HD Advisor June 5th

[Attebery]

New HD Advisor column here!

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/sh..._Sweet_16/2880

[Hastor]

I have a PS3 and a Samsung TV that will accept 24hz, but displays at 60hz. I notice the recommended PS3 settings say to set it to output 24hz if your TV accepts it. Mine accepts it, but doesn't display it at 24hz. Should I let the PS3 or the TV do the 3:2 pulldown, or does it matter?

[AndersT2]

I have the PS3, but if I can I use my Samsung BD1500 in stead, because I feel it gives me the better result on both video and audio.

There are two things I have against the PS3, for the audio decoding of the DTS MA and Dolby True HD, it uses software based decoding. Allthough the decoding in any BD player for the HD formats to PCM theoreticly is the same, the components in the signal path do damage the signal.

I did a test with my Samsung on letting it decode True HD, or letting my Marantz AV8003 do the job. And even though the difference was small, the AV8003 did have a bigger soundfield when it was decoding the signal.

The other problem I have with the PS3, and this is the biggest, is the noise. When I first got it, I had it standing up, and the noise wasn't that bad. But now I have it laying down, and the noise is quite loud. You really don't realise how loud it is before you turn it off, and everything becomes totally quiet.

A few others have also noticed that it's louder when it's on it's side, than standing up. This is because the hot air raises and goes out the top, and not into the machine, so the fan have to work harder.

[Motorheadache]

Originally Posted by AndersT2

The other problem I have with the PS3, and this is the biggest, is the noise. When I first got it, I had it standing up, and the noise wasn't that bad. But now I have it laying down, and the noise is quite loud. You really don't realise how loud it is before you turn it off, and everything becomes totally quiet.

A few others have also noticed that it's louder when it's on it's side, than standing up. This is because the hot air raises and goes out the top, and not into the machine, so the fan have to work harder.

I use the PS3 and I have that same problem with the noise- when I'm watching something at night, the normal noise is okay, but occasionally the fans kick into high gear and the system gets a lot louder- that is when it gets really annoying.

I've never thought about standing it up, so I'm going to do that and test it out tonight.

[Attebery]

My PS3 has the very disconcerting habit of suddenly refusing to send a picture to the TV every six months or so. Took me about a half hour of plugging in, unplugging, turning off until it finally started working again. This one was replaced by Sony after the first one totally died on me after just two weeks last year. Anyone else had these problems?

[damonous]

Originally Posted by AndersT2

...The other problem I have with the PS3, and this is the biggest, is the noise. When I first got it, I had it standing up, and the noise wasn't that bad. But now I have it laying down, and the noise is quite loud. You really don't realise how loud it is before you turn it off, and everything becomes totally quiet. ...

Originally Posted by Motorheadache

I use the PS3 and I have that same problem with the noise- when I'm watching something at night, the normal noise is okay, but occasionally the fans kick into high gear and the system gets a lot louder- that is when it gets really annoying. ...

I would also suggest that the biggest downside would be noise. However, please take the following to note:

While I can't speak for AndersT2 & Motorheadache, my main PS3 is an original 60gb. I've upgraded the hard drive (first to 160gb; now to 320gb). I *think* that the larger the disk, the hotter that gets, and the more frequently the PS3 fan is bound to kick in to high gear. Also, as the machine gets older, I think more dust settles inside. It's important to periodically take a vacuum to the airholes (and even open the HD compartment and suck from there).

Also, I have some of the newer PS3's too, and they are quieter, in general. These are based upon an updated form-factor, and a reduced CPU die size, so there is less heat going on.

All in all, even at HIGH speed, the PS3 fan still barely matches the decibel level of the Xbox 360 (at idle). But, certainly, the PS3 is still going to be noticeable next to a standalone that has NO fan (or, even my Panasonic has a fan, but it's silent).



Now, fan-noise notwithstanding, something PS3 excels at (for the audiophile), is its upscaling of CD's from 44.1khz to 176.4khz. A CD can sometimes sound quite close to DVD-A, depending on how good the recording. And, when you're in the mood for "non-audiophile" grab-bag playback, the PS3 makes a great media center (allowing you to rip CD's to MP3 or AAC, and make playlists or randomize). The original 60gb, 20gb, and early 80gb models also have SACD playback.

Originally Posted by JoshZ

I'm not too fond of the PS3's awkward form factor (it doesn't fit well in an A/V rack) or incompatibility with IR universal remotes.

If the reader does choose a PS3, I would *HIGHLY* recommend a purchase of a PS3ToothFairy. Dumb name; pricey gadget (about $100); but worth every penny. (Note: you may need to buy a new or used PS2 remote for $5-10, in order to program your Universal remote, unless you're using a Harmony.) This device is unobtrusive on the counter and converts a PS2 remote's IR signals over to the Sony Bluetooth protocol (it actually uses the IC board from the official PS3 BT remote, and for about $25 less you can cannibalize your own remote, if you prefer).

I waited far too long to get one of these, and life is quite cool right now, because I can just treat the PS3 like any regular IR component in the rack, including power-on.

[Hastor]

Another question (still waiting for something about where to do the 3:2 pulldown), but isn't converting the other formats to PCM just a matter of lossless decompression like unzipping a file? I don't see how it would be different at all, and would think if the components damaged the signal, it wouldn't be accepted at all, or have obvious noisy flaws. I can see how the DAC makes a difference, but not where a master audio track is converted to PCM.

[damonous]

Originally Posted by Attebery

My PS3 has the very disconcerting habit of suddenly refusing to send a picture to the TV every six months or so. Took me about a half hour of plugging in, unplugging, turning off until it finally started working again. This one was replaced by Sony after the first one totally died on me after just two weeks last year. Anyone else had these problems?

Haven't had that problem, and I have 5 PS3's (for LAN-gaming get-togethers).

Are you aware of the PS3's undocumented video-reset option? If you ever have resolution locked higher than a TV will allow (for example, you have a 1080p, but you try it out on a friend's 720p TV), you'll see darkness. Similar to the 'out of range' problem with a PC.

When you power-up the PS3, do so manually on the console by continuously pressing the power button. You'll hear the first start-up beep, but continue to hold until you hear another quick double-beep about 5-10 seconds later. Then let go right away. This should reset the PS3 video on HDMI to a 480i 'safe mode'. From there, you should be able to reset video settings (but you'll have to also reset your themes, if you've customized). --Note: this is also how to recover to PS3 OS from Linux, if you didn't choose the "Boot Game OS" option at logout.


--Now, that shouldn't happen if you just have it connected to the same TV all the time, but ....maybe your PS3 & TV just aren't always "talkin' HDMI" exactly right. (Maybe the PS3 is getting 'word' that your TV is 'out of range'.)

[thefwam]

for $4800 you could still get a Pioneer PRO-151FD, which many consider to be one of the best HDTVs around. Alternatively you could pick up the Pioneer KRP-600M, 60" Monitor for $3k or less, which is a hair less customizable than the 151 (lack of ISFccc AV modes). I would look to those two 60" options before they're gone forever.

[MpowerSkills]

I agree, with a budget like that go with a Pioneer.

[Biggiesized]

Go with either a Pioneer PRO-151FD or a PRO-141FD (no tuner).

[Hastor]

Also, on the PS3 settings, what are the differences between Video and PC contrast levels? Does it depend on the type of display you are using on which you should select? It seemed to make the ps3's black default menu a little more gray when I changed it to Limited on my Samsung LCD. Of course I calibrated it with the old settings, should I recalibrate using the limited setting? When would you use PC levels?

[ajmrowland]

Originally Posted by Motorheadache

I use the PS3 and I have that same problem with the noise- when I'm watching something at night, the normal noise is okay, but occasionally the fans kick into high gear and the system gets a lot louder- that is when it gets really annoying.

I've never thought about standing it up, so I'm going to do that and test it out tonight.

I have my PS3 lying down in a cabinet, and it barely makes any noise at all. At least none that I notice.

Anyway, it's mentioned in the article that the PS3 can only decode TrueHD and MA internally, and pass it off as PCM. If I had my sights set on a receiver that decodes those formats, such as http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listi...condition=used. Would I be wasting my money? Are there less expensive receivers that'll do Uncompressed PCM at 5.1?

[Motorheadache]

Originally Posted by ajmrowland

I have my PS3 lying down in a cabinet, and it barely makes any noise at all. At least none that I notice.

Do you have a newer PS3? Mine is the original 60gb model, and according to damonous the newer ones are quieter. There's no way you couldn't hear the PS3 if it was doing the same fan-thing as mine. Unfortunately, standing it up didn't do jack for me

[AndersT2]

Originally Posted by ajmrowland

Anyway, it's mentioned in the article that the PS3 can only decode TrueHD and MA internally, and pass it off as PCM. If I had my sights set on a receiver that decodes those formats, such as http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listi...condition=used. Would I be wasting my money? Are there less expensive receivers that'll do Uncompressed PCM at 5.1?

For the True HD and MA it's a waste, BUT cheeper receiver do have less power, and they might not do anything with the PCM signal than amplifyit.

Like older receivers that can receive PCM, it might not be able to use roomcorrection and EQ on the signal. More expencive and new ones will do this.

And if you change the player, you will not have to change the receiver again.