The Official "Help me pick a Blu-ray player" thread

[Piso Mojado]

Thanks a lot, PlacervilleGuy! Why do you say FWIW? The DMP-BD80 looks pretty well reviewed... Hell, it's that or shell out some bigger bucks for the Oppo everyone seems to love.

[PlacervilleGuy]

Originally Posted by eddie3angels

I've been looking since my Sony problem and haven't been able to find a player that has the hook up's I need with wi fi AND Netflix compatable. Maybe I just need to take the Toshiba for a walk in the woods or let the kids play soccer in the living room.

A TEN year old 55in Toshiba?? So that must be an old rear-projection, maybe even 3-tube analog set? Must be, if the "best" video input you have is S-Video? Even "older" rear-projection DLP units have at least Component inputs or maybe DVI. Am I correct? If so, I'd say while the wife is sleeping, go yank one of the wires in one of the color guns. When she goes to turn the TV on, gee, it'll be all f***ed up! Time to buy a new TV!! I'd seriously consider the Toshiba 3600 BD player, has everything you want. Even Composite Vid, which is damn-near as good as S-video. On your old set, you won't see much if any difference.

[PlacervilleGuy]

Originally Posted by Piso Mojado

Thanks a lot, PlacervilleGuy! Why do you say FWIW? The DMP-BD80 looks pretty well reviewed... Hell, it's that or shell out some bigger bucks for the Oppo everyone seems to love.

Well, I'm a humble guy. Yes, the Panny has been well reviewed, and I like mine. But to tell y'all the truth, I'm wishin' I'd waited for the Oppo. THAT is the best player on the market, bar-none! Plays EVERYTHING including SACD and DVD-Audio, of which I have several, and use my Panasonic DVD-S77 to play them on. Which requires my having to swap 6 analog interconnects from the BD80 to the S77 whenever I want to listen to one. If I had the Oppo, it'd play everything I have AND I could also dive into the SACD pool! Oppo also has the best customer service record. Yeah $499 is steep compared to "stand-alone" BluRay-only players, but for a TRUE Universal player it's a freakin' BARGAIN!

[scatter8]

The Samsung BD-P4600 prompts you when you log onto your network to update the firmware. When you do it breaks the unit - you can watch movies but you can no longer hear them. When Samsung was called they were aware of the issue, but stated that they are not supporting the damaged units and that you can try to run the update a second time, but if it doesn't fit the issue then you are out of luck. Samsung creates the firmware updates but they decided not to support them - I can't believe that they can do this!

[RockChalk]

Have a friend who is looking to buy a Netflix ready blu-ray player that is easy to use but isnt cheap and has good picture and audio quality, all this for as close to 200 dollars as possible.... thanks for the help

[PlacervilleGuy]

Originally Posted by scatter8

The Samsung BD-P4600 prompts you when you log onto your network to update the firmware. When you do it breaks the unit - you can watch movies but you can no longer hear them. When Samsung was called they were aware of the issue, but stated that they are not supporting the damaged units and that you can try to run the update a second time, but if it doesn't fit the issue then you are out of luck. Samsung creates the firmware updates but they decided not to support them - I can't believe that they can do this!

Well that bites! I can't believe they can say that and get away with it. Have you tried taking it back to the store you bought it from? They have to have some kind of return policy. Let THEM deal with Samsung! If they give you any crap, ask to talk to the store manager, and insinuate that if he doesn't take care of you, you and all your friends will never shop there again. That'll get his attention. Who at Samsung told you that you were SOL?

[th3warr1or]

Which Blu-ray player has the highest BD compatibility?(meaning, it can play all the older blu-ray releases, like Fantastic Four(2006), and all the new releases as well)

Recently, I bought Inglourious Basterds on Blu-ray. When I put it into my Blu-ray player(a Samsung BD-P1400), it loaded once, reached a Universal Studio's menu language selection page, then loaded again before it reached an infinitely looping sequence of clips from the movie itself, with music playing.

I assume that would be where the Main Menu options(Play/Audio/Scene Selection/Special Features) are the appear normally, but instead nothing appears, and the disc locks. If I press "Play" on the Blu-ray player controller, a 'no entry' sign appears at the top right hand. If I press skip, main menu or disc menu on the remote, again that same logo appears. Upon further investigations, I found that almost everyone with the same problem as I do were using the Samsung BD-P1400, while others who used it faced different problems as well.

Also, I heard that the BD-P1400 was discontinued by Samsung due to numerous problems and faults, so I've decided to buy a new Blu-ray player. But I want a player that can play everything, and assuming future releases of Blu-ray discs have a different playing format, the company supporting it will release a firmware promptly(preferably before several new releases become unplayable).

Does anyone have any suggestions of which brand and model to buy? Samsung BD-P1400 is absolutely out of the question, and unless you would absolutely swear by a certain Samsung model you have that can play all the new releases and has lasted you for [x period of time], I think I'd steer clear of Samsung for awhile too.

That being said, I need a Blu-ray player with support for Blu-rays released as far back as 2006(Fantastic Four, etc) as well as future support for incoming Blu-rays. DVD backward compatibility is a plus, and will be taken into consideration, as will loading times for the Blu-ray player.

[PlacervilleGuy]

Well, gee, you have been reading these forums haven't you? You really have no clue?

The top of the line has to be the Oppo. Yeah, pricey, but it's a bargain considering it's a true universal player, excellent customer support, and probably the most tested player before release.

IMHO, the next in line would be Panasonic. I've had NO issues with mine. A minor issue with 2001: A Space Oddessy that a FW update fixed. There have been a couple posters who have expressed issues with the Panasonic, but only a couple that I've read. Most seem to like it.

Samsung, in my opinion, has had too many issues, based on what I've been seeing here, on pretty much every model it's put out. They make great TVs, but their disk players seem to be trouble prone. Back up the thread, there's a guy who said Samsung basically told him he's screwed when a FW update broke his machine. So there you go.

[EWL5]

Originally Posted by th3warr1or

Which Blu-ray player has the highest BD compatibility?(meaning, it can play all the older blu-ray releases, like Fantastic Four(2006), and all the new releases as well)

Recently, I bought Inglourious Basterds on Blu-ray. When I put it into my Blu-ray player(a Samsung BD-P1400), it loaded once, reached a Universal Studio's menu language selection page, then loaded again before it reached an infinitely looping sequence of clips from the movie itself, with music playing.

I assume that would be where the Main Menu options(Play/Audio/Scene Selection/Special Features) are the appear normally, but instead nothing appears, and the disc locks. If I press "Play" on the Blu-ray player controller, a 'no entry' sign appears at the top right hand. If I press skip, main menu or disc menu on the remote, again that same logo appears. Upon further investigations, I found that almost everyone with the same problem as I do were using the Samsung BD-P1400, while others who used it faced different problems as well.

Also, I heard that the BD-P1400 was discontinued by Samsung due to numerous problems and faults, so I've decided to buy a new Blu-ray player. But I want a player that can play everything, and assuming future releases of Blu-ray discs have a different playing format, the company supporting it will release a firmware promptly(preferably before several new releases become unplayable).

Does anyone have any suggestions of which brand and model to buy? Samsung BD-P1400 is absolutely out of the question, and unless you would absolutely swear by a certain Samsung model you have that can play all the new releases and has lasted you for [x period of time], I think I'd steer clear of Samsung for awhile too.

That being said, I need a Blu-ray player with support for Blu-rays released as far back as 2006(Fantastic Four, etc) as well as future support for incoming Blu-rays. DVD backward compatibility is a plus, and will be taken into consideration, as will loading times for the Blu-ray player.

The most tested player has and may possibly still be the PS3. Some studios even admitted to the PS3 being their reference player to make sure their titles play. Not hard to believe considering the PS3 was Sony's gambit into getting BD into as many houses as possible.

All other players are fairly even in terms of compatibility. What you are looking for is customer support and response time. In this regard, Oppo has no equal and Samsung is the poster child for the other end of the spectrum.

At the end of the day, the end user (you) has to be good about updating the player so that the newest titles will play. If you want the convenience of updating via your home network, then you need a BD Live 2.0 compliant player at minimum for its ethernet jack. The PS3 and $499 Oppo BDP-83 will fit this bill. Oppo is coming out with a cheaper player and an announcement is expected late this month or early next month. If you are interested in learning more, you can PM me or look for related Oppo threads.

[PlacervilleGuy]

The PS3, according to Jan 2010 Popular Mechanics, in an article about the movie Avatar, is also the only BD player that is ready for the up-coming BluRay 3D standard. Supposedly all it will need is a FW update, and a set of shutter-glasses.

[EWL5]

Originally Posted by PlacervilleGuy

The PS3, according to Jan 2010 Popular Mechanics, in an article about the movie Avatar, is also the only BD player that is ready for the up-coming BluRay 3D standard. Supposedly all it will need is a FW update, and a set of shutter-glasses.

The PS3 may not be able to output full BD 3D as it will be lacking the HDMI 1.4 transceiver chip (it's not lacking in raw processing power). Time will tell but I'll be happy if true as I own an original 60gb PS3.

The 3D spec is still shrouded in mystery. I'll wait until both the equipment and reviews are fully baked before pulling the trigger. I'd like to see some benchmark disc available for 3D so we can get professional reviews worth reading.

[lindstad]

Maybe I'm just too picky, but I'm wondering if a Blu Ray player exists that has the following qualities:

Musts:
Vertical placement (placed on its side)
Good DVD upconversion

Nice to haves:
Netflix
Wireless network connectivity

I've considered the PS3, but my understanding is the DVD upconversion is not so good. If the Oppo had Netflix, I'd pick it for sure, as my understanding is it supports vertical placement. If anyone can help me with this, I'd greatly appreciate it. For what it's worth, this would be connecting to a Panasonic 42" G10, no further audio connectivity required.

Thanks.

[jacobsever]

Thinking about getting a region free player so I can start collecting Masters of Cinema releases, as well as importing certain releases not available in the states.

A quick google search of "region free blu ray player" finds $399 to be the cheapest option.

Are there any region free players less than that?

[jatses]

I have a TV stand that only has 16" wide shelves for my electronics. I'm wanting to get another blu-ray player besides my PS3, but can't find any shorter than 16.9" wide to fit. Does anyone know of any? I've searched through Amazon, Walmart, and several manufacturer's websites with no luck. Thanks for any assistance.


Jatses

[mcgruff]

Originally Posted by lindstad

Maybe I'm just too picky, but I'm wondering if a Blu Ray player exists that has the following qualities:

Musts:
Vertical placement (placed on its side)
Good DVD upconversion

Nice to haves:
Netflix
Wireless network connectivity

I've considered the PS3, but my understanding is the DVD upconversion is not so good. If the Oppo had Netflix, I'd pick it for sure, as my understanding is it supports vertical placement. If anyone can help me with this, I'd greatly appreciate it. For what it's worth, this would be connecting to a Panasonic 42" G10, no further audio connectivity required.

Thanks.

I'm pretty much in the same boat. (I don't own an HDTV yet, but I'm thinking of buying an HDTV and blu-ray player at the same time, and coincidentally the Panasonic 42 inch G10 is the TV at the top of my list.) Like Lindstad, it is important to me to have decent if not excellent DVD upconversion, and wireless connectivity for things like firmware updates, Netflix, etc. are important to me as well. I'm interested to know if buying a Panasonic player with a Panasonic Viera plasma works really great together or if it isn't that big a deal and one shouldn't be biased against other player manufacturers. (I'd assume Lindstad would have the same question.) Price, build quality, and reliability are important to me although I would assume that everyone wants the best combinations of those as well. Thanks.

[blacknumber1]

I´m looking to buy a new bluray player to replace my BDP1500. I`ve been thinking of BDP-120 from Pio and BDPS360 from Sony. Loading times are not an issue for me but I`m hoping to get improvements in sound quality and motion. Opinions on the two candidates? Any other suggestions?

[Harry88]

Haven't seen one of the 120s in action so can't comment on that too much. But it is pioneer so it should be good. I own the s360 and like it alot. PQ is great for the price.

[kurtis21]

You can't go wrong with the sony!

[progers13]

What's your budget?

[emoxley]

Oppo BDP-83, or the newer, cheaper Oppo BDP-80.