Thinking of making the leap to Blu Ray, Is the First run PS3 still the best player or have other cheaper better ones come around?
No, the newest PS3 is technically best for Blurays, when compared to the older one, something about audio decoding which I doubt youll use but still. Nice blu-ray players start around 170-200$, and go up from there, so really the PS3 is still one of the better values all-around anyway.
The PS3 is one of the fastest loading BD players when it comes to movies, but it is no longer the one with the best PQ. Dedicated players are better at that. That said, the average user won't notice. -hl718
Its not even the fastest loading either, but on both fronts, its still pretty damn great, and as you said, most wont notice (even 'above-average' users, if they don't have great, calibrated TVs).
I have a LG BD370 hooked up to a 42" fullhd tv, the image quality is great for how cheap the player is (it came as a bundle with my lcd tv). What I like the most about it is that it can play mkv and mp4 files from a dvd or a usb drive (it only accepts FAT32 devices though). Here's a review http://reviews.cnet.com/dvd-players/lg-bd370/4505-6473_7-33485559.html
Not the best PQ? It's a digital signal (if you're using HDMI) coming out of a digital device playing a digitally formatted disc. Since there's no room for signal loss, I don't see how the picture quality could differ from one player to another, just from TV to TV - unless I'm missing something.
Not every decoder is made the same. For a lower tech (but blindingly obvious) comparison, take a look at some el cheapo VCD player out of China. Now compare its output to that of a VCD played in the Sega Saturn. If every player used the exact same components and worked in the exact same colorspace and used exactly the same connection, you'd be right. But they don't. -hl718
Yeah, I'd just get the new model PS3 if you don't have a PS3 yet. No point in paying like $100 less for a plain BD player.
Well, I also want to install linux on my PS3 which I can't do with the New model. Plus the new PS3 is UGLY and all the card ports on the launch PS3 means I can put movies from my computer on a card and watch them on the PS3
Don't express those opinions of any AV forums or you'll spend the next 4 or 5 weeks knee deep in statistics, screenshots and fanboy claims and counter claims. However, I kind of agree. I have 50 HD DVDs and 4 Blu Ray films and frankly, although I notice clear visual advantages, I couldn't care less because I am not entirely bothered. I also rarely need 6 additional hours of extras. Once you get very good quality, excellent quality and even incredible quality you are satisfied. I also suspect a lot of people feel precisely the same as sales are hardly stunning.
You can still watch movies off of a card, you just need a USB adapter for it. I have a little one that looks like a flash drive. Also, from what I've heard, Linux on PS3 is pretty limited anyway.
The slimline PS3 is quieter and more power-efficient than the original PS3, particularly the 90nm launch console. Mainly I love how quiet it is, compared to, say, a 360, while watching movies.
