Advice on Best Blu-ray Player Please.

[ikbradley]

Originally Posted by Deane Johnson

Is it my understanding now that the PS3 will output DD 5.1 through either a coax or optical output jack.

Optical, not coax. Sorry Deane about the ambiguity.

[Iceman_II]

Sorry for the delay, but I wanted to verify.

I just popped in phantom of the opera, it has a DD 5.1 track, and it played fine through the optical out from the PS3

[swdvader]

I had the sony bdp300, if you dont care about hd sound this is the best stand alone. the picture is perfect and plays everything with no problems.

I had the samsung 1400 it has hd sound and the picture is also good but still has problems with new movie play back at this time even with the 1.1 firmware update.

I waiting for my new sony bpd500 which is basically the 300 with hd sound.

If you dont have a receiver go with the ps3.

good luck.

[clyon]

If you want to help the Blu ray cause buy a standalone unit & push people to buy standalones + push differnt brands. As more standalones sell the prices will drop faster.

I like my samsung1200, I think it was dumb that samsung did not include the HQV chip in the new 1400, but beside that it is a great player.

[powersfoss]

I have a PS3 and use the optical audio out for DD 5.1 and it works great! I would highly recommend it as a great BD player. I also got the BD remote and find that it works great too.

[Iceman_II]

Well, I guess this thread has degraded into more "subtle" PS3 bashing... at least it is subtle, more often than not, the PS3 bashing is overt

What the hell is up with the "If you dont have a receiver go with the ps3." comment? My PS3s optical out works very well with my Yamaha receiver with 5.1 thank you very much.

And for that matter, what the hell is up with this.. "If you want to help the Blu ray cause buy a standalone unit & push people to buy standalones + push differnt brands. As more standalones sell the prices will drop faster."

As for supporting the format by purchasing one form of player over another... this is inanity at its lowest. Any player purchased helps the format, but having a high attachment rate helps more. The BDA has no desire to dive to the bottom on pricing like Tosh did, and they don't need to... if it becomes unprofitable to produce BD players, the BDA will simply alienate the CE companies the way Tosh did, and NOBODY will make players, kind of like the way few companies other than Tosh really make HD-DVD

Deane, look at the features, and look at the costs, find a player that does what you want with a bit extra as well, because what you want may change, and you want to be a bit future proof. Be wary of those who spread mis-information, both those on AVS, and unfortunately, those on this forum as well.

[Deane Johnson]

Originally Posted by swdvader

I had the sony bdp300, if you dont care about hd sound this is the best stand alone. the picture is perfect and plays everything with no problems.

I had the samsung 1400 it has hd sound and the picture is also good but still has problems with new movie play back at this time even with the 1.1 firmware update.

I waiting for my new sony bpd500 which is basically the 300 with hd sound.

If you dont have a receiver go with the ps3.

good luck.

Is it safe to assume the BDP300 isn't quite as good at upscaling DVD as is the Playstation 3?

The Playstation 3 looks good due to upscaling since I have 1700 DVDs in house, but the Bluetooth remote leaves a little to be desired. In total darkness in my front projection setup, it's nice to have the screen of the Pronto to use.

[monkyman]

Originally Posted by Iceman_II

Well, I guess this thread has degraded into more "subtle" PS3 bashing... at least it is subtle, more often than not, the PS3 bashing is overt

What the hell is up with the "If you dont have a receiver go with the ps3." comment? My PS3s optical out works very well with my Yamaha receiver with 5.1 thank you very much.

And for that matter, what the hell is up with this.. "If you want to help the Blu ray cause buy a standalone unit & push people to buy standalones + push differnt brands. As more standalones sell the prices will drop faster."

As for supporting the format by purchasing one form of player over another... this is inanity at its lowest. Any player purchased helps the format, but having a high attachment rate helps more. The BDA has no desire to dive to the bottom on pricing like Tosh did, and they don't need to... if it becomes unprofitable to produce BD players, the BDA will simply alienate the CE companies the way Tosh did, and NOBODY will make players, kind of like the way few companies other than Tosh really make HD-DVD

Deane, look at the features, and look at the costs, find a player that does what you want with a bit extra as well, because what you want may change, and you want to be a bit future proof. Be wary of those who spread mis-information, both those on AVS, and unfortunately, those on this forum as well.

I don't see the comments made as PS3 bashing????

it is just someones opinion.

Personaly, if you want to buy an inexpensive player right now the 399 PS3 is the way to go.

If it were me, I would wait to see the reviews of the new Panny 1.1 player, but I don't want to be accused of bashing

[clyon]

Originally Posted by monkyman

I don't see the comments made as PS3 bashing????

it is just someones opinion.

Personaly, if you want to buy an inexpensive player right now the 399 PS3 is the way to go.

If it were me, I would wait to see the reviews of the new Panny 1.1 player, but I don't want to be accused of bashing

That new panny is hopfuly going to be a killer player, will see, Panny has been nice to us in the past.

Iceman_II needs to chile some, For cost, I was talking 'long trem' 2-3 years, the term 'cheap' is relative. What is in it if standalone do not sell well, the manufacturers will not invest as much money into R&D and the release of smaller, faster, better players will take longer.

[Iceman_II]

Originally Posted by monkyman

I don't see the comments made as PS3 bashing????

it is just someones opinion.

Personaly, if you want to buy an inexpensive player right now the 399 PS3 is the way to go.

If it were me, I would wait to see the reviews of the new Panny 1.1 player, but I don't want to be accused of bashing

I am sorry, but I have to disagree with you there... recommending that someone get a PS3 if they don't have a receiver is the same as telling them that if they have a receiver, they should get something else... and then coming up with the idea that if you want to support the format, you should get a standalone (and by implication NOT get a PS3)

As I said, the bashing is more subtle than usual, but it is still there

Deane, as I said before look at features, look at capabilities, look at the little extras which you may want in 6 months, then decide, DON'T base your decision on doing ANYTHING to support the format, do it to make yourself happy, and "supporting the format" will take care of itself.

[ps3andlovinit]

Originally Posted by Deane Johnson

I won't go into all of my reasons for disenchantment, but I think I'll spend my money on a Blu-ray player. I know there are threads and threads on opinions of which player is best, but I'd like to get a simple recommendation from those already experienced.

My need is simple. Movies and DD 5.1. Nothing else. What's the lowest priced player that provides that? $98 didn't buy me much in the other format.

The PS3 used to be the quickest for startup times, menus etc ...by a significant factor...not sure if that still true with some of the newer standalones or with firmware upgrades for the previous ones...but something to consider if that kind of stuff annoys you.

[Deane Johnson]

I keep drifting back to the PS3, then wavering due to the remote not being IR. That's good for a lot of reasons, but not good if one want wants to use their Pronto.

I got into this current mess by doing something I don't usually do, and that's buy the A2 for $98 without research. For $98, who needed research. It was not workable in my system, and I was surprised that something as elementary as DD 5.1 was not outputted in all modes of operation.

My receiver is a good one for it's day, it's simply that it's a 2000 model Marantz SR780 DD 5.1 and has coax and optical inputs. No HDMI. I don't need HDMI since I do not need switching. I'm perfectly content sending the video via HDMI to my AE900U and sending the audio to the receiver via coax or optical. Seems simple, it just wasn't with the A2. Caught me by surprise.

Iceman, I appreciate your common sense approach. There seems to be a lot of it on this forum. Blu-ray folks seem to be a lot more content in this world than some of the Dud guys. Even when I was a semi-Dud guy for a few hours, I was still met with hostility, accusations and name calling at AVS. It was an eye opener.

[Deane Johnson]

Originally Posted by ps3andlovinit

The PS3 used to be the quickest for startup times, menus etc ...by a significant factor...not sure if that still true with some of the newer standalones or with firmware upgrades for the previous ones...but something to consider if that kind of stuff annoys you.

Delay is annoying. I'm thinking nothing is going to happen, then punch something else and get messed up.

[ps3andlovinit]

Originally Posted by Deane Johnson

Delay is annoying. I'm thinking nothing is going to happen, then punch something else and get messed up.

The remote integration can certainly be a bit of a bummer..on the other side I now *despise* IR because we have coffee table that is in line of sight...blu-tooth doesn't have that issue.

Btw I use the game controller as the remote since my hands fall to the layout naturally without the need to look at the controller. The separate traditional blu-tooth remote they sell is not backlit btw.

[Deane Johnson]

One thing I keep wondering, if Sony can do such an excellent job with the multi-purpose PS3 for $399, why can't they make a standalone DVD player for $399 with a conventional IR remote? Or maybe even less than $399.

[Iceman_II]

The PS3 is being sold at a SIGNIFICANT loss, or at least it was. The rationale was that they could make up this loss on software, movie and game, sales. As far as standalones go, Sony is being VERY careful not to alienate other CE companies. If they cut the margins on standalones, the other standalone player manufacturers will not be able to make a profit, so they will get out of the standalone business, and that would leave Sony in the same lonely boat Toshiba is in.

In this phase of product development, the stand alone players are NOT priced inordanately high... remember how much the first generation of DVDs cost, and how bloody long it took for them to come down?

We have all become so spoiled by $20 dvd players, that we have forgotten how much they used to cost. The price will come down as the technology matures, but Sony is letting that cycle take its natural course, as opposed to Tosh who is aggressively diving to the bottom because it is one of the last viable selling points they have.

[Iceman_II]

Evedently, there is an aftermarket IR remote that uses the USB interface.... I was concerned about the remote as well when I bought, but personally, I have come to love my BT remote.

[monkyman]

Originally Posted by Deane Johnson

One thing I keep wondering, if Sony can do such an excellent job with the multi-purpose PS3 for $399, why can't they make a standalone DVD player for $399 with a conventional IR remote? Or maybe even less than $399.

I think this is kind of a deep one to get into. The PS3 is in compitition with the xbox as a gaming system, and also are more mass produced than the stand alones. Even if they lose some money on PS3 sales, I believe it is easyier to make up on software.

With the stand alone they want to make money (unlike Toshiba) and also do not want to step on the toes of the other BDA members. This is why you have a choice with BD player manufacturers, they can all make money. If they sold their players for, say, 150.00, there would be no room for other manufacterers, not only would they lose money, but support as well. It is just a balance thing.

[Deane Johnson]

What you guys say makes sense. Sort of like the ink jet printers selling the printers cheap and lots and lots of ink in the future.

[Iceman_II]

Originally Posted by Deane Johnson

What you guys say makes sense. Sort of like the ink jet printers selling the printers cheap and lots and lots of ink in the future.

Close, that is how it is NOW, but remember when Ink Jets came out, they were kind of pricey, and they didn't come down in price till the marketing cycle had matured...

This is why I said that the type of player you get won't help the format the attachment rate will.