All Blu-ray players bow to the PlayStation 3?

(Credit: CNET)

After a long wait, we're finally starting to get in a new wave of first-generation Blu-ray players. CNET will be posting full reviews for both the Panasonic DMP-BD10 and the Philips BDP9000 shortly, but I've already taken some long looks at each in terms of picture quality, and they've got a lot to be worried about. Not because they look worse than HD DVD; in fact, the picture-quality gap is almost gone between the two formats. And not because they're bad players; both of them put out a pristine Blu-ray image that blows DVD out of the water. The problem is that, excluding some very minor differences, all the Blu-ray players I've seen offer essentially the same picture quality. That's a problem because the 20GB PlayStation 3 retails for $500, which is $800 less than the Panasonic DMP-BD10 and around $400 less than the Philips BDP9000. Even with eBay inflation, we're seeing the 20GB PS3 go for $600.

What are the arguments against buying the PS3 for home theater use? Not many, but there are some to consider. One thing that comes to mind is that some people would like a standard remote for navigation rather than using a controller. Well, Sony will soon be offering a standard-style remote for the PS3. Problem solved. However, there is an ugly little detail for those who love their universal remote: the PS3 does not have an infrared receptor, so you won't be able to program a fancy Harmony macro that says "Watch Blu-ray." This is a legitimate issue, but don't be surprised if universal remote manufacturers come out with combination IR plus Bluetooth remotes (or a USB IR plug-in for the front of the PS3) that will make this a nonissue.

Two new Blu-ray players that we haven't seen yet, the Sony BDSP1 and the Pioneer Elite BDP-HD1, have a slight edge in that they claim to output 1080p/24. This could be a slight knock against the PS3 since it can't currently do that, although we've seen reports that it might be able to in the future. Probably the biggest disadvantage of the PS3 is that it currently does not upscale regular DVDs. Sony has promised an update in the future, but there's no guarantee it will do as good of a job as the DMP-BD10 and the BDP9000--both are more than competent upscaling DVD players. That being said, with the power of the Cell processor and its current excellent Blu-ray picture quality, we're betting the PS3 will be up to the task.

Even if you look past the price difference, the arguments for buying a PS3 instead of current Blu-ray players are overwhelming. First, the PS3 is currently the only HDMI 1.3 Blu-ray player on the market. What that means in real terms is that it is the only current Blu-ray player that will be compatible with future HDMI 1.3 receivers that will be able to decode the highest-resolution soundtrack formats: DTS HD Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD. (That pretty much obviates the PS3's dearth of 5.1 analog audio inputs as well.) Another factor is that the PS3 is flat-out the fastest player of the bunch. It skips chapters nearly instantly and loads discs fast, while the others move along at a relatively slow pace. Its advantages as a Blu-ray player aside, don't forget that Blu-ray playback is just a piece of the PS3's functionality. None of the other current Blu-ray players offer high-definition gaming or the extensive media player capabilities of the PS3--both of which will undoubtedly get better with more software and additional firmware upgrades in the months and years ahead.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating that everyone should run out and buy a PS3. In fact, that only new gaming system I own is the Nintendo Wii, and I'm not planning on buying a high-def disc player until the current format war shakes out a little more. Also, don't forget we're just weeks away from the Consumer Electronics Show, where we'll see a full line-up of second-generation Blu-ray players that may very well give the PS3 a run for its money. But if you just absolutely need to own a Blu-ray player now, the PS3 looks to be the best of the bunch.

[netaddict6989]

The thing ps3 has over xbox 360

hmmmm...xbox 360 doesn't have a blu-ray.

[Kaizer18]

none of it matters...

Check out the link...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holographic_Versatile_Disc
In 2-3 years both Blu-Ray and HD-DVD will be out-classed and completely out-matched by HVD. Don't waste your money now. The disks currently cost about $100, but at this stage in development CD's cost about $1000. This is the next stage in optical storage.

[mindwarp311]

You're Right!

You're right, I'm convinced that if you want a Blu-ray player then the PS3 is the way to go. Thank God for this article. Now let me just go to Best Buy and buy a PS3. Oh wait min, no I can't. Dammit I forgot that those brilliant ppl @ Sony decided to release less than 200k of them so now prices are all jacked up. Well this turned out to be a pointless article then.

[natejohnstone]

Upscaling is the ESSENTIAL issue!

If PS3 only upscalled, oh what a wonderful world it would be!
I have several hundred dvds. I haven't been buying newer movies on dvd, since
I'm expecting to get a Blu-Ray player (in a year or so). I cannot afford to get a
Blu-Ray player AND a good upscaling dvd player (like a Denon), so I want a
machine that does both. I also want a next-gen video game system.
If PS3 upscalled, i could get all 3 of these needs met in oen machine, and would
happily pay even MORE than the $600 for one with a remote/IR/upscaling.
Oh well, I guess it' the Nintendo Wii for me, unless Sony says they're going to do
it...

[joegillespie]

could not agree more

you basically get a gaming unit for free. not to mention wi fi and internet connectivity for your television

[joegillespie]

thanks for the lack of harmony use notice

i have a harmony universal remote and did not know it would not work. that said, i am still going with it:)

[racer152]

Why Blu-Ray Could Lose to HD-DVD

I am by no means ann HD-DVD supporter... I own PS3 and a Samsung 50" 1080p DLP (although it's not technically native due to the wobulation, and it has a lamp and color wheel instead of the LEDs, but 6 months ago it was the best out for the price)... Anyway, if you're reading this you understand what I'm talking about and are willing to do research on what format you're going to be buying, trust me, I graduated from U.C. Berkeley, I know what research is... But these people that go into Best Buy don't know jack and they think research is asking the salesman that's the 16 y/o kid and that kid is going to say that there's no significant difference in the format... Then, Joe or Jane Doe is going to go with the cheaper, less capable product - HD-DVD... Moreover, most people don't even have 1080p capable sets (although they could buy a cheaper 1080p set in the future) and right now and Satellite TV doesn't support 1080p (I wonder if DirecTv will support it with the new mpeg4 satellites, I guess they'd still need the content)... And we as American's are all about instant gratification... I'm guilty of it too, but I bought PS3 because of it's superior capability... Also, people who say 360 plays HD-DVD and it's cheaper haven't done the Math... $400 + $200 = $600... You might as well get the PS3 and you'll still have the backward compatability to all PS games.... I admit it, I didn't want to drop SNES for PS when it came out but look what happened, PS and PS2 rocked, I still us PS2 for DVD playback in the bedroom... Another problem with PS3 is no games are 1080p yet anyway. So, the only thing 1080p that Sony can sell are movies. So, Sony screwed up when they got the (superior) bluetooth contoller because no videophile will buy it because he's too lazy to learn to use the Sixaxis contoller for his (sub-par) home theatre... Betamax was superior to VHS.. Minidisc was argueably superior to CD... PS3/BD-DVD is superior to 360/HD-DVD... You get the point... If you own a PS3, buy as many BluRay products as you can because you'll only be helping the cause for BluRay, if not, you could have paid $600 for what will become a joke (a la Beta)... The masses are going to push us to HD-DVD because the masses are sheep, they go where the dog scares them to. The masses are under educated and can't afford PS3 or a Blu-Ray player let alone the big screen to play it on. To quote Michael Douglas in The American Presiden, "People don?t drink the sand because they?re thirsty; they drink the sand because they don?t know the difference." Thus, HD-DVD will win because people are stupid sheep.

[Mich48]

Blu Ray Disc

What you don't seem to realize is that Sony had a problem with their PlayStation and had to get Pioneer to help with the reproduction of their Blu Ray Disc.

I know this because I do work in the industry.

Mich