Which is the best Sony Blu-Ray player?

[thehellgate911]

I have an unlimited budget and i'd like the best Sony Blu-Ray player available. It can be one that's being released within the next couple months, it doesn't have to be right now.

Is the BDP5000 the best one? It's $2000, but I can't seem to find it available for purchase anywhere.

Thanks.

[Valore]

The PS3 $400......expensiveness doesn't reflect on quality. However, Pioneer has recently unvailed the "ultimate" blu ray player, the BDP-09FD check it out -> https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=1700

[surfdude12]

depends on your audio setup: if you need to bitstream the audio (i.e. send the DTS-MA or Dolby HD directly to your receiver), then I think the Panasonic 50 is a good choice.

if you're fine with the player converting the DTS-HD/DOlbyHD into PCM and sending that to the player: PS3 is great. I own a PS3 and love it. plus its profile 2.0

[arrow61095]

Originally Posted by Valore

The PS3 $400......expensiveness doesn't reflect on quality

+1

It is a profile 2.0 player (making it on par with any of the best players on the market).

plus it is guaranteed to be upgradable.

[thehellgate911]

I was thinking of the Onkyo HT-S9100THX for my sound system, and the Mitsubishi WD-73835 for the TV.

With that in mind, which is the best Blu-Ray player for me?

[thehellgate911]

Is the Sony BDP-S5000ES better or worse than the Pioneer Elite BDP-09FD?

[J6P]

Originally Posted by thehellgate911

I have an unlimited budget and i'd like the best Sony Blu-Ray player available. It can be one that's being released within the next couple months, it doesn't have to be right now.

Is the BDP5000 the best one? It's $2000, but I can't seem to find it available for purchase anywhere.

Thanks.

You are correct, the BDP-S5000ES will be Sony's highest performing and highest build quality player when it's released.

Currently slated to street sometime in November.

[Blu-RayLover]

Originally Posted by thehellgate911

Is the Sony BDP-S5000ES better or worse than the Pioneer Elite BDP-09FD?

Just about every Blu-ray expert or industry analyst is waiting for what is undoubtedly the biggest major electronic showdown in years! So far, Sony has yet to release enough technical information on the S5000ES to make any sort of solid comparison. Pioneer has already had several press releases with a good amount of information, thus making some industry analyst’s feel that the model BDP-09FD might have the slight edge in overall quality. The one issue that most everybody would like a clarification on is just how good is the DAC circuitry for the analog outputs on both Blu-ray players! This is where the contest will be decided on, because most audio/videophilies don’t have HDMI capability yet and prefer to stay with their older receivers or processors, that have 5.1 or 7.1 analog inputs to handle whatever the Blu-ray player can do.

Pioneer has already created what for some is a major controversy, by publicizing in their press releases for the 09, advising anyone purchasing the 2200 dollar player, exclusively use the analog outputs for the best audio performance!! Also, the press releases on the model 09 have made a big deal about the player having two HDMI outputs, one for video and one for audio. . .It’s believed this gives even better performance by separating the video signal from the audio line. Of course, some Blu-ray fans that are already satisfied with the use of a single HDMI cable, don’t feel these advantages are worth the time and money. The issue that Pioneer seems to be focusing around is that the model 09 be part of the finest Home Theater System money can buy.

The Sony S5000ES will probably have some catching up to do in the publicity department or have to be clear on what advantages the player will have even against their own line of other Blu-ray players. Since both players are nearly in the same price range, perhaps the deciding factor may be more cosmetic than technical. However, size may also be part of what will make the more impressive player, with the Pioneer weighting over 30 pounds, while the Sony ES is more prone to be placed in any home theater system. It’s this issue of practicality on the part of Sony, that is appealing, but the price range is what makes the S5000ES seem out of touch with common consumer sense. The biggest criticism both players face is the price issue that will have many fans of either system, frustrated and annoyed at being left out of reach to having one or the other. As it stands, the leadership in Blu-ray technology won’t be decided by top-of-the-line models, but by what players can give the majority of consumers what they need.

[Chevypower]

Some people will automatically assume that most expensive must mean best. But what is the point in paying for high quality analog processors if your receiver, TV or projector all have HDMI? Even if there are slight digital output advantages, I can guarantee it's minimal compared to the D/A convertors they are putting in them that you are paying for, so the BDP-S350 is the best one for me.

[Blu-RayLover]

Originally Posted by Chevypower

Some people will automatically assume that most expensive must mean best. But what is the point in paying for high quality analog processors if your receiver, TV or projector all have HDMI? Even if there are slight digital output advantages, I can guarantee it's minimal compared to the D/A convertors they are putting in them that you are paying for, so the BDP-S350 is the best one for me.

You make a very good point, especially about the Digital Converters for the analog side that has created something of a controversy. On a technical perspective from my personal view on this matter, I wish the industry could once and for all come to some understanding on whether or not there are any advantages, between analog and HDMI. Certainly, anyone with a new HDMI receiver/processor would be wasting their time utilizing the analog outputs on a player! But, I feel that there are simply too many “old-school” analog devotees out there, that won’t accept issues of digital compression, no matter how good or close it is to what they believe to be the best format for audio output. Pioneer has now raised the stakes on this issue of analog versus HDMI, by signifying the use of analog outputs on their Elite 09 player. I find this situation not only confusing, but to some degree misleading, because most industry analysts feel HDMI is the future and therefore analog, no matter how good it is by way of its discrete capabilities, should have now taken a back-seat to newer digital technologies. After all, remember years back when there was much fuss about vinyl records sounding better than CD’s? This is where I think this new debate has sprang from and now it’s like analog is trying to make a last ditch effort to stay alive.

It appears to me, that both Sony and Pioneer are catering to a very small corner of the market that has since dwindled away from those days of when you could find numerous high-end, knowledgeable and exclusively fancy electronic stores. Today, most of these fancy exclusive stores have disappeared and have been made victim of changes in the market place, especially with the consumer market having been flooded with generic brands and then there’s the internet, where this “High-End” business of electronics has ended up. Of course, if you happen to live in or by a large metropolitan city, a few of these stores are still in existence, but for the most part, the once “High-End” business of electronics has now been regulated to a very, very limited basis.

The problem today with getting involved in purchasing such expensive items as the Pioneer BDP-09FD or the Sony BDP-S5000ES is this ability to really be able to tell the differences in overall performance, not only between both these players, but a reasonably price one, such as Sony’s great little player, the BDP-S350, that as of now, is the best selling Blu-ray player for the money! There will obviously be those audio/video pedants, who will say that the Elite 09 and the Sony S5000ES have the necessary advantages. But, in the long run, this situation might end up being a matter of staying with a tradition to the purchase of Elite and ES equipment, that have remained the best available to the general electronics market. While most of us won’t like the idea of spending over 2000 dollars, it might all boil down to those of us who have such money to throw away. It sort of reminds me of the person who buys an expensive, fancy car, while a reasonably priced car, will run the same and get you to where you want to go. So, we have to ask ourselves, what’s the difference, other than the price? Or, is it also related to showing off that you have the best or most expensive of them all? This debate probably centers itself around somebody who lives in a big, expensive, fancy neighborhood, not going to a nationwide electronic retailer to shop around, while the rest of us end up searching for the best available deal.

[brett_day]

PS3 is the way to go IMHO. It does everything you will ever need! has outstanding PQ and AQ and excellent upscaling. Not to mention profile 2.0 and the ability to always be upgraded via ethernet

[DiverSpear]

I would go with the BDP S5000ES. There are alot of PS3 fans on here so you get alot of comments for that. What type of audio are you planning?

[GORT]

Originally Posted by brett_day

PS3 is the way to go IMHO. It does everything you will ever need! has outstanding PQ and AQ and excellent upscaling. Not to mention profile 2.0 and the ability to always be upgraded via ethernet

Sorry to tell you but the PS3 is being eclipsed by the new players coming out both in price and features and some people dont want a game console (thats what the PS3 is) as a BD player

[phara0h]

Originally Posted by thehellgate911

I have an unlimited budget and i'd like the best Sony Blu-Ray player available. It can be one that's being released within the next couple months, it doesn't have to be right now.

Is the BDP5000 the best one? It's $2000, but I can't seem to find it available for purchase anywhere.

Thanks.

Though it may be true that there are a lot of PS3 fans on here, I for one am an audiophile first, videophile second. I have dabbled with many of the players, having written editorials for Audioholics.com and having been a long time professional reviewer of a variety of products.

I have a Parasound Halo unit running my mains, which are Paradigm Studio 100s. I use a Definitive SuperCube as my sub, strictly for film and other surround sound content. My musical tastes include just about everything but country.

My pre-pro is a Sony STR-D5300ES. It was chosen for the impeccable video processing attributes, and because when paired with the Parasound I don't have to suffer listening to the internal amplification which is easily bested by Yamaha, Denon and Pioneer.

I am very fond of the PS3 because the SACD features and internal DACS are quite good and detailed. The various updates to the unit since my initial purchase have been very impressive--from the up conversion to the red saturation adjustments to name a few.

Overall, it is a very impressive unit and by the standard of most knowledgeable and reputable critics the PS3 remains a primary choice for audio and videophiles alike.

[plowmanjoe]

i really don't understand why any average person would buy anything but a ps3 as their blu-ray player unless it was cheaper than the ps3.

[phara0h]

Originally Posted by plowmanjoe

i really don't understand why any average person would buy anything but a ps3 as their blu-ray player unless it was cheaper than the ps3.

The reason is because a lot of audiophiles are used to having a very robust transport unit and would prefer to have something they can easily integrate into their universal remotes since most do not support the PS3's Bluetooth interface.

[phara0h]

Originally Posted by FEP3108

Sorry to tell you but the PS3 is being eclipsed by the new players coming out both in price and features and some people don't want a game console (that's what the PS3 is) as a BD player

I think it is very misleading to characterize the PS3 as something that is purely game console. It was the most competent and scalable Blu-Ray player to enter the market. Couple that with the fact that it also was not cost-prohibitive and what you had a was formula for mass market penetration into millions of homes even before the first Blu-Ray movies were available.

But to say that the PS# is being "eclipsed" is a bit a stretch.

[mr.hidef]

Originally Posted by Chevypower

Some people will automatically assume that most expensive must mean best. But what is the point in paying for high quality analog processors if your receiver, TV or projector all have HDMI? Even if there are slight digital output advantages, I can guarantee it's minimal compared to the D/A convertors they are putting in them that you are paying for, so the BDP-S350 is the best one for me.

+1

[brett_day]

Originally Posted by FEP3108

Sorry to tell you but the PS3 is being eclipsed by the new players coming out both in price and features and some people dont want a game console (thats what the PS3 is) as a BD player

sorry to tell you but the PS3 is not a games console...it is a multi-media platform, that yes, can play games, it can also play Blu rays, surf the web and do much more than many other BD players currently on the market cannot. I play very few games....infact apart from cod4 i never play games and bought it primarily as a blu ray player and have never looked back! The PS3 is the ultimate multi-media device

[jibucha]

Hello

It would be difficult to believe that the announced Sony BDP-S5000ES will not be the best that Sony has made available; possibly besting the other High Quality Player's announced by other manufacturers.

Thank You

Originally Posted by J6P

You are correct, the BDP-S5000ES will be Sony's highest performing and highest build quality player when it's released.

Currently slated to street sometime in November.