Quick Insignia Blu-ray player impressions

[j_garcia]

I picked up the Insignia BD player for my dad last week and had a chance to set it up and try it out on the 4th; just getting around to impressions now though. I have to say the impression I got was better than expected. The player is rather simple; almost looks like a VCR, with only a few buttons and the tray on the front. It isn't particularly heavy, but it does feel relatively well constructed. The back has only a few connections - HDMI, component, composite, coax/optical and power (sorry no pics at the moment). The remote is extremely simple, and actually looks a LOT like a knock off of the PS3 BD remote (IR though). Setup was extremely simple, since my dad doesn't have a HDMI receiver yet - only had to setup video output to 1080i for this particular older Samsung LCD.

We fired it up and played I Am Legend to try it out. My dad always commented "My eyes aren't so good, I don't know if I will even be able to SEE the difference." After about an hour, I asked him and my mom if they could see the difference and both of them without hesitating said "Definitely". My dad likes action movies, so I gave him his first BD with the machine, Predator. It isn't one of the best looking discs out there, but it still looks much better than the SD DVD IMO, and he still enjoyed it.

For a basic, budget player, I have to say this one looks promising so far.

The only disappointment I had was the in-box coupon. It said $100 in discounts, however it turned out to be the typical deal: $10 off, but you have to buy TWO movies of the ones listed on each coupon, and some of them have a few of the same movies on them. Some of them have decent choices, others not so much.

 

[croseiv]

Sounds like a decent player!

 

[j_garcia]

Yes, for the price, I was actually surprised that it is as good as it is (got for $299 with a $100 gift card, plus the coupon in the box). Unfortunately since he doesn't yet have an HDMI receiver, I don't know what it does decoding wise. Their new house isn't finished yet, so won't be able to try all of that out for a few weeks at least.

 

[j_garcia]

One thing I forgot to mention was load time. This thing starts up and is ready to play the disc rather quickly, to read a disc to start playing it is about the same speed as my PS3. It is slower than the typical SD DVD player, but it is fast compared to my A2 . We had also paused the movie to eat dinner and when we came back, we found that it had automatically turned itself off. Upon hitting play, it took a fairly long time ~30 seconds to come back, but it resumed right where we left off.

 

[speakerman39]

Yes, for the price, I was actually surprised that it is as good as it is (got for $299 with a $100 gift card, plus the coupon in the box). Unfortunately since he doesn't yet have an HDMI receiver, I don't know what it does decoding wise. Their new house isn't finished yet, so won't be able to try all of that out for a few weeks at least.

Thanks John for taking the time and share this with us. It really doesn't sound like a bad deal to me. I might also get one for my parents-who knows. Very informative.

Cheers,

Phil

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

...got for $299...

So it performs just as well as the PS3 for BD, but it's less expensive than the PS3. However, does it have TrueHD & DTS-MA like the PS3?

 

[j_garcia]

I didn't compare it back to back with my PS3 in terms of PQ, so I can't say for sure it is on par with it, but in terms of load time (which seems to be a common complaint about HD and BD players), it was fairly quick. Like I said, I don't have a HDMI receiver available yet to try out what it can and can't decode.

 

[ErinH]

I'm actually looking for a cheap BD alternative. I was looking at the Sony s350, but might shift some attention to the Insignia for its price. I just need something to last me for a year or so. I'm only running 2.1 in my living room so the audio options aren't a big deal.

My only question is actual disc compatibility. I bough Batman Begins on BD yesterday and my HTPC won't play it thanks to non HCDP compliant graphics card. I'd like to pick up a cheap BD player but am worried that I'll run into issues with discs not being able to play and be stuck due to the lack of firmware upgrades for these cheaper players.

 

[croseiv]

Does this player have analogue outs?

 

[j_garcia]

It doesn't even have stereo analog out; only optical/coaxial or HDMI.