Sony PS2

I am wondering about Sony PlayStation2. Is it just as good as any decent DVD player, or is it mainly for games and watching movies is sort of a side option? Is it possible to equip it with stereo speakers, etc.? Thanks.

Sasha

Yes, it is a decent DVD player. I'm not sure if you can equip it with stereo speakers, though you can easily find out by going to a store and looking at its outputs. Or you can ask one of your friends who have it to take a look. And then you can test it out too.

I'll be honest, the only time I used the PS2 as a DVD player was with someone who didn't have a remote (or it set up properly, I assume) and it was only a marginal experience. Since you can find a DVD player for 30-40 bucks, less than the cost of the remote, you are probably better off going that route.

I only ask because my fiance enjoys playing games and I enjoy movies. We already own a fine DVD player which is proudly displayed in the living room, so I was thinking about setting up a room with a PS2, a huge TV, and a comfortable divan for the sole purpose of such unhealthy entertainment. (To afford this fantasy I am going to have to get one more job or sell my soul or, possibly, both.)

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[Post edited by Sashaofspain on Jan 15, 2004]

yes its actually a good dvd player. and yes it does have an optical out, that of course connects to your home theatre system. and then you can convert it to a 5.1(although it wont be true 5.1)

i have not had a problem playing back any discs on my PS2, not even discs that were NOT readable on my sony deck..which was surprising, since my sony PLAYS EVERYTHNG!

para tu recamara, estuviera bien sasha.
pero, pon le mas atencion a tu mujer, y menos al PS2..
heheheh

por que si no, vas a tener mas noches con el juego, y no con tu juego... :D

To fifer55, most models brought in are indeed older models, mostly the first ones that came out. The rate at which they are brought in is at least a handful each month. I have heard that the inside of the newer models are different and that the problems of the older model shouldn't happen. Notice I said shouldn't. Because of that I am wary to buy another PS2 (I went through two before giving up). I don't care to buy the thing, use it and in two years, have it break down... Maybe PS3 but who knows...
As for XBox, I can tell you that NO ONE ever brings it in with problems. I made the crossover to XBox and couldn't be happier. The discs for XBox are either silver or gold, so DVDs read even better than PS2.
And finally, I haven't heard of any burner for any system... Only thing new for PS2 is the hard drive coming out in February... Hope I've been some help to you, get an XBox! :D

Thanks for all of your generous feedback, in the answer of fifer55 even too generous. I will keep in mind your suggestion, dude.

posters5, on the dvd de-compression on the PS2, you said the keyword, on some titles, but the same is true for (in my experience) very high end dvd players, since they are not forgiving in terms of bit-rates on the disc. as far as the audio outputs, i agree.

drunkenmonkey2k2, i guess what i have to ask is what models are your clienst bringing back? i just got my PS2 like about 2 months ago.(im not home, so i cant give you the model number, but it does have the IR receiver unit). what i also did was take the liberty to but a optical lense. so i can be prepared to replace it if i have to. from what ive read online, it seems that its more of a problem of the lens getting dirty, nothing a can of compressed air cant take care of.
whats the rate that the clients are bringing back the systems as well.
how does X-box fare up? are you having the same problems with the x-box.
also, is it true that PS2 is coming out with a PS2 dvd-r burner, i cant remember where i heard that though.

thanks!

DO NOT USE IT FOR DVDs!!!!! Trust me on this, you will wear that laser down like crazy and in a couple of years, depending on when you bought it, the laser will be so worn out that it will be almost impossible to play anything. I work at a gaming store and you wouldn't believe how many people come in asking us to fix their ps2 (which we can't do anyways). My PS2 died on me as well.
It sounded so great when it first came out and Sony announced that it was backwards compatible and a DVD player. But what they didn't account for was the fact that the laser then had the task of reading black discs, purple discs, gold discs, and silver discs... It's just too much! You are better off just buying a seperate dvd player and using your ps2 strictly for games.

i would avoid using the ps2 as a primary dvd player. it introduces a lot of video de-compression artifacts on some titles, and its 5.1 decoding properties are very weak compared to stand-alone dvd players.

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[Post edited by posters5 on Oct 3, 2004]

Okay, what is the XBox then? (I know I should look it up but I am just too lazy). Who makes it? What is a golden and silver disc?

xbox is microsoft's video game console.

gold/silver/purple/black/etc. discs are the different kinds of discs that are used by different disc manufacturers. presumably, the different dyes used tax dvd lenses because they have to re-adjust certain properties to be able to read the different colored discs.

My Mintek 5860 plays everything I threw in there except for XviDs/DivX's

Wow, I'm going to resurrect this post :D

Only because I have been using my PS2 for DVDs for about 3 years, give or take a few months. It is hooked up to my receiver with a fiber optic cable and the sound is very good, or even awesome. I don't have anything to compare it to. It is very clear and crisp, and my subwoofer is more than adequate!! I would ASSUME that the quality of the sound depends on the cables you use and the receiver/speaker assortment you have. I'm able to hear movies in 5.1 DD and DTS and I've been pleased since day 1. One of the main reasons of having the PS2 in my room with my home theatre stuff, is so I can enjoy games as well. They sound great on a 5.1 system, especially games like ESPN 2K5 Football and Star Wars Battlefront.

Just thought I'd share.....Good day to all!

"The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed." -S.K.

no it sucks

Yeah, that´s mature. Can we hear an argument?

Gotta tell you though. We went with another player and PS is used just for games. I swear I do not know how it works. I have never played a single videogame in my life.

No divan yet, though. The one that is soft enough costs more than the new flat TV. Go figure.

The humming may annoy you. It annoyed me.
You can listen to a DVD through your FL and FR speakers if you plug the PS2's red and white wires into the red and white-colored holes in the back of your home theatre system's DVD player. Most of the time, anyways. :D

You can also use the fiber optic port in the back of the PS2 and connect a fiber optic cable from there to your receiver, so you can enjoy discrete surround, as well as DTS. A lot of the newer games, and even some of the older ones as well, are encoded with Dolby Pro-Logic II to give you split surrounds during gameplay, which is neat for games like Need For Speed, or sports games......shoot, even Bounty Hunter sounds cool!

-Dave

(I realize the PS2 isn't the BEST dvd player on the market, being that it's designed for games...and it hums :) but for the room I have, and the setup I have, it's adequate.)