as a backup player/occasional game.
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#14
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11/19/06 at 1:47pm
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Re: PS3 Blu Ray Playback... First Impressions

Quote:
Originally Posted by Neil Joseph
Congrats on the purchase. I don't have any answers about the wireless bridge but as you finish setting up and start testing, do test the lossless audio capabilities if you can and report ack here with your findings.

Neil, I'm running the PS3s HDMI into my Elite receiver for uncompressed sound and it's damn impressive. It will not disappoint.
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#15
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11/19/06 at 4:52pm
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Re: Playstation 3,.... well who's got one?

It will also output via the 2-ch analog out with SACD, but to get multi-ch, HDMI is what you'll have to go.
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#16
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11/19/06 at 6:55pm
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Re: Playstation 3,.... well who's got one?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark Klaus
1. I want to hook up to my 720p Sony. Is HDMI the way to go or is component good enough. Do either require special cables or are normal cables usable?

I've been reading that the HDMI is having a few problems for different people. Check out the end of this thread for a few of the details. That being the case (and the fact that my projector doesn't have HDMI ) I'm going to use my PS2 component cables.

If you are going to go the HDMI route then please PLEASE don't spend a ton of money on an HDMI cable. Since HDMI is all 1's and 0's and not frequencies like RCA cables (I know I'm simplifying this way too much) the cable quality doesn't make any difference. I've seen people shell out a ton of money for Moster HDMI cables no longer than 6 feet and they're going to get the same quality image as the cheaper cables. For inexpensive long runs of HDMI I would suggest Blue Jean Cables or Monoprice. I personally have used BJC for most of my cables and they are really great. Plus they're a HTF sponor.

DVD & Blu-ray - It's all about the movies!
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#17
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11/19/06 at 7:25pm
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Re: Playstation 3,.... well who's got one?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris S
I've been reading that the HDMI is having a few problems for different people. Check out the end of this thread for a few of the details. That being the case (and the fact that my projector doesn't have HDMI ) I'm going to use my PS2 component cables.

If you are going to go the HDMI route then please PLEASE don't spend a ton of money on an HDMI cable. Since HDMI is all 1's and 0's and not frequencies like RCA cables (I know I'm simplifying this way too much) the cable quality doesn't make any difference. I've seen people shell out a ton of money for Moster HDMI cables no longer than 6 feet and they're going to get the same quality image as the cheaper cables. For inexpensive long runs of HDMI I would suggest Blue Jean Cables or Monoprice. I personally have used BJC for most of my cables and they are really great. Plus they're a HTF sponor.

Since I don't have any component cables that would work with the PS3, I just ordered an 8' HDMI cable from BJC, thanks for the tip. The $100 cable at BB
was freaking me out a bit, much more reasonable to spend $30.

I'll figure out the audio when it gets here, should have something that will get me by until I get the nerve up to propose the new receiver.
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#18
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11/20/06 at 6:18am
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Re: Playstation 3,.... well who's got one?

Managed to screen a decent portion of Kingdom of Heaven last night. HDMI to the TV, optical to my receiver (old receiver). The picture, calibrated per a cnet review on a Sony 60" 1080P looked fantastic. Ridley loads his frames up, and the PS3 handled them like a gem. Very happy with the choice to use it as a BD player.

Kingdom of Heaven looks good, by the by. REALLY good. Couldn't test the DTS-MA (but I did get high quality DTS through my receiver from that signal).
Hey buddy...did you just see a real bright light?
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#19
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11/20/06 at 3:42pm
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Re: Playstation 3,.... well who's got one?

Is the PS3 WiFi enabled or have an option for WiFi? If so, is it possible to stream audio, pictures and video from your PC through the PS3 for display or listening - much like a media server?

I've been looking at the possibility of getting a media server, but if the PS3 will do that, then it's another reason to convince the S.O. to get one!
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#20
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11/20/06 at 5:21pm
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Re: PS3 Blu Ray Playback... First Impressions

Steven, I'm guessing X-3 looks a bit softer and grainier to you than other titles since it was shot Super 35, which is grainier and not as sharp and clean an image as if it were shot anamorphic.

And yeah, if you're running optical you're just getting max bitrate DTS. You'll need to run HDMI to pass the lossless signal--unless they come out with analog breakout cables down the road.

So, Brian, PS3 passes decoded PCM over HDMI right out of the box?

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#21
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11/20/06 at 5:31pm
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Re: Playstation 3,.... well who's got one?

Anyone else having blacker-than-black issues like Robert?

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#22
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11/20/06 at 8:24pm
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Re: PS3 Blu Ray Playback... First Impressions

Quote:
Originally Posted by Grant H
So, Brian, PS3 passes decoded PCM over HDMI right out of the box?

Yep. My Elite shows "PCM" and a 7.1 speaker display (I have it set to add my Surround Backs for all 5.1 sources) for True HD, DTS MA & 5.1 uncompressed. Though I'm not sure what's happening with DTS MA seeing as it's not supported yet. Kingdom of Heaven sounds awesome regardless.
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#23
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11/21/06 at 6:24am
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Re: PS3 Blu Ray Playback... First Impressions

I would think it's passing the DTS core signal, like the Toshiba. Since it's firmware upgrade it can do multichannel PCM for Dolby True HD, but just the core of DTS MA.

Hopefully firmware upgrades for DTS MA aren't far away.

My midis bring all the Force to the yard; my midis are better than yours!

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#24
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11/21/06 at 6:43am
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Re: PS3 Blu Ray Playback... First Impressions

I'm sending my audio to an old DSP-A1 though a fiber-optic. Waiting for the new years receivers before finishing off my HD revamp (which has cost me a pretty penny in the 4th quarter of FY06)

But the video playback of the PS3 has been truly exceptional. Better than I expected, so it was worthy $600 investment for BD movies. I can't wait until I can just use the HDMI for video and audio.

Soon, soon...

And Kingdom of Heaven is a great-looking disc. Top-shelf.
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#25
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11/21/06 at 7:41am
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Re: PS3 Blu Ray Playback... First Impressions

Chuck,

That's great to hear about the video quality of the PS3. I guess that means I'll have to get one in March...right around the time Casino Royale hits Blu-Ray!
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#26
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11/21/06 at 9:07am
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Re: PS3 Blu Ray Playback... First Impressions

Quote:
Originally Posted by Chuck Mayer
But the video playback of the PS3 has been truly exceptional. Better than I expected, so it was worthy $600 investment for BD movies. I can't wait until I can just use the HDMI for video and audio.


I agree. After watching 4 films so far, the PS3 has exceeded my expectations in both audio and video. The wait for 1080/24p & DTS MA support is on. Hope it doesn't take too long.
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#27
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11/22/06 at 6:25am
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Re: PS3 Blu Ray Playback... First Impressions

I read somewhere that if you only have a HDTV with 1080i and that you try to play a game at 1080p, the game is downgraded to 480p instead of 1080i or 720p. Is that right?

And what happens when you watch a Blu-Ray movie with a 1080i HDTV? At what resolution does it really play?
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#28
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11/22/06 at 9:01am
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Re: PS3 Blu Ray Playback... First Impressions

Yes - The information available so far is that the PS3 will not currently scale any content although Sony has said that a future patch should allow for this. So if your game is 720p and your TV is 720p then you are o.k. However if your TV is 1080i/p and your game is 720p it will only display in 480p. The same has been confirmed for Blu Ray content as well (all current releases are 1080p). This means that if your display is 720p then Blu Ray movies will be downsized to 480p during playback. So to correctly display both games and movies, your display must have an input capable of all resolutions 480p/720p/1080i/p or some "sources" will be downrezed.

Another alternative is (assuming your display supports mutiple resolutions but, on different inputs) to hook up the PS3 to a 480p input for movies or content off SD/CF/MS cards, unhook/rehook it up to a 720p input for games and unhook/rehook it to a 1080i/p input for movies. Hope that helps...
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#29
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11/22/06 at 9:14am
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Re: PS3 Blu Ray Playback... First Impressions

Has anyone been able to confirm or deny that the PS3 passes blacker than black?

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#30
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11/22/06 at 12:19pm
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Re: PS3 Blu Ray Playback... First Impressions

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave W
However if your TV is 1080i/p and your game is 720p it will only display in 480p. ...

What do you mean by this? I have a 1080p display and Resistance displays at 720p. Or are you talking about non-HDMI sources?
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