The PS3 is great at a lot of things, but conserving power isn't one of them. Of course, if you're OK with standard DVD-style surround sound, you can still get that with the PS3's optical SPDIF output, which is compatible with nearly all modern receivers. You're better off going with a standalone Blu-ray player with onboard Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio decoding, like the upcoming Pioneer BDP-51FD and Panasonic DMP-BD50. If you're using an older receiver and want to use its multichannel analog inputs to get high-resolution soundtracks, you can't do it with the PlayStation 3. You have an older AV receiver and need multichannel analog outputs. Although we generally like the XMB for zipping around the PS3's functions, using a standard Blu-ray player where you just need to put in the disc and hit play is definitely a lot easier.Ĥ. This isn't an issue for tech enthusiasts, but Sony's Xross Media Bar (XMB) is packed with options and can be intimidating for neophytes. You'll have better luck keeping the PS3 quiet by keeping it in a well-ventilated area, but standalones are quieter in general and don't mind having other gear stacked on them. For audiophiles, that can be a pretty big drawback, especially if you start to hear a whirr during every quiet scene in a movie. It's definitely a pain for anyone who is used to activity-based macros such as 'Watch TV' and 'Watch Blu-ray' to control their home theater.Īlthough every PS3 seems to be different, the PS3 can occasionally get loud once its fans start spinning. The lack of an IR receptor means that the PlayStation 3 won't work with universal remote controls, so you'll have to use the PS3 controller or the separate PS3 BD remote to control it. Sony decided not to include an IR receptor on the PlayStation 3, and home theater fans have been complaining ever since. However, with that in mind, there are a few legitimate reasons why someone wouldn't want to use a PlayStation 3 as their main Blu-ray player. Virtually everyone looking to buy a Blu-ray player should go with the PS3 right now. And it will always be the only Blu-ray player that streams media, has a browser, and plays PS3 games. It sits at the top of our best Blu-ray players list, we consistently use it as the reference that we judge other Blu-ray players against, and it's the only player on the market right now that supports Blu-ray Profile 2.0 and onboard decoding for both Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio. OK, before the angry fanboy comments roll in, let's get this out of the way: the PlayStation 3 is the best Blu-ray player on the market right now.

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