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I'm soliciting advice on if I should buy a PS3 to use as a Blu-ray player. Or wait for better, cheaper players, and to see if high def discs are likely to survive.
I'm considering buying one, possibly before the current 8 disc deal at Amazon runs out 10/31. It's a hard to ignore deal- $500 or $600 gets a player plus what, roughly $200 worth of movies, most of which I would buy or be gifted anyway? Better, cheaper players will come out later, but I will have missed out on months of use of a high def player. If high def discs succeed in the market, I can always buy another, better one, later, and replace a current DVD player with this PS3. And if they don't succeed in the market, well, we'll have a few movies to watch for a few years.
I must admit my wife and I are not big movie watchers, but this will keep us out of theaters even more. I dislike going to theaters these days, but I doubt we'll ever save enough by viewing at home versus going to the theater for it to pay for itself. It's a demonstration and convenience thing. And there are movies I'll watch only if I can take them in chunks, with "breathers" in between.
I must keep in mind that I have a single HDMI input on my HDTV, connected to a ViP622, but there are 2 component connections available (one used by current 7 disc DVD player), plus VGA and other analog. There are limited audio connections on my receiver, and I don't see replacing the receiver any time soon, just for a HD disc player. Note that my current HDTV (JVC 61Z786) is 1280x720 and I won't be replacing it for many years. A VCR is also connected, but that's not critical. These limited connections lead me to a single player, not one in each format. I'd consider a dual player, to conserve connections, but for the price (& questions about future 1.1 compliance). I understand HDMI switchers, and even running HDMI thru receivers, sometimes (often?) causes handshaking problems.
The receiver is a JVC RX-8020V. It has 3 optical and one coax in, but only one set of 6 analog in (6.1), used by the current DVD player. I don't run video thru it (component only).
I will not take any action until after CEDIA, just in case we have another "surprise" coming. Note that thru purchases and gifts, I already have 6 Blu-ray titles. No one in the household is a gamer, although I'd likely be tempted to buy at least one.
It only seems to have HDMI and optical out. Do both of these output 5.1 (or 7.1- reviews differ), or just the optical? Does it really require a Sony proprietary component video output cable, as PC World claims (& where does it plug in)? Does the "AV MULTI OUT" really only output analog stereo and S-video? BTW, the site is really messed up. Lots of references to 20GB vs 60GB.
Gee- would that built in browser connect to the SatGuys chat room?
PROS
Might really become a home entertainment center, rather than game machine.
Relatively inexpensive, esp w/8 movies by 10/31.
DVD upconverter is presumably better than the one built into my HDTV.
Can play CD, CD-R, CD-RW, SACD, DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW
CONS
"Sony"
Game machine in living room (maybe not that obvious)
Not good on shelf
PiP feature not guaranteed
Bluetooth remote, no good aftermarket IR system yet available, can't fully use with Harmony 880
Can't play DVD Audio or DVD RAM
Attracts a lot of dust
Must buy remote separately
Second controller, for two person games, is $50 extra
Might need to keep current DVD player also hooked up, to play DVD Audio discs.
If I buy one- which one? 80GB w/game or 60GB for $100 less? Anything else besides the game and 20GB for the extra money (doesn't look like it from the web site)? And does the hard disk size really matter? If it does become another DVR, I understand I could just swap out the current HDD for a larger one- say, 1TB. True?
Anything else I should consider?
Thank you for your input.
I'm considering buying one, possibly before the current 8 disc deal at Amazon runs out 10/31. It's a hard to ignore deal- $500 or $600 gets a player plus what, roughly $200 worth of movies, most of which I would buy or be gifted anyway? Better, cheaper players will come out later, but I will have missed out on months of use of a high def player. If high def discs succeed in the market, I can always buy another, better one, later, and replace a current DVD player with this PS3. And if they don't succeed in the market, well, we'll have a few movies to watch for a few years.
I must admit my wife and I are not big movie watchers, but this will keep us out of theaters even more. I dislike going to theaters these days, but I doubt we'll ever save enough by viewing at home versus going to the theater for it to pay for itself. It's a demonstration and convenience thing. And there are movies I'll watch only if I can take them in chunks, with "breathers" in between.
I must keep in mind that I have a single HDMI input on my HDTV, connected to a ViP622, but there are 2 component connections available (one used by current 7 disc DVD player), plus VGA and other analog. There are limited audio connections on my receiver, and I don't see replacing the receiver any time soon, just for a HD disc player. Note that my current HDTV (JVC 61Z786) is 1280x720 and I won't be replacing it for many years. A VCR is also connected, but that's not critical. These limited connections lead me to a single player, not one in each format. I'd consider a dual player, to conserve connections, but for the price (& questions about future 1.1 compliance). I understand HDMI switchers, and even running HDMI thru receivers, sometimes (often?) causes handshaking problems.
The receiver is a JVC RX-8020V. It has 3 optical and one coax in, but only one set of 6 analog in (6.1), used by the current DVD player. I don't run video thru it (component only).
I will not take any action until after CEDIA, just in case we have another "surprise" coming. Note that thru purchases and gifts, I already have 6 Blu-ray titles. No one in the household is a gamer, although I'd likely be tempted to buy at least one.
It only seems to have HDMI and optical out. Do both of these output 5.1 (or 7.1- reviews differ), or just the optical? Does it really require a Sony proprietary component video output cable, as PC World claims (& where does it plug in)? Does the "AV MULTI OUT" really only output analog stereo and S-video? BTW, the site is really messed up. Lots of references to 20GB vs 60GB.
Gee- would that built in browser connect to the SatGuys chat room?
PROS
Might really become a home entertainment center, rather than game machine.
Relatively inexpensive, esp w/8 movies by 10/31.
DVD upconverter is presumably better than the one built into my HDTV.
Can play CD, CD-R, CD-RW, SACD, DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD+R, DVD+RW
CONS
"Sony"
Game machine in living room (maybe not that obvious)
Not good on shelf
PiP feature not guaranteed
Bluetooth remote, no good aftermarket IR system yet available, can't fully use with Harmony 880
Can't play DVD Audio or DVD RAM
Attracts a lot of dust
Must buy remote separately
Second controller, for two person games, is $50 extra
Might need to keep current DVD player also hooked up, to play DVD Audio discs.
If I buy one- which one? 80GB w/game or 60GB for $100 less? Anything else besides the game and 20GB for the extra money (doesn't look like it from the web site)? And does the hard disk size really matter? If it does become another DVR, I understand I could just swap out the current HDD for a larger one- say, 1TB. True?
Anything else I should consider?
Thank you for your input.
11 Replies
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3459 views
Well, I sure enjoy my PS3, and I have zero interest in gaming. It's super fast for loading discs (both DVD & BD), and does a decent job of DVD upconversion. The $25 "DVD style" remote works nicely. I don't know what it is with you guys & your Harmony uni remotes, I like having 4-5 remotes on the coffee table - seeing if I can remember which does what is my 'early Alzheimer's test' 
.
And yes, you can get an HDMI switch for around $30 from monoprice.com - I used one for over a year before getting my Onkyo receiver with multi HDMI input.
But, IMO, the biggest problem you will face with a PS3 is audio for your current receiver. The PS3 outputs audio only via HDMI or Toslink/digital optical. You'll get DVD quality audio (Dolby Digital/DTS) multichannel audio through Toslink, but for High Def audio (uncompressed PCM and Dolby TrueHD) you will be limited to only 2 channel stereo because of inadequate bandwidth in Tosklink. For me, HD audio is as important as the HD video and I think you'll be missing out if you don't go with a standalone player with multichannel analog outputs, or upgrade to a receiver with HDMI audio.
.And yes, you can get an HDMI switch for around $30 from monoprice.com - I used one for over a year before getting my Onkyo receiver with multi HDMI input.
But, IMO, the biggest problem you will face with a PS3 is audio for your current receiver. The PS3 outputs audio only via HDMI or Toslink/digital optical. You'll get DVD quality audio (Dolby Digital/DTS) multichannel audio through Toslink, but for High Def audio (uncompressed PCM and Dolby TrueHD) you will be limited to only 2 channel stereo because of inadequate bandwidth in Tosklink. For me, HD audio is as important as the HD video and I think you'll be missing out if you don't go with a standalone player with multichannel analog outputs, or upgrade to a receiver with HDMI audio.
Well, I sure enjoy my PS3, and I have zero interest in gaming.
Thank you, that's good to know.
It's super fast for loading discs (both DVD & BD), and does a decent job of DVD upconversion. The $25 "DVD style" remote works nicely. I don't know what it is with you guys & your Harmony uni remotes,
It's a "private" thing.
I like having 4-5 remotes on the coffee table -
Actually, I moved to a single remote for my wife and in-laws. They simply couldn't handle multiple remotes, and still call me for certain functions. My father in law has Alzheimer's and can barely function with the one remote. In fact, I don't remember seeing him even change channels last visit.
And yes, you can get an HDMI switch for around $30 from monoprice.com - I used one for over a year before getting my Onkyo receiver with multi HDMI input.
No handshaking problems?
But, IMO, the biggest problem you will face with a PS3 is audio for your current receiver. The PS3 outputs audio only via HDMI or Toslink/digital optical. You'll get DVD quality audio (Dolby Digital/DTS) multichannel audio through Toslink, but for High Def audio (uncompressed PCM and Dolby TrueHD) you will be limited to only 2 channel stereo because of inadequate bandwidth in Tosklink. For me, HD audio is as important as the HD video and I think you'll be missing out if you don't go with a standalone player with multichannel analog outputs, or upgrade to a receiver with HDMI audio.
So my big question here is- are you saying the PS3 optical (or any other optical) will have so much compression with DTS that it is outclassed by what HDMI can do? I'm not sure I understand. I did move from an optical connection on the DVD player to analogs. Is uncompressed PCM/TrueHD that much better? I just put in a new 7.1 speaker set, in prep for a receiver in 2008. I've been eying an Onyko....
Does the PS3 let you specify DTS and later when I get a better receiver, I can change it to uncompressed PCM or TrueHD? I see it's mandatory for Blu-ray discs to have DTS @ 1.5 Mbit/s.
Well, you already know that there are two video decoders in the PS3.
Actually, no. I must have missed that. I thought it was capable of emulating thru using a couple of cell processors or something. No? Please give me a link to read up on this. That Sony site really seems to make info hard to find.
If the PS3 becomes very popular (and I believe it will) then you will see alot better IR products come out for it down the road.
Probably right.
I would really like Second controller, for two person games, is $50 extra
Hmmm- where did "I would really like" come from?Not my words- busted!
As far as I know you can purchase a much larger harddrive for $100 than the 80GB that comes with the newer product. Save the $100 and get the 60GB. Unless the 80gb comes with the smaller chips then go for the 60 and save.
The 80GB has less backward compatibility as they dropped the hardware for it, and are doing it all in emulation. Doesn't matter to me, we don't have any old games and in fact aren't gamers at all. Considered getting a Wii as an exercise machine, but we have an elliptical.
... if you do not have hdmi in your AVR then you will be stuck with DD5.1 and DTS5.1 -- although it will be at the highest bit rate possible -- you will not be able to enjoy HD audio from your BD movies (either PCM5.1 or 7.1 lossless audio). The component out does a good job of passing the high def picture but HDMI seems to do a better job. Also, you are going to have to buy that component cable
I'll have to do a search on the posts about handshaking problems with HDMI switchers. Do you have/recommend a receiver that uses (doesn't just pass thru) the HDMI for audio (only way to get 7.1?) and also switches HDMI inputs to output HDMI to the TV? What are such beasts going for now? I can't pay $2,000 for an Onkyo TX-NR905, nor do I want/need the video processing of it and it's brethren.
So it appears the PS3 is, or can likely become, both 1.1 and even -live compliant. I'm almost sold. Or maybe CEDIA will have an announcement of another Blu-ray player of interest.
BTW, do any of the PS3 games have single player, demo or tutorial modes?
Thanks to all for the assistance.
Navy - It's the digital optical/ & digital coax hardware spec itself that limits the max bandwidth to 1.5mbps. So this works fine for DD5.1 (640kbps) and DTS (up to 1.5mbps). But the LPCM on blu-ray's is 4-6mbps, and the HD Lossless audio codecs Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA are also 4-6mbps, and only analog or HDMI have adequate bandwidth capacity to handle it.
- Fox & some Lions Gate BD titles have DTS-HD MA audio. A 'neat' feature of DTS-HD MA is that if a player or audio connection cannot support the 'full' lossless DTS-HD MA audio, the 'core' lossey DTS audio can be extracted at 1.5mbps. In fact, currently no BD or HD DVD player can decode or pass thru the full DTS-HD MA. So, my BD's with DTS-HD MA sounded fine through the digital optical connection on my old receiver. In fact, they sounded so good I look forward to the day I can hear the full DTS-HD MA.
- All BD's with PCM audio are required to also have a DD audio track; you select the audio tract on the disc menu. The default is DD. But the DD is only DVD quality at 640kbps, and sounded pretty tinny to me. In fact, even though I was getting only 2 channel, I preferred the PCM.
- I avoided any audio limitations on my XA1 HD DVD player by using the 5.1 analog connections. But, in fair disclosure, while both 1st gen Toshiba HD DVD players had analog output, with the 2nd & upcoming 3rd gen players only the most expensive models have analog output. I believe all BD standalone players have analog output.
- I'm optimistic & hopeful the PS3 can support the BD1.1 profile for secondary PiP audio & video, and BD2.0 "Live" profile for internet interactivity & add'l storage. Plus, considering the product lifespans of the PS & PS2 products, I beleive Sony will provide longer & more aggressive support for the PS3 than other companies will for their standalone players. For these reasons, I chose the PS3 for my BD player even though I have zero interest in gaming and knew I would be limited for audio until I upgraded my receiver to one with HDMI audio.
- HDMI switcher: No handshaking problems. Actually, the PS3 is much more "forgiving" and tolerant in HDMI handshaking. For example, I often like to pause a movie and switch back to satellite TV for a sports game score or news update. The PS3 is perfectly happy to sit there with the movie paused until I switch the HDMI connection back to it, and then start the movie from the pause. In contrast, my HD DVD player throws a hissy fit at ANY break in the HDMI connection - it immediately displays "No HDMI link", then "STOP". When I switch back to it, it has to re-start the HD DVD from the very beginning.
Hope this helps - decision, decisions . . . .
Staff member
HERE TO HELP YOU!
Anyone making their own breakfast sausage? I've recently been trying different recipes, found some I like, some I've modified...
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S
. get a nice chuck roast!!!
Who cares if it's cheaper than store bought. you do realize that ground beef is like hot dogs right lips and a**holes!!! you have no idea whats in it and what animal came from what carcass right
. get a nice chuck roast!!!
TWiT Tech Podcast Network
Time for another AWESOME video from the TWIT Network!
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n43A0sNukCg
Direct YouTube Link - SpaceX Seeks to Conduct 450 Starship Launches a Year in Texas!
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n43A0sNukCg
Direct YouTube Link - SpaceX Seeks to Conduct 450 Starship Launches a Year in Texas!
TWIT's Website
TWIT Live Feed
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Staff member
HERE TO HELP YOU!
Cutting Edge
Sometimes a thread gets so many posts in it that is can cause issues for the server so that why today we introduce The Song Name Game Part 3!
So let the game continue!
The last song was added by Bobby who posted...
One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters
CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!
Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game
Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.
Example:
Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow
Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio
Another example:
Ride the Lightning -- Metallica
Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne
Get it?
An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....
So let the game continue!
The last song was added by Bobby who posted...
One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters
CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!
Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game
Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.
Example:
Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow
Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio
Another example:
Ride the Lightning -- Metallica
Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne
Get it?
An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....
68506 Replies
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2671350 views
Marques Brownlee
Time for another AWESOME video from Marques Brownlee!
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scwlR0QHGOk
Direct YouTube Link - The NEW Tesla Roadster: My Honest Reaction
The official MKBHD Website!
The MKBHD Store
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scwlR0QHGOk
Direct YouTube Link - The NEW Tesla Roadster: My Honest Reaction
The official MKBHD Website!
The MKBHD Store
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iJustine
Time for another AWESOME video from iJustine!
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/m44iKsdN1-Q
Direct YouTube Link - NVIDIA RTX Spark launch party!!!
The official iJustine Website's Website
Buy her book!
View: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/m44iKsdN1-Q
Direct YouTube Link - NVIDIA RTX Spark launch party!!!
The official iJustine Website's Website
Buy her book!
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21 views
For quite a while now, people with a VIP211k have been losing their recordings on their activated external HDDs... even when there's nothing physically wrong with HDD. I believe this is an intentional and underhanded tactic that Dish is pulling in an attempt to force users away from the VIP211k.
They are obviously regretting that they ever let users have a "non-dvr" dvr in the first place. You would think they would be happy charging you a $40 one time fee... and then be happy letting the customer be the one responsible for HDD failures.
Dish clearly hates the 211k bitter-clingers. This recording deletion problem is intentional (IMO), and I think it is just one more tool that they are using. Hopper and a 2-year agreement... that's what they want you to have. Think about that... a 2-year agreement... with a company $30 Billion in debt (that's with a B). What happens when all that debt causes them to drop the channel that may have been your whole reason for having Dish in the first place? Guess who's stuck with a service that no longer suits their needs... for the remainder of the 2-year agreement.
On top of that, they don't want you to install it yourself. I purchased and installed all my equipment myself. That used to be common. Now, they lie to me and tell me that my dish must be updated to use a Hopper. Funny thing is... they don't even know what dish I have because they didn't install it, and I didn't tell them. If you ask what type of dish/LNBs the hopper needs... good luck getting an answer. All they know is that whatever you have needs to be upgraded by an installer.
It is quite apparent to me that they care much more about staying in their box, than they do working with the customer. That's too bad, because it hasn't always been that way. It's like they are totally unaware of the current business environment that they are trying to compete in.
I have been a customer since 2010. I will be cancelling my service before the next period. Yeah, I know, my $1,200 a year won't make a difference to them. It just seems like they have forgotten who needs who, especially when you consider the competition in today's streaming world. But hey, they will have succeed in forcing me off the 211k.
They are obviously regretting that they ever let users have a "non-dvr" dvr in the first place. You would think they would be happy charging you a $40 one time fee... and then be happy letting the customer be the one responsible for HDD failures.
Dish clearly hates the 211k bitter-clingers. This recording deletion problem is intentional (IMO), and I think it is just one more tool that they are using. Hopper and a 2-year agreement... that's what they want you to have. Think about that... a 2-year agreement... with a company $30 Billion in debt (that's with a B). What happens when all that debt causes them to drop the channel that may have been your whole reason for having Dish in the first place? Guess who's stuck with a service that no longer suits their needs... for the remainder of the 2-year agreement.
On top of that, they don't want you to install it yourself. I purchased and installed all my equipment myself. That used to be common. Now, they lie to me and tell me that my dish must be updated to use a Hopper. Funny thing is... they don't even know what dish I have because they didn't install it, and I didn't tell them. If you ask what type of dish/LNBs the hopper needs... good luck getting an answer. All they know is that whatever you have needs to be upgraded by an installer.
It is quite apparent to me that they care much more about staying in their box, than they do working with the customer. That's too bad, because it hasn't always been that way. It's like they are totally unaware of the current business environment that they are trying to compete in.
I have been a customer since 2010. I will be cancelling my service before the next period. Yeah, I know, my $1,200 a year won't make a difference to them. It just seems like they have forgotten who needs who, especially when you consider the competition in today's streaming world. But hey, they will have succeed in forcing me off the 211k.
168 Replies
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7508 views
Pub Member / Supporter
Lifetime Supporter
Has anyone subscribed to NBA League Pass for 2026-27 and try to link their account to NBA.com to stream League Pass? I purchased it for 2026-27, and when I linked, I got a message saying success, but then I receive an error that my linked subscription does not include the preseason games for NBA League Pass. Is that how it has always been? I know satellite doesn't have the preseason games on the NBA League Pass channels, but I thought that I was able to stream the preseason once I linked my account on NBA.com?
2 Replies
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96 views
Supporting Founder
Really excited for this season with Kentucky having a new coach and some really exciting recruits. Probably won't last long, but here's hoping this season is great.
143 Replies
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1475 views
Nah, you just don't understand how ignore works, which is why you made your own NFL thread thinking there wasn't one
For some reason, the satelliteguys.us site is loading a lot slower than usual on both Chrome on my Asus laptop and Safari on my iPhone.
I'm also seeing longer appearances of the blue bar at the top and the "3 blue bars" loading symbol.
Is anyone else also having the same problem? Thanks in advance.
I'm also seeing longer appearances of the blue bar at the top and the "3 blue bars" loading symbol.
Is anyone else also having the same problem? Thanks in advance.
530 Replies
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18137 views
Remember folks... just like DNS... its always Foxbat.
WTF… …What the Foxbat!Remember folks... just like DNS... its always Foxbat.
S
wow what a kick in the balls!!! the wife blames you when things don't work now scott's blaming youWTF… …What the Foxbat!
I know. Here's what Scott has in store for me if I get out of line:wow what a kick in the balls!!! the wife blames you when things don't work now scott's blaming you
S
OMG to freaking funny
You're no fun.
I thought I would come here and find lots of complaints about the update to the dish anywhere mobile app, but am not seeing any. It used to look just like the desktop webpage. Now you can no longer filter by sports channels or movie channels. Plus that they made it look like a big button telephone and you see fewer channels in the screen which requires more scrolling. Yes I realize you can look at sports then select which sport you want to look at, I just liked being able to see all sporting events in the guide with all other channels being filtered out. Am I alone in the wilderness on this?
7 Replies
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168 views
