To DVD? or PS2? for that is the question (1 Viewer)

[ryan_x]

I was originally going to buy a DVD player for christmas a cheap one in the 250-300 cdn range(Im a student with no income) but i recently found out the place i worked for in the summer is letting me work for them for a couple of weeks over the holidays so i will have a little extra doe...I was wondering if I should forget about buying a dvd and just buy a PS2 instead...I was going to wait till summer but now the option is looking very enticing...My questions are as follows:

1. How is it as dvd player with the remote control...im dont really care if it doesn't have all the bells and whistles as long as it plays the movie

2. will i be able to hook it up to my sony mini system(with dd 5.1) with a coaxial output not optical. Ive herd some people say that the PS2 doesn't support 5.1 but in their recent commercials they say it does

anyways thanks in advance...ive only been on this forum for a week and the people here are awesome! very helpfull

 

[Jim Can]

It plays DVD's good. I have no problems and I've had it for over a year.

Buy the Sony DVD remote it's $20 bucks.

It only has optical or composite for sound, no coaxial.

 

[Dave_Brown]

I've been using the PS2 as a DVD player for about 6 months now. It plays the movies pretty well. There may be some loss of quality, but it's not overly noticeable. You should probably pick up the remote for the extra $20 as well. The game controller will work ok, but it's kind of annoying not knowing exactly what will happen when pushing various buttons.

I tried it out on a new 57" HDTV the other night and was blown away by the IMAX DVD I put in. Prior to this, my 27" Sony was alright, but the improvements I see now are incredible. And having the options to play movies or games for one prices is pretty nice as well.

 

[Dave Falasco]

Hi, Ryan. I don't have a PS2, but I've read a lot about it over the past year. Some people have had problems accessing certain movie titles with the PS2, but that seems to be spotty as not everyone reports the same problems. I don't think anyone would recommend buying a PS2 solely as a DVD player, because the quality seems to be slightly below that of an entry-level standalone DVD player (and it's at least a hundred bucks more). But if you love PS2 games and want to double it as a DVD player, it will certainly do the job.

As far as 5.1, it will not encode Dolby Digital 5.1 in games, but it does play DTS in a few titles (SSX Tricky? And maybe a hockey game? I'm not sure). As far as movies go, I'm pretty sure it passes the DD5.1 signal as well as the DTS signal. But definitely not in games.

Hope that helps make your decision!

 

[Rob Varto]

Do yourself a favor and get the PS2. It's great and it can obviously perform as a console and DVD... that being said, get a separate DVD player in the future. The PS2's very serviceable but not the best picture and doesn't support progressive scan.

 

[Alex Spindler]

What they said. As a student, this will get you the most bang for your buck, and I don't see you jumping for an HDTV in the near future. The best part is that when you do upgrade, you still have a killer game system and should have already gotten your extra $ investment out of it. If you have the ability, and won't miss the progressive scan, I can't think of a better choice.

How critical is the coax sound input? Are there any optical inputs, or are they all taken?

 

[Oscar_R]

I'm surprised no one's mentioned X-Box in this thread as a viable alternative. They are both the same price and both include DVD playback. Sure you have to purchase the remote to unlock that feature on the X-Box, but any sensible person would purchase remote regardless anyways.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

The X-Box has better DVD playback, but if you want a good bunch of games as well, go with the PS2. Both play DVDs well, but not as well as a standalone DVD player.

 

[Dave Falasco]

I'm sure Morgan meant to say "a different bunch of good games...". Both systems have a bunch of good games, of course.
But since Ryan's post was initially about the PS2, maybe we should just stick to debating ITS merits as a DVD player.

 

[ChrisMatson]

I bought the PS2 the day it came out--October 26, 2000. The PS2 was my first experience with DVD. I used the PS2 as my primary DVD player for about 6 months. I never had any problems with playing about 50 different discs. It only has an optical out for 5.1 sound. It can pass both a DD and DTS signal. I was happy with the picture quality, as it was my first step up from VHS. After getting a Pioneer DV333 and a new TV, I don't think I would ever want to use a gmaing console as my primary DVD player again. Be warned, you will initially be happy with the DVD function of the PS2, especially with the Sony remote and updated drivers, but sooner or later you will want more. Also, if you are on a limited budget, remember that PS2 games cost $50 US.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

Dave-

I meant to say a larger library of good games. The PS2 has a larger library of games, and more good games than the X-Box, simply because it has the PSX library in addition to the PS2s. Its been around for a lot longer, so it would make sense.

Buying a PS2 right now is more of an instant gratification, whereas the X-Box is like a good investment with some returns right away. The PS2 has more now, but for the long run, they are equal.

 

[Dave Falasco]

I was just teasing you, Morgan.
But you make some good points about the PS2. Certainly the ability to play PSX games is a major benefit!

 

[Marvin Richardson]

I bought a PS2 in January of this year. Previously I had been playing DVDs on my computer and sending the video to my TV through a DVD Decoder card. The PS2 was a huge improvement, at least in my case. I've been using it as my only DVD player since then. However, I just purchased a Home Theater setup, that is quite kickass for my budget (Sony STR-DE1075 Receiver - $600, JBL ND310

front speakers - $600 for the pair, JBL PB-12 Subwoofer - $400, JBL N-Center Center Channel - $150, JBL N-26 Surrounds - $200 for the pair and a 27" Sony TV with S-Video input - $400) so I'm beginning to wish for a standalone DVD player. Obviously the TV is the main low point of the system, but it will be quite a while before I get together enough money to improve it. The PS2 does DTS and DD, but only with an optical out cable, no digital coax. That's one limitation. Other than that, WITH the Sony remote and updated drivers (which take up a little more than half of a memory card) I have not experienced one issue with my 300+ DVDs, save the Limited Edition Suspiria, that was apparently due to a defect in the disc (the replacement is on the way). Definitely a good budget alternative, especially with the HUGE library of PSX and the good library of PS2 games out there.

 

[Morgan Jolley]

The PS2 combines a bunch of great things (PS2 games, PSX games, DVDs) and puts them in a package that was made more suitable for J6P than a HT geek, which is why it doesn't have 5.1 in real-time and such. Nonetheless, with what it does have, its pretty damn good for what you can get out of it.

But if you don't care about PSX games, an X-Box would probably suit you better. The X-Box has the power and games for a J6P, but the extra features for the HT geek.

The main thing separating the two is the X-Box is more HT-friendly and the PSX games on the PS2. So which would you rather have: a great new HT piece with great games or a game console with a HUGE library of great games? Thats pretty much what it comes down to. Either way, you'll probably be happy, no matter who you are.

Wow, I ranted about nothing for no reason, so I will stop.