New to this forum and to blu-ray..I have some questions - Blu-ray Forum

specvjr · 12-09-2008, 05:08 PM

Hey guys, I just got an HD-TV so now I want to purchase a blu-ray player but the only problem is I don't know what to look for? I am looking to spend between $300 and $350. Can you guys give me some basic facts on what to look for, I definetly want a nice picture and good sound? Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

WriteSimply · 12-09-2008, 05:13 PM

1) List down the current equipment you have. It'll make it easier for everybody.

2) Tell us if you are planning to expand your current rig to a home theater. Are there any plans besides the BD player?

fuad

specvjr · 12-09-2008, 06:16 PM

well all I have is a Mitsubishi DLP HD-TV.

and I would like to but not anytime soon, and no other plans right now. I already have an Xbox 360 so I don't want to buy a PS3 so I would need a blu-ray by itself.

garageinc2001 · 12-09-2008, 06:26 PM

All you have? Don't be ashamed of DLP. Use what you have to the fullest and enjoy. Alot of folks here will tell you the PS3 is an excellent stand alone Blu ray player, including me. And extremely upgradable. The choice is yours though. Welcome to Blu!

austin126 · 12-09-2008, 06:28 PM

i have found, like many others, that the ps3 is the best blu ray player you can get. many like the standalone players but the ps3 has fast load times, built in wireless firmware downloading and for bluray live as well as being able to decode dts master audio and dolby true hd codecs. those two are the best two audio codecs and will make your theatre rock!

if you are set on getting a standalone player, some of the most popular are the

panasonic bd35
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001GAOYCS

the sony s350
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001A4LVYY

and the samsung bdp1500
http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-BD-P15...8850878&sr=8-1

WELCOME TO THE CLUB!

WriteSimply · 12-09-2008, 06:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by specvjr

well all I have is a Mitsubishi DLP HD-TV.

There are MANY models of HDTVs Mitsubishi has made. At the very least, list down how many video inputs that you have available.

Quote:

and I would like to but not anytime soon, and no other plans right now. I already have an Xbox 360 so I don't want to buy a PS3 so I would need a blu-ray by itself.

You might want to reconsider that, especially since you sound like a gamer. For US$399, you can get an 80GB PS3, The Dark Knight BD, and Collector's Edition of Resistance 2 game. Recommended standalones: Panasonic BD35 ($230) and BD55(US$336) and Sony S550 (US$313); these players are BD-Live ready but they lack the built-in WiFi the PS3 has.

fuad

specvjr · 12-09-2008, 07:02 PM

it's not letting me reply WriteSimply...

3 HDMI
1 Component/Composite in
1 USB in
1 Stereo Audio for PC/DVI in

what is BD-Live? Will I need it?

austin126 · 12-09-2008, 08:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by specvjr

what is BD-Live? Will I need it?

bd-live is a new feature to blu ray disc. it allows the user access to all kinds of extras such as ringtones, screensavers, trailers and other extras that can be downloaded when your bluray disc player is connected to an internet connection. this is why i recommend using the ps3 as it is the only current player that i know of that has wireless capabilities built in. many of the new blu ray discs that are coming out now include bd-live. "the dark knight" for instance includes a feature through bd-live where you can watch the movie with other friends at the same time and talk to each other while watching. A Neat feature for family members who do not live close but want to watch a movie together. i like the potential that it has to enhance the movie watching experience but i recommend checking it out for yourself. here's a video from CES 2008 of sony introducing bd-live.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwo-js8THNg

specvjr · 12-09-2008, 08:56 PM

^^^okay so then it's pretty much just an extra feature. It's not something I absolutely need to watch a blu-ray.

what is Dolby true HD and DTS-HD?

Beta Man · 12-09-2008, 09:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by specvjr

what is Dolby true HD and DTS-HD?

They are new audio formats..... just like "Dolby Digital" was all the rage before (because it had amazing sound for the time) the new audio formats are a lot more detailed, and precise..... for many (like me) the audio side of Blu-ray is more important than the picture quality....

Depending on what you want to ultimately achieve as a "Theater" experience.... you'll want to get an entry level receiver that is capable of the new audio formats...... that is if you're looking into audio equipment at all....

Here is the "Blu-ray.com Player Benchmark Tests" that may help you...

https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=2138

by the way, I have 2 PS3s, and NO games..... so don't think the XBox fans will disown you for buying one

austin126 · 12-09-2008, 09:22 PM

no you do not need to use the bd-live features.

that would take a lot of explaining as far as the codecs go so i'll just link you to a few threads that talk about it. feel free to use the search on the forums to learn about anything else. there is enough information for days on here about anything and everything blu. its taken me months to learn just the little that i know.

this thread helped me a lot!

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=40821

specvjr · 12-09-2008, 09:30 PM

alright well thanks for all your help guys, I know a lot more than I did before finding this forum. I don't have a receiver right now but I do plan on getting one, so I'll worry more about sound when I get there. I think I'm going to go with the Panasonic DMP-BD35, what do you guys think of this player?

austin126 · 12-09-2008, 09:33 PM

great player, you will like it!

heres the thread on the player.

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=68936

make sure when you get it that you upgrade its firmware to the latest possible. panasonic just came out with the new firmware today actually.

specvjr · 12-09-2008, 09:46 PM

^^^now that you bring that up, how exactly would I go about doing that that?

austin126 · 12-09-2008, 10:15 PM

there will be instructions in the manual for the player

specvjr · 12-09-2008, 10:16 PM

^^^okay cool, thanks again for all your help! So all I'm going to need to start watching movies is an HDMI cable to connect the bd player to my tv right?

austin126 · 12-09-2008, 11:21 PM

yes. if you're going to wait on the home theatre system, then just connect the player directly to the tv.

but definately get some good audio products as soon as possible. you won't regret it.

12-09-2008, 05:08 PM	#1
specvjr Junior Member Member since:Dec 2008	New to this forum and to blu-ray..I have some questions Hey guys, I just got an HD-TV so now I want to purchase a blu-ray player but the only problem is I don't know what to look for? I am looking to spend between $300 and $350. Can you guys give me some basic facts on what to look for, I definetly want a nice picture and good sound? Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

12-09-2008, 06:16 PM	#3
specvjr Junior Member Member since:Dec 2008	well all I have is a Mitsubishi DLP HD-TV. and I would like to but not anytime soon, and no other plans right now. I already have an Xbox 360 so I don't want to buy a PS3 so I would need a blu-ray by itself. Last edited by specvjr; 12-09-2008 at 06:17 PM. Reason: add more info.

12-09-2008, 07:02 PM	#7
specvjr Junior Member Member since:Dec 2008	it's not letting me reply WriteSimply... 3 HDMI 1 Component/Composite in 1 USB in 1 Stereo Audio for PC/DVI in what is BD-Live? Will I need it? Last edited by specvjr; 12-09-2008 at 07:04 PM.

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12-09-2008, 05:13 PM	#2
WriteSimply Blu-ray Ninja Member since:Sep 2006 Location:Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	1) List down the current equipment you have. It'll make it easier for everybody. 2) Tell us if you are planning to expand your current rig to a home theater. Are there any plans besides the BD player? fuad

12-09-2008, 06:26 PM	#4
garageinc2001 Active Member Member since:Jan 2008 Home Theater Gallery:13 Blu-ray collection:177 Trading Score:27	All you have? Don't be ashamed of DLP. Use what you have to the fullest and enjoy. Alot of folks here will tell you the PS3 is an excellent stand alone Blu ray player, including me. And extremely upgradable. The choice is yours though. Welcome to Blu!

12-09-2008, 06:28 PM	#5
austin126 Active Member Member since:Apr 2008 Location:Maryland Trading Score:14	i have found, like many others, that the ps3 is the best blu ray player you can get. many like the standalone players but the ps3 has fast load times, built in wireless firmware downloading and for bluray live as well as being able to decode dts master audio and dolby true hd codecs. those two are the best two audio codecs and will make your theatre rock! if you are set on getting a standalone player, some of the most popular are the panasonic bd35 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001GAOYCS the sony s350 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001A4LVYY and the samsung bdp1500 http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-BD-P15...8850878&sr=8-1 WELCOME TO THE CLUB!

12-09-2008, 08:56 PM	#9
specvjr Junior Member Member since:Dec 2008	^^^okay so then it's pretty much just an extra feature. It's not something I absolutely need to watch a blu-ray. what is Dolby true HD and DTS-HD?

12-09-2008, 09:22 PM	#11
austin126 Active Member Member since:Apr 2008 Location:Maryland Trading Score:14	no you do not need to use the bd-live features. that would take a lot of explaining as far as the codecs go so i'll just link you to a few threads that talk about it. feel free to use the search on the forums to learn about anything else. there is enough information for days on here about anything and everything blu. its taken me months to learn just the little that i know. this thread helped me a lot! https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=40821

12-09-2008, 09:30 PM	#12
specvjr Junior Member Member since:Dec 2008	alright well thanks for all your help guys, I know a lot more than I did before finding this forum. I don't have a receiver right now but I do plan on getting one, so I'll worry more about sound when I get there. I think I'm going to go with the Panasonic DMP-BD35, what do you guys think of this player?

12-09-2008, 09:33 PM	#13
austin126 Active Member Member since:Apr 2008 Location:Maryland Trading Score:14	great player, you will like it! heres the thread on the player. https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=68936 make sure when you get it that you upgrade its firmware to the latest possible. panasonic just came out with the new firmware today actually.

12-09-2008, 09:46 PM	#14
specvjr Junior Member Member since:Dec 2008	^^^now that you bring that up, how exactly would I go about doing that that?

12-09-2008, 10:15 PM	#15
austin126 Active Member Member since:Apr 2008 Location:Maryland Trading Score:14	there will be instructions in the manual for the player

12-09-2008, 10:16 PM	#16
specvjr Junior Member Member since:Dec 2008	^^^okay cool, thanks again for all your help! So all I'm going to need to start watching movies is an HDMI cable to connect the bd player to my tv right?

12-09-2008, 11:21 PM	#17
austin126 Active Member Member since:Apr 2008 Location:Maryland Trading Score:14	yes. if you're going to wait on the home theatre system, then just connect the player directly to the tv. but definately get some good audio products as soon as possible. you won't regret it.

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