Blu-Ray Player (Yes this topic again)

[BoxWhatBox]

Okay, so I am going to buy a blu-ray player soon. Is there any point in buying anything other then a PlayStation 3?

[Mr. B]

Analog audio out... IR remote... status display on device... silent operation...

Those are the only things I can think of just now that the PS# doesn't offer. If you don't need them, the PS3 is a fine choice.

[Starbreaker]

I love my PS3 over a Samsung I had about a year ago. The load time is immediate... BD Live... and gaming to boot.

[Sheep]

Mr. B wrote:

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Analog audio out... IR remote... status display on device... silent operation...

Those are the only things I can think of just now that the PS# doesn't offer. If you don't need them, the PS3 is a fine choice.

My fatty 40GB PS3 (now 320GB thanks to upgradeable HDDs) is practically inaudible. I've never once heard fans or anything else in the machine operating while playing a DVD or BD at regular, reasonable volumes. Is this no longer the case with the slim model?

The IR remote omission is the most unfortunate PS3 shortcoming for me. I'm not sure what Sony was thinking on that one seeing as 99% of the universal-remote owning population owns one of those and not a bluetooth one.

[jefferiestubes8]

BoxWhatBox wrote:

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Okay, so I am going to buy a blu-ray player soon. Is there any point in buying anything other then a PlayStation 3?

With 2 options being a Playstation 3 that plays Blu-ray and has access to the PlayStation Network or a standalone Blu-ray player with Internet connection that as of October 2009 can access Sony's BRAVIA Internet Video streaming platform.
PS3 and standalone Blu-ray players are looking to become a all-encompassing media-hubs.
Here are the comparisons:

With your FREE PlayStation Network account get access to online gaming, friends, downloadable games, movies & TV shows, and more.

PlayStation®Store puts movies and TV shows right at your fingertips. Rent or purchase. And start watching even before it finishes downloading.

he new PlayStation®Network video-download service.
Pricing is ballpark with the competition: $2.99 to $5.99 for SD and HD rentals,
The PlayStation Network Video Download Service allows you to purchase videos to either rent or own. These videos can then be downloaded directly from the PlayStation®Store to a PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system.
You've got 14 days to start watching your rented video on either your PS3™ or PSP® systems. When you hit "play", you've got 24 hours to watch your rented video as much as you want

or Movies & TV Shows to Own

No disc required or internet connection necessary for playback.

(But if your harddrive dies you probably lose the film and Sony's Playstation Store probably won't let you download it again...)
http://www.us.playstation.com/PS3/Fe...MovieDownloads
http://www.us.playstation.com/ps3/fe....com/index.php
http://www.us.playstation.com/PSN/Store/About/MoviesTV
http://blog.us.playstation.com/2009/...-on-psn-today/


cost? Sony - PlayStation 3 (120GB)
Our Price: $299.99
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage....=1218115837227

HD MOVIE NEW ARRIVALS, Top HD TV Episodes
PlayStation Network Video Content Update
Sept. 11, 2009
http://blog.us.playstation.com/2009/...ent-update-46/



also last week

Vivid Entertainment, has called on Sony to open the PlayStation Network and allow adults to download HD adult movies from the service. This is currently being offered in Japan by DDM.TV, who has offered Blu-ray-quality porn flicks for download.

The idea is that there would be an Adults Only section on the Playstation 3's online network

SOURCE

The average PS3 user is Male with an average age of 28.
=======================
Sony Blu-ray Disc Players
start at $229.

Sony Network Blu-ray Disc Player
* Model Number: BDP-N460
$250.
Features: BRAVIA Internet Video streaming, BD-Live 2.0 support,
A front USB port can be used to display digital photos.
the BDP-N460 allows you to instantly stream thousands of movies, videos and music from the largest selection of leading content providers including Netflix, Sony Pictures Television, YouTube, Slacker Radio and more. [coming October 2009]
Sony promises Netflix Watch Instantly later this fall.

http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/...8&N=4294966114
http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/12/s...-spied-at-ces/
http://www.engadgethd.com/2009/09/09...ernet-content/



There are other Blu-ray standalone player manufacturers such as:
LG that have a streaming Netflix access, Roxio Cinemanow & Vudu HD On-demand service.
the LG BD390 Blu-ray Player goes for around $379. at the moment.

Vizio (who makes HDTVs and Blu-ray players) offers VIZIO Connected TV & VIZIO Internet App platform directly from the TV for Netflix streaming, Blockbuster OnDemand (!), Flickr, Pandora, Rhapsody starting this Autumn.
http://www.engadget.com/2009/01/07/v...x-blockbuster/
but they offer some streaming stuff with a Blu-ray player
http://www.engadgethd.com/2009/08/09...confines-unbo/

Samsung offers Blockbuster OnDemand access on Blu-ray players

Samsung has officially added YouTube, Blockbuster, and .MKV/.MP4 support to select Blu-ray players via a free firmware update.

http://formatwarcentral.com/2009/09/...u-ray-players/


FYI Vudu HD On-demand offers the most HD downloadable movies at the moment and at 1080p. rented on a per-title basis.

I'm not going to get into Youtube downloads yet as while it is a feature on some Blu-ray player products it is still a free download service with mostly nonprofessional videos although there are things in the works of a subscription-based Youtube download service in the future.

YouTube may become the next window in the Hollywood distribution chain.
The video-sharing site is in early talks with Warner Bros., Sony Pictures and Lionsgate about streaming movies online to its users for a rental fee, people close to the discussions say.
Pricing would be similar to VOD and iTunes, which is about $3.99 per movie .

Sept. 2, 2009 source

Sony's Playstation Store selling video ondemand downloads is competing with Microsoft's XBOX Live Network selling video ondemand downloads.

Global Expansion: The 1080p streaming HD Zune video experience on Xbox LIVE marketplace is expanding to 10 new regions this year, making movies and TV shows available in 18 total countries

Autumn 2009 source

If you don't play games you may not need this additional bulk and bloatware just to watch Blu-ray discs and download TV or movies on-demand. Although it is not here yet Youtube being the 800 pound gorilla may be the big store and soon the largest selection of 1080p HD on-demand downloads available. Which store actually has the least amount of added data compresssion and the highest video bitrate is another matter. At the moment the LG Blu-ray player hedges your bets with 3 video ondemand services. At least with firmware upgrades these Blu-ray player hardware vendors can add different video ondemand services when they sign a new contract with a new distributor.
Look when you buy a Blu-ray player you are not going to buy another so you want something that you can grow with for 1080p HD video downloads in the next 3-5 years as they really take off.

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I have a Sony BDP-S560, and I love it. I do like its built in 802.11 wireless - especially for its ability to update its own firmware. That alone made it worth the price.

[seigezunt]

If you don't play games, you can find cheaper players.

[Saturn0660]

BoxWhatBox wrote:

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Okay, so I am going to buy a blu-ray player soon. Is there any point in buying anything other then a PlayStation 3?

The highest rated player on the market right now is the Panasonic BD60K..

[Irishman]

Depends on what you're going to do with it...

[Marc]

Decided I'm probably going to get a PS3 as Blu-Ray player - with recent drop to $299 it really seems to offer the best bang for buck.

Anyway does anyone know of where you can get cheap HDMI cables in Canda? I know some-one's posted a site earlier but Canadian customrs are utter bastards and the duties are horrendous.

[Asbo Zaprudder]

Six reasons why the Sony PS3 Slim shouldn't be your Blu-ray player:

http://www.retrevo.com/my/5875/artic...er?cmpid=Email

Five reasons why it should be:

http://www.retrevo.com/my/5875/artic...Blu-Ray-Player

I went for the Sony BDP S-350 -- the PS3 Slim was still way too bulky for my requirements.

[Haggis and tatties]

^^^Some of the reason is that article are not well researched,
Backwards compatibility has been out of all PS3 since October 2007 and was only ever fully included in the US/Asia/ models and partly in the EU/UK models.....Plus the noise level on the new slim is fantastic and with it using less power than the old Phat models its produces a lot less heat.

I traded in my old 60gig for a slim because the fans had become really loud and the difference between the new slim and the old model noise wise is like chalk and cheese, i also like the PS3 as a BR player because it plays almost all media and you can store it all on the upgradable HDD.

But the lack of a remote in the box is a minus although the joy-pad works fine, but it will see you having to fork out a few bob more if you really want that remote, i went for a third party one which was quite cheap, smaller in size and works perfectly.

[jefferiestubes8]

Great Mambo Chicken wrote:

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I went for the Sony BDP S-350

Another thing about purchasing a Blu-ray player now

Sony BDP S-350 rear panel
http://z.about.com/d/hometheater/1/0...connect875.jpg

The unit will provide a downconverted signal for standard definition televisions via S-Video, or composite video out.
Yes it costs more than a DVD player but basically you are HDTV-ready for when you purchase an HDTV. And you are also future-proofing your growing video library say if you purchase the Star Trek XI Blu-ray in a couple of months you won't have to feel like you are double dipping to move from DVD to Blu-ray of that Trek film after you purchase a HDTV and then a Blu-ray player in a few years.
and you also get access to the BD-Live features that are included with Blu-ray disc purchases that you don't get with DVDs.

[Sheep]

Great Mambo Chicken wrote:

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Six reasons why the Sony PS3 Slim shouldn't be your Blu-ray player:

http://www.retrevo.com/my/5875/artic...er?cmpid=Email

So the PS3 shouldn't be my Blu-ray player because it can't play PS2 games, something I don't give a monkey's ass about?

At least their other points are somewhat valid.

[Marc]

Sheep wrote:

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So the PS3 shouldn't be my Blu-ray player because it can't play PS2 games, something I don't give a monkey's ass about?

At least their other points are somewhat valid.

That's debatable in it's self.

Sure you can get players for under $200 but do they include networking (both cable and wifi) and the hard disk for media storage?

Sure that's in the article about 5 reasons why you it but if you're going to make claims like that you should compare apples with apples.

And so the remote isn't backlit? Unless you by a u-bute universal remote how many of your remotes are backlit.

And while working on blue tooth alone might be a pain I can also understand why sony went that way.