Please help Me- New to Blue Rays

[Lisa M]

Hello Everyone. My name is Lisa. My husband and I just purchased a new HDTV, a Samsung LN40A750. Unfortunately, we do not have an HD signal YET, but we plan on getting that eventually. We would however like to see what our new TV is really capable of so we are wanting to purchase a Blue Ray player. I have always appreciated quality audio and video and have always tried over the years to make sound purchases. I find as the years go by, that it's getting harder and harder for me to keep up with everything and I am finding myself very confused while researching what player to get. I read the sticky up top and got "some" information from it but I still felt over whelmed because I was confused over many of the terms used throughout the sticky. Can anyone point me to a site that explains in detail what everything means? Also, if I explain our needs would anyone be willing to help me? Please pardon me if I sound dumb, I just want to buy a quality product and need help.

gaming not important

I have a Yamaha stereo system that is about 14 yrs old that I was "hoping" to run my new tv and blue ray player through. Will any of the BR's work with my old stereo?

looking for something in the $300 range preferably but am willing to entertain the idea of spending a little more if anyone thinks its worth it.

What other things should I be thinking about? Options etc? What is meant by SACD and DVD-A? Are these important?

I am sorry you guys probably get a ton of these posts. If there is anywhere else you can point me to help with my education please feel free to share some links. I need to learn and want to get a decent product.

[AKORIS]

Originally Posted by Lisa M

Hello Everyone. My name is Lisa. My husband and I just purchased a new HDTV, a Samsung LN40A750. Unfortunately, we do not have an HD signal YET, but we plan on getting that eventually. We would however like to see what our new TV is really capable of so we are wanting to purchase a Blue Ray player. I have always appreciated quality audio and video and have always tried over the years to make sound purchases. I find as the years go by, that it's getting harder and harder for me to keep up with everything and I am finding myself very confused while researching what player to get. I read the sticky up top and got "some" information from it but I still felt over whelmed because I was confused over many of the terms used throughout the sticky. Can anyone point me to a site that explains in detail what everything means? Also, if I explain our needs would anyone be willing to help me? Please pardon me if I sound dumb, I just want to buy a quality product and need help.

gaming not important

I have a Yamaha stereo system that is about 14 yrs old that I was "hoping" to run my new tv and blue ray player through. Will any of the BR's work with my old stereo?

looking for something in the $300 range preferably but am willing to entertain the idea of spending a little more if anyone thinks its worth it.

What other things should I be thinking about? Options etc? What is meant by SACD and DVD-A? Are these important?

I am sorry you guys probably get a ton of these posts. If there is anywhere else you can point me to help with my education please feel free to share some links. I need to learn and want to get a decent product.

......you will get sound from your stereo-- it just depends waht it's output
is-- ie-- dolby surround, dolby pro-logic, dolby digital 5.1, DTS. etc.

The best player is the Sony 350 or 550 in my opinion-- I got the 350 at
Costco-- it's called the BDX1 there or something like that-- it's well
under 300 bucks and Costco's return policy is unbeatable-- if it breaks or
has problems you can exchange it for up to 2 or 3 years (yes, I asked
several times!)

Make SURE you use an HDMI cable from the blu-ray player to your new TV,
then go in the SETTINGS of the TV and make sure it's set to receive a signal
of either 720p or 1080p (whichever your TV is capable of giving)

Have fun with it!! Blu ray has a BETTER picture than cable anyway so
there is no better way to test picture quality

[Moefiz]

Originally Posted by Lisa M

Hello Everyone. My name is Lisa. My husband and I just purchased a new HDTV, a Samsung LN40A750. Unfortunately, we do not have an HD signal YET, but we plan on getting that eventually. We would however like to see what our new TV is really capable of so we are wanting to purchase a Blue Ray player. I have always appreciated quality audio and video and have always tried over the years to make sound purchases. I find as the years go by, that it's getting harder and harder for me to keep up with everything and I am finding myself very confused while researching what player to get. I read the sticky up top and got "some" information from it but I still felt over whelmed because I was confused over many of the terms used throughout the sticky. Can anyone point me to a site that explains in detail what everything means? Also, if I explain our needs would anyone be willing to help me? Please pardon me if I sound dumb, I just want to buy a quality product and need help.

gaming not important

I have a Yamaha stereo system that is about 14 yrs old that I was "hoping" to run my new tv and blue ray player through. Will any of the BR's work with my old stereo?

looking for something in the $300 range preferably but am willing to entertain the idea of spending a little more if anyone thinks its worth it.

What other things should I be thinking about? Options etc? What is meant by SACD and DVD-A? Are these important?

I am sorry you guys probably get a ton of these posts. If there is anywhere else you can point me to help with my education please feel free to share some links. I need to learn and want to get a decent product.

Welcome to the wonderful world of BLU-ray.To answer some of your question your blu-ray disc will work with your Yamaha stereo but you won't be able to get any HD audio.
The Sony S350 is about 300.00 now and its a pretty solid player.
Stick around and you will get more advice that you can handle from the other member around here.

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-BDP-S350-.../dp/B001A4LVYY

[BIslander]

Originally Posted by Lisa M

I have a Yamaha stereo system that is about 14 yrs old that I was "hoping" to run my new tv and blue ray player through. Will any of the BR's work with my old stereo?

Yes for audio, no for video. You can set the player to output stereo to your Yamaha. Any player will work for stereo audio. If your Yamaha has enough inputs, you can also run stereo audio from your TV to your older receiver.

You will need to run video directly from the BD player to your TV using HDMI. An older stereo system like yours won't be able to handle HD video at all.

Do you plan to invest in surround sound? If so, the audio output choices for your player become more important.

looking for something in the $300 range preferably but am willing to entertain the idea of spending a little more if anyone thinks its worth it.

You can get an excellent player for that or less these days.

What other things should I be thinking about? Options etc? What is meant by SACD and DVD-A? Are these important?

Don't worry about SACD and DVD-Audio. They are both high resolution audio formats that can't be played on a Blu-ray machine. Neither format made it beyond niche status.


While there are many fairly esoteric video options on players, you will get great looking pictures from just about any Blu-ray player to just about any HD TV set. I suggest you start by looking at the moderately priced Sony and Panasonic players. The current Panasonics (BD35 & BD55) are in short supply because Panasonic is about to release new models. But, the Sony S350 is widely available. You might also consider the Samsung 2500/2550 players.

Good luck.

[Avond]

I would second a recommendation for the Sony 350 as an excellent stand-alone that is affordable. I've had mine for several months now, and have never had a single issue.

What inputs does your receiver have on your stereo system and what are your goals for sound (surround sound, etc.)? I'm not an audio expert, but there are quite a few around here that I think can tell you a lot about what you're looking for if they have the above information. For instance, I believe the Sony 550 can decode the new lossless audio codecs and send them through to a receiver that has analog (ie. red and white RCA) hookups, but the 350 will not do this. I run my audio through my older receiver using an optical hookup. Does your receiver have any of these inputs???

Congrats on the new TV and I hope you find the site as informative as I have. I just switched to blu-ray in November, and I've enjoyed it immensely. I hope the same for you!!!

[Sammy]

Costco does have an excellent return policy. Best in the business in my opinion.

I am sure the Sony and Panasonic players are very good. The Samsung BD-P2500 goes for around $350 and is very good as well. I have it and haven't had any problems with it. You will need to invest in a surround sound system to fully experience the world of blu.

[Lisa M]

Thank you all for the replies.

My stereo is Dolby Pro Logic surround. 2 mains, 1 center, and 2 rears.

I appreciate everyone's patience. I am a member of other forums where I am much more informed of the topics. I know how it can be to deal with newbies who don't know anything.

[ckent22]

Originally Posted by Lisa M

Thank you all for the replies.

My stereo is Dolby Pro Logic surround. 2 mains, 1 center, and 2 rears.

I appreciate everyone's patience. I am a member of other forums where I am much more informed of the topics. I know how it can be to deal with newbies who don't know anything.

No worries. This is definitely the place to learn and we welcome Blu-ray lovers and experts and newbies alike.

You should be able to get good sound from that.

[BIslander]

Originally Posted by Lisa M

Thank you all for the replies.

My stereo is Dolby Pro Logic surround. 2 mains, 1 center, and 2 rears.

Does it have multichannel analog inputs or just two channels? If it has multichannel, then you should consider a player like the Sony S550 instead of the S350.