Anthem BLX 200 Blu Ray Player

[gene]

The Anthem BLX 200 Blu-ray player was on display at CEDIA 2009. Rather than taking the route of cloning the Oppo BDP 83 Blu-ray player like some other high end A/V manufacturers are doing, Anthem chose to develop their own player from the ground up. Details on this player are still sketchy but it does look promising. No DVD-A or SACD support is on board but Anthem claims the target price of this player will be around $799. Later next year they may also be releasing a pricer version with more features and possibly DVD-A and SACD support.

 

[Seth=L]

Finally, a high end company that doesn't have their head up their butt. I'm sure the Anthem is built to a very high standard and that price seems pretty fair considering the caliber of equipment that we expect from them.

 

[ivseenbetter]

Really? What does it do that some of the lower priced models out there can't do? Is it worth more just because it has Anthem on it? I'm just really confused over all of these Blu ray players. They all say they do the same darn thing...and the only thing that differentiates one from the other is how fast it can load the movie. There has to be more to it.

 

[Seth=L]

If Anthem designed it from the ground up then it is assuradly built to a higher standard than your average Blu-ray player. Would I buy it, probably not. I'd much rather buy the Oppo.

 

[ivseenbetter]

I just wonder what goes into building something like a blu ray player to a better standard. They all seem to be doing the same thing with practically the same output and the only thing that is different is the price. One doesn't do better blacks or perhaps one should have more vibrant colors...pretty much they are all the same.

 

[walter duque]

Since it only has a retail of 799.-- I just can't belive that they designed it from the gound. IMO it's just gona be a rebadge with the Anthem name on it. Even at 499.-- I would still go for the OPPO that has proven itself on the market as beeing a top player.

 

[djreef]

If Anthem designed it from the ground up then it is assuradly built to a higher standard than your average Blu-ray player. Would I buy it, probably not. I'd much rather buy the Oppo.

As would most. The bar has been set absurdly high by the folks at OPPO at that price point.

DJ

 

[ivseenbetter]

Is the OPPO the top player just because it was the first decently priced universal player? I'm still wondering, other than fast load times, how much better the picture is from an OPPO compared to any other offering.

 

[jostenmeat]

Is the OPPO the top player just because it was the first decently priced universal player?

Yes.

I'm still wondering, other than fast load times, how much better the picture is from an OPPO compared to any other offering.

If it's better, I'm sure the differences are subtle. There was an old six player shootout I've linked here before, and the Panasonic was the only player to pass all HQV tests, but OTOH it suffered the greatest shift between color points. That said, I'm sure most players would look very similar in performance on most displays, viewing angles, and/or other conditions.


In defense of this Anthem player, a lot of people who have ID in mind sometimes forget that items rarely sell for MSRP. My bdp is purely for HT, no dedicated audio ever, and if the price ends up being the same . . . and I got my hands on a D2v, I could match my electronics.

 

[gonk]

Is the OPPO the top player just because it was the first decently priced universal player? I'm still wondering, other than fast load times, how much better the picture is from an OPPO compared to any other offering.

Fast load times play a part. For Blu-ray, picture quality should vary precious little between good players. Standard DVD quality varies more, and the BDP-83 is really quite good in that regard. I think that it would have been very well received a year or two from now, when the fast load times would be less of a big deal and other DVD-A/SACD-equipped Blu-ray players would already exist. I think that the combination of all its abilities and the timing (when the combination is still rare any price) has just magnified that reception.

 

[mtrycrafts]

...What does it do that some of the lower priced models out there can't do? Is it worth more just because it has Anthem on it? ....

We could ask this of everything audio, right?

 

[ivseenbetter]

We could ask this of everything audio, right?

Yep. I thought the very same thing as I wrote it.