Advice on Blu Ray, PS3 and suitable TV's.

johnF1971 · 06-12-2011, 10:22

Hi all. I'm planning to purchase a Playstation3 which I understand is also capable of playing blu ray DVDs.

We currently have an old-style CRT non-HD TV. We'll no doubt buy a new HD TV at some point over the next few years, but at the moment finances don't allow everything!

My question is will the PS3 work OK with our old TV including the playing of blu ray DVD's (and PS3 games for that matter). I realise my old TV won't give the full HD effect, but will I still be able to get a reasonable picture and sound (like a regular DVD) or will it not be able to process the blu ray signal at all?

I'm also planning to buy my son the Harry Potter boxset for Xmas and am trying to decide between the regular and Blu ray version.

Do people think regular DVD's will soon become obsolete in favour of blu ray the way that videos became obsolete when DVD's came out?

I'd consider buying the blu ray version with the future in mind so that he can enjoy the better picture quality in years to come on a HD TV but only if he could still watch it as a normal DVD straight away on our old TV.

Hope that all makes sense. Any advice much appreciated.

Cheers.

chrisjr · 06-12-2011, 10:39

The TV doesn't care that you are playing a Blu-Ray, a DVD or an old fashioned Video Tape. the only requirement is that whatever is playing the disk/tape can output a video signal in a format the TV can understand and display.

The PS3 should be able to produce a SCART friendly feed of a Blu-Ray disk that you can view on the TV. As you say it won't be HD but scaled down to SD resolution. It's still a Blu-Ray though, you don't magically change it into a DVD because the telly can't handle the resolution of the raw Blu-Ray. The PS3 just does some clever number crunching and produces a video signal the TV can take in from the data coming off the disk.

Whether you buy Blu-Ray or DVD is up to you. Blu-Ray disks do tend to be dearer than their DVD equivalents in retail outlets anyway, may be able to get them cheaper online. And it does give you options if and when you upgrade the telly and can take advantage of the HD picture quality.

TheBigM · 06-12-2011, 11:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrisjr

The TV doesn't care that you are playing a Blu-Ray, a DVD or an old fashioned Video Tape. the only requirement is that whatever is playing the disk/tape can output a video signal in a format the TV can understand and display.

The PS3 should be able to produce a SCART friendly feed of a Blu-Ray disk that you can view on the TV. As you say it won't be HD but scaled down to SD resolution. It's still a Blu-Ray though, you don't magically change it into a DVD because the telly can't handle the resolution of the raw Blu-Ray. The PS3 just does some clever number crunching and produces a video signal the TV can take in from the data coming off the disk.

Whether you buy Blu-Ray or DVD is up to you. Blu-Ray disks do tend to be dearer than their DVD equivalents in retail outlets anyway, may be able to get them cheaper online. And it does give you options if and when you upgrade the telly and can take advantage of the HD picture quality.

So is the requirement to have a TV that supports HDCP only when displaying at Full HD resolutions?

bobcar · 06-12-2011, 11:37

The Harry Potter blu-ray complete set does seem good value at £32. There are 9 movie discs in the set so that's £3.59 per movie blu-ray disc.

It's an unusual set in that the first 5 blu-rays play just like DVDs in that they are quick to load and more importantly if you stop them they immediately restart where you left off - I wish all blu-rays were like that

. The remaining 4 however suffer the common blu-ray problem of being slow and restarting from the beginning

.

Nigel Goodwin · 06-12-2011, 12:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheBigM

So is the requirement to have a TV that supports HDCP only when displaying at Full HD resolutions?

No (there's no such thing), HDCP is a function of HDMI, it doesn't apply to any of the other sockets there might be.

BD players don't have SCART sockets, but it might have AV connections, which you could connect to SCART via a lead or adaptor. This does only give you the poorest possible Composite quality though.

call100 · 06-12-2011, 13:33

I'd go down the PS3 route as it's an excellent BD player with the added bonus of the games. You also get BBC iPlayer and love film etc.
Here's one guide on PS3 connections to SD TV

Nigel Goodwin · 06-12-2011, 14:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by call100

I'd go down the PS3 route as it's an excellent BD player with the added bonus of the games.

For quite a while it was also the cheapest way of getting a BD Player, many people bought it solely for that.

niall campbell · 06-12-2011, 15:28

the PS 3 will be okay on the CRT

you could have it already to RGB ?

anyway the games will be good, BUT when you get a big screen flat screen TV its awesome on 1080p on a 50 " tv

fastest finger · 06-12-2011, 19:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by niall campbell

the PS 3 will be okay on the CRT

you could have it already to RGB ?

If I remember correctly, RGB SCART playback of copyright content such as DVD / Blu-ray is restricted on a PS3 due to piracy concerns - you'll get a green picture.

Unless the OP has componant / S-video connectors, composite (and a SCART block if needed) is perhaps the best option.

porkpie · 06-12-2011, 22:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin

For quite a while it was also the cheapest way of getting a BD Player, many people bought it solely for that.

I remember it well .
Crikey that was 3 years ago

Quote:

Originally Posted by fastest finger

If I remember correctly, RGB SCART playback of copyright content such as DVD / Blu-ray is restricted on a PS3 due to piracy concerns - you'll get a green picture.

Unless the OP has componant / S-video connectors, composite (and a SCART block if needed) is perhaps the best option.

The OP should ensure he gets a PS3-scart adapter before it arrives .
Sony don't even supply an HDMI lead with the PS3.

I recall the green screen issue with the PS2 but surely they don't still restrict the output ?

call100 · 07-12-2011, 10:00

The green screen issue was fixed AFAIK. Just check the output is correct in settings to make sure that AV/Scart is selected....It needs to be a RGB scart lead.

fastest finger · 07-12-2011, 21:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by call100

The green screen issue was fixed AFAIK. Just check the output is correct in settings to make sure that AV/Scart is selected....It needs to be a RGB scart lead.

I think they "fixed" it on the PS2 slim by automatically switching from RGB to composite whenever copy protected material was being played - so in reality, if they've now done the same thing on the PS3, an RGB SCART lead will give no real improvement over the standard composite leads and SCART adaptor block. (although games will look better)

06-12-2011, 10:22	#1
johnF1971 Forum Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 4,109	Advice on Blu Ray, PS3 and suitable TV's. Hi all. I'm planning to purchase a Playstation3 which I understand is also capable of playing blu ray DVDs. We currently have an old-style CRT non-HD TV. We'll no doubt buy a new HD TV at some point over the next few years, but at the moment finances don't allow everything! My question is will the PS3 work OK with our old TV including the playing of blu ray DVD's (and PS3 games for that matter). I realise my old TV won't give the full HD effect, but will I still be able to get a reasonable picture and sound (like a regular DVD) or will it not be able to process the blu ray signal at all? I'm also planning to buy my son the Harry Potter boxset for Xmas and am trying to decide between the regular and Blu ray version. Do people think regular DVD's will soon become obsolete in favour of blu ray the way that videos became obsolete when DVD's came out? I'd consider buying the blu ray version with the future in mind so that he can enjoy the better picture quality in years to come on a HD TV but only if he could still watch it as a normal DVD straight away on our old TV. Hope that all makes sense. Any advice much appreciated. Cheers.

06-12-2011, 11:37	#4
bobcar Forum Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Posts: 14,718	The Harry Potter blu-ray complete set does seem good value at £32. There are 9 movie discs in the set so that's £3.59 per movie blu-ray disc. It's an unusual set in that the first 5 blu-rays play just like DVDs in that they are quick to load and more importantly if you stop them they immediately restart where you left off - I wish all blu-rays were like that. The remaining 4 however suffer the common blu-ray problem of being slow and restarting from the beginning.

06-12-2011, 10:39	#2
chrisjr Forum Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Reading Posts: 27,916	The TV doesn't care that you are playing a Blu-Ray, a DVD or an old fashioned Video Tape. the only requirement is that whatever is playing the disk/tape can output a video signal in a format the TV can understand and display. The PS3 should be able to produce a SCART friendly feed of a Blu-Ray disk that you can view on the TV. As you say it won't be HD but scaled down to SD resolution. It's still a Blu-Ray though, you don't magically change it into a DVD because the telly can't handle the resolution of the raw Blu-Ray. The PS3 just does some clever number crunching and produces a video signal the TV can take in from the data coming off the disk. Whether you buy Blu-Ray or DVD is up to you. Blu-Ray disks do tend to be dearer than their DVD equivalents in retail outlets anyway, may be able to get them cheaper online. And it does give you options if and when you upgrade the telly and can take advantage of the HD picture quality.

06-12-2011, 11:30	#3
TheBigM Forum Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: moon Posts: 12,983	Quote: Originally Posted by chrisjr The TV doesn't care that you are playing a Blu-Ray, a DVD or an old fashioned Video Tape. the only requirement is that whatever is playing the disk/tape can output a video signal in a format the TV can understand and display. The PS3 should be able to produce a SCART friendly feed of a Blu-Ray disk that you can view on the TV. As you say it won't be HD but scaled down to SD resolution. It's still a Blu-Ray though, you don't magically change it into a DVD because the telly can't handle the resolution of the raw Blu-Ray. The PS3 just does some clever number crunching and produces a video signal the TV can take in from the data coming off the disk. Whether you buy Blu-Ray or DVD is up to you. Blu-Ray disks do tend to be dearer than their DVD equivalents in retail outlets anyway, may be able to get them cheaper online. And it does give you options if and when you upgrade the telly and can take advantage of the HD picture quality. So is the requirement to have a TV that supports HDCP only when displaying at Full HD resolutions?

06-12-2011, 12:34	#5
Nigel Goodwin Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: North Derbyshire Posts: 41,789	Quote: Originally Posted by TheBigM So is the requirement to have a TV that supports HDCP only when displaying at Full HD resolutions? No (there's no such thing), HDCP is a function of HDMI, it doesn't apply to any of the other sockets there might be. BD players don't have SCART sockets, but it might have AV connections, which you could connect to SCART via a lead or adaptor. This does only give you the poorest possible Composite quality though.

06-12-2011, 13:33	#6
call100 Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 6,572	I'd go down the PS3 route as it's an excellent BD player with the added bonus of the games. You also get BBC iPlayer and love film etc. Here's one guide on PS3 connections to SD TV

06-12-2011, 14:22	#7
Nigel Goodwin Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: North Derbyshire Posts: 41,789	Quote: Originally Posted by call100 I'd go down the PS3 route as it's an excellent BD player with the added bonus of the games. For quite a while it was also the cheapest way of getting a BD Player, many people bought it solely for that.

06-12-2011, 15:28	#8
niall campbell Forum Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Aberfeldy Posts: 7,035	the PS 3 will be okay on the CRT you could have it already to RGB ? anyway the games will be good, BUT when you get a big screen flat screen TV its awesome on 1080p on a 50 " tv

06-12-2011, 19:33	#9
fastest finger Forum Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Heart of England. Posts: 8,633	Quote: Originally Posted by niall campbell the PS 3 will be okay on the CRT you could have it already to RGB ? If I remember correctly, RGB SCART playback of copyright content such as DVD / Blu-ray is restricted on a PS3 due to piracy concerns - you'll get a green picture. Unless the OP has componant / S-video connectors, composite (and a SCART block if needed) is perhaps the best option.

06-12-2011, 22:51	#10
porkpie Inactive Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Posts: 2,484	Quote: Originally Posted by Nigel Goodwin For quite a while it was also the cheapest way of getting a BD Player, many people bought it solely for that. I remember it well . Crikey that was 3 years ago Quote: Originally Posted by fastest finger If I remember correctly, RGB SCART playback of copyright content such as DVD / Blu-ray is restricted on a PS3 due to piracy concerns - you'll get a green picture. Unless the OP has componant / S-video connectors, composite (and a SCART block if needed) is perhaps the best option. The OP should ensure he gets a PS3-scart adapter before it arrives . Sony don't even supply an HDMI lead with the PS3. I recall the green screen issue with the PS2 but surely they don't still restrict the output ?

07-12-2011, 10:00	#11
call100 Forum Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 6,572	The green screen issue was fixed AFAIK. Just check the output is correct in settings to make sure that AV/Scart is selected....It needs to be a RGB scart lead.

07-12-2011, 21:42	#12
fastest finger Forum Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Heart of England. Posts: 8,633	Quote: Originally Posted by call100 The green screen issue was fixed AFAIK. Just check the output is correct in settings to make sure that AV/Scart is selected....It needs to be a RGB scart lead. I think they "fixed" it on the PS2 slim by automatically switching from RGB to composite whenever copy protected material was being played - so in reality, if they've now done the same thing on the PS3, an RGB SCART lead will give no real improvement over the standard composite leads and SCART adaptor block. (although games will look better)

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Advice on Blu Ray, PS3 and suitable TV's.