Question on Home Entertainment:

My current setup includes a Sony PS3 and Onkyo 606 A/V receiver connected to a Panasonic TH50PY850.

I'm wondering about the picture and audio quality when comparing the PS3 and LG BD370 used as Blu-ray players. Which one is better? Should I buy the BD370 even though I already have a PS3?

Also, is it all right to use the PS3 as Blu-ray player? I understand that the drive's lens has a limited lifespan and may need to be replace after about two years' use.

Submitted by Reader

Answer:

The main advantage of switching from a PS3 to the BD370 is the Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio bitstream output via HDMI. This will allow your A/V receiver to decode the lossless surround soundtracks which could potentially result in better sound quality depending on your setup. A good floor-standing speaker is more capable of reproducing the extra resolution compared with a tiny satellite speaker, for example.

As for picture quality, the performance variation may be less noticeable if you stick to 1080p24 output. On the other hand, it's more economical to purchase the BD370 as a dedicated Blu-ray player since can be quite costly to replace the PS3's optical lens. You should seriously consider this option if you're a heavy gamer and/or watch a lot of Blu-ray movies.

cloud7

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cloud7 says...
Regarding the DTS-HD & Dolby TrueHD, I believe PS3 can do the decoding itself via Linear PCM instead of bitstream while most of standalone bluray player will pass-through the lossless sound to the av receiver itself for decoding, agree?? That's why sometimes, we notice the "DTS-HD or Dolby TrueHD" appear on the display of the av receiver.
Which is better?? Im still in curious to know!!!

Jul 15, 2009 12:25