PS3 Blu-ray 1080i?

Question

Ok, my dad got a PS3 for his birthday, but is returning it because he thinks that the Blu-ray (which is the reason he got it) won't be worth the $400 until he upgrades to 1080p from 1080i. Should he just keep it?

Answer 1

I don't know what's the size of your dad's TV screen, but he should keep it. According to all professional reviewers, you will only note the difference between 1080i and 1080p on a TV set larger than 42". Even with a large screen, you need to have a trained eye, and may need to seat very close to the TV to actually tell any difference.

All Blu-ray movies will look much better on his 1080i HDTV than most cable HDTV programming (because of the heavy compression during transmission, and different qualities of the the original video sources).

He will also see a big difference compared to watching regular DVDs even though the PS3 has superb capabilities to upconvert those DVDs. The upconversion algorithms actually create new pixels to fill the HD screen better, but they don't add any detail to the movie. A Blu-ray movie does have more detail, and the difference compared to a DVD is huge, even at 1080i or 720p.

d3v10.. makes an interesting point about x.v.YCC color gamut, but it doesn't apply to you because even if there was a movie in that format (none yet), you would need a TV that could take advantage of it, and your dad's is not one of them. Very few 2008 models could take advantage of it, and they are all 1080p.

Most analysts predict that standalone blu-ray players will go for $200 this Christmas shopping season, making the PS3 a more expensive alternative, but it still has the advantage of being able to connect to the internet via wifi to keep the firmware up to date to the latest specifications. Most standalone  players have an Ethernet port to connect to the internet, but the update process is not so automatic. They don't have much storage space to download special features either, and they don't have such a powerful CPU. The PS3 loads movies much faster than a standalone player due to the faster CPU.

Answer 2

The PS3 is 1080p with Blu ray

Answer 3

In regards to your initial question, I don't personally see any reason to return it - even if your TV was a 13-inch black and white set.  At least that's one less purchase he would have to make - AGAIN - when he upgrades his display.  IMO, yes he should just keep it.

In regards to your additional details, that is the same reason I purchased my PS3.  I don't really care about the games, I wanted a blu-ray player and the PS3 is a nice price for a decent player and is noted as the fastest loading player.  I bought a Sony standalone player in November and hated it due to the limited features and the fact that it took almost two minutes to load a disc - whereas the PS3 is pretty much instant due to the high-end processor.  With the firmware update, it is now a profile 1.1 player.  While I did only purchase it for movies, I also download game demos from the PS store and connect wirelessly to my internet connection - which is at least a nice feature if nothing else.  Setting up media servers is a nice feature if I want to show someone a picture, watch a vid, or play some music without having to go to the computer to do so.  I think after a little time and some experimenting w/ the system, your dad will probably end up enjoying all of the other features, as well.  I already plan to purchase a few games and I have been off of the console gaming plateu for quite some time.

As far as the difference between 1080p and 1080i - not very noticeable to MOST people.  The true picture quality difference will come from the HDMI 1.3 specification if both the source and the display have it.  This means the POTENTIAL (hdmi specifications don't mean that the features included are mandatory) for deep color, x.v.YCC color gamut, high levels of color gradation, and 24p native playback w/o using 2:3 pulldown.  THESE features will create a nice picture whether it's 1080i or 1080p.

This brings me to another point made by Miguel - who is correct, though most people would think not and I'm not sure if he even knows why.  He says that flat panels are not interlace at all - which is true.  They can pick up picture from interlace sources, but they are not interlace in the display.  Most flat panels display the picture progressively and scan it diagonally, anyway - so the quality difference on a flat panel is even less noticeable.  Just keep in mind that 1080i and 1080p are still both 1080 resolution - the primary difference noticed will be during fast motion - where interlace tends to blur slightly moreso than progressive.  Hope this helps.

Answer 4

To put this in perspective. DVDs upscaled to 1080i look as good as a NON HD Channel at its best on your 1080i TV (your 1080i TV upscales to 1080i internally). Blu-Ray looks better than an HD Channel. There is nothing currently that will look as good as Blu-Ray movies on your TV, period. Yes it will improve when you upgrade to a 1080P TV but so will everything else.

YES you will see a difference between 1080i and 1080P. But not so much because of resolution. The only kind of TVs that are really 1080i are CRT and CRT projection. So either a tube TV or a BIG BOX projection TV that is no longer being made. If your TV is a flat panel it isn't 1080i at all, There is no such thing as a flat panel 1080i TV. So that being said I still think it is worth having the PS3.

Answer 5

I'd say just keep it.   Standard DVDs will only show in standard def unless they have a player that will upscale them.  The PS3 does this for standard DVDs which may be why he's not noticing a big difference between standard DVDs and Blue Ray.   Standard def is only like 480 not 1080i.

The media standard is going towards blue ray. Does he really want to waste money on buying standard DVDs?

Answer 6

From what I understand, the difference in picture quality from 1080i to 1080p is difficult to notice.  

Also, lets say he waits a year for prices to drop in half on the Blu-Ray and get the technology he wants...he just spent a year cheating himself out of better picture, better sound, and a better experience.

I watch Blu Ray on my 52" Samsung LCD and am constantly amazed at the clarity and sharpness.