The best low cost portable Blu-ray players on the market currently - Blu-ray Forum

HDTV1080P · 08-30-2010, 05:49 AM

Prices on portable Blu-ray players are getting to be more affordable in 2010

Back in late 2007 and early 2008 the only portable true 1920 X 1200 20.1 inch LCD Notebook computer available with a built in Blu-ray player was the HP 20.1 Inch Pavilion Blu-ray Notebook. Fully loaded with features it cost over $4,000+. I had the opportunity to borrow from someone the HP Pavilion to watch a few Blu-ray movies. Seating about two feet from the 20.1 inch screen the 1080P quality was excellent for a portable Blu-ray player with wireless remote control (1080p/24 Blu-rays were converted to 1080P at 60HZ using 3:2 pull-down judder, but at least the resolution was true 1080P quality).

Today prices have fallen on Notebook computers with Blu-ray drives and we are also seeing a larger selection of portable Blu-ray players under $500 in late 2010.

Some portable Blu-ray players at affordable prices for mainstream consumers

For those looking for high-end Notebook’s with 1920 X 1080 or 1920 X 1200 LCD screens with Blu-ray drives there are many models to choose from between $2,000-$7,000+. The model a few paragraphs below is only listed since it is under $1,500 with an 18.4 inch 1080P quality screen. Also I realize some people will not purchase a portable Blu-ray player until they are under $200 in price. Next year we should see a few under $200 portable Blu-ray players.

Most portable Blu-ray players will output true 1080P to an external HD monitor or HDTV. All the portable Blu-ray players on the market in 2010 except for a few Notebook computers will not output 1080P quality to the built in LCD display. So in 2010 if you want a portable Blu-ray player that has true 1080P resolution then only select Notebooks starting at around $1,400+ offer that feature. All the regular small portable Blu-ray players without a built in computer have built in LCD screens that are below 720P quality. Most portable Blu-ray players will only be able to offer a slightly better picture quality compared to 480i DVD portables. Some companies refuse to release the built in display screen specs on their portable Blu-ray players in the manuals and spec sheets since the specs would show only a resolution that is slightly better than DVD quality. Panasonic and Samsung are currently the only companies I know of that releases the specs for their portable Blu-ray players. 2010 model Panasonic and Samsung portable Blu-ray players have a pixel resolution of 1024 X 600. Hopefully in 2011 or 2012 some company will release a non-computer based portable Blu-ray player with a true 1920 X 1080 display. Also having screens as large as 20.1 inch would be ideal instead of screens that are 10.1 inch or below. On a small screen between 10.1 inches to 20.1 inches if someone seats between one foot to two feet away from the screen they will be able to see the advantages of 1080P resolution. Also in the future maybe consumers might be able to purchase portable Blu-ray players with 5:5 pulldown at 120HZ so the 3:2 pulldown process can be bypassed. Perhaps even one day 3-D LCD screens might be placed into portable 3-D Blu-ray players.

Some might ask why they should spend $300-$500+ on a portable Blu-ray player if the screen resolution is only slightly better than DVD quality. The main reason is the ability to play your Blu-ray, DVD, and audio CD’s from one small portable player. Portable Blu-ray players are very important for the success and growth of the Blu-ray format. Many of us movie collectors get tired of several movies being released in a combo Blu-ray and DVD two disc set. When Blu-ray portable players catch on more movie studios most likely will start releasing Blu-ray movies with only the Blu-ray disc in the box instead of charging consumers around an extra $5 to include a DVD version of the movie also. Sure the first generation non computer based portable Blu-ray players with LCD screens are not 1080P quality but in the future some models in 2011 or 2012 might offer 1080P quality for $600 or less. At the same time next year we should see under $200 Blu-ray portable players for those that only want LCD screens that are slightly better than DVD portable players.

The best low cost portable Blu-ray players on the market currently

1. ASUS N90SC-A1 Notebook (True 1920 X 1080P resolution with 18.14 inch screen. 60HZ only) List price $1,499, mail order price around $1,385: One can experience fast Blu-ray load times with computer based Blu-ray players. All computers with Blu-ray drives are BD-Live profile 2.0 with the latest software. Blu-ray playback software not included with most low cost Notebook computers and only the Blu-ray drive. Here is a link to an Amazon dealer
http://www.amazon.com/N90SC-A1-18-4-Inch-Multimedia-Windows-Premium/dp/B002Q8HNF4/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1283137836&sr =1-1

For many Notebook computers with a BD-ROM drive one of the following Blu-ray computer playback software pacakages is needed since most Notebooks do do come with the Blu-ray playback software:

A. PowerDVD 10 Ultra 3D: Currently $99.95 at Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Cyberlink-DVD-...3149483&sr=8-1

B. ArcSoft TotalMedia Theatre 3 Platinum with SimHD: Currently $89.99 at Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/ArcSoft-TotalM...3149483&sr=8-6

2. Samsung BD-C8000 Portable Blu-ray player with built in 10.1 inch LCD screen that is slightly better than DVD quality (1024 X 600): List price $499.99. Current mail order price around $447. Once large quantities of this Samsung BD-C8000 become available my sources are saying that some mail order companies will be selling the player for around $392. This is most likely the best portable Blu-ray player on the market for the year 2010 accept for true 1080P Notebook computers. This Samsung BD-C8000 is a 3D Blu-ray player that is profile 2.0 BD-LIVE. The built in LCD screen is 2D only but an external 3D 1080P display will be able to use the 3D feature located in this Blu-ray player. It has HDMI 1.4 with 3D output, wired and built in wireless LAN for easy to install firmware updates. It also has 1GB of built in memory for BD-LIVE.

Samsung BD-C8000 Manual

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00365EVXI/ref=asc_df_B00365EVXI1222629?smid=A13ACIRM091OJE&t ag=pgmp-1585-01-20&linkCode=asn&creative=395105&creativeASIN=B0036 5EVXI

3. Panasonic DMP-B500 Portable Blu-ray player with built in 10.1 inch screen that is slightly better than DVD quality (1024 X 600): List price $799.95. Amazon price on this player is $569.99. The Panasonic DMP-B500 is a true BD-LIVE profile 2.0 player with built in LAN connection and wireless LAN. Compared to the Samsung BD-C8000 it lacks the 3-D feature and will only output 1080P 2-D to an external 1080P display over HDMI. Also it does not include 1GB of built in memory for BD-LIVE like the Samsung. One has to use an external SD card to enjoy BD-LIVE. I know Panasonic has a history of reliable timely firmware updates but for a list price of $799.95 this player is overpriced when compared to the Samsung BD-C8000 for a list price of $499.99. The Samsung for $200 less offers a 3D Blu-ray player with built in 1GB of memory for BD-LIVE.

Panasonic DMP-B500 spec sheet

DMP-B500 Operating Instructions (English

http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-DMP-B500-Enabled-10-1-Inch-Portable/dp/B003960FIE/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1283139872&sr =1-1

4. Panasonic DMP-B100 Portable Blu-ray player with built in 8.9 inch screen that is slightly better than DVD quality (1024 X 600): List price $499.95. Amazon price only $318.99. The Panasonic DMP-B100 only has an 8.9 inch screen with no external video outputs for an external HD display. On top of that it is only a bonus view profile 1.1 Blu-ray player with no Ethernet connection for firmware updates. To receive firmware updates on this Blu-ray player one needs to burn a CD-R or CD-RW on a computer which is more difficult to install firmware updates. The Panasonic DMP-B100 has a list price of $499.95 and the Samsung BD-C8000 for $499 is better since it is a 3D Blu-ray player with profile 2.0 that allows Internet connections for easy to install firmware updates.

Panasonic DMP-B100 spec sheet

DMP-B100 Operating Instructions (English

5. The RCA BRC3108 and BRC3109 Portable Blu-ray player both have a 10 inch LCD screen. The LCD screen specs are not listed but most likely the quality is either 720 X 480 DVD quality or slightly better than DVD at 1024 X 600. The RCA BRC3108 and RCA BRC3109 are almost exactly the same accept for a slight difference in color. Specs are the same and the BRC3109 appears to be currently a Target exclusive sold at Amazon and in the Target stores. Both the BRC3108 and BRC3109 have a suggested list price of $349.99. Currently Amazon price has the BRC3108 selling for $285.57 and the BRC3109 selling for $299.99 since Target is an Amazon dealer.

The RCA BRC3108 and BRC3109 are both being shipped from the factory as a profile 1.1 bonusview BLU-RAY player that requires a USB flash memory drive or CD-R/RW optical disc to receive firmware updates. What is very interesting about both these RCA players is that they contain a LAN jack that currently is not operational. The RCA owner’s manual on page 8 mentions that maybe a future software update might make the Ethernet Jack operational with support for BD-LIVE as long as at least 1GB or larger USB flash drive is installed. If RCA really does decide to make these portable players BD-LIVE compatible with a fully functional LAN jack for firmware updates then this product would become the cheapest portable Blu-ray player that support BD-LIVE. Of course there is no wireless LAN options or WIFI but a wired option is ideal for those that have access to wired networks. The operating system in the RCA players according to the manual will support FAT32/16 USB drives with a maximum capacity of 32GB and with a maximum video bitrate of 7Mbps. The RCA specs says it has a 1080P HDMI output for an external HD display also.

The following is a picture of the carrying case, wireless remote control, and other items that come with the RCA models

http://www.1800customersupport.com/productmoreimages.aspx?t=p&view=672&i=th_BRC3108RC A350x350_3.jpg

The following is a picture of the RCA BRC3108 with its blue cover (The only difference is the color)

http://www.1800customersupport.com/products.aspx?view=672&p=87&sc=34

BRC3108 Product Manual

http://www.amazon.com/RCA-BRC3108-10-Inch-Portable-Blu-ray/dp/B003UES97O/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1283142483&sr =1-2

The following is a picture of the RCA BRC3109 with its black cover (The only difference is the color)

http://www.1800customersupport.com/products.aspx?view=658&p=87&sc=34

BRC3109 Product Manual

http://www.amazon.com/RCA-BRC3109-10-Inch-Portable-Blu-Ray/dp/B003AQYR7I/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1283145705&sr =1-1

madeline · 09-02-2010, 09:26 AM

Great post helped me to decide which player to buy.

Rinzler · 12-28-2011, 04:39 AM

Hello, HDTV. I was wondering if you were planning on updating your post to reflect the current offerings from Sony, Funai, Philips, and a new player from Panasonic. I am still having problems with my Samsung and have considered having it repaired or simply getting a different one, but I love the Wi-Fi, though I don't really need it. None of the other units have Wi-Fi but the ones I'd be interested in have to have SD and HD outputs, and the inputs on one of the Philips units is very tempting. I'll have to do some research, figured you might be interested as well!

HDTV1080P · 12-28-2011, 06:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rinzler

Hello, HDTV. I was wondering if you were planning on updating your post to reflect the current offerings from Sony, Funai, Philips, and a new player from Panasonic. I am still having problems with my Samsung and have considered having it repaired or simply getting a different one, but I love the Wi-Fi, though I don't really need it. None of the other units have Wi-Fi but the ones I'd be interested in have to have SD and HD outputs, and the inputs on one of the Philips units is very tempting. I'll have to do some research, figured you might be interested as well!

I was trying to make a one time post, no plans to update or create a new post of portable players on the market. All my research and posts are volunteer work and I am busy with other projects right now.

The best portable Blu-ray players are still the true 1080P Notebook computers with a built in Blu-ray drive since they allow true 1080P quality from the built in screen. Some of them even have a HDMI output. 1080P Notebooks with Blu-ray drives are now under $1,000. If you only need a 720P quality screen a Notebook (portable computer) for under $500 can be purchased with a Blu-ray drive.

08-30-2010, 05:49 AM	#1
HDTV1080P Blu-ray Champion Top contributor Member since:Jan 2007 Blu-ray reviews: 205	The best low cost portable Blu-ray players on the market currently Prices on portable Blu-ray players are getting to be more affordable in 2010 Back in late 2007 and early 2008 the only portable true 1920 X 1200 20.1 inch LCD Notebook computer available with a built in Blu-ray player was the HP 20.1 Inch Pavilion Blu-ray Notebook. Fully loaded with features it cost over $4,000+. I had the opportunity to borrow from someone the HP Pavilion to watch a few Blu-ray movies. Seating about two feet from the 20.1 inch screen the 1080P quality was excellent for a portable Blu-ray player with wireless remote control (1080p/24 Blu-rays were converted to 1080P at 60HZ using 3:2 pull-down judder, but at least the resolution was true 1080P quality). Today prices have fallen on Notebook computers with Blu-ray drives and we are also seeing a larger selection of portable Blu-ray players under $500 in late 2010. Some portable Blu-ray players at affordable prices for mainstream consumers For those looking for high-end Notebook’s with 1920 X 1080 or 1920 X 1200 LCD screens with Blu-ray drives there are many models to choose from between $2,000-$7,000+. The model a few paragraphs below is only listed since it is under $1,500 with an 18.4 inch 1080P quality screen. Also I realize some people will not purchase a portable Blu-ray player until they are under $200 in price. Next year we should see a few under $200 portable Blu-ray players. Most portable Blu-ray players will output true 1080P to an external HD monitor or HDTV. All the portable Blu-ray players on the market in 2010 except for a few Notebook computers will not output 1080P quality to the built in LCD display. So in 2010 if you want a portable Blu-ray player that has true 1080P resolution then only select Notebooks starting at around $1,400+ offer that feature. All the regular small portable Blu-ray players without a built in computer have built in LCD screens that are below 720P quality. Most portable Blu-ray players will only be able to offer a slightly better picture quality compared to 480i DVD portables. Some companies refuse to release the built in display screen specs on their portable Blu-ray players in the manuals and spec sheets since the specs would show only a resolution that is slightly better than DVD quality. Panasonic and Samsung are currently the only companies I know of that releases the specs for their portable Blu-ray players. 2010 model Panasonic and Samsung portable Blu-ray players have a pixel resolution of 1024 X 600. Hopefully in 2011 or 2012 some company will release a non-computer based portable Blu-ray player with a true 1920 X 1080 display. Also having screens as large as 20.1 inch would be ideal instead of screens that are 10.1 inch or below. On a small screen between 10.1 inches to 20.1 inches if someone seats between one foot to two feet away from the screen they will be able to see the advantages of 1080P resolution. Also in the future maybe consumers might be able to purchase portable Blu-ray players with 5:5 pulldown at 120HZ so the 3:2 pulldown process can be bypassed. Perhaps even one day 3-D LCD screens might be placed into portable 3-D Blu-ray players. Some might ask why they should spend $300-$500+ on a portable Blu-ray player if the screen resolution is only slightly better than DVD quality. The main reason is the ability to play your Blu-ray, DVD, and audio CD’s from one small portable player. Portable Blu-ray players are very important for the success and growth of the Blu-ray format. Many of us movie collectors get tired of several movies being released in a combo Blu-ray and DVD two disc set. When Blu-ray portable players catch on more movie studios most likely will start releasing Blu-ray movies with only the Blu-ray disc in the box instead of charging consumers around an extra $5 to include a DVD version of the movie also. Sure the first generation non computer based portable Blu-ray players with LCD screens are not 1080P quality but in the future some models in 2011 or 2012 might offer 1080P quality for $600 or less. At the same time next year we should see under $200 Blu-ray portable players for those that only want LCD screens that are slightly better than DVD portable players. The best low cost portable Blu-ray players on the market currently 1. ASUS N90SC-A1 Notebook (True 1920 X 1080P resolution with 18.14 inch screen. 60HZ only) List price $1,499, mail order price around $1,385: One can experience fast Blu-ray load times with computer based Blu-ray players. All computers with Blu-ray drives are BD-Live profile 2.0 with the latest software. Blu-ray playback software not included with most low cost Notebook computers and only the Blu-ray drive. Here is a link to an Amazon dealer http://www.amazon.com/N90SC-A1-18-4-Inch-Multimedia-Windows-Premium/dp/B002Q8HNF4/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1283137836&sr =1-1 For many Notebook computers with a BD-ROM drive one of the following Blu-ray computer playback software pacakages is needed since most Notebooks do do come with the Blu-ray playback software: A. PowerDVD 10 Ultra 3D: Currently $99.95 at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Cyberlink-DVD-...3149483&sr=8-1 B. ArcSoft TotalMedia Theatre 3 Platinum with SimHD: Currently $89.99 at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/ArcSoft-TotalM...3149483&sr=8-6 2. Samsung BD-C8000 Portable Blu-ray player with built in 10.1 inch LCD screen that is slightly better than DVD quality (1024 X 600): List price $499.99. Current mail order price around $447. Once large quantities of this Samsung BD-C8000 become available my sources are saying that some mail order companies will be selling the player for around $392. This is most likely the best portable Blu-ray player on the market for the year 2010 accept for true 1080P Notebook computers. This Samsung BD-C8000 is a 3D Blu-ray player that is profile 2.0 BD-LIVE. The built in LCD screen is 2D only but an external 3D 1080P display will be able to use the 3D feature located in this Blu-ray player. It has HDMI 1.4 with 3D output, wired and built in wireless LAN for easy to install firmware updates. It also has 1GB of built in memory for BD-LIVE. Samsung BD-C8000 Manual http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00365EVXI/ref=asc_df_B00365EVXI1222629?smid=A13ACIRM091OJE&t ag=pgmp-1585-01-20&linkCode=asn&creative=395105&creativeASIN=B0036 5EVXI 3. Panasonic DMP-B500 Portable Blu-ray player with built in 10.1 inch screen that is slightly better than DVD quality (1024 X 600): List price $799.95. Amazon price on this player is $569.99. The Panasonic DMP-B500 is a true BD-LIVE profile 2.0 player with built in LAN connection and wireless LAN. Compared to the Samsung BD-C8000 it lacks the 3-D feature and will only output 1080P 2-D to an external 1080P display over HDMI. Also it does not include 1GB of built in memory for BD-LIVE like the Samsung. One has to use an external SD card to enjoy BD-LIVE. I know Panasonic has a history of reliable timely firmware updates but for a list price of $799.95 this player is overpriced when compared to the Samsung BD-C8000 for a list price of $499.99. The Samsung for $200 less offers a 3D Blu-ray player with built in 1GB of memory for BD-LIVE. Panasonic DMP-B500 spec sheet DMP-B500 Operating Instructions (English http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-DMP-B500-Enabled-10-1-Inch-Portable/dp/B003960FIE/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1283139872&sr =1-1 4. Panasonic DMP-B100 Portable Blu-ray player with built in 8.9 inch screen that is slightly better than DVD quality (1024 X 600): List price $499.95. Amazon price only $318.99. The Panasonic DMP-B100 only has an 8.9 inch screen with no external video outputs for an external HD display. On top of that it is only a bonus view profile 1.1 Blu-ray player with no Ethernet connection for firmware updates. To receive firmware updates on this Blu-ray player one needs to burn a CD-R or CD-RW on a computer which is more difficult to install firmware updates. The Panasonic DMP-B100 has a list price of $499.95 and the Samsung BD-C8000 for $499 is better since it is a 3D Blu-ray player with profile 2.0 that allows Internet connections for easy to install firmware updates. Panasonic DMP-B100 spec sheet DMP-B100 Operating Instructions (English 5. The RCA BRC3108 and BRC3109 Portable Blu-ray player both have a 10 inch LCD screen. The LCD screen specs are not listed but most likely the quality is either 720 X 480 DVD quality or slightly better than DVD at 1024 X 600. The RCA BRC3108 and RCA BRC3109 are almost exactly the same accept for a slight difference in color. Specs are the same and the BRC3109 appears to be currently a Target exclusive sold at Amazon and in the Target stores. Both the BRC3108 and BRC3109 have a suggested list price of $349.99. Currently Amazon price has the BRC3108 selling for $285.57 and the BRC3109 selling for $299.99 since Target is an Amazon dealer. The RCA BRC3108 and BRC3109 are both being shipped from the factory as a profile 1.1 bonusview BLU-RAY player that requires a USB flash memory drive or CD-R/RW optical disc to receive firmware updates. What is very interesting about both these RCA players is that they contain a LAN jack that currently is not operational. The RCA owner’s manual on page 8 mentions that maybe a future software update might make the Ethernet Jack operational with support for BD-LIVE as long as at least 1GB or larger USB flash drive is installed. If RCA really does decide to make these portable players BD-LIVE compatible with a fully functional LAN jack for firmware updates then this product would become the cheapest portable Blu-ray player that support BD-LIVE. Of course there is no wireless LAN options or WIFI but a wired option is ideal for those that have access to wired networks. The operating system in the RCA players according to the manual will support FAT32/16 USB drives with a maximum capacity of 32GB and with a maximum video bitrate of 7Mbps. The RCA specs says it has a 1080P HDMI output for an external HD display also. The following is a picture of the carrying case, wireless remote control, and other items that come with the RCA models http://www.1800customersupport.com/productmoreimages.aspx?t=p&view=672&i=th_BRC3108RC A350x350_3.jpg The following is a picture of the RCA BRC3108 with its blue cover (The only difference is the color) http://www.1800customersupport.com/products.aspx?view=672&p=87&sc=34 BRC3108 Product Manual http://www.amazon.com/RCA-BRC3108-10-Inch-Portable-Blu-ray/dp/B003UES97O/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1283142483&sr =1-2 The following is a picture of the RCA BRC3109 with its black cover (The only difference is the color) http://www.1800customersupport.com/products.aspx?view=658&p=87&sc=34 BRC3109 Product Manual http://www.amazon.com/RCA-BRC3109-10-Inch-Portable-Blu-Ray/dp/B003AQYR7I/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1283145705&sr =1-1 Last edited by HDTV1080P; 08-30-2010 at 08:25 PM.

09-02-2010, 09:26 AM	#2
madeline Junior Member Member since:Sep 2010	Great post helped me to decide which player to buy.

12-28-2011, 04:39 AM	#3
Rinzler Blu-ray Guru Top contributor Member since:Sep 2009 4K collection:26 Blu-ray collection:919 DVD collection:142 Trading Score:1	Hello, HDTV. I was wondering if you were planning on updating your post to reflect the current offerings from Sony, Funai, Philips, and a new player from Panasonic. I am still having problems with my Samsung and have considered having it repaired or simply getting a different one, but I love the Wi-Fi, though I don't really need it. None of the other units have Wi-Fi but the ones I'd be interested in have to have SD and HD outputs, and the inputs on one of the Philips units is very tempting. I'll have to do some research, figured you might be interested as well!

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