BD on SD-TV, is it possible?

[Instant Martian]

Hi there,
since some interesting titles are coming I am thinking about to enter the "magic world" of BD and get a BD player.
Problem is I have a CRT SD-TV and I don't want to buy a HD-TV right now.
What I need to know is if a BD player or PS3 (R2 PAL) can be connected to a standard tv set.
I don't care if the video will be shown "downscaled", I just want to be able to watch the BDs to check if they play fine.
So, is this possible? Or do I have to go for a HD-TV anyway?

[lordsmurf]

It won't be HD, but it should still work.
Just be sure the BD player has analog outputs for your TV.

[Cornucopia]

To clarify what LS just said:

Don't get a player that JUST has HDMI outputs, make sure it has at least one of these:
Composite Analog Video (Usually yellow RCA jack)
S-Video Analog (S-Video/Y-C DIN jack)
Component Video (Usually Red+Blue+Green RCA jacks)

Doesn't hurt to have other available outputs...

We mentioned this, because there are now coming on the market (and more to come) boxes which ONLY have HDMI, etc.

Scott

[Instant Martian]

Thanks to the both of you.
What about the PS3? Could it be a possible choice?
And what about the audio?

[jman98]

Thanks to the both of you.
What about the PS3? Could it be a possible choice?
And what about the audio?

I assume the PS3 works with SD TVs but as I do not have a PS3 I cannot verify that.

Audio could be a problem for you. Unless you have a receiver of some kind that accepts optical or HDMI input or your BluRay player supports old style 2 channel outputs (the red and white audio jacks) that can go to your TV, you will not be able to listen to the BluRay discs you play. And note that BluRay allows for discs that use only DTS-HD audio so playing DTS audio may be impossible on your TV unless you have a BluRay player that can decode DTS (they are not common, but they do exist) or a receiver that can decode it. So depending on your equipment there may be some discs that you simply cannot listen to.

[Instant Martian]

Shoot!
I knew audio would have been a p.i.t.a..
I had already figured out I had to look for red and white jacks but my doubt was if the player could do a sort of "downmix" (like DVD players do with 5.1 DD).
So I need a player capable of decoding DTS-HD.
Wonder if PS3 can, I was oriented toward it.

[mrswla]

Yes, PS3 can hook up to a SDTV. Just make sure the sony playstation av connector has analog outputs on the other end. I believe mine came with component and composite cables, but can't remember. These will take care of video and audio.
Something like this:

[Cornucopia]

Yeah, I know for a fact that PS3 can work.
It normally comes supplied with one of those aforementioned AV connector cables. My son moves his PS3 back and forth between his bedroom on OLD SD tube TV, and our Living room HDTV with HDMI. You have to do a video settings reset to make the jump, but he does that often (every couple of weeks). If you decide to get a PS3, look online to see how to do a hardware video settings reset - took me unawares the first few times.
I couldn't be CERTAIN about DTS-HD, but considering the PS3 is firmware updateable, I'm confident that it would be able to do a live downmix of a DTS-HD soundtrack to the Analog stereo outs.

Scott

[johns0]

The ps3 comes with composite cables so it will hook up with sd tvs with rca inputs for sound and video and it decodes dts-hd audio.

[jagabo]

Don't wait too long. After 2013 there will be no analog outputs at all on Blu-ray players.

[Instant Martian]

If PS3 can deal with DTS-HD I think that would be the best choice.
Anyway, if somebody knows other BD players capable of decoding DTS-HD I would appreciate that.
Thanks to all of you for helping.