Blu-ray is here folks. There are loads of titles, advertising and lots of hardware to choose from. Currently there are five different players available (
Samsung,
Sony, PS3, Philips & Panasonic) and the lucky chaps over at Sound & Vision compared three of 'em: the 'classic' Samsung BD-P1000, the new Panasonic DMP-BD10, and the elusive PS3. We are going to cut to the chase here; they liked the PS3 the best. Sure, it's a little noisy and doesn't come with a true remote (costs you $25 bucks more) but according to the S&V's audio/video dudes, it's a killer piece of hardware. We're sure you know most of the specs on the $600 PS3's but don't forget that it's the only Blu-ray player currently capable of outputting Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio partly thanks to the machines HDMI 1.3 connection. Both of the other players are solid players too, so don't rule them out but the PS3 just has so much more to offer for the price and if the self-confessed non-gamers over at Sound & Vision can put their recommendation behind of a gaming console, so can Engadget HD. We just want to see another shootout once the Pioneer player hits the streets along with the newly launched Sony player.
posted December 9th 2006 10:36AM
Well this HDMI 1.3 is great, but where are the TV's that support it?
oh! You mean like my new 60" Sony XBR2? My 360 and ps3 look unbeleivable on it, even the wii looks good at 480p.
Well, I doubt you would get much benefit from connecting HDMI 1.3 to your lowly TV speakers. The benefit comes from a receiver that accepts 1.3 and can output quality sound.
Sets with earlier versions of HDMI should support the PS3 1.3 HDMI just fine. Where the benefits kick in is actually more with advanced receivers that can decode newer audio options, and also future sets that support HDMI can offer a greater color depth (more gradiations of color from light to dark shades).
Finally! I've been waiting for a PS3 Blu-Ray review for weeks. Wasn't even going to touch the PS3 until I at least have read about it's movie capabilities.
Hate to tell you, but the 60" XBR2 is not HDMI 1.3.
I picked up a 20GB PS3 at Best Buy yesterday. My friend was gonna buy it from me, but the lack of Wi-Fi was a deal-breaker. It's nice to see that it will make a nice Blu-ray player for someone. I'm with him; I'm gonna hold out for the 60 gigger. Anyone want a PS3 for $600 plus shipping?
At $499..it's not a bad deal. 20GB drive, built in network card, Blu-Ray...If you add the HD-DVD to the core 360, your still out a hard drive and wireless controller...and then you have to buy into Live...
And Microsoft did not make it easy to upgrade the HDD on the 360...trust me, the upgrades are coming. This is how M$ makes their cash..they get you in, and your continually dolling out the cash. Live...upgrades...points....
I just won't buy into it.
You know how stupid you sound? XBox Live is not a requirement unless you plan to play online multiplayer games. Points? Isn't Sony charging money for those downloadable games for the PS3 or PSP? As for upgrades, every system has upgrades or addons. Companies like Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo make money on accessories and games. The more accessories and games a system has, the more money that company can make. That's capitalism. You go buy a car, don't you think a dealer wants you to buy more addons or upgrades to that car?
Jameshole....
XBOX LIVE is a requirement if you want to go head to head in "multiplayer action". Sony isn't charging for "multiplayer action". The downloads that are available from Sony are priced in real dollar amounts. You don't have to buy into deceptive points system. Everyone, especially M$, loves points, because they know that in order for you to spend all your points, you have to keep buying points, you can't really spend all your points, you'll always have points left over.
As far as upgrades for a console go, why don't you ask Sega about that? They tried to milk Genesis for all they could with add-ons and upgrades...eventually they split up their market so badly that developers weren't willing to create games for these broken segments of hardware. They never recovered from that.
Hey, dude...go to town, buy your points, buy your live subscription, buy your HD-DVD(NO HDMI)....and the PS3 is still cheaper. Go ahead buy into that M$ dream. They love guys like you. You fool.
Um, the newsbit is about Blu-ray players, not gaming consoles. Go waste the bandwidth on the fanboy websites, folks.
Now, how exactly does HDBeat (ahem, EngadgetHD) define "loads of titles"? We're talking about Blu-ray titles. Movies. I'm betting for every Blu-ray title on the street there are probably 500 titles on DVD.
There are not loads of titles unless you just happen to be the one person in the known universe that has exactly, and only, the same titles on DVD.
When I followed the link, it was being sponsored by HD-DVD.. strange.
Here's the link to the image (http://view.atdmt.com/GSP/view/hchtthdv0040000109gsp/direct/01/)
HD DVD is crap people, you should know that!
Yeah, i know its cheap. But its also that quality!
"Yeah, i know its cheap. But its also that quality!"
By this well-informed, highly educated argument, then the $499 PS3 should be crap as well. Give the format fanboyism a break.
I'm just wondering why Sony would include HDMI 1.3 in the PS3 but not include it in their $999 Blu-Ray player (which is only 1.2a).
PS3 costs more than $800 to manufacture and you know that. Consoles are always cheap to sell better.
"buy your HD-DVD(NO HDMI)"
...Uh and the PS3 comes with a cable for HDMI?!? Add that to your costs comparison too, it ain't cheap for an HDMI cable.
"XBOX LIVE is a requirement if you want to go head to head in "multiplayer action". Sony isn't charging for "multiplayer action""
Not everyone wants "multiplayer action", so figure that in too.
hdmi cables are cheap at monoprice.com, good quality too.
This is great news for me, since I've been trying to get rid of the freaking thing for weeks now. Seriously, no one wants to buy this thing unless it's at retail. I'd keep it, but it's inability to net me a profit has really created created a rift between myself and it. Keep the positive press coming! I'm willing to meet in the middle!