I need Help!!

[arush5268d]

Well welcome to the family!

It is a shame what happened to many people, such as yourself. Toshiba really has tried their best confuse the common consumer.

[arush5268d]

I should add that the only thing that the profile 2.0 players add is internet connectivity to download additional special features and the such.

Many of us, including myself, are perfectly happy with a profile 1.1 player and have no need or intentions of upgrading to 2.0. Not worth the price to me.

[Blu-RayLover]

I have to agree, that the issues put forward about the PS3 having no bearing on someone who is not a gamer. While I wouldn’t rule out the virtues and wonderful things about PS3, it isn’t a system for somebody who wants a bit of simplicity. Already, the best selling stand-alone Blu-ray player is the Sony BDP-S350, that is now being priced at less than 300 dollars. By the holidays, there will be a series of generic brands on the market that will probably break the 300 dollar mark. Already, a few of these unknown brands are now even priced at 229 dollars! Personally, I would stay with a known, solid brand such as Sony, Panasonic and Pioneer. Others included would be Samsung and then Sharp. What will probably determine the purchase will be price. As far as features go, on a stand alone player, this isn’t really so important and while it does in some respects determine differences in pricing, it’s best to simply purchase the player by way of what you will use or understand about what features are offered. In the long run, the video performance of most players is pretty much the same, while the more expensive units offer some sort of processing that most of us will never utilize. The audio abilities or processing is nearly the same now for most players, at least if you go with HDMI hook-up for direct bit-streaming, as opposed to the old analog system.

Of the players to recommend are as follows:

Samsung BD-P2550
Sharp BD-HP50
Pioneer BDP-51FD
Panasonic DMP-BD30
Sony BDP-S550
Panasonic DMP-BD50

And, if you’re not looking for a lot of features, but a really good and adequate player, the Sony BDP-S350 is perhaps the best buy right now, with the second best choice, the Panasonic DMP-BD30. As it stands, the big race for Blu-ray supremacy, from a practical view is between Sony and Panasonic.

[HollywoodNorth]

I know I have nothing too worry about..just I want the best bang for my buck and if I spent the full grand on the player my wife would shoot me.

[arush5268d]

Haha...there's no need for any domestic violence. You can spend half of that and still have a great player

[HollywoodNorth]

Thoughts on the Sony S350?

[BIslander]

If you are interested in lossless audio, you need to take care to match the player with the capabilities of your receiver. For example, if you have an older receiver without HDMI, then you can't get lossless audio from a PS3. If you have a receiver with HDMI 1.1, then a player like the Panasonic BD30 is not a good fit since it only bitstreams the lossless codecs over HDMI 1.3. Of course, if you have a great modern AVR, then you have a lot more choices in players.

[HollywoodNorth]

explain lossless audio. I have an older receiver with no HDMI. That will be a later on down the road purchase.

[HollywoodNorth]

never mind just read about lossless....sound for me is important..it is half the movie.

[WriteSimply]

Originally Posted by HollywoodNorth

I know I have nothing too worry about..just I want the best bang for my buck and if I spent the full grand on the player my wife would shoot me.

What is she getting out of this deal of you getting a BD player?

Realistically, between showing photos on the TV, listening to music and watching movies, the PS3 is fast and very responsive. It's the better value.


fuad

[HollywoodNorth]

The only panasonic currently available too me is the BD30 at any of the big electronic stores.

[arush5268d]

Originally Posted by HollywoodNorth

The only panasonic currently available too me is the BD30 at any of the big electronic stores.

That's the same player that I have - works great! But it might be lacking in the audio department for you since you have an older player. How do you feel about purchasing online?

[HollywoodNorth]

Starting to think the online stuff isn't for me..I like special features and all but it seems that they aren't that great right now.

[arush5268d]

Originally Posted by WriteSimply

What is she getting out of this deal of you getting a BD player?

Realistically, between showing photos on the TV, listening to music and watching movies, the PS3 is fast and very responsive. It's the better value.


fuad

If he went with the PS3 then he wouldn't be able to get lossless audio. He's already said that audio is half of the movie to him. Which means that the PS3 is NOT AN OPTION.

[theboffer]

Spend $500 and then get some chick flick titles for the wife with the extra money.

[HollywoodNorth]

I think I may go with the BD30 due to the fact we just had a baby and would like to upgrade my speakers before going all crazy with super audio. Besdies if I have it my way I will have a BR projector in my basement that is unfinished right now with all the bells and whistles.

[arush5268d]

I don't think that the -30 can internally decode the new HD codecs. That's probably it's biggest shortcoming for someone with an older receiver.

[BIslander]

Lossless audio sounds great. But, legacy DD and DTS also sound better on Blu-ray than they do on DVD. Blu-ray discs have more space, allowing DD and DTS to be encoded at higher bitrates. You may find the improvement in the legacy codecs is plenty good enough, which would give a wider selection of players to choose from.

[bluseminole]

If you want the most complete Blu-ray player to come to market, I would wait for the Oppo BDP-S83, which should be out in early 2009. It is by far the most complete and versatile Blu-ray player announced to date. Pricing is still up in the air--some say anywhere from $350 to $900, who knows?

But it will be the most versatile and complete player on the market when it is released.

[HollywoodNorth]

Thanks Ha Ha..well just scoured the internet and the Panasonic DMP-BD50 and I cannot find it too buy anywhere..I am in Canada by the way.

I was under the impression that if you have a 1.1 player and have a movie that is 2.0 you cannot play said movie on that player. I'm a huge movie buff where the extra features are just as important as the movie itself.