Using PS3 to watch DVDs

bobby1413 · 04-01-2009, 5:31 AM

I have no DVD player, and just bought a 42" Panasonic plasma (HD ready) yesterday.

Do you think it's OK to buy a PS3 and use it for playing back DVDs rather than a standalone DVD player? Or are their drawbacks to this?

xx Studawg xx · 04-01-2009, 7:34 AM

There are no drawbacks... The ps3 is decent for dvd playback, it will also upscale the dvd to 1080p using the HDMI cable...

philofcas · 04-01-2009, 7:58 AM

would 2nd that, played only one film on our sons and i was pretty impressed, far far better than the cheapo ones sold at supermarkets

mr gadget · 04-01-2009, 8:01 AM

the ps3 upscales dvds very well. i do not think that you need a seperate dvd player unless it a high end denon.

SHATNERSTACTIC · 04-01-2009, 9:20 AM

The ps3 will upscale dvd's reasonably well the only draw back is that it runs a fair bit noisier than a standalone player. This isn't an issue with sound set at a normal level but could be at low level.

oxfordyankee · 04-01-2009, 9:24 AM

I'd be very surprised if you had any issues with the quality of the DVD play back of the PS3. I used mine for the same purpose until recently.

Two issues you may experience:

1. You cannot use it to play DVD discs that are encoded with a different region code to that of your player. I had a large collection of Region 1 discs that went unwatched for some time.

2. The PS3 uses bluetooth as its communication protocol for remote controls. This is only a problem if you plan to use a learning remote control for your own set-up as they don't normally include bluetooth as a method of control.

Cheers

Nick

RB211 · 04-01-2009, 9:40 AM

And don't forget more importantly the PS3 plays blu ray discs. Get a few films on this format and really enjoy your new Panasonic HD TV!

Pincho Paxton · 04-01-2009, 10:05 AM

I have the PS3, and a fairly decent Upscaling DVD Player... I always use the PS3 to watch DVD's, because it blows the socks off the DVD player. It's hard to believe that there are Upscalers that can actually beat the PS3, because I imagine anything better to look like a Blu Ray.

Johnboy_1975 · 04-01-2009, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobby1413

I have no DVD player, and just bought a 42" Panasonic plasma (HD ready) yesterday.

Do you think it's OK to buy a PS3 and use it for playing back DVDs rather than a standalone DVD player? Or are their drawbacks to this?

I think the OP might be refering to shortened life of the PS3 as a drawback? I would like to know if this is an issue, common sense tells me if I use the DVD drive for 1 hr a day 5 days a week it is going to last longer than if it is used for 6 hrs a day every day.

Pincho Paxton · 04-01-2009, 10:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johnboy_1975

I think the OP might be refering to shortened life of the PS3 as a drawback? I would like to know if this is an issue, common sense tells me if I use the DVD drive for 1 hr a day 5 days a week it is going to last longer than if it is used for 6 hrs a day every day.

Psychic?

The Drive should be Ok when using the Red Laser for long periods of time, it's the Blu Laser that has a much shorter life span.

Uridium · 04-01-2009, 10:14 AM

I still use a standalone DVD player (A Toshiba SD370E) for several reasons

Quiet running was one of the main reasons for using a standalone (Mainly as the PS3 does not have dedicated upscaling hardware the Cell works hard during upscaling so it is pretty noisy when upscaling)

The SD370E upscales as well as the PS3 and it's silent. Cost me £35 from Superfi.

Multiregion playback isn't an option with the PS3 and i can also use my Logitech Harmony remote with my DVD player. Yes i know i could by IR2BT for the Ps3 but haven't got round to it yet.

Some of the earlier PS3's are seeing the odd BR-ROM failures now so saving the drive for only BR playback can only extend the life of the drive IMO as well.

Johnboy_1975 · 04-01-2009, 10:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pincho Paxton

Psychic?

The Drive should be Ok when using the Red Laser for long periods of time, it's the Blu Laser that has a much shorter life span.

How short? And is it easily/cheaply replaced? Are we talking about a hpothetical situation where my PS3 won't play games or BR but will play DVDs fine?

*gavan* · 04-01-2009, 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Uridium

I still use a standalone DVD player (A Toshiba SD370E) for several reasons

Quiet running was one of the main reasons for using a standalone (Mainly as the PS3 does not have dedicated upscaling hardware the Cell works hard during upscaling so it is pretty noisy when upscaling)

The SD370E upscales as well as the PS3 and it's silent. Cost me £35 from Superfi.

Multiregion playback isn't an option with the PS3 and i can also use my Logitech Harmony remote with my DVD player. Yes i know i could by IR2BT for the Ps3 but haven't got round to it yet.

Some of the earlier PS3's are seeing the odd BR-ROM failures now so saving the drive for only BR playback can only extend the life of the drive IMO as well.

Yeah - I've got a Sony HXD890 recorder on the way to take up DVD playback duties for the reasons mentioned above: Can play R1 DVDs which the PS3 can't, will be quieter (my 60gig PS3 can get relatively noisy after 45 mins of video playback) and should save wear and tear on my PS3 which is important as it is the 60gig model and not easy to replace.

I do have an older multiregion DVD player but it only has scart video output and I wanted something with HDMI for my LCD panel. The picture quality on the PS3 looks noticeably better than this player so I've been using it for DVDs too as it's so much nicer.

In general though, if you have the newer PS3 which is typically quieter and easily replaceable and you don't need R1 DVD playback, no need to buy a seperate DVD deck as the PS3 makes an excellent DVD player.

Pincho Paxton · 05-01-2009, 12:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Johnboy_1975

How short? And is it easily/cheaply replaced? Are we talking about a hpothetical situation where my PS3 won't play games or BR but will play DVDs fine?

A blu Laser crystal lasts about 10000 hrs use. Hopefully this will not stop the red laser from still working.

Tall_Paul · 05-01-2009, 12:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pincho Paxton

A blu Laser crystal lasts about 10000 hrs use. Hopefully this will not stop the red laser from still working.

Was little worried for a moment there, until I worked out that's 4 hours per day usage, every day, for 7 years!

Pincho Paxton · 05-01-2009, 12:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tall_Paul

Was little worried for a moment there, until I worked out that's 4 hours per day usage, every day, for 7 years!

Not too bad for films, but in my teens I played games 12hrs a day!!!

Deputy Dawg UK · 05-01-2009, 11:17 AM

Having just got my PS3..A christmas present but only set it up on Saturday ! I am still navigating my way round it do you need to adjust any settings to upscale DVD's ?????

Pincho Paxton · 05-01-2009, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deputy Dawg UK

Having just got my PS3..A christmas present but only set it up on Saturday ! I am still navigating my way round it do you need to adjust any settings to upscale DVD's ?????

You need to decide how you want the image upscaled...

Normal = show all aspect ratios as they are, and 4:3 has black sides.

Full = Show all aspect ratios as they are apart from 4:3 which is now stretched to fill the screen.

Double = Zoom all images in to fill the screen. But kills the HD image.