Recommendations for a low-mid end Blu-Ray player ...

[Alamar]

Several pieces of my electronics have gone to heaven recently and the wife has given me the go-ahead to snag a Blu-Ray player. I'd prefer to stick to a low-to-mid-end player but I'm willing, if needed, to save my money up and get a proper Blu-Ray unit.

I could list all my wants & don't wants but I figure I can sum it up as "a PS/3 with lower noise and lower costs".

Are there any standalone units that meet the above description?? Are there any good shootouts for Blu-Ray players where video quality tests have been done or other things so I can compare & contrast different options??

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For those that want a specific list here's what I'm looking for and what I'm not looking for:

-- A quiet unit. [Game consoles by & large are too noisy for me]

-- A unit with good video processing. If I pay hundreds of dollars for a unit my Blu-Rays AND DVDs better look good

-- A unit that won't make me wish I bought something else esp. if I upgrade my TV.

-- A unit that will play almost any Blu-Ray I put in now OR in the future

-- A unit that will play almost any DVD I put in ... esp. things like home movies that I authored and burned myself.

-- A reliable unit that will last for years of trouble free service

-- A unit that is easily "patchable" if there are issues [Profile 2.0 & web conn]

-- A unit that I can configure and tweak ... Specifically I'd like to be able to disable things like upsampling if the unit doesn't do that particularly well.

-- I'd prefer to keep the budget at 300$ unless I'd be a fool not to spend "just a little more"

-- A unit that understands all audio codecs and will at least output multichannel PCM or similar

 

[allargon]

Get a Samsung BD-P2550 or BD-P2500 off E-bay or on sale. The only thing that might make me tell you to skip this one is the whole reliability thing.

The Panasonic units have great playback and great support but won't meet your video processing needs. The LG BH200 and BD300 don't internally decode DTS-HD MA. (Too bad. The BH200 has excellent video processing and is whisper quiet.) The Sony units tend to have source direct as well as good support. So, you might consider them if you have good external video processing.

Consider the PS3 as well. No, they're not whisper quiet--even the newer ones. However, you know they will stay up to date and never have playback issues. The PS3 is the most popular Blu-Ray player by 10,000 leagues and a country mile to boot. Every disc gets tested on that player.

The Oppo isn't out yet. Moreover, it won't be $300 for a good while.

I didn't mention Sherwood, Insignia, Magnavox, Emerson, Philips, Memorex or other inexpensive brands for good reason. Yamaha, Onkyo, Denon, Marantz, etc. tend to be okay but out of your price range and lacking the latest (read: profile 2.0) features. I would also avoid Pioneer.

 

[Exit]

Do any of the Blu-Ray players also do a good job emulating an upscalling DVD player and playing SACD?

 

[allargon]

Do any of the Blu-Ray players also do a good job emulating an upscalling DVD player and playing SACD?

Until the Oppo comes out, the only thing that will do what you require is a non-entry level (not the 40GB or the new 80GB) PS3.

 

[Pyrrho]

Do any of the Blu-Ray players also do a good job emulating an upscalling DVD player and playing SACD?

The new Oppo, that is yet to be released, is supposed to be good at everything (except for playing discs from other regions). It will probably cost $499 plus shipping.

 

[Alamar]

Some things that I should have made more clear in my original post:

-- I will play Blu-Rays sometimes ... 10% [Netflix rentals mostly]

-- To start with I'll play mostly commercial DVDs .. 84%

-- I want to play the occassional home movie DVD that I authored & burned myself .. 5% [mixture of single && dual-layer]

-- I won't be needing SACD, DVD-A, etc. high-end music support. Maybe the occassional music CD but that would be rare ... 1%

 

[GlocksRock]

Why not just rent blu rays from netflix? It's not that much more money, and it's well worth it for the extra video quality.

 

[j_garcia]

I'd say look at the Panasonic BD60.

 

[Alamar]

Why not just rent blu rays from netflix? It's not that much more money, and it's well worth it for the extra video quality.

Didn't I say that I would be doing exactly that?? It's a 4$ premium but that's not sooooo bad ...

 

[j_garcia]

Didn't I say that I would be doing exactly that?? It's a 4$ premium but that's not sooooo bad ...

Just as an FYI, there is a very good chance that the PS3 will be getting Netflix in the near future as well.

 

[jostenmeat]

what allargon and j garcia said.

Panasonic would be my vote, but the DVD playback might leave a bit to be desired.

HOWEVER, IMHO, when you see how much better BD is, you might not really care. I've compared the DVD playback of my "very good" ABT Toshiba HDA35 to the "poor" DVD playback of my Panasonic BD30: the difference is there, noticeable, but in reality is quite a small difference when comparing either with BD playback.

You almost get to have cake and eat it. You will be provided very good FW support by this brand, as they own most of the patents associated with BD.

You will get very good BD playback quality. An older shootout I posted here had the Pana as the only player to pass all HQV tests.

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/showthread.php?t=47892

You won't have to deal with funky issues, and I think of sony players, where you can't have multiple/redundant audio outputs working without tweaking menu, or the inability to recode mch PCM as DD/DTS (as I learned from allargon), or whatever else.

IOW, if willing to sacrifice a little bit of DVD playback quality, you are good on every point you ask for. I think.

 

[j_garcia]

HOWEVER, IMHO, when you see how much better BD is, you might not really care.

This is the key thing to take away from what jostenmeat said IMHO. Once you start to see the better Blu-ray offerings, SD DVD will just not quite have that same appeal. I still watch DVDs, but very rarely, and only for things that I can't get on BD.

 

[PENG]

Are there any good shootouts for Blu-Ray players where video quality tests have been done or other things so I can compare & contrast different options??

Here is one:

http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/hd-dvd-bluray/3075/blu-rodeo.html

For those that want a specific list here's what I'm looking for and what I'm not looking for:

-- A quiet unit. [Game consoles by & large are too noisy for me]

-- A unit with good video processing. If I pay hundreds of dollars for a unit my Blu-Rays AND DVDs better look good

This is a tall order for $300. In my opinioin you will be better off getting a low cost BD player such as the Samsung BD-P1500 plus a good DVD player. Of all my media players the 79.99 XDE500 offers the best PQ even though it does not have the Reon or ABT in it. I watch a lot of DVD and I don't want to subject my BD and HD DVD players to unnecessary wear and tear. If you definitely don't prefer the two player option then I agree with allargon, consider the BD-P2550. I find its DVD PQ almost as good as the XDE500. I should mention that it is not quiet at all but according reviews it is quieter than the PS3.

 

[tn001d]

Sony BDP-S350

 

[DaleAV]

Just as an FYI, there is a very good chance that the PS3 will be getting Netflix in the near future as well.

I have NF and use the $99 Roku player. I find I don't use as much as I thought, but that's me.
I am not to keen on players with built-in streaming decoders. Something happens to the player, you are out both sources when you send it in to get it fixed.
Plus, with all the upcoming options for VOD and streaming, I would not want to limit myself to just NF.
Lastly, I would rather have the money and engineering spent on integrating the NF streamer used to improve the player itself.

On the plus side, it does eliminate one more box and connections, although the Roku is very small.

I think the basic Panasonic (if you don't need analog outputs) is about the best quality BD player around for the buck, in my biased opinion.

 

[BMXTRIX]

I have not heard great things about Sony upconversion, and I have heard lousy things about Samsung support.

Panasonic has had run-ins with poor video processing in their products, and they responded after the BD30 came out, the BD-35 had improved upconversion video processing which was greatly admired from almost all the reviews I have read.

I would keep in mind that as the majority patent holder in the Blu-ray technology, Panasonic has a LOT riding on the success of the product, especially from the hardware side of things, and they have consistently had some of the best firmware support and very smooth to operate products out there.

I would take some time to read any reviews of their newest BD players that are on the market - the BD60 and any others to see what people think.

 

[Alamar]

Thanks for the input guys. Based on your recommendations and a little research it looks like a Panny would be a reasonable deal.

One final question though ... Is there any reason that I shouldn't pick up a DMP-BD605K for 246$?? [HDMI cable included]

Note: I can get the BD60K for 230$ but after I add in an HDMI it would likely be a wash ....


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FYI: I will likely keep a DVD player connected to my receiver just in case the Panny doesn't like DVD +R discs [Panny support says no problem but the spec sheet says otherwise ....]

 

[jostenmeat]

Thanks for the input guys. Based on your recommendations and a little research it looks like a Panny would be a reasonable deal.

One final question though ... Is there any reason that I shouldn't pick up a DMP-BD605K for 246$?? [HDMI cable included]

Note: I can get the BD60K for 230$ but after I add in an HDMI it would likely be a wash ....


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FYI: I will likely keep a DVD player connected to my receiver just in case the Panny doesn't like DVD +R discs [Panny support says no problem but the spec sheet says otherwise ....]

605 is the costco designation? Anyways, a 2 ft 1.3a CL2 gold plated Monoprice HDMI cable is $4.53.

 

[Alamar]

605 is the costco designation? Anyways, a 2 ft 1.3a CL2 gold plated Monoprice HDMI cable is $4.53.

Is that with shipping?? ... I looked at a well-known competitor's site and they cheapest 3 ft HDMI is almost 16$ shipped.

I guess I should look over at Monoprice and see what I can find out ....

FYI: The 605 is a Panny designation. It's the 60 + an HDMI cable ...

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Maybe I should have asked is there a reason that I shouldn't pick up a BD60K or BD605K??

 

[mtrycrafts]

Is that with shipping?? ... I looked at a well-known competitor's site and they cheapest 3 ft HDMI is almost 16$ shipped.

I guess I should look over at Monoprice and see what I can find out ....

FYI: The 605 is a Panny designation. It's the 60 + an HDMI cable ...

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Maybe I should have asked is there a reason that I shouldn't pick up a BD60K or BD605K??

If it is a wash, where can you get them without paying state taxes Yes, the states are struggling but but...
Make sure the included cable is long enough for your needs or it is not a wash