Which BD player for my system? (1 Viewer)

[Jeff Adkins]

I'm currently using a 65" 1080i Mitsubishi CRT, and just bought a Panasonic SA-XR57S receiver. I will likely replace the CRT in the next year or two. But in the meantime, I'm leaning towards the Playstation 3 20GB version as it seems to be a better player than the Sammy which is $100 more. The Sony is more than I want to spend at the moment.

My question has to do with the audio. I've read about certain players not being able to decode certain audio codecs. While my TV doesn't have HDMI, the receiver does. Is it possible to use the HDMI for the audio only and use the component outs for the video at the same time, or are both outputs not live? The PS3 will still pass the DTS-MA signal through HDMI, correct? It just won't decode it?

How does BD hold up on a 1080i display? Almost every review I've read seems to be from people with 1080p displays.

 

[Neil Joseph]

In my current setup (Yamaha receiver RXV-2600 with hdmi) (Sony 11HT projector with component and no hdmi) (Panasonic dmp-bd10 BR player), I am using the hdmi connection to handle all of the audio including lossless audio once the firmware update becomes available on the Panasonic blu-ray player, and component to handle the video. I can pick and choose exactly what I want. If I ever were to get an hdmi capable display then I could choose that to handle my video too.

I am displaying 1080i via component and the results are very very good, better than anything else that my display has ever seen.

 

[Dave_P.]

No 1080p here, both my Panasonic and Samsung players look stunning on my 61" DLP at 1080i and 720p.

 

[Jeff Adkins]

Great! Thanks for all the info. I was going to hold out until summer but I just can't wait that long. I will wait until CES just to make sure there aren't any earth-shattering player announcements, but I'm probably going to go with the PS3. I'm not a big gamer but that Formula One racing game looks like one of the most amazing racing games ever.

 

[Ron-P]

Like you Jeff I'm ready to add Blu-ray. I'm leaning towards the Sammy, it's got the analog outs for the PCM track and it's $500 less then any other stand alone deck. Just not sure how it stacks up against the others and if it's really worth that extra coin for a Sony or Panny.

I figure buy cheap now and I'll upgrade in a year or so when the second gens are out.

 

[Dave_P.]

There is also the Philips BD player that Amazon has for $699, which is supposedly pretty much the same as the Samsung but has some better internal components.

As far as Samsung vs. Panasonic, there was a pretty good comparison written up at DVDtalk:

 

[Ron-P]

Nice write up, thanks for posting Dave.

The Panny has the edge for the most part, but that edge seems to be a small one and not one I'd drop and extra $500 on, not at this point. I want a basic player to get the job done for the next year or so. Then, I'll upgrade to a second or third gen player.

 

[HDMS Carl Mulder]

I don't that you can go far wrong with the ps3, if you can get one. The reason I say ps3 is because it's already a great blu ray player, and because it's Sony's baby, you know it will recieve updates when it's good and ready. It's also very easy to update via the ethernet cable.

 

[Jeff Adkins]

Can the firmware also be updated via CD-R or does it have to be ethernet?

 

[Palpitatn]

My understanding is that the PS3 cannot do the lossless high def Dolby or DTS. Partially since there are no analog 7.1 outputs and the HDMI is not 1.3. If the audio is important to you (ie. Dolby Digital and DTS are not good enough anymore, and you want to take advantage of high def audio) then you may need/want to wait until the players that have that capability come out.

 

[ToEhrIsHuman]

This is NOT true. The PS3 does indeed have HDMI 1.3 (the first Blu-ray player to include it, mind you). However, the PS3 does not have analog outs. Once receivers that support the new lossless DTS/DD codecs are out you will be able to output bitstream to them via HDMI. It is true however that the PS3 does not currently decode the full lossless codec streams internally - only the core streams.

 

[Hank_P]

Not to be too picky, but the sound from the blu ray movies played on my PS3 sound pretty impressive (such as Phantom of the Opera). I have had no video or sound issues at all. Really enjoying the PS3 as a player and the stunning beauty of Blu Ray. I do not have HDMI..... who needs it





..okay, I do, or at least want it.. but I'm one to enjoy what I have.

 

[Levesque]

After trying the PS3, the Panasonic and now the new Pioneer BDP-HD1, I can say that the Pioneer has the best picture quality of those 3.

I'm using 1080p24 out. And the Pioneer is also outputting 480i for standards resolution DVDs (to use with an outboard de-interlacer or scaler).

I know it cost alot more then the PS3, but if you want the absolute best PQ with Blu-ray, then the Pioneer is at the top.

Also. It's now confirmed (directly from CES) that the Pioneer will get fimrware updates (disk or internet) to enable all the new HD audio codecs (Dolby TrueHD certifiacation pending at Dolby Labs).

 

[Palpitatn]

Is there anywhere that says the PS3 HDMI is truly 1.3? I tried looking it up on the PS3 website. It doesn't say there. Can anyone look in their PS3 manual and let me know? This will definitely be a factor in my decision of which BD player to get.

 

[Hank_P]

That is super interesting. It did say 1.3 before on the PS3 site, but they have removed all reference to the version of HDMI it is using. It was a factor for me when I purchased it and it was on all the literature then.

Searching on "PS3 HDMI 1.3" did get me serveral hits

http://www.gamepro.com/news.cfm?article_id=68588

http://gear.ign.com/articles/715/715311p1.html