Not really. pretty much it has all the necessary functions to play a 4k blu-ray disc i would say and cheapest in price. just get the Xbox One S or X
Only downside is that it has no dedicated control like PS3 that you can buy to use it like a remote control. You need to use the controller as remote.
Given its price, it is certainly best value for money 'player' comparing to any other options around.

Yeah, i use my PS3 as blu-ray player only and I do not have any other blu-ray player. I bought a sony official remote control for PS3 to be used as blu-ray player remote control but end up i dun really use it. I use my game controller afterall. Not a big issue seriously.
Most people will just use the play, pause, forward or backward functions when they watch a 2 to 3 hours movie seriously. At most they change the audio or subtile track.

The best parts about game console as player is that they are very durable also.
My PS3 is still working even now.
I have not bought a Xbox one S/X yet becos I have yet to own a 4K blu-ray discs. However, they will certainly be my first choice if I need to own one.

I also used a PS3 as a Bluray player back in the day. But I think the example is not the same as using Xbox One S/X. PS3 did not have the ability to bitstream lossless audio for example. In that regard it's not as good as a standalone player.

The Xbox One S/X is better than a regular 4K Bluray player in my opinion. It can output both HDR10 and Dolby Vision HDR, where most standalone players just support HDR10. It can bitstream all audio tracks including Dolby Atmos just like a standalone player. And if you use Netflix, it even loads faster than a 4K Bluray player. It won't be able to beat an expensive Oppo or high end Panasonic player, but if we're talking 1000 plus ringgit players, there is nothing an Xbox One S/X cannot do that a regular player can.

yup, especially xbox one s is very cheap now. below sgd300 can get one easily.

Great to know Xbox One S/X support Dolby Vision, I will consider it then. Haha!

Basically for the moment, none is ship to Malaysia from Amazon UK. Can forget about it now. Haha!

oh i didn't know that, thanks for the info... i'm not that familiar with Xbox as i'm not really a gamer. that's to show also that i bought my PS3 just for the sake of blu-ray playback. and yes... i did buy the remote controller for bluray navigation

oh i guess you are lucky, as my experience is not the same as you. my PS3 was the earlier batch (the fat one), it was not released in m'sia yet at that time. i thought i was lucky enough because most people suffered the lens problem after only 1 or 2 years, but mine was all good... until it ended up with the YLOD after 6-7 years of use! and that was in 2015 when it just refused to boot when switched on.... btw i still have that PS3 on my deck collecting dusts. still unsure what to do with it – whether to get it fix (which may cost a bomb now?) or just leave it to rot since i already have a standalone bluray player

you are right... this was one of the downside of having a PS3 as a blu-ray player as opposed to a standalone player... but i guess Xbox has done a better job especially when it comes to playback 4K content and have its features but with a cheaper price tag!

my PS2 bought in year 2003, it is still working now. it is a modded one something which allows the playing of 'friendly games'. but too bad that time mine is still the 'fat' original PS2. The slim version was out in 2004.

my PS3 i bought it for more than 10 years now also. Mine is the slim version. Not the 'fat' one. However, subsequently, there is one more super slim version.

PS4 can play blu-ray, DVD. However, it cannot play audio CD. what a bummer. Of course, it does not play 4k UHD blu-ray discs also. Another bummer.

Console to me, they are the best players. They exceed many standalone players.

This post has been edited by westlife: Apr 10 2020, 09:05 AM

That's something that never sat right with me. Why wouldn't Sony put in a 4K Bluray drive in the PS4 Pro? I do appreciate the increased performance in games, but it would have been great to also have 4K Bluray playback built in. Relatively speaking, 4K Bluray is somewhat of a failure, especially compared to DVD adoption rate, but it seems a bit premature of Sony to dismiss 4K Bluray in favor of 4K Streaming. That was the official reason given:

“4K is becoming mainstream first through streaming, and then through broadcasts. Only after this will 4K content start to become commonly distributed on discs, and we are anticipating more of this going forward. Sony will thus bring a distinctly “Sony,” high-quality 4K Blu-ray disc player equipped with Sony’s latest technologies to market at the appropriate time, in a way that is consistent with market demand for 4K discs. Sony hopes to invigorate the 4K market in this way.”

I'm glad the PS5 will finally include a 4K Bluray drive. It's weird that Microsoft is the one pushing 4K Bluray this generation, despite them not really having a reason to do so. The PS3 was the cheapest Bluray player for a long time, and it also helped drive the adoption of Bluray media. Microsoft backed HD DVD instead, and required the external HD DVD drive as an extra purchase. Guess who won that format war?

yeah. Sony being the member of the Blu-ray Disc Association, their ps4 does not support 4k blu-ray while their competitor Microsoft Xbox One supports it.

yeah. you are rite. my gut feel is 4k UHD Blu-ray will unlikely to be popular anytime soon.
1) firstly, it is still very expensive.

2) compatibility issue, to buy a standalone player that supports it will deter ppl from considering. Although XBox One S/X is relatively cheaper alternative.

3) most content on youtube, netflix are still major at 1080p. probably it needs to wait until it becomes on norm at the said platforms then physical discs got chance to catch up.

4) one needs a compatible device to enjoy the fullness of 4k. TVs are ok (this is quite common now and 4k TVs are relatively cheap nowadays so not so much a big deal) but other devices such as laptops/tablets/mobile phones are not are mostly at 2k resolution average. So technically, 4k to those devices are not a must since one cannot enjoy at full resolution. Netflix is a good example on mobile phones, you can select 4k but ur phone maybe is only 2k resolution. it will still look sharp since the content exceeds the resolution of device but one actually will waste more data (if not on wifi) to stream 4k content and again does not enjoy the maximum resolution of the content.

5) digital content seems to elimate the needs of physical discs. i hardly heard anyone buying blu-ray discs nowadays. I was previously used to buy blu-ray discs for those movies/concerts that i like to keep for collection purpose. For many years i have not done it already, partly due to the fact that lesser movies that interest me to keep as collection. Even those singers/bands have hardly released new albums or blu-ray discs for concerts, therefore no chance to buy too. My most recent blu-ray disc is the concert by Westlife. This will likely to be a trend. I afraid one day, we may not even see the physical discs for all these contents.
Even for those ps4 physical game discs, the quantities they released are very limited, if you dun happen to buy the game titles you like at the earlier stage, you may not even able to get the physical copies later.

I myself is a supporter of blu-ray discs. I hope they will continue to release them.



This post has been edited by westlife: Apr 10 2020, 10:04 AM

I think soon or later physical media will gone, especially when 5G is worldwide available. When 5G coverage is wide, I think even stream original contents like 4K UHD blu-ray also not an issue.

My last purchase is Bumblebee and Bohemian Rhapsody.

https://forum.lowyat.net/index.php?showtopi...post&p=95607146


This post has been edited by Andrewtst: Apr 10 2020, 10:22 AM

Valid points all around. DVD was actually around since like 1997, but only started gaining popularity after the PS2 was released globally. This wasn't a coincidence. The hardware was relatively cheap, it could play DVDs, AND backwards compatible with PS1 games. How much was the overlap between gamers and movie lovers that bought PS2, I have no idea. But I think it was significant. The price was a huge factor.

I am also a supporter of home entertainment media. From VHS, to VCD, HD DVD, Bluray, and now 4K Bluray. When money is of concern, most Malaysians turn to pirated media. I did too. But once I have good income, I started supporting original media, because I want them to be around. I vastly prefer physical media compared to streaming, though I do appreciate the convenience.

Now that Sony is backing 4K Bluray more seriously, I hope they will also give it more of a push. Let people know more about the advantages of 4K Bluray over Bluray and DVD. PS5 is suposed to have very good audio capabilities, but no Atmos support from what I know so far. They can still change that. Give people a reason why they should get on board 4K Bluray. Then maybe the format can grow.

I suppose it's going to happen eventually. Most people do not really need to watch a movie more than a few times. It was the reason rental stores were very popular in the 80s and 90s, since it was cheaper than buying movies on media.

Now we don't even need to own the players themselves. Back then, you still had to buy a VCR or VCD player even if you just wanted to rent movies. Now you take out the physical layer and just stream to your TV, computer or phone. When a major manufacturer like Samsung has stopped manufacturing 4K Bluray players, you know things are getting real. Sign of the times huh.

Yup, high possible, soon or later time only.

bros tripleb, westlife & andrewtst – i agree with all your opinions on this subject!

one of your earlier post; bro westlife why you were disappointed Sony did not allow 4K UHD playback on their PS3 Pro – i think Sony found out that one of the reasons the previous PS3 conk-out with regards to the lens issue is because it kept re-adjusting its lens when different media being loaded into the PS3 – games > DVDs > Blurays > games > Blurays > DVDs etc in continuous pattern. so maybe that's why until they figure out all this can be worked out, then they'll allow playability for all disc media in its PS... and in this case their upcoming PS4. but that's just my view... it could be totally out of context. i like when they can include 4K on games console and not just on standalone.... these will drive non-gamers to adopt to 4K without having to dig deep into their pocket for a standalone player to enjoy one... and who knows might start to jump into gaming since they already have a console!

other issue (apart from the ones listed out by bro westlife) that will cause unlikely popularity of 4K UHD bluray adopters among general consumers is that there is no significant difference between Full HD (1080p) to 4K (2160p)... unless you have a massive screen size tv or projector that can amaze the eye. we as cinephiles or technophiles probably can tell the difference, or knows them technically, bit rates bla bla... but not the general consumers! it's not night and day... unlike the comparison between DVD (480p) to Bluray (1080p) which is quite a big leap!

but just my 2-cents....

It's no longer enough just pushing resolution. There needs to be a 'hook' or gimmick when pushing new tech in general. VCD was actually worse than VHS in terms of imaqe quality, but it was easier to use. No rewinding, CD media is more versatile, and it lasted longer. Laserdisc was the best home format in the 80s, but it was too expensive for mainstream acceptance.

DVD came at a time when it was cheap enough for mass market adoption. Early on, a lot of DVDs came with extra content like behind the scene features, cut content, movie trailers and such. This was on top of better video and multichannel digital sound. It was perceived as better than VHS and VCD in every way. This was the 'hook' it had early on.

When HD DVD was still around, it really gave a fight for the home entertainment marketshare. I actually backed HD DVD between 2007 - 2008, just up until Bluray won the format war. Anyway, both formats helped define the HD era of movies. Full HD resolution and lossless audio became standard. Yet Bluray never reached the popularity level of DVD. There just wasn't enough difference to convince the majority of people to make the jump.

Today, 4K Bluray is facing an even tougher challenges. In addition to legacy formats like DVD still around, there are also challenges from Astro and the various streaming providers. They even support 4K resolution now. There's just not that much appeal in owning movies on 4K Bluray when it's already "good enough" for most people. The only 'hook' 4K Bluray has is Dolby Atmos / DTS X output, and maybe HDR.

I continue to support 4K Bluray (and Bluray too) of course, since I want to watch movies in the best possible way. I just hope the format continues to be supported well into the next generation.

4K only significant differences thanks to HDR, without it, really nothing compare with 1080p.

As for 8K, for the moment it is freaking nothing special and not much source also, no single source of movie, only have those demo at YouTube... ...

i second your statement! i really hope physical media won't die and extinct in the near future.... because of streaming, digital files and all that. i miss those days going to Sg Wang Plaza and browse R1 DVD new releases – this is long before i know how to shop online Looking at the cover designs, the sleeve note and also can smell the print ink of the packaging!!

while i have not started collecting 4K disc yet, i've already collected around 400+ DVDs (well i must admit some are not "ori"), 200+ Blurays and 1 HD-DVD title ! i'm sure some sifus here have way more collection than i am. but my point is, i'm a big fan of physical media... although i do have netflix too. When Samsung announced they're stopping to produce 4K UHD Bluray player early last year... my interest to try out 4K fades a bit

You guyz who buy from overseas... kena tax and duty ke?
Is it below RM500 no tax?

Amazon UK does not have multi region Blu-ray as far as I know..

But they do have a very nice plain CD player that I want. So hard to find decent CD players now in Malaysia..

Amazon UK does have some region free blu ray for sale, it depends on some movie studio, like Universal pictures released mostly are region free