Blu-ray PC Drive

[marsilians]

To add to your question, I would also like to know whether PS3 is region free for DVD...If yes, then Ps3 becomes an excellent choice @ 23K against an oppo (around 15K, i just came to know its cost) or any other DVD player.

PS3 is not region free for standard DVDs though a firmware with a mod has been promised by Sony.

for BR titles, a vast majority of them are region free in the sense that Jap and US BRs belong to the same region. So essentially the disks belong to a single region.

For games they are region free but in my view, a majority of HT system use them less for games than other things.

So Oppo is still a viable option for playing region free DVDs. However the PS3s drives can store any kind of video file that a XP operating system supports and this is what makes it that much attractive as a media center player (high def audio + upscaling video).

 

[venkatcr]

Perhaps a little off the context (anyway much deviated from the original thread post!!), but how is the performance of PS3 as a SD DVD player / upscaling, let us say, compared to Oppo or even budget DVD players like Philips 5996.

Sometime ago, I purchased a original copy of Blade II from a shop here in Chennai. As I was watching the movie, I realized there was a scene where the movie halts, skips for a few seconds, and comes to a stop. I took the DVD back to the shop, and to confirm what I said, he played it on a PS3 connected to a 20 inch monitor. I must say I was shocked. The picture quality was pathetic compared to my own Pioneer 585.

Mind you what I say must be qualified. Not the ideal viewing conditions -

• too much ambient light
• not sure whether the monitor was apt for display
• not sure what cables the shop had used
  
  At the same time, if I were buying a PS3 for just movies, I will double check the quality of the output in an ideal environment with a good TV.
  
  Cheers

 

[Gurudristi]

so friends,
if I have a decent upscaling AVR like the ones we discussed then, I have the following alternatives for the purchase of DVDp

I can go in for an standard oppo at 18 K or the high end oppo 983 at 42K, which all have praised.

Alternatively, I can have the go with the following combination:

1). A standard good DVDp like the pioneer 410/510/610 for around 6K.
2). A Sony PS 3 for Blu Ray and games as well as for a standby DVD player plus a media centre for 23K.
Total : under 30K.

What say?

 

[venkatcr]

What say?

Guru:

You say you are not majorly into gaming, so why look at the PS3 at all?

Regarding DVD and Blu-Ray players, getting BD discs freely in India is yet 12 to 18 months away. So unless you have spare cash, I do not see the value of spending money on a player that is more than 20K. I can take a bet that BD Players will be available at 15 to 20K by end of this year, and that will the time to buy them, not now.

There is certain redundancy in what I am proposing. But look at it this way. You today spend 7,000 on a Pioneer 610 that gives you full 1080P upscaling. You enjoy your DVDs for about a year. When BD discs start becoming easily available, buy a BD Player at say 10K to 20K. So for less than 30K you not only enjoy your movies continuously, you also end up owning two players for which you have paid reasonable costs, and not some exorbitant costs like a first day first show.

The Oppo 983 at 42K is just not worth it. You can buy a really good Denon, Yamaha, Onkyo, or a CA player at much less and get equally good pictures. And you can spend the rest of the money on a good AVR that will give you all the bells and whistles you are looking for.

Even Oppo's BD83 player does not have any VFM unless you pay less than 25K. I expect it will be sold in India at around 45 to 50K. At that price it has no value at all. You are just giving away nearly 50% of the price you paid to middlemen, customs, and transportation.

Of course if you are interested in gaming, all the rules change.

Cheers

 

[Gurudristi]

Dear Venkat,
Thanks a lot for simplyfing things,

So the real mantra here is
Dont be impatient.....wait for another 12 months or so..... and that's what I am gonna do..