220electronics - mostly all old discontinued models

[rdodolak]

Originally Posted by mar3o

Yeah, the Oppos are way beyond my price range, but I agree with what you said about build quailty. You make a good point - newer players definitely tend to be cheaper in build quality, right down to the lack of a front display, just to save a few extra bucks. I just worry about disc compatibility (newer encryption, problem discs), but I guess it don't matter since companies don't bother updating players these days anyways, other than the new UHD players. My Panasonic blu-ray player hasn't received a single update since I bought it almost 2 years ago, and it was then a recent model.

The build quality is another reason I keep considering the modded Sony X800. Everything I hear says it's built like a tank (though sadly no front display). And it gets regular updates. I wish it had Dolby Vision support since my TV does - that's the one biggest drawback to that player. I have a feeling next year's model will, but then I fear they might follow Samsung and drop 3D next year. Hopefully they won't. It makes me nervous buying a 1st gen UHD player, too. Maybe next year will see improved features, but crappier build quality. I guess it's a balancing act, knowing which model to go with. We just don't have a ton of money to waste on mistakes, so I want to make sure we buy a player we won't regret. We did that with our previous Panasonic - it died in less than 2 years with moderate use.

The Oppo players are definitely built like a tank as well. Sony's flagship player, the BDP-S1, was supported with firmware updates for six years; not sure what Sony's support is like these days. In terms of the UHD players, it seems Sony left the front display to the UBP-X1000ES.