Poll: PS3 or Blu-Ray Player?

[The Shade]

The inevitable is upon us all: Blu-Ray is supplanting DVD. The time is fast approaching (probably some time next week) that I'll be needing a Blu-Ray player. The question is:

Should I buy a regular Blu-Ray player, or should I buy a PS3?

I have an X360 and am pretty in love with that, so I don't know how much gaming I'd get done on the PS3. It would primarily be for watching movies.

Also, living in college at the moment, I don't have my HDTV with me (left it at home), so I'd most likely leave my PS3 at home and only use it when I was home. No one else at home is a gamer, so it would remain there as a Blu-Ray player only. (Probably buy that remote control for it, too, in that case.)

Cost is of course a consideration. There are cheaper Blu-Ray players than the PS3, and there are more expensive ones. (Pioneer, anyone?) Price isn't a HUGE factor for me, but it should definitely be considered.

Lastly, in regards to the consumer treadmill, how soon are DVDs going to be considered obsolete? And how long are Blu-Ray discs going to last? (Not that this is going to influence my buying decision much - just thought it'd be interesting.)




NOTE: Clearly, on a gaming forum, I'm going to see a strong bias in favour of the PS3. (Or against it, depending on brand loyalty.) Hopefully some people will stay objective. >_0

 

[D_987]

DVDS won't become obsolete any time soon. My local Blockbuster has stacks of DVDS and a tiny Blu-ray shelf stacked away at the back.

I suggest you just buy a DVD player. You don't have a HD-TV, and a PS3 would be a waste if its not going to be played.

 

[The Shade]

I have an HDTV when at home, and I watch DVDs on that all the time. But I see what you mean.

 

[Retrofraction]

Blue ray right now is unnessasry for me so I would have to vote for neither.

 

[Esdras]

I voted PS3, there are a couple exclusives that peak my interest enough to justify me picking one up. as for the DvD vs Blu-Ray format, I think DvD's got a little longer in the spotlight. A lot of people do not own a TV capable of showing off the improved definition and until they become more common I'd say DvD's aren't going anywhere

 

[TheBadass]

I have both a PS3 and a 360, and I've gotta say it's awesome not being limited - even if it's just one game - when it comes to choosin' what to play, so go for the big black shiny one.

 

[gamebrain89]

DVDS won't become obsolete any time soon. My local Blockbuster has stacks of DVDS and a tiny Blu-ray shelf stacked away at the back.

I suggest you just buy a DVD player. You don't have a HD-TV, and a PS3 would be a waste if its not going to be played.

I agree, It will be a long, long time before DVD's become obsolete. and since you don't have an HD setup, A blu-ray player would be pointless, as you wouldn't be getting the full definition from the discs. Blu-rays are really a minority market right now, and with a large portion of people unable to tell the difference between blu-ray picture and standard DVD picture, I doubt it ever will take over completely. Your 360 is just fine as a DVD player, so you really don't need to get a blu-ray player. Unless you are using this as an excuse to get a PS3, then, Ahem, Yes, you do need one, get a PS3.

 

[DamienHell]

Well a couple months back, the PS3 made more sense, but now you can get a blu-ray player for ALOT cheaper than a PS3, so just a blu-ray player makes sense now

 

[The Wooster]

If you're determined to choose then the PS3 is a better bet overall. It does have the occasional big exclusive that'll make it worth owning as a console.

That being said if you're not running a HD TV then upgrading to Blu Ray right now is just pissing your money away. Stick with DVD until you've got the screen inches to show off HD.

 

[crimsondynamics]

PS3 by a mile. It is a great Blu-ray player and DVD scaler, and consistently ranked among the best Blu-ray players by AV enthusiast sites. The other benefit is the firmware updates let you update the constantly-moving Blu-ray specs which means you won't be left with an obsolete player anytime soon (most budget Blu-ray players lack the ability to upgrade the firmware).

Obviously, you are a gamer, and *gasp!* you can also play games on a PS3 - talk about added value!

Having said that:
a) you need an HDTV to benefit from Blu-ray's high resolution or you're essentially paying double the price for half the quality
b) either your HDTV needs to be huge (over 50" at a 10-ft viewing distance) or you need to sit close to the HDTV to notice any discernible visual difference
c) frankly, for the price premium over DVDs, if you don't meet criterias a and b, you're just wasting money
d) upscaled DVDs look great too; unless you are a videophile chances are Blu-ray will be a bit of a letdown

 

[kapzer]

Have you seen the prices of any decent blu ray players? Dude, seriously, PS3. You won't regret it. Cause you get a console aswell as your player. It's basically a console that is a free blu ray player, you're getting a bargain if you look at it that way

 

[Snotnarok]

I'm going to have to say PS3, I've had mine for a while and I've had no issues with it failing or whatever, plus the price is so similar to a standalone yet you get a lot more stuff (photo viewer, internet browser etc.).
I wound up buying one for my dad and he's very happy with it. The only thing that might bug you is it puts out a lot of heat, so it should be put somewhere with good venting.

 

[kapzer]

I'm going to have to say PS3, I've had mine for a while and I've had no issues with it failing or whatever, plus the price is so similar to a standalone yet you get a lot more stuff (photo viewer, internet browser etc.).
I wound up buying one for my dad and he's very happy with it. The only thing that might bug you is it puts out a lot of heat, so it should be put somewhere with good venting.

Another benefit! makes another heater in winter!

 

[y8c616]

i think bluray discs on players are too expensive for consumers to be convinced to buy them over dvd. Bluray's best use is ps3 games, and the clear advantage they bring to said platform's games

 

[Aardvark]

The PS3 is currently the best blu-ray player for cost, reliability and features. Don't forget that it's an awesome media hub to boot.

 

[dcheppy]

Blu-ray is pretty awesome. It is. Expensive, but if its something you want than go PS3.
you know you're gonna play games on it, because you can. It also turns your HDTV in a super easy display for slideshows. Firmware updates mean you're getting a constantly updated blu-ray player. Hard drive allows you to download/rent movies from PSN in HD or SD. Also PS3 will become your console of choice for a lot of mulitplatform games, especially fighters for superior controls. Also PSN doesn't have a policy of charging you for DLC. (doesn't stop sony from charging 2 bucks for a sackboy costume.) Plus if you own any PS2 games you can replace that old PS2 in your entertainment set up.

 

[crimsondynamics]

The PS3 is currently the best blu-ray player for cost, reliability and features. Don't forget that it's an awesome media hub to boot.

I think it's acceptable as a media hub, but awesome?

It can't even play VCDs, not even after I rename the files from .dat to .mpeg, which is supposedly supported by the PS3. Furthermore, the PS3 is very picky about folder structure - you must keep videos in the VIDEO folder (with caps, no less) or it simply won't detect the media.

In contrast, my DVD player has USB and SD slots and it will automatically detect even Xvid or Divx v6 and doesn't care about folder structures in the least.

The worst however is the DVD region lock on the PS3. I live in a country where movies come in from all parts of the world, so I have discs from different regions. As such I can only play 1/3 of my DVD collection with the PS3. It's also the reason why my DVD player is still connected to the living room set, since it's region-free.

 

[Eipok Kruden]

There are blu-ray players that are a lot cheaper than the PS3, but they will become obsolete fast. The PS3 is updated regularly with new features and better compatibility, it also has much higher performance than other blu-ray players. The PS3 will last as long as blu-rays are in use since its software is being updated so often while other blu-ray players will still be stuck with the same features they came with.

 

[Rezfon]

What ever is cheaper at that time, however consider that cheap might always mean good quality. I was thinking of getting a PS3 when Blu-Ray films get away from the ridiculous £30 price tag for most bad films and more for better ones.