does anyone here actually have a standalone Bluray player?

[EvilYoda]

I bought my PS3 last week...watched Iron Man yesterday night. I'll pick up RB2 and then SF4 next year along with Gran Turismo when it finally releases.

 

[RaiderJ]

Blu-Ray -> MKV -> file server. I just want to WATCH the movie, don't need any extras or whatever else.

Die physical formats!

 

[erwos]

Originally posted by: RaiderJ
Blu-Ray -> MKV -> file server. I just want to WATCH the movie, don't need any extras or whatever else.

How many movies have you actually hand-converted, versus just stealing off the Internets? People love to claim this is a great solution; very few actually realize what a PITA it is to do it for several hundred DVDs and BR-Ds.

 

[Greg04]

Panasonic BD35 here; I'm a CNET junkie.

 

[Muadib]

Originally posted by: evident
hi everyone.

i signed up for the playstation visa card, got the MGS4 PS3 for $400 - $150 = $250 ($150 credit will come 4-12 weeks). pretty good for a blu ray player, next gen video game console, although i wont play any games besides the new street fighter, and the MGS game it came with probably. i'm a PC gamer at heart!

This is how I got my PS3 too, except I got it when Walmart was giving you a $100 gift card, and the Sony discount was only $100. I picked up another in November, when Walmart had the gift card offer again. I gave that one away though.

 

[JackBurton]

Originally posted by: dainthomas
I picked up a BDP-S350 for $200. Why would I pay an extra $200 when I hardly have time to game on our Wii as it is? You can find players on sale everywhere for under $200 now, so I don't know why anyone would still buy a PS3 for movies.

Much faster load times and higher compatibility rate with Blu-ray movies? The PS3 seems like the reference Blu-ray player. Where other standalone players have problems playing some Blu-ray movie (Hulk and 007 movies to name a few) the PS3 plays them without a hitch. Try playing Wanted (Blu-ray) on your BDP-S350 and see how long it takes to load. If you want the fastest loading and most problem free Blu-ray player, the PS3 it is. Not to mention you can rent HD movies, stream movies to your TV, and view photos on your TV with a PS3. It is more of a media center than just a Blu-ray player. If you just want a so-so Blu-ray player, you've got many cheaper alternatives. I just don't see why anyone would want to limit themselves, unless money was the issue.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

Samsung BD-P2550 for me. Love the excellent upscaler and Netflix/Pandora streaming.

 

[tracerbullet]

PS3 for me, had it almost a year and still haven't played a gme on it. Drives my friends crazy, they all game quite a bit and can't figure out why I don't.

(Getting motion sick easily has a lot to do with it, kind of limits what you can play).

 

[thomsbrain]

Edit: The info below was outdated. The PS3 CAN decode DTS HD MA. So that makes it even more of an obvious choice!


The only reason to buy a standalone over a PS3 is for DTS HD Master Audio decoding or bitstreaming (PS3 does neither), or if you got a REALLY nice one that had some special video processing you wanted. With the above exceptions, it's passing the same digital video and audio as any other player.

The PS3's uses as a digital media player, game console, and flash video player (youtube, etc) make it the obvious choice for flexibility on a budget. The only question is whether or not DTS HD MA is worth spending all the money for a second Blu-Ray player. For most folks, the answer will be a resounding "no."

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

Originally posted by: flxnimprtmscl
Where's the I have a BR drive in my HTPC option?

updated for ya, and this thread is becoming less and less relevant now that players are now $150ish.

 

[dainthomas]

Originally posted by: JackBurton

Originally posted by: dainthomas
I picked up a BDP-S350 for $200. Why would I pay an extra $200 when I hardly have time to game on our Wii as it is? You can find players on sale everywhere for under $200 now, so I don't know why anyone would still buy a PS3 for movies.

Much faster load times and higher compatibility rate with Blu-ray movies? The PS3 seems like the reference Blu-ray player. Where other standalone players have problems playing some Blu-ray movie (Hulk and 007 movies to name a few) the PS3 plays them without a hitch. Try playing Wanted (Blu-ray) on your BDP-S350 and see how long it takes to load. If you want the fastest loading and most problem free Blu-ray player, the PS3 it is. Not to mention you can rent HD movies, stream movies to your TV, and view photos on your TV with a PS3. It is more of a media center than just a Blu-ray player. If you just want a so-so Blu-ray player, you've got many cheaper alternatives. I just don't see why anyone would want to limit themselves, unless money was the issue.

I watched Wanted and it took maybe 15 seconds to load. Not sure how much faster it could load, and if I'd care. I've also watched Casino Royale on it without a problem. Not sure what issues it's supposed to have. The S350 also has a USB port for viewing pictures, but I've never had the desire to do that. As far as streaming movies, I'm not sure if my player can do that but that's another feature I would probably never use. Even if I did would it be worth >$200?

The audio and video quality is identical for less than half the price (now). That's what I care about.

 

[Muadib]

Originally posted by: dainthomas

Originally posted by: JackBurton

Originally posted by: dainthomas
I picked up a BDP-S350 for $200. Why would I pay an extra $200 when I hardly have time to game on our Wii as it is? You can find players on sale everywhere for under $200 now, so I don't know why anyone would still buy a PS3 for movies.

Much faster load times and higher compatibility rate with Blu-ray movies? The PS3 seems like the reference Blu-ray player. Where other standalone players have problems playing some Blu-ray movie (Hulk and 007 movies to name a few) the PS3 plays them without a hitch. Try playing Wanted (Blu-ray) on your BDP-S350 and see how long it takes to load. If you want the fastest loading and most problem free Blu-ray player, the PS3 it is. Not to mention you can rent HD movies, stream movies to your TV, and view photos on your TV with a PS3. It is more of a media center than just a Blu-ray player. If you just want a so-so Blu-ray player, you've got many cheaper alternatives. I just don't see why anyone would want to limit themselves, unless money was the issue.

I watched Wanted and it took maybe 15 seconds to load. Not sure how much faster it could load, and if I'd care. I've also watched Casino Royale on it without a problem. Not sure what issues it's supposed to have. The S350 also has a USB port for viewing pictures, but I've never had the desire to do that. As far as streaming movies, I'm not sure if my player can do that but that's another feature I would probably never use. Even if I did would it be worth >$200?

The audio and video quality is identical for less than half the price (now). That's what I care about.

The speed thing is a thing of the past with the player you've chosen. It was pretty much on par with my PS3 when I played with it over the weekend. The only issue I had with it was that it didn't decode DTS-HD Master Audio, which is one of the things my pal wanted, as his receiver doesn't do the new codecs.