Another NEWB who needs a Blu-ray player

[Zetha]

Hello Everyone!

I LOVE movies, however I am fairly new to both this Site and the whole purchasing of non-Region A blu-ray discs. This must had been asked many times before, but can anyone please help me choose the right the blu-ray player for my needs? I assumed many members here have a decent span of experience with various blu-ray players from different brands, and it would be nice to hear their opinion first hand rather than the advertised information from the manufacturer’s websites.

My requirements are as follows:
- Can play Region A, B & C
- Can play 3D
- Wifi
- Can play different file formats (ie. AVI, MP4, MKV, etc.)
- Can stream Netflix

I think those are the core requirements.

Thanks a whole bunch and I appreciate everyone's time.

Cheers!

[thecalm_7]

OPPO 103 is the model that many go with who are looking for a heavy duty, high quality player. Easily attainable with a region free mod.

Selling a player that is region free is not typical, at least not in Brick and Mortar stores.

Check out the OPPO thread here.

I suggest it simply because of its capabilities. With region free kit (80$ ish) it plays everything I want.
A, B, C Region Blu-rays
3D capable too
0-9 Region DVDs
1080i/50 Blu-rays (I enjoy European TV Shows and Scandinavian Blu-rays) (1st player that could play this format)
Wifi is good too. Netflix app already in there.

It loads faster than any of my previous players, especially old Lionsgate films like T2: Skynet and Crank 2

Only drawback is $500 + $80 for region free or $700ish+ region free installed by a web store.

This player will be larger than most in store units, heavier, but I love it. Wish I had learned about it sooner.

oppodigital.com

[movielib]

Oppo is great and I have one. But it is very expensive.

Another really great one (not as well built as an Oppo but pretty darn good) is the Sony BDP-S5200 which meets all your criteria. I have one of these too. It plays everything the Oppo plays.

I recommend you buy it here:

http://www.world-import.com/sony-bdp...-with-wifi.htm

$179.99.

[Zetha]

Originally Posted by thecalm_7

OPPO 103 is the model that many go with who are looking for a heavy duty, high quality player. Easily attainable with a region free mod.

Selling a player that is region free is not typical, at least not in Brick and Mortar stores.

Check out the OPPO thread here.

I suggest it simply because of its capabilities. With region free kit (80$ ish) it plays everything I want.
A, B, C Region Blu-rays
3D capable too
0-9 Region DVDs
1080i/50 Blu-rays (I enjoy European TV Shows and Scandinavian Blu-rays) (1st player that could play this format)
Wifi is good too. Netflix app already in there.

It loads faster than any of my previous players, especially old Lionsgate films like T2: Skynet and Crank 2

Only drawback is $500 + $80 for region free or $700ish+ region free installed by a web store.

This player will be larger than most in store units, heavier, but I love it. Wish I had learned about it sooner.

oppodigital.com

@thecalm_7 thanks for the suggestion.

To tell you the truth, I am not fully familiar with the "OPPO" brand. I am typically a Sony or Samsung fan because I never had any issues with those 2 in my entire electronic experience, so I tend to stick with them. However, it appears from what you've just shared, it is a powerful machine. I visited their website and browsed "OPPO 103", but I couldn't find the region free kit you were referring to. Multi-region is a must because it’s primarily the reason why I am in need of a new player. I am seriously inclined to place an order, but would like to know couple more details such as
1) Reliability. In your opinion (or rather experience) with the product, is the included 2-year std warranty enough?
2) Is oppodigital.com the best place to buy considering price, packaging and delivery? I stumble upon the listing in Amazon.ca and it is relatively close to the price you have listed but the seller is MULTI-SYSTEM CANADA.

[Zetha]

Originally Posted by movielib

Oppo is great and I have one. But it is very expensive.

Another really great one (not as well built as an Oppo but pretty darn good) is the Sony BDP-S5200 which meets all your criteria. I have one of these too. It plays everything the Oppo plays.

I recommend you buy it here:

http://www.world-import.com/sony-bdp...-with-wifi.htm

$179.99.

@movielib I appreciate your time for suggesting as well!

The model seems to cover everything I need, but what is/are the feature difference that I have to pay almost quadruple in the OPPO counterpart!? What am I missing? lol

It is definitely a contender particularly when the pricing factor is on the table. I am trying to avoid the extra fees on currency exchange and shipping, so would you say this listing from Amazon is the exact model?

[solarrdadd]

Originally Posted by Zetha

@thecalm_7 thanks for the suggestion.

To tell you the truth, I am not fully familiar with the "OPPO" brand. I am typically a Sony or Samsung fan because I never had any issues with those 2 in my entire electronic experience, so I tend to stick with them. However, it appears from what you've just shared, it is a powerful machine. I visited their website and browsed "OPPO 103", but I couldn't find the region free kit you were referring to. Multi-region is a must because it’s primarily the reason why I am in need of a new player. I am seriously inclined to place an order, but would like to know couple more details such as
1) Reliability. In your opinion (or rather experience) with the product, is the included 2-year std warranty enough?
2) Is oppodigital.com the best place to buy considering price, packaging and delivery? I stumble upon the listing in Amazon.ca and it is relatively close to the price you have listed but the seller is MULTI-SYSTEM CANADA.

since you say your happy and have had experience with sony & samsung players, why are you not looking at them? i'm sure someone who has them and has them modded to region free for blu will come along and tell you about it. have you done searches on region free sony's & samsungs?

i just don't want to see your thread turned into a sony/samsung vs. oppo thread. i figure, if you've had experience and your happy, stick with those two things and you will feel good about your purchase.

i have a region free mod and it only cost me $60 and it's user installable either internally or externally and it works without a hitch. so, you can find some that you can install yourself and save money if you know what your doing or can follow mild tech instructions. it also depends on the player too.

welcome to the forum, best of luck, keep us posted.

[schan1269]

Bombay, 220 and World Imports sell pre-modded Oppo, Sony and Samsung.

Samsung are the ones that don't usually convert 50>60. We have exhaustive threads about this already.

I suggest LG as they cost closest to their non-modded counterparts.

[movielib]

Originally Posted by Zetha

@movielib I appreciate your time for suggesting as well!

The model seems to cover everything I need, but what is/are the feature difference that I have to pay almost quadruple in the OPPO counterpart!? What am I missing? lol

It is definitely a contender particularly when the pricing factor is on the table. I am trying to avoid the extra fees on currency exchange and shipping, so would you say this listing from Amazon is the exact model?

Both are the Sony BDP-S5200. But any place that modifies the players does its own mod and they may or may not be the same. I trust World-Import because I know their mod is topnotch and the region free feature will not disappear when you do a firmware update. That is absolutely a requirement. You do not want to lose the region free functionality, obviously. I don't know anything about BElectronics CA. It may be just as good, it may not be. I also don't know what the shipping price from World-Import would be to Canada (you can check it on their site) or if you would have any import duty to pay. If you want to buy the player from the Canadian company through Amazon.ca I suggest you contact the company and make sure you can do the firmware updates without losing the region free feature, and that they guarantee that in writing.

As far as why Oppos cost more, for one thing they are built like a tank. The Sonys are certainly decent but are built more like a nice sedan. The Oppos also may have marginally better PQ and AQ.

But the Sonys are well made. I have an older one I have been using for about three years and have never had a bit of trouble with it. On the other hand, while Samsung makes great TVs (I have five, one of them nearly seven years old and still going strong), I think their blu-ray players are second rate and also may not play everything from other regions like Oppos and Sonys.

[Zetha]

@solarrdadd I assure you Sir, I am not here to stir fandom between brands. Yes, I had experience w/ Sony & Samsung, but as I said in my original post, I am new to these whole multi-region stuff. I don’t know how or probably have no intention of modding any player myself. I'm simply not that tech expert lol. If I can walk into an electronic store and have the assistant pick me the best Sony multi-region player with my other requirements, I probably wouldn’t be here inquiring which is the best. I am aware that determining the “best” is subjective and that’s why I’m trying to gather as much information from more experience people like yourself. Thanks for your input.

@schan1269 Another recommendation for World Imports. thanks!

@movielib That’s an excellent suggestion about not losing the region free feature after a firmware update. That would be a bummer! I’ll start inquiring! Cheers!

[schan1269]

I wasn't "endorsing" World Imports.

I prefer Bombay. Even though all three are in Chicago, Bombay is the only one where I've received product the very next day. WI and 220 take (for what I've ordered) 3-5 days.

I live in NW Indiana(same county as Gary...but the south end).

[movielib]

Originally Posted by schan1269

I wasn't "endorsing" World Imports.

I prefer Bombay. Even though all three are in Chicago, Bombay is the only one where I've received product the very next day. WI and 220 take (for what I've ordered) 3-5 days.

I live in NW Indiana(same county as Gary...but the south end).

I got my Oppo from 220 a few years ago and my Sony from World-Import this Spring. I live close to Chicago like you, a little farther away in Madison, WI. I received both players in one day.

I have not dealt with Bombay.

I prefer W-I to 220 because I got much better personalized service from them. When I was looking into getting the Sony, I emailed each store with the question about not losing region free capability with firmware upgrades. W-I called me within five minutes of my email and talked to me for about a half hour answering that question and a bunch more I thought of as long as I had them on the line. 220 never answered me at all, not even by email.

[schan1269]

All three web-stores(they have storefronts as well) plainly show "hardware mod" in their listings.

I don't think there is a single BD player available at all three that isn't hardware mod.

Matter of fact, I don't get this nonsense of "make sure it is a hardware mod*". I've never seen a software mod. Maybe I just know where to buy stuff.

*And yes I know Bombay, 220 and WI trumpet it...but I still have never seen a software mod BD player.

[takeasneededforpain]

I got my region free Sony BDP-S5200 Blu-Ray/DVD player from 220 a few weeks ago.

So far I'm loving it.

[bigshot]

I got an Oppo BDP103D from Bombay on eBay. They are very good about shipping quickly and responding to emails.