The PS3 and Home Theaters

[DYohn]

I'll get attacked by the PS3 lovers but that's OK. This is my opinion about using them as part of a home theater system, and has been motivated by all the discussion of people having issues interfacing them with their UMC-1.

The PS3 is a very powerful game computer. It has amazing capabilities as a game computer, and Sony made a genuinely brilliant marketing decision when they added a Blu Ray Drive as a way to ensure their high definition disc format survived the "format war" with Toshiba's HD-DVD. Although the BRD drive in the PS3 is primarily designed to load gaming software, it is also capable of playing back nearly any disc format. But using the PS3 as the primary Blu Ray player in a dedicated home theater system leaves a lot to be desired, for the following reasons.

Remember that the ability to play discs is really a secondary function in the PS3's design. It's primary purpose is a game machine with Internet connectivity. It's primary competition is the XBox 360 and to a lesser extent the Nintendo WII. In many ways it blows those machines away, and BRD HD video playback is an added bonus. Remember also that Sony sells some very good Blu Ray Disc players, some at prices above the PS3's. Sony must play a balancing game: they have to price the PS3 low enough to stay ahead of the XBox (and whatever comes after it) without compromising the gaming experience. They have to price it high enough so they can still sell their lower-end BRD players without driving that entire market to the PS3. They have to ensure their stand-alone BRD players do some things "better" than the PS3 if they intend to sell any of them, especially those with higher price points.

Using the PS3 in an HT system demands the user accept certain compromises. It can only do certain things with the disc content, and only via HDMI. In most cases it is great at doing it and it interfaces with many systems quite well. But not with all systems, and the UMC-1 appears to have trouble handling some of the compromised ways the PS3 sends it certain signals, probably because the original design was simply not set up to anticipate them.

This does not mean the UMC-1 designers ignored the market segment that wants to use a PS3 as a universal disc player, nor does it mean that Emotiva cannot add functionality to it with software updates to better address its capabilities. It means that what's more likely is the designers of the UMC-1 assumed the typical user would deliver high definition signals to the UMC-1 using home theater equipment, not with a gaming machine.

The UMC-1 is a dedicated home theater audio and video processor. While it is priced at a point that makes it attractive to consumers who normally purchase mid-level receivers, it it really, to me, aimed at a much higher-end application - consumers who are ready to leave the world of receivers and all-in-one systems behind and move into the realm of dedicated home theaters using higher end separates. This may have been a miscalculation, as in today's world more and more middle-class adults who want to watch high definition television and movies are also gamers with families who want and/or need to use one home entertainment system for everything, and who do not see the logic of using a PS3 only for games and a separate Blu Ray machine for watching movies. But I say, if you want to watch high definition movies, get a BRD player. If you want to listen to multi-channel music, get a SACD player. If you want to cruise the web, get a computer. If you want to play games, get a PS3.

I am not a gamer at all (unless you count a periodic game of Solitaire or Internet Hearts on my PC.) I use the proper dedicated device for my playback requirements. I use my home theater system as a home theater (or at least for home video including television) and separate systems for music or other purposes. I do not own a PS3 and if I did, it would not be connected to my main HT system.

But to each his own, and I wish everyone well with their systems and their usage requirements. Please, all you PS3 users out there, let us know if the UMC-1 works better with it after the upcoming software updates are installed in your processors. I'll be interested in this information. Thanks.

[House]

i have 3 ps3's but i'm not going to object to any of your statements....i agree there is better options out there and that SEPERATES are most definatly the way to go....budget permitting.

[ntrain42]

I agree as a dedicated redbook player(Or SACD with the older gen. PS3's that can do it) the Sony PS3 lacks, but I think for Blu-ray movies and of course games, its an excellent unit. Especially for the price. And especially the new PS3 slim. I picked it up for $200 in mint condition with a few games even(im not really a gamer either). The new PS3 slim is able to bitstream out all the codecs via HDMI so the decoding can now be done on the pre/pro or AVR instead of the PS3 itself decoding it. On the video side of the ball with Blu ray discs the PS3 is no better or worse than any of the other BD players Ive used. Thats my take.

[NorthStar]

^ Fully agree.

* www.hometheatermag.com/discplayers/sony_playstation_3_game_consoleblu-ray_player/

[Deleted]

Good write up Dyohn. The only problem is sony's plans originally didn't have a blu-ray player in the ps3. The player was put into the ps3 for 1 reason and 1 reason only, to win the format war. They themselves have even went so far as to have this confirmed on several occasions.
This was sony's war to win or loose (ala reverse beta!) The ps3 was put out to be a complete entrainment system and blu-ray was one of the biggest parts.
I agree with HT it lacks some functionality for us more HT enthusiasts but it makes up for it in firmware and software upgrade ability and ease of use.

I have 2 of them and the pq is very good. Not quite of the oppo but better than my other samsung and my panasonic I used to have.

[robfive]

Interesting write-up. I totally agree that if someone was going to buy a blu-ray player right now I would not recommend the PS3 for reasons stated by your post. There are many more options at lower prices or higher prices that will integrate into any non-gaming system better. However, 2-3 years ago when many people were buying their first blu-ray player the PS3 was by far the most future-proof player that anyone could get at any price. The ability to handle Dolby True HD and DTS Master Audio either immediately or via future firmware made the PS3 very attractive to the home theater crowd.

As you might have guessed, I own a PS3 and currently use it for my blu-ray player. When I purchased it I had zero interest in purchasing a game console as my Sega Genesis from 1993 was fulfilling all my gaming needs (i.e. none). I chose the PS3 because I didn't want to have to spend another couple hundred dollars in a couple years on another blu-ray player with the next improved feature. Besides bitstreaming lossless audio what major feature does it not have? The PS3 is the only first generation player to support the lossless audio codecs, BD 2.0, and 3-D before too long. I know many people are not interested in all of these features but it made a lot of sense when looking at the other first gen options.

Hopefully the next UMC-1 updates will allow processing over the 'native' lpcm audio coming from the PS3 and we won't have to be concerned with the PS3 integration anymore.

[moodyman]

Umm..its sounds like your making excuses for the UMC. I'm certainly no PS3 lover but mine interfaces just fine with my Pioneer Elite receiver from 2006. I have the PS3 "slim" and have it set to LPCM as my Pioneer will not decode lossless codecs. I have 0 issues. I briefly had a 2009 model pioneer and set my PS3 to bitstream..again 0 issues. BD's look just as good on the PS3 as any other player. Yes..the Oppo will upconvert better.

IMO...there is no reason why the UMC shouldn't integrate flawlessly with a PS3.

[spursfan]

+1 moodyman.

Its not like the PS3 is a niche product or just came out. I've had one since launch and never had a problem integrating it into my HT. Seems to me if you come to market with a receiver/pre-pro today, you might want to make sure it plays nice with one of the (if not THE) most accepted blu-ray players available. I wouldn't be surprised if there are more ps3 used as blu- ray players than there are Oppo BDP at the moment. Not to mention that even today, the PS3 is still one of the better blu-ray players....not the best anymore but definitely better than 80-90% of the players out there.

Just weird that its even a discussion.

edit- Just wanted to add that I am currently in the market for an Oppo....so I am not entirely opposed to your line of thinking...just that excusing the current problems between the UMC and the PS3 simply because the PS3 is NOT a dedicated player seems like rationalizing. Its been on the market for a long time and in large enough #s that there is no valid reason for the problems.

[vincedog3]

interesting incite on the PS-3. Now the big thing coming up for the next PS-3 Platform, what will Sony use for processors since the IBM sourced Cel Processors will no longer be available. Would it be Intel, AMD, Cirrus, T.I.,who I wonder??

[RuggSkins]

PS3 -

IMHO - the PS3 is a very powerful and capable media source. It may not be the best at everything that it does... but it does many things well.

It is a jack of all trades so to speak. In my system, the PS3:
Plays DVDs that I receive from Neflix and does a pretty good job of upscaling (the majority of my DVDs are in my Sony DVP-CX777ES)
It plays movies that I've ripped/backed-up to my server.
It plays Music that I've ripped/backed-up to my server.
It has a pretty cool photo display capability (from pictures stored on the server)
It has Internet Access and a browser that is helpful in researching/resolving trivia discussion questions or finding and playing things we want to see from You Tube
It has a Netflix interface disc that allows me to stream movies from the Netflix network
... and it plays games when I rarely want to do that


Do you know if any other media sources that will do all this... and plays Blue Ray Disks?

[oneliterpeter]

I have both an Xbox 360 and a PS3...

Is the PS3 a better gaming platform?
No it isn't... Gamespot and IGN did side by side test and found that to their surprise... the Xbox had better video.
Is the PS3 better at streaming media from your home pc?
Not really. My PS3 skips when playing songs and a lot of the videos I have just won't play at all. With the xbox... I have not problems with either.
Is the PS3 better for online movies like NetFlix?
Not really... With the xbox I just navigate over to Netflix and select a movie or show from the categorized list or from my Netflix cue. No extra disks required.
Is the PS3 a good BluRay player?
Yes. I think it is. At the very least it's good enough and I've never had an issue with any movie.

So In my humble opinion... The PS3 does play games well, it doesn't stream media very well and it serves as a decent Bluray player. With the exception of Blueray... The xbox is a better system hands down.

ps... The PS3 does have a really nice UI though and I wish the xbox was as elegant as the PS3.

[roadrunner]

I have taken a look at the PS3 for use in my HT system. Both of my sons own the Sony product and I have viewed them in my system. The biggest reason I don't own one is because they are "noisy". I can easily hear their noise from a distance of 10 to 15 feet and they prove to be too big a distraction for watching movies or listening to music.

I would not own any separate that produced the extraneous noise that the PS3 does. If I ever buy a Sony PS3 it will be strictly for game playing. I will not accept such an audible noise in a component simply because it can serve as a multi-functional device -- even if it interfaced perfectly with the UMC-1.

[ratmice]

The slim PS3 in my setup is silent. The fat ones had various fan issues.

[ntrain42]

Mar 19, 2010 14:27:12 GMT -5 oneliterpeter said:

I have both an Xbox 360 and a PS3...

Is the PS3 a better gaming platform?
No it isn't... Gamespot and IGN did side by side test and found that to their surprise... the Xbox had better video.
Is the PS3 better at streaming media from your home pc?
Not really. My PS3 skips when playing songs and a lot of the videos I have just won't play at all. With the xbox... I have not problems with either.
Is the PS3 better for online movies like NetFlix?
Not really... With the xbox I just navigate over to Netflix and select a movie or show from the categorized list or from my Netflix cue. No extra disks required.
Is the PS3 a good BluRay player?
Yes. I think it is. At the very least it's good enough and I've never had an issue with any movie.

So In my humble opinion... The PS3 does play games well, it doesn't stream media very well and it serves as a decent Bluray player. With the exception of Blueray... The xbox is a better system hands down.

ps... The PS3 does have a really nice UI though and I wish the xbox was as elegant as the PS3.

The Xbox has better graphics on it for games designed specifically for that(360)platform that are eventually(or simultaneously)ported to the PS3. THe xbox is literally a PC computer and its easier to program for. The PS3 though is a more powerful game platform, and games designed for it specifically and then ported over to the 360 have shown the PS3 to be superior(Final Fantasy is an excellent example). EIther way though, games on both platforms look just fine and the graphical differences shown between them on the game sites show that ppl are literally just splitting hairs between them. The PS3 as a Blu ray player looks every bit as every other Blu ray player I have tested without question when the source and display are calibrated properly. Again people who think one BD player looks better than the other are literally splitting hairs in reality.

[NorthStar]

Mar 19, 2010 11:01:35 GMT -5 @vincedog3 said:

interesting incite on the PS-3. Now the big thing coming up for the next PS-3 Platform, what will Sony use for processors since the IBM sourced Cel Processors will no longer be available. Would it be Intel, AMD, Cirrus, T.I.,who I wonder??

Microsoft.

[harri009]

Well I can say my Ps3 is being used as a movie server with an external hard drive with over 500 movies on it, blu-ray for the movies I really like. And I have never had one issue with mine since its launch, nor any integration issues through my pioneer receiver.

[moodyman]

Mar 19, 2010 16:47:34 GMT -5 roadrunner said:

I have taken a look at the PS3 for use in my HT system. Both of my sons own the Sony product and I have viewed them in my system. The biggest reason I don't own one is because they are "noisy". I can easily hear their noise from a distance of 10 to 15 feet and they prove to be too big a distraction for watching movies or listening to music.

I would not own any separate that produced the extraneous noise that the PS3 does. If I ever buy a Sony PS3 it will be strictly for game playing. I will not accept such an audible noise in a component simply because it can serve as a multi-functional device -- even if it interfaced perfectly with the UMC-1.

My PS3 "slim" is silent. In fact the fans in my TV and the transformer hum in my XPA-2 and XPA-3 are louder.

[cawgijoe]

I have both a PS3 and a BDP-S350 (which I won) hooked up to my HT system. They both produce excellent PQ and the fat PS3 60gb I own is silent enough since we sit more than eight feet away. I tend to use the 350 just because it bitstreams the latest codecs and I can see them on my receiver, but I can't tell any difference in sound quality.

For those just doing blu-ray, I would probably recommend a dedicated blu-ray player these days, but for someone who wants gaming and all the other things a PS3 can do and will probably do in the future.....3D for example.......the PS3 is still highly recommended by me whether you have an HT or not.

[bootman]

Can't the same be said for HTPCs and Media servers?
Should those users should also look elsewhere?
That is a lot to leave on the table as far as potential customers.
You just can't ignore that constantly growing market segment.
As much as I hate to say it, the days of physical media are numbered.
(I just pray audiophile quality finds a way to survive)

The only thing to do is to make the UMC more compatible to your customer base.
Doing otherwise will just drive them away. Quickly.

[glock3540]

I now have both and am pleased with the PS3 and my new OPPO.
I think MAYBE the BPP-83 has SLIGHTLY better PQ than the PS3 but the video quality on
SD-DVD's is hands down better than the PS3.
I have the older model (80gig) and may upgrade to the slim. The PS3 has always worked perfectly. Zero Issues. You can hear the fan if you put your ear up close to it but not from more than 3 to 4 ft away. It has been an amazing machine. I'm looking foward to when
I can update it (I hope) to 3D.

I love my 4810 and it has worked perfectly with the PS3, my HD-DVD player as well as my new OPPO. The most surprising thing about the 4810 is the QUALITY of it's sound.
It is dead silent as far a backgound noise and it sounds so realistic. In 11.1/3 you will jump in your seat when watching some movies. LOL!
But it's music playback is what really surprised me. So Lifelike, it almost brings tears to your eyes sometimes.

As always, My emo amps sound great as well as my ERC-1! (I'm dropping off my ERC-1
at Emotiva one day this week. For some reason it will not eject CD's now. I talked to
Nick and he told be to leave it unplugged for a few hours and then try it. I did this several times but no improvement. Hopefully they can repair it quickly. I really like this CD player...

Sorry to chase rabbits. Bottom line is I love my PS3 and I think it makes a pretty good stand alone HT unit. Maybe not the best at anything but pretty good at everything. Kind of reminds me of a Honda Accord in that respect.

God Bless,
Brian/Nash

P.S. I sure wish Emotiva would come out with a "Do It All" Pre Pro. I would gladly pay 2000+ for it. I paid almost 2600+ for my 4810 and I only use 4 of it's internal amps (for heights and wides) so I'm basicly I'm using it only as a pre pro now. I know I'm in the minority here but I wanted all of the new PLZ2 and DSX formats. No Matter, I am very pleased with my system and for the moment at least, I have no desire for anything else. The only thing on the horizon is I plan to upgrade my TV to one of the upcoming Sony or Samsung 3D models. Then I may need to upgrade to the new HDMI 1.4. Man this AV stuff can be kind of expensive! (at least to a normal working man like myself. LOL!)