Panasonic vs Samsung vs Sony

[Hawkeye379]

Hey all.

A couple days ago, my parents' DVD player died. It wouldn't turn on and a terrible high pitched sound emitted from the TV speakers when the power/eject buttons on the player were pressed. It was quite odd.

Anyway, I told them they might as well buy a blu-ray player. I suggested that since I am the one with the better TV/sound system, that they get my current Sony S350 and that I will get a new player. That suggestion seemed to work so now I have to choose a new player.

My choices right now are:

Panasonic DMP-BD65 - SD Card Slot (Up to 32GB I think) & USB
Samsung BD-C5500 - 1GB of built in storage?(?) Not entirely sure
Or maybe a Sony player?

I've heard of playback issues on some Samsung blu-ray players, specifically Avatar recently, but has since been corrected to my knowledge. Are there any other playback issues?

For those of you that own the Samsung BD-C5500 does Avatar play without a problem? How is the speed of this player? I've read that it is one of the fastest players out there. What do you think of this player overall? Any negatives?

For owners of the DMP-BD65, what do you think of this player overall? Any How fast/slow is it? Any negatives about it?

As for the prices of these players, I can get the Samsung for $198.99 (It's on sale for $179.99 until May 20th) and the Panasonic is $229.99 with a $25 rebate. (The $25 rebate slip from Panasonic that is included with Avatar) So essentially they are both around $200.

[MacinMan]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye379

Hey all.

A couple days ago, my parents' DVD player died. It wouldn't turn on and a terrible high pitched sound emitted from the TV speakers when the power/eject buttons on the player were pressed. It was quite odd.

Anyway, I told them they might as well buy a blu-ray player. I suggested that since I am the one with the better TV/sound system, that they get my current Sony S350 and that I will get a new player. That suggestion seemed to work so now I have to choose a new player.

My choices right now are:

Panasonic DMP-BD65 - SD Card Slot (Up to 32GB I think) & USB
Samsung BD-C5500 - 1GB of built in storage?(?) Not entirely sure
Or maybe a Sony player?

I've heard of playback issues on some Samsung blu-ray players, specifically Avatar recently, but has since been corrected to my knowledge. Are there any other playback issues?

For those of you that own the Samsung BD-C5500 does Avatar play without a problem? How is the speed of this player? I've read that it is one of the fastest players out there. What do you think of this player overall? Any negatives?

For owners of the DMP-BD65, what do you think of this player overall? Any How fast/slow is it? Any negatives about it?

As for the prices of these players, I can get the Samsung for $198.99 (It's on sale for $179.99 until May 20th) and the Panasonic is $229.99 with a $25 rebate. (The $25 rebate slip from Panasonic that is included with Avatar) So essentially they are both around $200.

Hi, I can speak for both panasonic and sony prospectives, samsung I stay away from now all together as I had poor quality products from them in the past. two tv/monitors that died within a year of purchase.

As far as panasonic Goes I have the older model dmp-bd601k With the latest firmware it's a solid player load times are average neither real slow neither lightning fast i'd call it comfortable.

as far as sony I bought the sony BDP-$270 from walmart for $160 and in quick start mode it's ready to play in about 1 to 5 seconds your disc will be playing in under 30 seconds. It has all the networking standards netflix youtube etc media formats include mpeg3/4 avchd windows media AAC etc a great bundle for the price and of course, it's sony. This is a brand new unit so you will not find a lot of info on it I have tried but it's similar to the S370 if not the same. I should add my panny doesn't have netflix as it's the older model the new one does but other then that I think the rest of the functionality of the player can be compared very similarly.

[Bacon-Lover]

I've heard not so nice things about the Samsungs (actually all 3 manufacturers have unhappy owners) and I had a less than pleasant experience with a Samsung DVD player. So when buying a player earlier this year, I narrowed it down to 2 manufacturers-Panasonic and Sony. I ended up with the BX37, the Costco version of the Sony 370. I'm very pleased with it. Whichever player you decide to go with(Panny 65, Sony 370, Samsung 5500), all can be had for ~$150-170 at Costco. If you want wireless, Sony 570 is ~$225.

[MacinMan]

Originally Posted by Bacon-Lover

I've heard not so nice things about the Samsungs (actually all 3 manufacturers have unhappy owners) and I had a less than pleasant experience with a Samsung DVD player. So when buying a player earlier this year, I narrowed it down to 2 manufacturers-Panasonic and Sony. I ended up with the BX37, the Costco version of the Sony 370. I'm very pleased with it. Whichever player you decide to go with(Panny 65, Sony 370, Samsung 5500), all can be had for ~$150-170 at Costco. If you want wireless, Sony 570 is ~$225.

Is the S-270 the walmart version of the S-370? there is hardly any info on it and it seems like it's the same feature set.

[thelittleprince]

Make it easy on yourself and get a PS3! Easy to use and firmware upgrades, more memory, more features and you may decide to play games someday!

[HOME THEATRE ADDICT!]

Personally, Id stay away from Samsung when it comes to BD players, and their customer support really sucks along with delayed FW updates!

[sdicomp]

Get the Sony 570! It has built in wifi, and 1 gb of internal storage.

ROCK SOLID machine!

[Bacon-Lover]

Originally Posted by MacinMan

Is the S-270 the walmart version of the S-370? there is hardly any info on it and it seems like it's the same feature set.

I have no idea. I wasn't even aware there was a 270 model until you mentioned it. I am aware of just three models for the x70 series(the base 370, 470 (370+3D capabilities), and 570 (470+wi-fi and 1GB internal storage).

[MacinMan]

Originally Posted by Bacon-Lover

I have no idea. I wasn't even aware there was a 270 model until you mentioned it. I am aware of just three models for the x70 series(the base 370, 470 (370+3D capabilities), and 570 (470+wi-fi and 1GB internal storage).

OK, well I exchanged it for the S-570 as it's a more popular model with all the features I'd find useful at some point as the need arises for each to be useful to me.

Here are the 2 links that give limited info on the s-270

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Sony-BDP-S...layer/13984867

[Scorxpion]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye379

Hey all.

A couple days ago, my parents' DVD player died. It wouldn't turn on and a terrible high pitched sound emitted from the TV speakers when the power/eject buttons on the player were pressed. It was quite odd.

Anyway, I told them they might as well buy a blu-ray player. I suggested that since I am the one with the better TV/sound system, that they get my current Sony S350 and that I will get a new player. That suggestion seemed to work so now I have to choose a new player.

My choices right now are:

Panasonic DMP-BD65 - SD Card Slot (Up to 32GB I think) & USB
Samsung BD-C5500 - 1GB of built in storage?(?) Not entirely sure
Or maybe a Sony player?

I've heard of playback issues on some Samsung blu-ray players, specifically Avatar recently, but has since been corrected to my knowledge. Are there any other playback issues?

For those of you that own the Samsung BD-C5500 does Avatar play without a problem? How is the speed of this player? I've read that it is one of the fastest players out there. What do you think of this player overall? Any negatives?

For owners of the DMP-BD65, what do you think of this player overall? Any How fast/slow is it? Any negatives about it?

As for the prices of these players, I can get the Samsung for $198.99 (It's on sale for $179.99 until May 20th) and the Panasonic is $229.99 with a $25 rebate. (The $25 rebate slip from Panasonic that is included with Avatar) So essentially they are both around $200.

Listen to me choose Sony or Panasonic or Oppo Players and nothing else

[MacinMan]

Originally Posted by Scorxpion

Listen to me choose Sony or Panasonic or Oppo Players and nothing else

I second that, from my limited experience with blu-ray but other more extensive experience with DVD sony and panasonic seem to make the most solid players. When I first started with DVD my first good player was a toshiba, but not sure how their blu-rays are these days, so Just do sony or panasonic. Sony owns blu-ray so you're guaranteed support from them panasonic was the first company to license blu-ray (i believe) so you've got good support from them too. either way both companies make quality products

[Scorxpion]

Originally Posted by MacinMan

I second that, from my limited experience with blu-ray but other more extensive experience with DVD sony and panasonic seem to make the most solid players. When I first started with DVD my first good player was a toshiba, but not sure how their blu-rays are these days, so Just do sony or panasonic. Sony owns blu-ray so you're guaranteed support from them panasonic was the first company to license blu-ray (i believe) so you've got good support from them too. either way both companies make quality products

What can i say more correct.Everything related to optical drives leave them to Expertise engineers.

[Hawkeye379]

Ok, so it seems like Panasonic or Sony is the way to go. Although the Samsung BD-C5500 is supposed to lightning fast. That is tempting.

In regards to the Sony BDP-S570, not one store around me has that model, and it is a 3D player, which I don't need any time soon. There is the Sony S370 which is available around here, but is $50 more than the Samsung or Panasonic.

I've never owned a Panasonic blu-ray player or Samsung blu-ray player either. The Panny seems to be a great player, and reports are that is has quick load times. The Samsung is supposed to be a great player with lightning fast speeds, which I would love to have. Can anyone with Samsung blu-ray player comment on the playback of Avatar? AFAIK it will play flawlessly on Sammy players since the firmware upgrade.

I can say that my Sony S350 is great but can be fairly slow on some discs. It also doesn't decode DTS-HD Master Audio, but that doesn't matter since my receiver decodes all the lossless codecs.

Argh, this is like choosing a new TV.

[MacinMan]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye379

Ok, so it seems like Panasonic or Sony is the way to go. Although the Samsung BD-C5500 is supposed to lightning fast. That is tempting.

In regards to the Sony BDP-S570, not one store around me has that model, and it is a 3D player, which I don't need any time soon. There is the Sony S370 which is available around here, but is $50 more than the Samsung or Panasonic.

I've never owned a Panasonic blu-ray player or Samsung blu-ray player either. The Panny seems to be a great player, and reports are that is has quick load times. The Samsung is supposed to be a great player with lightning fast speeds, which I would love to have. Can anyone with Samsung blu-ray player comment on the playback of Avatar? AFAIK it will play flawlessly on Sammy players since the firmware upgrade.

I can say that my Sony S350 is great but can be fairly slow on some discs. It also doesn't decode DTS-HD Master Audio, but that doesn't matter since my receiver decodes all the lossless codecs.

Argh, this is like choosing a new TV.

well aside from not being available to you locally, keep in mind just because the sony BDP-S570 will have 3D abilities you are not forced to use them. Also I can't comment on samsung but I can say you might be sorry in a year or so and it fails out of warranty, that's how little i would personally trust one of their products. The sony opens the door within 1 second of pressing open/close with the unit off. and the discs i've tried are playing in under a minute from insertion time. I would say the panny is a good player i have a panny DMP-BD601k that i moved to the bedroom after purchasing the sony. the model I have lacks netflix support but the one you will buy will have it. panny has good firmware support as far as upgrades go, but also I read something about them discontinuing 7.1 analog out which is something to consider based on the type of receiver you have, and connections to it.

Anyway Just some more info to toss around. Hope it helps!

[Hawkeye379]

Originally Posted by MacinMan

well aside from not being available to you locally, keep in mind just because the sony BDP-S570 will have 3D abilities you are not forced to use them. Also I can't comment on samsung but I can say you might be sorry in a year or so and it fails out of warranty, that's how little i would personally trust one of their products. The sony opens the door within 1 second of pressing open/close with the unit off. and the discs i've tried are playing in under a minute from insertion time. I would say the panny is a good player i have a panny DMP-BD601k that i moved to the bedroom after purchasing the sony. the model I have lacks netflix support but the one you will buy will have it. panny has good firmware support as far as upgrades go, but also I read something about them discontinuing 7.1 analog out which is something to consider based on the type of receiver you have, and connections to it.

Anyway Just some more info to toss around. Hope it helps!

One thing I really liked about the Sony was the XMB user interface. So easy to use. I have a PSP and have used a PS3 many times and really enjoy the interfaces on those machines. I guess the Sony S370 would be identical performance wise to the S570, just lacking a few features.

Another user suggested the PS3. I have no idea what it is like when it comes to load times/blu-ray performance, but have read that it is slower compared to the newer standalone players. What is the PS3 like versus a standalone player for blu-rays?

[MacinMan]

Originally Posted by Hawkeye379

One thing I really liked about the Sony was the XMB user interface. So easy to use. I have a PSP and have used a PS3 many times and really enjoy the interfaces on those machines. I guess the Sony S370 would be identical performance wise to the S570, just lacking a few features.

Another user suggested the PS3. I have no idea what it is like when it comes to load times/blu-ray performance, but have read that it is slower compared to the newer standalone players. What is the PS3 like versus a standalone player for blu-rays?

I've never laid hands on a PS3 I have played with a ps or ps2 a few times, but never owned either one. so that i can't tell you. Personally, if I play games i like old dos or arcade games such as atari or even games like the original super mario series.

[Hawkeye379]

Originally Posted by MacinMan

I've never laid hands on a PS3 I have played with a ps or ps2 a few times, but never owned either one. so that i can't tell you. Personally, if I play games i like old dos or arcade games such as atari or even games like the original super mario series.

Guess I should have included, "If you have a PS3..."

There are some great games that you are missing out on though!

Anyways, I'm still undecided but I might pick the Sony S370, not sure. I could just pick up the Samsung BD-C5500 and try it out and see how I like it, I've always had good experiences with Samsung products. It seems like the Sony's and Samsung players are the faster ones out there.

How do like your S570? Load times, image quality etc?

[kelvin555]

I have the panny your talking about it works great and the picture comes in great also. The load times arent that slow like everybody complains about.

[MacinMan]

Originally Posted by kelvin555

I have the panny your talking about it works great and the picture comes in great also. The load times arent that slow like everybody complains about.

You could always do what I do, when looking for a new product, try one for a week, if you're not satisfied exchange it for the other one you're considering and either pay the difference or if it's the same price pay nothing more. and give them a fair shot, if you like the first one you buy after about a week or less, keep it My panny BD-601k is quite comfortable with load times.

[blugk]

Sorry to hijack an old thread but I'm new here and can't post new threads yet. I recently bought a samsung c5500c and returned it bc I didn't like the interface. I ended up with a sony bx37 which seems solid EXCEPT for the netflix app. It only provides access to my queue....the ps3 and samsung 5500c have a much better app in that it gives you full access to browse netflix. Anyone know if I can hack the bx37 to update the netflix app? Thanks.