PS2 DVD Vs Pioneer 535 DVD Player..... (1 Viewer)

[Wayne Boxall]

I was shocked!
I watched a DVD on my PS2 for the first time and was very impressed with the sound and the picture, but what really amazed me was the layer change.
It was about the same pause as my Pioneer 535, but on my Pioneer it basically causes my Onkyo 696 receiver to change AUDIO settings and it clicks a couple of times until it gets back to Dolby Digital. On the PS2, it keeps its Dolby Digital settings so no clicking. Very impressive. In fact I missed the layer change fully when watching XMEN!
Why?!
On another note does the PS2 DVD remote package fix any of these PS2 shortcomings?
1) No time counter of any sort. What a shocker.
2) Slow FF and REW functions.
3) No "Last memory" so a DVD can be continued at a later stage.
Apart from that even with the standard controller and an extension cable, the experience was excellent. Just the things above destroyed it.
BUT!
Then my family watched Snow White on the PS2 and it started to stutter all over the place at times.
I was close to dumping my Pioneer until this happened.
So it is close, but not perfect.

 

[NickSo]

I read that the PS2 is a real poor DVD player regarding the video quality..
Im not surprised that the layer change is unnoticeable in the PS2, because it probably has a big enough buffer to save enough video information to last through the change...
Im not sure about the PS2 remote stuff...
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[Bruce_S]

Wayne,
Sony introduced their remote control for the PS2 which includes updated drivers which has some features you might like. Such as 3x slow/forward scan, time counters, etc.. It's not a bad deal for $20. I use my PS2 as my primary DVD player and I haven't had any problems since I updated the drivers. FYI - make sure you have 2MB available on your memory card.
enjoy,
bruce

 

[Chris Vargas]

I used to use my PS2 as my primary DVD player, but not having a time display on the player itself was a drag. You can get it to display which chapter you're on, and as someone else pointed out, it sounds like the new drivers and remote give you a time display now.
One other thing that's annoying (which I'm not sure is fixed with new drivers/remote) is, at least with my third-party (MadCatz) remote, you have to press and hold the fast forward button in order to get it to scan continuously. If you don't point that remote right at the IR receiver, it stops scanning. Very annoying.
Oh, and the PS2 doesn't seem to be nearly as good at playing scratched discs as any of my other players.
Basically, I decided that there were enough drawbacks to using it to consider it a failed experiment, and bought an RP91.

 

[KennyWayne]

If your PS2 out performs your stand alone dvd player. Then wait until you get a real player. PS2 is horrible at dvd play back.

 

[Wayne Boxall]

Thought the Pioneer was real.
Check out my other posting on my Clicking Onkyo.....
http://www.hometheaterforum.com/uub/...ML/045095.html

 

[Jesse Skeen]

I bought a PS2 a while ago to tide me over while my Pioneer DVL-909 was in the shop (again). DVD playback compared to the Pioneer is rather disappointing, most noticable is dot-crawl on bright colors, especially reds, and this is going through the S-Video cable (I've heard this is called "The Chroma Bug".) Also my TV is set for next-to-no overscan, and the PS2 shows a black bar on the very bottom of the screen that turns out is cutting off some picture- I compared "The Simpsons" DVDs, which on my Pioneer show an area at the bottom where you can see frame lines or where they didn't finish drawing, and that's covered up on the PS2. The PS2 also proves that I wasn't imagining things when I noticed Macrovision messes up my TV- it bends slightly at the top when on, but my Pioneer has it disabled (who would be desperate enough to tape a DVD off a PLAYSTATION????)
I haven't watched enough discs on it all the way through to see how it does layer changes, this is mostly for playing Pac-Man from the Namco Museum disc and a back-up DVD player- great use for it overall, ain't it?

 

[KennyWayne]

If you want to get the best possible picture from a PS2 be sure and get a set of PS2 compatible Monster Super Video cables. FYI if you do indeed purchase the official Sony DVD Remote, you can control the PS2 with your universial remote control. You can also control almost any Sony dvd player out there. I programmed my reciever to control mine with no problems. It works every function the Sony remote does.

 

[Chris Vargas]

I'll second KennyWayne's comments about using a good cable for PS2 DVD playback. I saw a similar problem with chroma crawl when I first hooked up my PS2; really horrible with Toy Story 2. But I was assuming that using my PS1's S-video cable would work OK. Bad assumption. Once I got a S-video MonsterCable for the PS2, all the crawl and patterning went away.
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--cv--

 

[ChrisV]

The remote fixes the issues you had with the PS2, and is much more convenient. As it is fairly cheap, if you're going to watch any DVDs on the PS2 it is a must have. Also, it has been reported that the new drivers included with the remote fix the problems that people were having with Disney DVDs. I haven't witnessed this myself, so take that how you will.
Oh, and hook it up with a component cable if you can. I've tried all three and component is a marked improvement over both composite and S-Video.

 

[Wayne Boxall]

Is component on the PS2 much better for games as well? I have it hooked up via Svideo.

 

[Wookie Groomer]

"I watched a DVD on my PS2 for the first time and was very impressed with the sound and the picture"
How small is your TV?

 

[Wayne Boxall]

Maybe I am blind but it is a flat screen 68cm Panasonic Tau.

 

[Wookie Groomer]

That's approx 27" in the USA. So your excitement over the PS2 is excusable!
Generally as I have found, anything below 32" or 80cm it will be difficult to see the shortcomings of a DVD players video quality.
With my old retired 51" screen the PS2 was unacceptable. With my current 65" widescreen it is ridiculously horrible.
Games on the other hand look pretty good.
What I would like to have for my PS2 is a VGA connector to attach to my widescreen. I have a VGA box for the Dreamcast and believe it or not, the Dreamact is a pronounced improvement in resolution and color saturation over the PS2 when using the VGA box. I was shocked when I first saw it in action that way. I can't imagine ever playing the Dreamcast without it and thought it too was going to be retired.
But that's off topic

 

[Wayne Boxall]

Oh I feel very inadequate.........
Maybe when I have room .

 

[Chuck C]

I did a comparison with the PS2 and my Panasonic DVD-RV30 on an AVIA calibrated 32" Wega. Sony: S-Vid, Panny: Component Vid
Hands down, the Panasonic beat the PS2. The PS2 was dark and "articfacty". I tried the 1:17:00 layer change on American Pie, and it lasted twice as long as the RV30.
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Chuck
Chuckster's HT Site
The At-Home Home Theater (E.L.)
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