New to Blu - Taking Plunge Soon... Which one is the best?

[cmcclure16]

Ok so I'm new to Blu-Ray and will be getting a player within the next few days but can't decide on which player is the best choice. I am currently looking at:

-80GB PS3
-Samsung BD-P1400
-Sony BDP-S300
-Sharp BDHP20U

There seems to be pros and cons to all of them but I still can't decide. I can't find ANY reviews for the Sharp, reviews for the Samsung seem to be a mixed bag with some discs not working and firmware update issues, decent reviews for the Sony except that its not HDMI 1.3 and doesn't do HD audio (I think, too much info to remember). As for the PS3, the only negatives I have seen are the sometimes loud fan noises and lack of a remote. Those don't really bother me. Thing is, I am not that big of a gamer, but if I get the PS3 then I would definitely play games on it so it wouldn't be completely useless (just not ALL the time). Some will say get the $399 model then but I'm pretty confident that I would play several PS2 games as well. Any suggestions as to which one is the absolute best? Which route should I go?

EDIT:
Also, PS3 aside, which of the standalones I listed are the best? That way I can decide between a PS3 and a standalone, not a PS3 and 3 standalones.

[Caligula]

Id get ps3 if i were you and i like my ps3 remote

[richard lichtenfelt]

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=3460
Can't go wrong with the PS3, and you essentially get a free next gen. game console, and wifi.
Almost obscene power: http://www.wired.com/print/techbiz/i..._supercomputer
Check out what cnet has to say about the PS3 in the paragraph after the editor's note below the picture of the remote: http://reviews.cnet.com/game-accesso...tag=prod.txt.2
"Truth be told, the Sony PlayStation 3 is currently the Blu-ray player we use to test a lot of the HDTVs we get in for review here at CNET. As potentially higher performance Blu-ray players come out, that may change, but right now the PS3 is one of the best Blu-ray players on the market."

[cmcclure16]

I really liked the fact that it will basically be able to be updated for the newer profiles unlike most other players. I also noted that it doesn't output the DTS-HD MA but that's not that bad since I don't currently have a reciever capable of it anyways. Hopefully sometime in the future.

As I said, the only thing that scares me off is the $499 price tag but I think that I would play PS2 games as well but can't say 100% sure.

Also, PS3 aside, which of the standalones I listed are the best? That way I can decide between a PS3 and a standalone, not a PS3 and 3 standalones.

[crackinhedz]

Originally Posted by cmcclure16

-80GB PS3
-Samsung BD-P1400
-Sony BDP-S300
-Sharp BDHP20U

PS3 or the Samsung. (PS3 is a media canter, which in the long run is more bang for the dollar)

[richard lichtenfelt]

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/sh...ter_Audio/1012
"word on the street is that DTS is working with Sony to add internal DTS-MA decoding to the PS3 before Christmas."
The PS3 currently does pcm which is uncompressed.

[actionhank]

The fact that you would consider playing games (enough to think about backwards compatibility) settles it: get the PS3

[Whytewash]

they all have pros and cons but I find that the ethernet port on a potentially future proof system makes the PS3 a no brainer...

[Go Blu]

PS3 all the way.
You get the biggest bang for the buck.
Also the one closest to full profile with tons of extras.
The processor and extra memory allows for SUPER fast load times.

[javabear]

I'm very happy with my Sony S-300. The firmware updates are easy to do. And, the price for this unit right now is great. I believe Target has a great deal on it this weekend. $399 with $100 gift cert. You can't go wrong with Sony, whether it be PS3 or S300, whatever you like best. I always like stand-alone player. so..

[sacredchao]

I love my PS3. Thats the best choice for a blu-ray player. For one, people with regular br players complain about load times for br movies. No load times with the PS3.