Questions for PS3 or Higher End Blu Ray

craigpsu
craigpsu Posts: 106
edited May 2009 in Electronics
I know there are a few of these threads out there, but I think I have narrowed my list down, and have a couple of technical questions. I would like a good blu ray player that also has good audio quality to it. I know the PS3 is supposed to be pretty good, so that is an option. The other option is to go with something a little more $$ like a Pioneer Elite Blu Ray player. I know the Audio quality out of the Pioneer is supposed to be good, but is it worth the extra cash. I will be upgrading to a SC-07 shortly. Do you need to have a good Bluray/CD player if the AVR has good DACs built in, or does it depend on what the PS3 does to the audio signal? Then what is the best way to hook up the PS3 if I went that route? HDMI or TOSLINK or an external DAC that some people talk about?
Thanks
LSi15s, LSiC, LSiFX, LC80F/X, microPro 4000, Pioneer Elite SC-07, XPA-2, XPA-5, PS3
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  • wutadumsn23
    wutadumsn23 Posts: 3,702
    edited May 2009
    I have a PS3 and IMO it is one of the best there is at what it does. From what I have read it has the fastest load times of any Blu-Ray player on the market and it supports all the latest codecs. That and it is very easily updated through updates that Sony is always putting out. I don't know much of anything about the Pioneer players so I will let someone else comment on that. I have had the best sucess hooking up my PS3 to my AVR via HDMI and using it as passthrough to my TV. I used to run it TOSLINK before I had an AVR that supported the newest codecs and it sounded pretty good that way too. IMO I would run everything HDMI in and out of your AVR if it supports it.
    HT Rig
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    Mains- Polk Audio Monitor 70
    Center- Polk Audio CS2
    Surrounds- Polk Audio TSi 500's :D
    Sub- Polk Audio PSW125
    Retired- Polk Audio Monitor 40's
    T.V.- 60" Sony SXRD KDS-60A2000 LCoS
    Blu-Ray- 80 GB PS3


    2 CH rig (in progress)
    Polk Audio Monitor 10A's :cool:

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  • Sherardp
    Sherardp Posts: 8,038
    edited May 2009
    If you want the best of both worlds spring for the Oppo BDp. I have one in route and will report my findings once setup. According to other owners and reviews it loads media even faster than PS3, better PQ than Elites, plays SACDs, DVD-A and everything else, offers to USB ports, ethernet, multi channel out over analog, HDMI, deep color support, and more. PS3 is ok, but for stand alone, and considering you will have the SC-07 soon, I say Oppo or maybe Elite. The Oppo is the all in one.
    Shoot the jumper.....................BALLIN.............!!!!!

    Home Theater Pics in the Showcase :cool:

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  • mantis
    mantis Posts: 17,233
    edited May 2009
    Sherardp wrote: »
    If you want the best of both worlds spring for the Oppo BDp. I have one in route and will report my findings once setup. According to other owners and reviews it loads media even faster than PS3, better PQ than Elites, plays SACDs, DVD-A and everything else, offers to USB ports, ethernet, multi channel out over analog, HDMI, deep color support, and more. PS3 is ok, but for stand alone, and considering you will have the SC-07 soon, I say Oppo or maybe Elite. The Oppo is the all in one.

    Agreed, I plan on picking an Oppo up myself. For no other reason then to test and finally find a worthy stand alone player. There have been many players I looked at and felt it was good at this or that but always missing something I wanted. This Oppo looks to be the complete deal.

    Pioneer Elite is coming out any day now with there new Blu ray player. I can't wait to get one in and start testing it. The BDP-05 was fantastic but you had to upgrade it yourself with a disc. That sucks no Ethernet. No BD live and it's still slow as hell. Once you own a Ps3, no other Blu ray player will make you happy for speed. It's still top 2 for the fastest loading or maybe still #1. The new Blu ray players from Sony are fast.

    As far as the Ps3, I own one myself and find it to be a excellent product. It's a media center as well. Nice internal hard drive to store your music on. The only thing I don't care for is control. I wish it had control over IP , rs232 or even a good IR with discrete power on and off. I use a USB IR controller and it's ok but does not control power. Sucks. Other then that the PS3 is complete. HDMI to the receiver is the only way to go.

    Dan
    Dan
    My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time.
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  • vijayl
    vijayl Posts: 258
    edited May 2009
    mantis wrote: »
    This Oppo looks to be the complete deal.
    Though I agree that from media disc playback Oppo looks complete, I still think it is missing upnp - audio, photo, video over LAN - this is a major drawback in my opinion. I'm happy if they could release this as a firmware upgrade. If it needs a hardware change, I'll be disappointed..
    mantis wrote: »
    Once you own a Ps3, no other Blu ray player will make you happy for speed. It's still top 2 for the fastest loading or maybe still #1.
    +1 on this
    mantis wrote: »
    I wish it had control over IP , rs232 or even a good IR with discrete power on and off. I use a USB IR controller and it's ok but does not control power. Sucks. Other then that the PS3 is complete. HDMI to the receiver is the only way to go.
    I hav the same setup and same feedback. I have not tried the Sony PS3 remote though

    Living Room: 7.3: Samsung - LN52A750, Pioneer Elite SC07    , logitech 880
    Def Tech Mythos ST :D Fronts, Def Tech Mythos 10 Center, Def Tech BP-30 Surr, Def Tech Mythos GemXL SurrBack, MartinLogan Dynamo
    2Ch: Carver TL-3200 CD player, Carver CT-17 pre, Carver TFM-45 amp driving SDA-1C
    Bed Room: Pioneer Elite VSX-52 , Monitor 50

    Storage-RTi8,CSi5,PSW505,Monitor50
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  • potee
    potee Posts: 610
    edited May 2009
    I use the sony remote with mine and it works out rather well. My main remote is a harmony 880. The PS3 is a fine machine INMO.
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  • cnh
    cnh Posts: 13,284
    edited May 2009
    Got to go with the Boys...I've got the PS3 and am just beginning to get into its talents as a media server with an external hard drive. The updates from Sony are a plus!

    The only question is will the PS3 survive or will Sony discontinue it. It hasn't been a big money maker and has now fallen to the number 5 gaming machine behind the PS2?

    cnh
    Currently orbiting Bowie's Blackstar.!

    Polk Lsi-7s, Def Tech 8" sub, HK 3490, HK HD 990 (CDP/DAC), AKG Q701s
    [sig. changed on a monthly basis as I rotate in and out of my stash]
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  • jon s
    jon s Posts: 905
    edited May 2009
    I have a Sony PS3 and the a Pioneer Elite BDP05FD/051...

    The Pioneer has a little bit better PQ than the PS3 on Blu-Ray...
    The Pioneer supports analog out, Sony does not
    The Pioneer can use a universal remote (thank God cuz the Pioneer remote sucks the big one, but the Sony game controller sucks more than the Pioneer remote)
    The Pioneer has slightly better upscaling on SD-DVD to 1080P
    The Pioneer is quieter than the PS3 (the PS3 fan is LOUD when active)
    The Pioneer has better DACS (Wolfson) than the Sony

    The Sony supports DTS HD Master, the Pioneer does not (yet, a new firmware update is supposed to remedy it)
    Sony is roughly 2-3X faster than the Pioneer in loading a Blu-Ray or DVD
    Sony responds faster than the Pioneer with the remote
    Sony does not suffer from 2-3 second delay during the dual layer switch on SD DVDs
    Sony is profile 2.0 specific
    Sony has a hard drive
    Sony has more frequent updates, less buggy
    Sony can be used as a multimedia device
    Sony has wireless 802.11B/G networking

    The Pioneer BDP09FD ($2000) PQ is even better than the Pioneer BDP05FD/51
    The audio on the BDP09FD is better than the Pioneer BDP09FD
    There is no performance advantage with the BDP09FD over the BDP051/05FD
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  • Pedler
    Pedler Posts: 95
    edited May 2009
    jon s wrote: »
    I have a Sony PS3 and the a Pioneer Elite BDP05FD/051...

    The Pioneer has a little bit better PQ than the PS3 on Blu-Ray...
    The Pioneer supports analog out, Sony does not
    The Pioneer can use a universal remote (thank God cuz the Pioneer remote sucks the big one, but the Sony game controller sucks more than the Pioneer remote)
    The Pioneer has slightly better upscaling on SD-DVD to 1080P
    The Pioneer is quieter than the PS3 (the PS3 fan is LOUD when active)
    The Pioneer has better DACS (Wolfson) than the Sony

    The Sony supports DTS HD Master, the Pioneer does not (yet, a new firmware update is supposed to remedy it)
    Sony is roughly 2-3X faster than the Pioneer in loading a Blu-Ray or DVD
    Sony responds faster than the Pioneer with the remote
    Sony does not suffer from 2-3 second delay during the dual layer switch on SD DVDs
    Sony is profile 2.0 specific
    Sony has a hard drive
    Sony has more frequent updates, less buggy
    Sony can be used as a multimedia device
    Sony has wireless 802.11B/G networking

    The Pioneer BDP09FD ($2000) PQ is even better than the Pioneer BDP05FD/51
    The audio on the BDP09FD is better than the Pioneer BDP09FD
    There is no performance advantage with the BDP09FD over the BDP051/05FD


    Thanks Jon S I wondered how the PS3 compared to the Pioneer 05FD.
    Now the next question; is the Pioneer BDP05/051 analog outs better than using the digital input or HDMI to the SC-07 ? I know they use the same DAC's but is their a sound difference?
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  • Sherardp
    Sherardp Posts: 8,038
    edited May 2009
    HDMI will get you lossless audio where as analog will get you PCM. Some say the difference is very small, however with the SC-07 I can truly notice the difference between PCM and the HD audio.
    Shoot the jumper.....................BALLIN.............!!!!!

    Home Theater Pics in the Showcase :cool:

    http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showcase/view.php?userid=73580
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  • Sherardp
    Sherardp Posts: 8,038
    edited May 2009
    On another note, I got an email from Value Electronics, and they are ready to ship the Pioneer Elite 23FD BD players. Just posting as an FYI for those interested. I obviously passed this one since I ordered the Oppo.


    http://valueelectronics.com/
    Shoot the jumper.....................BALLIN.............!!!!!

    Home Theater Pics in the Showcase :cool:

    http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showcase/view.php?userid=73580
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  • leroyjr1
    leroyjr1 Posts: 8,785
    edited May 2009
    Sherardp wrote: »
    On another note, I got an email from Value Electronics, and they are ready to ship the Pioneer Elite 23FD BD players. Just posting as an FYI for those interested. I obviously passed this one since I ordered the Oppo.


    http://valueelectronics.com/



    Did you receive your new Oppo yet?
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  • Pedler
    Pedler Posts: 95
    edited May 2009
    Sherardp wrote: »
    HDMI will get you lossless audio where as analog will get you PCM. Some say the difference is very small, however with the SC-07 I can truly notice the difference between PCM and the HD audio.

    I was referring to the CD playback. using the analog outs of bdp05/51 vs using the pqls and hdmi or the optical/digital out to the Pioneer SC-07 doing the processing
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  • cheddar
    cheddar Posts: 2,390
    edited May 2009
    Sherardp wrote: »
    HDMI will get you lossless audio where as analog will get you PCM. Some say the difference is very small, however with the SC-07 I can truly notice the difference between PCM and the HD audio.

    PCM (or LPCM) is a digital format, not analog. You can think of PCM as the digital 'language' that receiver/pre's use in all of their internal digital processing (surround modes, etc.) A receiver/pre does not 'understand' digitally compressed TrueHD or DTS-HD MA. These formats must be 'decoded' or uncompressed into PCM either in the player or the receiver/pre before the receiver/pre can use it. All of these digital formats must be sent over hdmi if they are high bandwidth (lossless).

    Analog outs of a player dump the results of a PCM signal when it is passed through a digital/analog converter (DAC) so that it can be converted to analog. At this point it is no longer digital PCM and must be converted back into digital at the receiver/pre if more processing is required. Or the signal can even be used as/is for amplification to the analog speakers.

    Hearing a difference between the PCM and HD Audio is somewhat meaningless. As PCM decoded from TrueHD or DTS-HD MA is the SAME HD Audio, just losslessly uncompressed from the earlier compressed state. And you can't listen to TrueHD or DTS-HD MA in their compressed states just like you can't view a zipped JPG or GIF file on the computer until you unzip (uncompress) it.
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  • craigpsu
    craigpsu Posts: 106
    edited May 2009
    I went with the PS3, mostly because it does a little of everything (I am also into photography). I may down the road decide to get a standalone for CDs etc... Now I need to find the best deal for the SC-07.
    LSi15s, LSiC, LSiFX, LC80F/X, microPro 4000, Pioneer Elite SC-07, XPA-2, XPA-5, PS3
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  • dpowell
    dpowell Posts: 3,068
    edited May 2009
    check videogon and audiogon. Seems the best deals can be found there.
    ____________________________________________________________

    polkaudio Fully Modded SDA SRS 1.2TLs + Dreadnaught, LSiM706c, 4 X Polk Surrounds + 4 X ATMOS, SVS PB13 Ultra X 2, Pass Labs X1, Marantz 7704, Bob Carver Crimson Beauty 350 Tube Mono Blocks, Carver Sunfire Signature Cinema Grande 400x5, ADCOM GFA 7807, Panasonic UB420, Moon 380D DAC, EPSON Pro Cinema 6050
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  • superjunior
    superjunior Posts: 1,632
    edited May 2009
    theres a thread right now for best prices on the sc-07, in either the wiring or electronics catagory
    jr
    panasonic th-50pz85u
    pioneer elite vsx-92txh
    pioneer elite bdp-05fd
    emotiva xpa-3
    monster power hdp 2550
    sa 8300 hd dvr
    sda 2b's
    fronts - rti a9's
    center - csi a6
    surrounds - fxi a6's
    sub - polk dsw pro 600
    harmony one
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  • dpowell
    dpowell Posts: 3,068
    edited May 2009
    Link:
    http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=83468
    ____________________________________________________________

    polkaudio Fully Modded SDA SRS 1.2TLs + Dreadnaught, LSiM706c, 4 X Polk Surrounds + 4 X ATMOS, SVS PB13 Ultra X 2, Pass Labs X1, Marantz 7704, Bob Carver Crimson Beauty 350 Tube Mono Blocks, Carver Sunfire Signature Cinema Grande 400x5, ADCOM GFA 7807, Panasonic UB420, Moon 380D DAC, EPSON Pro Cinema 6050
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