PS3 now officially a kick ass unit

[Boz]

Well.. I'm really happy with Sony and the new PS3.

Officially PS3 slim will have bitstreaming capability to your AV Reciever. For those who don't know what this means I'll explain. This means that PS3 now has passthrough capability for HD audio from Blu-ray discs. This is huge because now if you have a higher end AVR unit, PS3 will pass the HD signal untouched and let your AVR decode and you will see the TrueHD, DTS-MA etc light up on your receiver.

Now with great HD audio and video capabilities with streaming and PS3 Media Server, Blu-ray player and direct bitstreaming the PS3 has become truly a great machine at an affordable $299.

Unless Microsoft drop the price on their Xbox 360 models in a significant amount PS3 might be gaining ground in a much more positive light due to these things.

I have a 60gb version and I think that I'll finally get a slim PS3 to replace my stuff in home theater. With PlayOn, PS3 Media Server, Windows Media Center connectivity and Blu-ray at a new price is really admirable machine.

Sony has finally woke up and given us great price and added much needed features like bitstreaming. I have no need for any other Blu-ray player now.

Great stuff.

More about bitstreaming capability:

http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=a...%3Fref%3Dhl_rss

[Coldgunner]

You're happy with a Sony product boz?

/me faints

:p

[Boz]

You're happy with a Sony product boz?

/me faints

:p

Of course.. that's what I've been trying to explain you guys.. I support things that are great, that allow consumer more choice and are priced right.

PS3 right now hits all of these. They've been kicked in the butt and now we've gotten a superb machine at very affordable price considering what it all packs.

There is zero reason now to buy anything else. PS3 officially has everything. It's a true HD home entertainment powerhouse.

Btw I am very happy with my Sony HW10 1080p projector too :)

Edited August 21, 2009 by Boz

[gdodson]

I may have to get one of these as a primary Blu-ray player. The question is, when compared to the fat PS3's PCM quality, is the bitstreaming DTS-HD etc going to be worth purchasing the new PS3? I've already got the 80GB model with b/c.

[DELTETHISACCOUNT]

Everything but a reasonably priced piece of plastic stand. That's the main thing that's going to irritate me when I buy this damn machine.

This means that PS3 now has passthrough capability for HD audio from Blu-ray discs. This is huge because now if you have a higher end AVR unit, PS3 will pass the HD signal untouched and let your AVR decode and you will see the TrueHD, DTS-MA etc light up on your receiver.

So... exactly how unique is this feature when it comes to standard Blu-Ray players today? Is it found only in higher end models?

[Boz]

I may have to get one of these as a primary Blu-Ray player. The question is, when compared to the fat PS3's PCM quality, is the bitstreaming DTS-HD etc going to be worth purchasing the new PS3? I've already got the 80GB model with b/c.

yes! The reason is that you let your reciever decode. This is huge because I don't like software conversion which "fatty" has been doing. I could clearly hear a better sound reproduction coming from my standalone Blu-ray player that bitstreams HD audio to the receiver for several reasons.

Let me put it a simpler terms. When a blu-ray player passes the untouched HD audio (be it TrueHD, DTS-MA) if you AVR unit is higher quality like Denon or higher end Onkyos/Integra or Yamaha or even Sony ES series or whatever, the chips for decoding audio are much higher quality. But the chip itself might not be the sole reason you might hear a difference (many people don't). The advantage of having AVR decode HD audio is because when it is passed untouched the AVR units have specific filters and other advantages that make the sound better. Dialog normalization and other things that only work through a bitstream and when you pass LPCM stream you lose that ability.

Now officially you have that support with PS3. It is debatable depending on your audio setup whether or not you will indeed hear the difference but for some people who have higher end stuff (which you might get later) definitely benefits from it.

Everything but a reasonably priced piece of plastic stand. That's the main thing that's going to irritate me when I buy this damn machine.

So... exactly how unique is this feature when it comes to standard Blu-Ray players today? Is it found only in higher end models?

Bitstream of HD audio on regular standalone players currently on the market is standard. Most of them bitstream to AVR. Even the lower end ones like Samsung BD1500 that you can find cheap do that. Don't know about Vizio and Magnavox or whatever. I don't think they would have that but they might.

The advantage of PS3 having this now is significant because PS3 has a LOT more features now and it is definitely the only piece of home theater equipment you need besides a good AVR and speaker setup. You can do pretty much anything now and get excellent quality. And all that for $299 which is the price of a bit better Blu-ray player alone.

[Tech Star]

http://www.engadgethd.com/2009/08/21/ps3-s...-audio-at-last/

Slowly, ever so slowly we're beginning to learn about the internal differences between Sony's new PS3 Slim and its chubby ancestry. We already knew that it supported BraviaLink while talk of "faster gaming" was introduced (suspiciously) yesterday; something that remains very much in doubt until we can confirm. Now we hear that the fatboy gone slim will bitstream Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio direct to your receiver. Hear that audio nerds? Bitstream. See the HDMI chip on previous generations of the PS3 couldn't bitstream the new(ish) high def codecs like Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA. As such, the PS3 had to decode it internally before sending it over to your receiver via LPCM. A process that could garble the lossless audio depending on your setup. Even though the vast majority of people will never notice the difference (or even care), PS3 Slim owners can still kick back in smug satisfaction each time the TrueHD or DTS-HD MA indicators light-up on their receivers.

I am glad that the Slim will be having this feature, my home theater system is going to rock with this. I posted this as a follow up to your link. :p

[Boz]

The real question though now might be, are we going to be able to stream our BD backup rips as M2TS with HD audio directly to PS3 so that signal gets passed through to AVR.

This would be majestic! Full quality rips of Blu-ray discs with no need to extract DTS core or mux or transcode.

Can't wait to try and see if this will work when I get the slim on Sept. 1st.

[Vice]

[...] PS3 will pass the HD signal untouched and let your AVR decode and you will see the TrueHD, DTS-MA etc light up on your receiver. [...]

yay... :woot:

And yet the PS3 still lacks an Infrared Port for 99.9% of Universal Remotes on the market which any serious movie enthusiast will own.

The PS3 is still a lacklustre product in every regard. It is a jack of all trades and master of none. The Wii and 360 beat it on Games, individual Bluray players beat it on Bluray playback. HTPC's with Boxee/XBMC beat it on Media Streaming. It's like having an alarm clock with a toaster built in. (I bet someone somewhere has made that too)

[+Anarkii Subscriber²]

Apart from the lack of sony exclusive games, the PS3 does everything I want it to. And does it well. Im more than happy with it :)

[HawkMan]

Well.. I'm really happy with Sony and the new PS3.

Officially PS3 slim will have bitstreaming capability to your AV Reciever. For those who don't know what this means I'll explain. This means that PS3 now has passthrough capability for HD audio from Blu-ray discs. This is huge because now if you have a higher end AVR unit, PS3 will pass the HD signal untouched and let your AVR decode and you will see the TrueHD, DTS-MA etc light up on your receiver.

Now with great HD audio and video capabilities with streaming and PS3 Media Server, Blu-ray player and direct bitstreaming the PS3 has become truly a great machine at an affordable $299.

Unless Microsoft drop the price on their Xbox 360 models in a significant amount PS3 might be gaining ground in a much more positive light due to these things.

I have a 60gb version and I think that I'll finally get a slim PS3 to replace my stuff in home theater. With PlayOn, PS3 Media Server, Windows Media Center connectivity and Blu-ray at a new price is really admirable machine.

Sony has finally woke up and given us great price and added much needed features like bitstreaming. I have no need for any other Blu-ray player now.

Great stuff.

More about bitstreaming capability:

http://translate.google.com/translate?sl=a...%3Fref%3Dhl_rss

I don't think MS is to worried. the only thing challenging them is the price, and they already have the arcade model which is their major seller. And MS has a lot to go on on the price yet, While sony haven't been able to reduce the price until now.

The small minority who actually care for bitstreaming, they either already have a PS3 and won't really count as a new user/sale if they upgrade. And those who don't and do buy it because of this are so few it really doesn't add up to anything. Even less when more and more users are starting to use digital distribution, with MS releasing Zune movies in Europe and Sony opening op digital movie distribution on PSN in europe as well.

If anything, what will sell PS3's now is that it no longer look like a BBQ or Toaster :p

Still good noews for those of us with good home cinema setups, even if you'll never actually hear a difference ;)

[Boz]

yay... :woot:

And yet the PS3 still lacks an Infrared Port for 99.9% of Universal Remotes on the market which any serious movie enthusiast will own.

The PS3 is still a lacklustre product in every regard. It is a jack of all trades and master of none. The Wii and 360 beat it on Games, individual Bluray players beat it on Bluray playback. HTPC's with Boxee/XBMC beat it on Media Streaming. It's like having an alarm clock with a toaster built in. (I bet someone somewhere has made that too)

I would disagree.. Streaming is now great on PS3 with PS3 Media Server, PlayOn and so on. It has even more codec support than Xbox and it supports HD audio unlike Xbox for example.

With bitstreaming there's nothing that PS3 can't do that a good Blu-ray does plus PS3 is much more powerful machine and faster.

As for infrared port it is true, but I just get this cause I want it to work great with my Harmony remote: http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/remotes/...32&cl=us,en

Sure it's 60 bucks but it's so worth it. For those who want a remote their $20 Sony remote is not a bad one by any means.

Let's face it though, PS3 will and remain an enthusiast unit. It is too complex for an average person to take advantage of all capabilities. For these people I agree cheap Blu-ray players are a much better solution.

Can't disagree on games though. That's why it is definitely better to have Xbox 360 for games and mostly because for gaming and social experience and multiplayer Xbox 360 is still the only one on the market that gives the best solution.

But now at $299, I'm definitely saying that PS3 will be the only thing I need in my home theater for streaming, Blu-ray and not be ticked off by lack of proper TrueHD/DTS-HD decoding by my receiver I paid quite a bit of money.

[Vice]

I would disagree.. Streaming is now great on PS3 with PS3 Media Server, PlayOn and so on. It has even more codec support than Xbox and it supports HD audio unlike Xbox for example.

With bitstreaming there's nothing that PS3 can't do that a good Blu-ray does plus PS3 is much more powerful machine and faster.

As for infrared port it is true, but I just get this cause I want it to work great with my Harmony remote: http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/remotes/...32&cl=us,en

Sure it's 60 bucks but it's so worth it. For those who want a remote their $20 Sony remote is not a bad one by any means.

Let's face it though, PS3 will and remain an enthusiast unit. It is too complex for an average person to take advantage of all capabilities. For these people I agree cheap Blu-ray players are a much better solution.

Can't disagree on games though. That's why it is definitely better to have Xbox 360 for games and mostly because for gaming and social experience and multiplayer Xbox 360 is still the only one on the market that gives the best solution.

But now at $299, I'm definitely saying that PS3 will be the only thing I need in my home theater for streaming, Blu-ray and not be ticked off by lack of proper TrueHD/DTS-HD decoding by my receiver I paid quite a bit of money.

The Media Streaming experience on the PS3 is pretty poor because of the Interface. Boxee and XBMC run circles around it for anyone with a meaningful (over 100 Video file) library. And I think the Infrared thing is a joke beyond belief for this thing there is no way I'm going to pay 60 bucks to get infrared on just one device for my Harmony One. The entire reason I paid the premium for the remote in the first place is that it drives all my other devices. And the amount I paid for mine means that this Infrared attachment is 3/4th the cost of the remote itself (Which is just crazy).

I would argue that not even an Enthusiast who is serious about Bluray would waste their time on this device. Sony sell much better equipment for Bluray playback including media streaming capability. And yes they all include Infrared (wonder why?). Sony need to get real and get serious if they want to continually recommend the console as a total home media solution and not just a Games machine. I believe my Jack of all Trades, Master of None quote above holds true.

I mean just look at it you can't even stack another device on top of the PS3. It tries to hard to be centre stage and the be-all and end-all of everything.

[Boz]

Well can't argue your comments. You are right for the most part. I guess for myself I really don't need anything else at this point.

- I have a library of Blu-ray movies as files (check)

- Can load them from PS3 with nice covers and all that and organize folders through PS3 Media Server (check)

- Fast Blu-ray playback and full BD Live support (check)

- Now bitstreaming HD audio to my great AVR unit (check)

- PlayOn allows me to watch Hulu, Amazon VOD and other stuff through plugins like (Revision3, GameTrailers) - (check)

- Ocassional PS3 exclusive game (check)

I don't really need anything else to be honest. For gaming and multiplayer and social I'm still using Xbox 360 without a doubt as PS3 is probably a year or more away of even properly competing in that area with Microsoft and it's highly questionable if they will ever catch up when next year Natal comes out.

[Vice]

I have the same stuff.

HTPC that I built for ?200 with Boxee

- Infrared port built in fully compatible with my Harmony One remote

- Full Bluray Playback @ 1080p (And HD-DVD!)

- Can watch any streaming video site I want and any that I cannot play I can write my own plug-in in XML in about 5 minutes to support.

- The built in Gigabit and Wireless networking means I have enough connections to get media in from my network at high speed (I can do 1080p Bluray 1:1 copies on this machine)

- And of course I can add in 2 or 3 capture cards to record up to 6 over the air channels at once or I can use a cable card or a satellite card for minimal cost.

I think I'd take my HTPC but only because it does more, lets me change it over time and costs less.

[Boz]

I have the same stuff.

HTPC that I built for ?200 with Boxee

- Infrared port built in fully compatible with my Harmony One remote

- Full Bluray Playback @ 1080p (And HD-DVD!)

- Can watch any streaming video site I want and any that I cannot play I can write my own plug-in in XML in about 5 minutes to support.

- The built in Gigabit and Wireless networking means I have enough connections to get media in from my network at high speed (I can do 1080p Bluray 1:1 copies on this machine)

- And of course I can add in 2 or 3 capture cards to record up to 6 over the air channels at once or I can use a cable card or a satellite card for minimal cost.

I think I'd take my HTPC but only because it does more, lets me change it over time and costs less.

How about the sound? How are you getting it from your HTPC to your reciever as DTS-HD or TrueHD?

As far as I know you can only do that if you buy that ASUS sound card at like $200+ and I've read it's quite flakey.

[Vice]

I don't care about DTS-HD or TrueHD no one on this earth can tell which is better Non-TrueHD or TrueHD. If you did a blind test people would be able to say 'I hear a difference' but they wont be able to say which one sounds better or tell you which one is which only that they can differentiate a different sound and I bet a lot of people couldn't even tell that. TrueHD and DTS-HD is just some marketing gimmick made up in some ivory tower to get people to purchase more expensive equipment be that the player itself or the amp or the manufacturers of the equipment to buy the rights to use the logo!

It's the same with 13.1 Surround sound. Who needs that?! LOL such a joke.

I have it connected via HDMI from my graphics card in the HTPC (its a passive Sapphire HD 4350) This graphics card contains its own sound chip (It does not use an SP/DIF passthrough from the Motherboard) to supply up-to 7.1 Lpcm Sound through its HDMI port. This card cost ?20 retail.

[Boz]

I don't care about DTS-HD or TrueHD no one on this earth can tell which is better Non-TrueHD or TrueHD. If you did a blind test people would be able to say 'I hear a difference' but they wont be able to say which one sounds better or tell you which one is which only that they can differentiate a different sound and I bet a lot of people couldn't even tell that. TrueHD and DTS-HD is just some marketing gimmick made up in some ivory tower to get people to purchase more expensive equipment be that the player itself or the amp or the manufacturers of the equipment to buy the rights to use the logo!

It's the same with 13.1 Surround sound. Who needs that?! LOL such a joke.

I have it connected via HDMI from my graphics card in the HTPC (its a passive Sapphire HD 4350) This graphics card contains its own sound chip (It does not use an SP/DIF passthrough from the Motherboard) to supply up-to 7.1 Lpcm Sound through its HDMI port. This card cost ?20 retail.

Well that's really debatable what you just said there.

To me there is a significant difference in quality. DTS-MA and TrueHD does sound MUCH better, there is not a single doubt there. I have done blind tests and I can tell every single time. The amount of sound details due to higher bitrate of sound from DTS-MA and TrueHD is quite noticeable to me.

Another thing is that I have a very good AVR unit and I don't want software solutions or some cheap cards to do the conversion for reasons I explained above. Bitstream passthrough is the ONLY way I will get maximum quality. But this is really subjective. Some people indeed won't hear this or appreciate it. I'm definitely in minority, but I say, what the hell, if you have it for $299 EVEN BETTER.

It's a different thing if you have all-in-one sound setup or mediocre speakers, than you'll be fine with Dolby Digital, but unfortunately Dolby Digital or DTS just doesn't cut it anymore.

I would say the difference between DTS-MA and DTS is close and the sound is very close but only if you are using DTS-core from DTS-MA at 1536kbps. But anything other than that doesn't do it for me personally.

It's really another issue whether or not most people need it or will hear a difference, but then again, most people listen to Blu-ray movies through their TV speakers so this point is moot.

The point is that I want to have the highest quality possible and I can't get that with a PC unless I have an ASUS HDMI sound card that has DTS-MA and TrueHD support. That's why I didn't want to go with HTPC.

Features/Quality per buck goes to PS3 now. $299 and does all the HD you can handle is really even not debatable against HTPC + ASUS card that would cost you like $500-$600 + $200+ (Asus). So you'll end up spending $1000 at least to get a solid HTPC. I can equip my whole house with PS3s and have money left over.

Edited August 21, 2009 by Boz

[Belazor]

I don't really need anything else to be honest. For gaming and multiplayer and social I'm still using Xbox 360 without a doubt as PS3 is probably a year or more away of even properly competing in that area with Microsoft and it's highly questionable if they will ever catch up when next year Natal comes out.

Slightly off topic but I disagree with you here, Natal is a gimmick just like the Wii is. It certainly has a "wow" factor, but it's not going to be as immersive. True motion controls has not only superior accuracy but force feedback too, which Sony's motion controllers will have.

So unless Natal comes with electrodes you tape to your brain to simulate force feedback, Sony's controllers will capture the hardcore demographic much more than the 360 has. And we'd be kidding ourselves if we say that the 360 has been the primary catalyst to turning non-gamers into casual gamers. Those that already have a 360 will (and should) buy Natal, but IMO Sony's controllers have the bigger chance of being a system seller due to the fact that, say, an RPG where you have free reign over the sword and board and can actually feel when your shield blocks and sword strikes is a lot more immersive than arm flailing.

Back on topic though: I might need to get a Slim for my future HD setup, especially considering my 60GB Phat is sort of loud :p

[Vice]

Well that's really debatable what you just said there.

To me there is a significant difference in quality. DTS-MA and TrueHD does sound MUCH better, there is not a single doubt there. I have done blind tests and I can tell every single time. The amount of sound details due to higher bitrate of sound from DTS-MA and TrueHD is quite noticeable to me.

It's a different thing if you have all-in-one sound setup or mediocre speakers, than you'll be fine with Dolby Digital, but unfortunately Dolby Digital or DTS just doesn't cut it anymore.

I would say the difference between DTS-MA and DTS is close and the sound is very close but only if you are using DTS-core from DTS-MA at 1536kbps. But anything other than that doesn't do it for me personally.

It's really another issue whether or not most people need it or will hear a difference, but then again, most people listen to Blu-ray movies through their TV speakers so this point is moot.

The point is that I want to have the highest quality possible and I can't get that with a PC unless I have an ASUS HDMI sound card that has DTS-MA and TrueHD support. That's why I didn't want to go with HTPC.

Features/Quality per buck goes to PS3 now. $299 and does all the HD you can handle is really even not debatable against HTPC + ASUS card that would cost you like $500-$600 + $200+ (Asus). So you'll end up spending $1000 at least to get a solid HTPC. I can equip my whole house with PS3s and have money left over for that money.

And yet you'd still need to pay for the Infrared devices and so on. the HTPC setup does not cost $1000 either. There are other sound cards that will do the sort of sound you are talking about. People cannot tell the difference between Tap Water and Bottled Water so I doubt they are going to hear the difference between TrueHD and non-TrueHD sound.

There are even tests on the internet where you can compare an MP3 file to a Lossless file and my friend who considers himself a total audiophile got that wrong. He couldn't tell the difference between them at all and the bitrate was extremely high. In-fact every person I sent it to basically guessed no one could definitively say 'This is the MP3 and this is the Lossless' and when they did say that they were wrong.

[Boz]

And yet you'd still need to pay for the Infrared devices and so on. the HTPC setup does not cost $1000 either. There are other sound cards that will do the sort of sound you are talking about. People cannot tell the difference between Tap Water and Bottled Water so I doubt they are going to hear the difference between TrueHD and non-TrueHD sound.

There are even tests on the internet where you can compare an MP3 file to a Lossless file and my friend who considers himself a total audiophile got that wrong. He couldn't tell the difference between them at all and the bitrate was extremely high. In-fact every person I sent it to basically guessed no one could definitively say 'This is the MP3 and this is the Lossless' and when they did say that they were wrong.

Infrared device is really an option. You don't really need it. If you do have Harmony or don't want another remote you would pay $60 yes. But it's really not a huge deal breaker. What I"m saying I guess is that it's not a necessity.

I really couldn't make a media center that's solid and can decode Blu-ray and all that for under $500-$600 and in a clunky case and all that. It's just not doable and even at that price I'm more inclined to get 2 PS3s now and have access to my main computer via Wifi-N to every room than build passive HTPC. MP3 at 128k/192k vs CD audio is definitely noticeable. Greater clarity and volume is immediately noticeable.

Blind tests as you mention depend on where you play them. If you play it on top of the line Klipsch speakers through higher end AVR you will definitely hear the difference. If you play them on a computer and through mediocre speakers you will not be able to distuingish the difference. So it really depends how you conduct blind tests.

The point is, I'm not arguing here that mainstream will hear a difference. I agree they won't, but that's not the point. Mainstream audience won't build their HTPCs either, so that way of looking at it is kind of invalid too.

I'm just saying, for $299, what you get from PS3 now is top quality that will make even the biggest enthusiasts happy but offer top quality even to those who don't really appreciate it.

[Guest]

It's a very good deal alright seen that it was ?599 at launch:yes:s:

[lnmnky]

@Vice : what's the spec of your PC? Chip and Ram and MB in particular. Thanks.

[Vice]

@Vice : what's the spec of your PC? Chip and Ram and MB in particular. Thanks.

AMD 5200+ X2 CPU, XFX 8300 Motherboard, 2GB DDR2 Memory.

CPU was about ?30 (Inc Fan)

The motherboard was ?40

The memory was ?15

GPU as above was ?20

Bluray Drive was ?40

Case was ?30 (inc 400Watt PSU PSU).

Total: ?175 I already had a Hard Disk but adding that in would take it to ?200. I use a 2.5" 100GB Laptop disk.

[hjf288]

I heard you cant install custom operating systems on ps3 slim anymore? true?