[quote name='Ruined']That link is only for a small part of the overall picture. Yes the PS3 is fast, but other players eclipse it in A/V quality and other areas, and many will value things such as A/V quality over speed. In my case I'd easily take a player that looks better over one that is faster, though others may differ there. Using that link would be like buying a car by only looking at its 0-60 performance and absolutely nothing else.
In terms of DVD upconversion, the PS3 fails every single one of the Secrets of HT/Hifi DVD upconversion benchmarks. The new Panasonic/Sony players do well on the HQV DVD benchmarks and the new Pioneer actually manages to best the Silicon Optix Reon processor in said test and in real life material using its new v1.17 firmware (I have both). The PS3 simply can't compete with some of the new standalones in DVD upconversion.
As for Blu-ray disc, 1080p24 output differs slightly between units, but there is a difference. Right now the Pioneer BDP-51FD offers the most clean & accurate output out of all the Blu-ray players out there when its colorspace is set to 4:2:2 & professional mode. However, when you throw 1080i60 Blu-ray discs such as Nine Inch Nails, Galapagos, UFC, etc into the mix players wildly differ. The PS3 fails completely here as it has no ability whatsoever to deinterlace 1080i to 1080p. The new Sony/Panasonic players do a good job here, though not quite as sharp as the Pioneer.
In terms of audio quality, all of the new standalones can bitstream nextgen codecs unlike the PS3, and even at its $220 price the Panasonic BD35 can decode TrueHD & DTS-MA. The Pioneer has fantastic analog output quality with its Wolfsen DACs so if you run a stereo music analog bypass with your home theater system, the 51FD serves as a fantastic analog optical player. Or, if you need analog 7.1 you are not going to top the Pioneer. PS3 can't bitstream, has no analog multichannel outputs, and its analog stereo outputs are low fidelity.
In other words, standalones have begun to bypass the PS3 in the all-important A/V quality field. The Panasonic BD35 is just a tad slower than the PS3, costs half the price, and offers better A/V quality & more features. The Pioneer rules the roost in terms of A/V quality but you sacrifice speed and a bit of user-friendliness in exchange for that maximum A/V quality potential.[/quote]
Interested in tech stuff, so any links to info above would be cool. Can you cite where you get this info from throughout your post. Specifically your info--
As for Blu-ray disc, 1080p24 output differs slightly between units, but there is a difference. Right now the Pioneer BDP-51FD offers the most clean & accurate output out of all the Blu-ray players out there when its colorspace is set to 4:2:2 & professional mode. However, when you throw 1080i60 Blu-ray discs such as Nine Inch Nails, Galapagos, UFC, etc into the mix players wildly differ. The PS3 fails completely here as it has no ability whatsoever to deinterlace 1080i to 1080p. The new Sony/Panasonic players do a good job here, though not quite as sharp as the Pioneer.
FYI--- the ps3 no longer only converts the audio signal to Linear PCM and as of a few months ago does bitstream Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD.
I am not debating that the ps3 is a better player, but it is a good deal if you also play games, ect. Any more info on the above would be great. Thanks.
