PS2 as a DVD Player - DVDfile.com forum for DVD, Blu-Ray, and HD-DVD

IKEA_boy · 11-20-2001, 10:31 PM

My girlfriend bought me a game cube (which i cant have til x-mas... argh! the torment!) and I need to get her a dvd player. She doesn't need a state of the art thing and I was wondering (as a bit of a perk for myself too :-) ) about getting her a ps2. I might be able to get for ~160 USD with the holiday discount i should get from work. What do you think?

... Also, a question of ethics. Do you think it's to 'selfish' to get her a ps2 instead of a stand alone player even though she doesn't play many video games?

Miggy · 11-20-2001, 10:47 PM

You should ask yourself what the chances that she will question your motive for your gift if you start buying a lot of PS2 games and using it alot (and possibly even cutting into your time together).

I would say get her a regular DVD player. Show her you care!

Miggy, the Thief

***Wirehed*** · 11-21-2001, 12:11 AM

It doesn't really play DVDs that well anyway. I would stick to a regular stand alone player, even a cheap one is going to be better than the PS2.

tomdkat · 11-21-2001, 12:13 AM

According to the Home Theater HiFi guys, the PS2 basically sucks as a DVD player:
http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volum...er-3-2001.html

Peace.....

Fezzik · 11-21-2001, 04:51 AM

The PS2 is just a poor DVD player. My low-end Sony DVD player blows it out of the water. I would highly recommend skipping the PS2 and paying $150 for a low end player, as it will likely destroy the PS2's DVD playback.

------------------
Does anybody want a peanut?

IKEA_boy · 11-21-2001, 05:32 AM

Yeah, I think I'll get the stand alone. I just needed some folks to push me in the right direction.

I'm thinking about the Toshiba SD2700.... I have the SD1600 and it hasn't given me any problems... yet. <*knocking on wood>

Just bummed that I don't even have a PSX yet. Got a defective one (free) from work but I need a new laser "module" for it. (If anyone has some spare PSX parts, the model # is SCPH-5501... i'd pay for it)

my e-mail is siamesellama@yahoo.com

[This message has been edited by IKEA_boy (edited 11-20-2001).]

SolidSnakeASS · 11-21-2001, 10:19 PM

I use a PS2 all of the time for a DVD player and it is great. I have no problem playing any DVDs at all, never have had one yet and I've played at least 300 different discs in it. I think it is a great player, and I am sure your girlfriend could get some use out of it as a gaming machine too. Remember it does play PS1 games, and there are tons that my sister loves to play (meaning that it isn't all 'guy' games). Those HiFi guys have a serious problem, seeing as how I have never had any bad experiences with it, and think it looks fine (and no I am not blind).

tomdkat · 11-21-2001, 11:05 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by SolidSnakeASS:
Those HiFi guys have a serious problem, seeing as how I have never had any bad experiences with it, and think it looks fine (and no I am not blind).

I think the HomeTheater HiFi guys are pointing out the techincal flaws in the player, which may go unnoticed to the untrained eye. They also have problems with the Pioneer DV-37 and DV_38a and the horrible chroma bug those players have, but some owners of those players LOVE the performace, regardless.

I guess if you're happy with your PS2, that's great. However, it probably won't perform as well as a standablone DVD player which is not to say that it won't perform at all....

If you're really into playing games FIRST and want to be able to watch DVD movies second, then the PS2 would probably be a great unit. IF you want the absolute BEST interlaced video performance (I don't think the PS2 is a progressive scan player) for the price you are willing to spend, then seek out a standalone player with the features you want/like.

I'm not sure HTPCs output an interlaced video signal, do they?

Peace.....

IKEA_boy · 11-22-2001, 02:26 AM

I probably should have mentioned that this DVD player is going to be hooked up to a 19" tv most likely through a vcr so... what are your thoughts now?

SolidSnakeASS · 11-22-2001, 02:49 AM

Well if that is the set-up then I'd say get a PS2 because there is nothing that will look good. Not that a PS2 doesn't look good!

Quote:

I think the HomeTheater HiFi guys are pointing out the techincal flaws in the player, which may go unnoticed to the untrained eye.

I wouldn't call my eye 'untrained'! I would say that for the price and with the upgraded drives the PS2 performs great. Much better then any low end players, ie Apex, etc., that I have seen/used.

mp3pir8 · 11-22-2001, 03:23 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by IKEA_boy:
...this DVD player is going to be hooked up to a 19" tv most likely through a vcr so...

One note, you cant watch DVDs if the thing is running through a VCR. Macrovision will kick in and your movies will look like shite. Light---Dark---Light---Dark, etc.

------------------
"The night was dry, yet it was raining" -- Larry Donner

My DVD Addiction (read: Collection).

If you prefer pan 'n scan because you hate those "black bars" on widescreen movies, click here.

IKEA_boy · 11-22-2001, 07:15 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by mp3pir8:
Macrovision will kick in and your movies will look like shite. Light---Dark---Light---Dark, etc.

How come that doesn't happen when I run my DVD through my receiver then to my TV?

BobaFett · 11-22-2001, 07:26 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by IKEA_boy:
How come that doesn't happen when I run my DVD through my receiver then to my TV?

cause your receiver dose not record, like your vcr dose so there is no reason for the Macrovision

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please ingore all spelling and other errors in this post.
Also don't worry if it makes sense. cause it dosen't

IKEA_boy · 11-22-2001, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by warrenevans:
cause your receiver dose not record, like your vcr dose so there is no reason for the Macrovision

Ahhh... I see. Thanks.

SolidSnakeASS · 11-22-2001, 07:32 PM

But if it is an older VHS it likely won't have macrovision. My old RCA doesn't.

IKEA_boy · 11-22-2001, 09:26 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by SolidSnakeASS:
But if it is an older VHS it likely won't have macrovision. My old RCA doesn't.

Is it possible to disable that? I'd like to put some DVDs on vhs so when we have guests that don't like to sit in the "20 degrees colder than any place within 10 feet of the house" basement we can watch movies upstairs?

also so i can have movies that I don't have money for

since i get free rentals and all

edit: i've also heard of filters that are good for this. any info?

[This message has been edited by IKEA_boy (edited 11-22-2001).]

SolidSnakeASS · 11-23-2001, 02:15 AM

As I said, if it is an older VHS macrovision will not happen. So you can tape, but it will still be a really bad copy. If it's newer and has macrovision there is absolutely nothing you can do about it.

Joe Michaels · 11-23-2001, 05:47 PM

I would disagree. Even the Apex is a better DVD player. THAT SAID, the PS2 would probably make an ok dvd player for the regular movie watcher and wouldn't really know what they are missing. If you were hooking one up to a regular tv using the S-video you probably won't complain. You may want to spring for the remote control though.

SolidSnakeASS · 11-23-2001, 07:46 PM

Not "probably", it does make an ok dvd player. The reason that it is better then Apex is because people constantly have compatabilty issues and hardware issues with disc. I have never had one problem with my PS2, ever.

gachamann · 11-23-2001, 11:23 PM

Ever? You don't watch many DVDs

There were huge incompatibility glitches with the PS2 DVD player in the beginnig. Ok correction, many have now been fixed, but it's glitches still match many of the poorer players on the market, is all I meant. It can either be lockups, layer change problems (many different companies use different methods to switch layers, confusing cheaply made players), sounds not processing correctly, or lower resolution in video or sound, many of which PS2 is famous for.

As stated before, you may not notice if you have a low-end system, but why not play it safe and get a player that you know doesn't have a history of so many problems

[This message has been edited by gachamann (edited 11-23-2001).]

Delugviathan · 11-24-2001, 06:15 AM

PS2 is a pretty shoddy DVD player. It's very selective in the things it'll play and what it won't play. It's got a piracy lockout on the system so if you hook it up to anything with the red, white and yellow stereo plugs and not the RF adaptor it won't play the DVD in fear of you trying to copy it. There's no point in that really since most DVD's that aren't region free have copy guard.

SolidSnakeASS · 11-24-2001, 06:38 PM

gachaman> I've probably played about 200-300 discs in it. Hard to know the exact number since I rent a lot of stuff.

tomdkat · 11-26-2001, 06:37 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by SolidSnakeASS:
I wouldn't call my eye 'untrained'! I would say that for the price and with the upgraded drives the PS2 performs great.

I know you are very happy with the PS2's performance, but it's very hard to argue with the analysis:
http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volum...er-3-2001.html

People LOVE the Pioneer Elite DV-37 progressive scan player, even with the chroma bug, yet the HomeTheater HiFi guys point out many flaws with this player, including "chroma delay" (I believe it's called). People even say they like the DV-37 picture BETTER than the Denon DVD-2800, even though the Denon doesn't have the same "problems" or deficiencies as the DV-37.

So, I'm not implying you don't know what you're looking at or anything but more the flaws the HomeTheater HiFi guys find are things that NO ONE would probably be able to actually see, unless you were analyzing the video performance (with equipment) rather than just watching the movie.

Can you watch any given movie on any given DVD player and tell what the "chroma delay" is for that player? It might be good or poor, but I doubt you could tell just by looking at the video unless you've spent a career analyzing video components and your eye has become "tuned" to seeing things those without the formal training would not see....

Part of the problem with the DVD Player shoot-outs is people tend to focus on the techincal analysis of the player and will make decisions about which is good or not, without trying the player for themselves. Hell, I might LOVE a player that the HiFi guys says sucks, from a technical perspective.

Peace.....

orko007 · 11-28-2001, 02:08 AM

I have the PS2 and a Pioneer 535, and multi zone Pioneer 344. The stand alone players are the way to go over the PS2. For example, the Octopussy: Special Edition. On the PS2 the credits were very hard to see on a smaller 51cm TV, but on a stand alone they are fine.
I'd go for the stand alone, and get your girlfriend to take back the Game Cube and buy a PS2 for you and your games, cos they rock

BeanBandit · 11-28-2001, 11:31 AM

I'm not that keen on technical issues in DVD players so I'm not exactly sure what people mean when they say that the PS2 is a bad player. But I did notice some serious breakup of the image (big blocky pixelation) when watching my Beasite Boys DVD on my friend's PS2. Is that the DVD's fault, or the player's?

As far as your moral dilema goes, buy her a standalone player. If you want to play games, stay at home with your Gamecube. You shouldn't be going to her place to play videogames...if you know what I mean.

Mistienght · 11-28-2001, 03:45 PM

So i guess it's not a good thing that whenever I go to my girls house, I go straight to her video game system, huh?

tomdkat · 11-28-2001, 05:57 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Mistienght:
So i guess it's not a good thing that whenever I go to my girls house, I go straight to her video game system, huh?

Dude... when you go to your girl's house, go straight to HER!!!!!

Peace.....

SolidSnakeASS · 11-28-2001, 11:56 PM

Quote:

But I did notice some serious breakup of the image (big blocky pixelation) when watching my Beasite Boys DVD on my friend's PS2. Is that the DVD's fault, or the player's?

I can't see it being the DVDs fault, but I have never had a problem playing my BB DVD.

MARVEL · 11-30-2001, 04:06 AM

You should definitely go with the standalone whether or not quality playback is an issue or not. Somehow I don't think she would notice. I bought my girl a Pioneer 343 and well I use it more than she does of course. Then again I was tired of bringing my portable over and hooking it up just to watch a movie. And I went all out and got a complete pro-logic system for her...or is that for me, while I'm at her house. I picked up the DVD player for $150 and it was a great value.

------------------
F-L-O-R-I-D-A S-T-A-T-E
Florida State
Florida State
Florida State
WHOOOOO!!!!

[This message has been edited by MARVEL (edited 11-29-2001).]

[This message has been edited by MARVEL (edited 11-30-2001).]

downhuman · 12-05-2001, 02:06 PM

Get a standalone player. Save the PS2 for a future purchase. I'll tell you why.

It's pretty neat that the PS2 plays DVD's as well as games, but what happens if your PS2 shits itself. Then you can't play DVD's OR play games. That's the same reason I think that TV's with built-in VCR's are a bad idea. If one goes to the repair shop you lose the other as well.

At least with a standalone player you can still watch movies while your PS2 is in repair.

11-20-2001, 10:31 PM	#1 (permalink)
IKEA_boy Director Emeritus ~~Persista~~ Persistent Student Join Date: Oct 2001	PS2 as a DVD Player My girlfriend bought me a game cube (which i cant have til x-mas... argh! the torment!) and I need to get her a dvd player. She doesn't need a state of the art thing and I was wondering (as a bit of a perk for myself too :-) ) about getting her a ps2. I might be able to get for ~160 USD with the holiday discount i should get from work. What do you think? ... Also, a question of ethics. Do you think it's to 'selfish' to get her a ps2 instead of a stand alone player even though she doesn't play many video games?

12-05-2001, 02:06 PM	#30 (permalink)
downhuman Actor Join Date: Oct 2001	Standalone Player Get a standalone player. Save the PS2 for a future purchase. I'll tell you why. It's pretty neat that the PS2 plays DVD's as well as games, but what happens if your PS2 shits itself. Then you can't play DVD's OR play games. That's the same reason I think that TV's with built-in VCR's are a bad idea. If one goes to the repair shop you lose the other as well. At least with a standalone player you can still watch movies while your PS2 is in repair.

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11-20-2001, 10:47 PM	#2 (permalink)
Miggy The Thief Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Matthews, NC, USA	You should ask yourself what the chances that she will question your motive for your gift if you start buying a lot of PS2 games and using it alot (and possibly even cutting into your time together). I would say get her a regular DVD player. Show her you care! Miggy, the Thief

11-21-2001, 12:11 AM	#3 (permalink)
*Wirehed* Producer/Admin NSFW Off 'the list' Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Sacto, Ca --Near Galt, home of LeVar Burton	It doesn't really play DVDs that well anyway. I would stick to a regular stand alone player, even a cheap one is going to be better than the PS2.

11-21-2001, 12:13 AM	#4 (permalink)
tomdkat Official Forum Warmonger "Dial Tone" Join Date: Sep 2000 Location: Hayward, CA, USA	According to the Home Theater HiFi guys, the PS2 basically sucks as a DVD player: http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/volum...er-3-2001.html Peace.....

11-21-2001, 04:51 AM	#5 (permalink)
Fezzik Actor Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Assaria, KS	The PS2 is just a poor DVD player. My low-end Sony DVD player blows it out of the water. I would highly recommend skipping the PS2 and paying $150 for a low end player, as it will likely destroy the PS2's DVD playback. ------------------ Does anybody want a peanut?

11-21-2001, 05:32 AM	#6 (permalink)
IKEA_boy Director Emeritus ~~Persista~~ Persistent Student Join Date: Oct 2001	Yeah, I think I'll get the stand alone. I just needed some folks to push me in the right direction. I'm thinking about the Toshiba SD2700.... I have the SD1600 and it hasn't given me any problems... yet. <*knocking on wood> Just bummed that I don't even have a PSX yet. Got a defective one (free) from work but I need a new laser "module" for it. (If anyone has some spare PSX parts, the model # is SCPH-5501... i'd pay for it) my e-mail is siamesellama@yahoo.com [This message has been edited by IKEA_boy (edited 11-20-2001).]

11-21-2001, 10:19 PM	#7 (permalink)
SolidSnakeASS Actor Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Winterpeg, Manitobaugh, Canada	I use a PS2 all of the time for a DVD player and it is great. I have no problem playing any DVDs at all, never have had one yet and I've played at least 300 different discs in it. I think it is a great player, and I am sure your girlfriend could get some use out of it as a gaming machine too. Remember it does play PS1 games, and there are tons that my sister loves to play (meaning that it isn't all 'guy' games). Those HiFi guys have a serious problem, seeing as how I have never had any bad experiences with it, and think it looks fine (and no I am not blind).

11-22-2001, 02:26 AM	#9 (permalink)
IKEA_boy Director Emeritus ~~Persista~~ Persistent Student Join Date: Oct 2001	I probably should have mentioned that this DVD player is going to be hooked up to a 19" tv most likely through a vcr so... what are your thoughts now?

11-22-2001, 07:32 PM	#15 (permalink)
SolidSnakeASS Actor Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Winterpeg, Manitobaugh, Canada	But if it is an older VHS it likely won't have macrovision. My old RCA doesn't.

11-23-2001, 02:15 AM	#17 (permalink)
SolidSnakeASS Actor Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Winterpeg, Manitobaugh, Canada	As I said, if it is an older VHS macrovision will not happen. So you can tape, but it will still be a really bad copy. If it's newer and has macrovision there is absolutely nothing you can do about it.

11-23-2001, 05:47 PM	#18 (permalink)
Joe Michaels Join Date: Jun 2000	I would disagree. Even the Apex is a better DVD player. THAT SAID, the PS2 would probably make an ok dvd player for the regular movie watcher and wouldn't really know what they are missing. If you were hooking one up to a regular tv using the S-video you probably won't complain. You may want to spring for the remote control though.

11-23-2001, 07:46 PM	#19 (permalink)
SolidSnakeASS Actor Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Winterpeg, Manitobaugh, Canada	Not "probably", it does make an ok dvd player. The reason that it is better then Apex is because people constantly have compatabilty issues and hardware issues with disc. I have never had one problem with my PS2, ever.

11-23-2001, 11:23 PM	#20 (permalink)
gachamann Actor Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Omaha, NE	Ever? You don't watch many DVDs There were huge incompatibility glitches with the PS2 DVD player in the beginnig. Ok correction, many have now been fixed, but it's glitches still match many of the poorer players on the market, is all I meant. It can either be lockups, layer change problems (many different companies use different methods to switch layers, confusing cheaply made players), sounds not processing correctly, or lower resolution in video or sound, many of which PS2 is famous for. As stated before, you may not notice if you have a low-end system, but why not play it safe and get a player that you know doesn't have a history of so many problems [This message has been edited by gachamann (edited 11-23-2001).]

11-24-2001, 06:15 AM	#21 (permalink)
Delugviathan Supporting Actor Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: New Jersey	PS2 is a pretty shoddy DVD player. It's very selective in the things it'll play and what it won't play. It's got a piracy lockout on the system so if you hook it up to anything with the red, white and yellow stereo plugs and not the RF adaptor it won't play the DVD in fear of you trying to copy it. There's no point in that really since most DVD's that aren't region free have copy guard.

11-24-2001, 06:38 PM	#22 (permalink)
SolidSnakeASS Actor Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Winterpeg, Manitobaugh, Canada	gachaman> I've probably played about 200-300 discs in it. Hard to know the exact number since I rent a lot of stuff.

11-28-2001, 02:08 AM	#24 (permalink)
orko007 Actor Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: AUSTRALIA	I have the PS2 and a Pioneer 535, and multi zone Pioneer 344. The stand alone players are the way to go over the PS2. For example, the Octopussy: Special Edition. On the PS2 the credits were very hard to see on a smaller 51cm TV, but on a stand alone they are fine. I'd go for the stand alone, and get your girlfriend to take back the Game Cube and buy a PS2 for you and your games, cos they rock

11-28-2001, 11:31 AM	#25 (permalink)
BeanBandit Actor Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Toronto	I'm not that keen on technical issues in DVD players so I'm not exactly sure what people mean when they say that the PS2 is a bad player. But I did notice some serious breakup of the image (big blocky pixelation) when watching my Beasite Boys DVD on my friend's PS2. Is that the DVD's fault, or the player's? As far as your moral dilema goes, buy her a standalone player. If you want to play games, stay at home with your Gamecube. You shouldn't be going to her place to play videogames...if you know what I mean.

11-28-2001, 03:45 PM	#26 (permalink)
Mistienght Actor Join Date: Oct 2001	So i guess it's not a good thing that whenever I go to my girls house, I go straight to her video game system, huh?

11-30-2001, 04:06 AM	#29 (permalink)
MARVEL Actor Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: 30 miles north of Cinderella's castle, FL	You should definitely go with the standalone whether or not quality playback is an issue or not. Somehow I don't think she would notice. I bought my girl a Pioneer 343 and well I use it more than she does of course. Then again I was tired of bringing my portable over and hooking it up just to watch a movie. And I went all out and got a complete pro-logic system for her...or is that for me, while I'm at her house. I picked up the DVD player for $150 and it was a great value. ------------------ F-L-O-R-I-D-A S-T-A-T-E Florida State Florida State Florida State WHOOOOO!!!! [This message has been edited by MARVEL (edited 11-29-2001).] [This message has been edited by MARVEL (edited 11-30-2001).]