Are you looking at moving into the world of 3D and wondering whether a PS3 or a dedicated player is the best move? We take a look at the Sony PS3 against one of the manufacturers standalone 3D capable players, the BDP-S470.

Free PS3 3D Update

The Sony PlayStation 3 has recently received a firmware update (version 3.50) that now enables playback of 3D movies on the consoles integrated Blu-ray drive.

This development instantly increases the user base of 3D capable players out there, after all around sixteen million units have been sold so far in just the UK and USA alone. Only a tiny number of these users need to buy a 3D Blu-ray title for a huge increase in numbers.

If you already own a PS3 and are looking to move up to 3D, then surely the free PS3 update will be all you need? If you are in the market for a 3D capable Blu-ray deck then are you better off with a standalone machine such as the Sony BDP-S470? We take a look at both of these scenarios as we compare the two machines against each other.

PS3 3D Issues

It doesn’t matter whether you have the original ‘fat’ PS3, or the newer slim version, both are capable of receiving the free PS3 3D update. The only potential problem comes with the lack of a HDMI v1.4 port on the PS3. It only has version 1.3, and this issue afflicts all models of the PlayStation 3.

The main issue brought about by this omission is a lack of bandwidth, or the amount of data the port (and cable) can carry. 3D pictures contain even more data than 2D Blu-ray pictures. Sony have got around this by not allowing HD audio tracks in either the Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD Master Audio (DTS-HD MA) formats to be passed through the HDMI interface. Instead, when watching 3D content, the PS3 will revert to standard Dolby Digital or DTS tracks in order to ‘save’ bandwidth for the picture.

This is obviously less than ideal, you get the full 3D picture experience, but without the sound. This may not be an issue if you don’t have the sound setup to take advantage of these higher-resolution formats, but if you do it is possible a major downside of 3D on the PS3.

Another potential issue is that HDMI v1.4 is required to carry the control codes that allow your 3D TV to automatically detect the player as a source. Despite this potential problem, Sony have obviously devised a workaround in their firmware as the PS3 and our 3D TV recognised each other perfectly. We’re not guaranteeing that this issue won’t occur using other 3D TV’s. but we’re sure Sony would promptly provide a fix through revised firmware if anything did arise.

PS3 3D With HDMI 1.3 Receivers

Please note that if you are using the PS3 for 3D playback through your AV receiver, you will need the receiver to have HDMI 1.4 capable ports for it to handle the increased bandwidth of the picture. If you try to run it through 1.3 based equipment you will more than likely see a blank screen.

If you already own 1.4 specification audio equipment and are looking to invest in a 3D player, than the audio issue means you would be crazy to choose a PS3 over a standalone player such a the BDP-S470 or even the BDP-S570, Samsung BD-C6900, Panasonic DMP-BDT300EG or LG BX580.

Thanks for reading the first part of our PS3 vs BDP-S470 review. In the second and final article we take a look at the respective load times of the players, as well as compare the all important picture quality of the machines using both the Avatar and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 3D Blu-ray disks.

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By Anonymous

In 1968 Johnny Cash sang about listening to ‘a train a comin’ in his hit remake of ‘Folsom Prison Blues’. Now Samsung has just introduced the track and the actual train straight into your own family room using its new BD-C6900 3D Blu-ray player. It offers the traditional capabilities you assume via virtually any Blu-ray system and the grade of a Samsung products. The BD-C6900 regular features consist of the capability to have standard DVD and Blu-ray discs, up-conversion from 720p to 1080p (on Television sets that enable 1080p via a standard HDMI link) and also 7.1 channel audio all in classy black. But you will also get the ‘future’ right this moment.

The Samsung BD-C6900 provides wireless connectivity so you do not have to hook up your laptop computer or Desktop to hear or view your preferred home audio or movies. And of course if you are linked to top speed web connection you can download motion pictures from BLOCKBUSTER

For a connected, 3D compatible Blu-ray player, the Sony BDP-S570 can be purchased for under $200, and it appears to be a very good buy right now. Setup is a snap-only one cable (HDMI) to connect to your HDTV and it’s off and running. It finds your home Wi-Fi network automatically and even has a security encryption option. By the way, there have been reports of streaming problems with home networks using 802.11g routers. If you’re going to be doing a lot of streaming, it might be time to consider a wireless router upgrade.

Pandora Reveals Audio Deficiencies

Getting Pandora and Netflix running is straightforward and only requires a quick visit to the web on a computer (or phone) to enter a couple of activation codes. Once connected, you can pick a Pandora station or a Netflix movie from your queue and start streaming-Blockbuster stores must be struggling to stay in business. The only drawback with Pandora and Netflix is they both make you realize how inadequate the audio is on your HDTV set (but soundbars can fix this on the cheap). Streaming movies load fast and look fine in 720p resolution. The connected TV looks like the future, and Netflix seems to have it together in this department.

Choosing the fast load option on the Blu-ray player makes a real difference, and it’s true to its name. You no longer have to tap your foot waiting for a DVD movie to come up on the screen. Playback through HDMI is just what you’d expect from Blu-ray and that is a big step up from DVDs, especially upconverted DVDs.

Sony Is Coming Back

Sony draws a large fan base with owners raving about Trinitrons and Walkmans over the years. But lately they’ve been slipping behind competitors like Apple and a few others. It’s promising to witness a comeback emerging from Sony with this new Blu-ray player.

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Andrew Eisner – Andrew Eisner, Retrevo’s director of community and content and resident hard core gadget enthusiast. Eisner comes to Retrevo from the world of computer journalism. As …