My Opinion: Magnavox vs. Sony - Blu-ray Forum

olivehead · 07-30-2009, 04:58 PM

just picked up the bdp-s360 from BB for $225 (the 10% coupon works on their sale price, and none of their local competitors, incl. sears and walmart, would take the coupon). for 2 weeks i've had the magnavox nb500mgx ($98 from walmart). while the magnavox is a perfectly good entry level player, and with BD and DVD has performed without a hitch, the sony is just much "smoother," easier to use, has better menus and remote, can be updated via ethernet connection, and so on. having hooked up both to my plasma, i'd also say the sony has a marginally better picture. don't get me wrong, though. the magnavox is a steal in the current market for 98 bucks. but if you have the means, i'd suggest springing for the sony if it's that vs. the magnavox or any other the other funai clones. you may prefer panasonic or samsung brands, which i can't comment on. the only reason i happen to have 2 now is because the bedroom dvd player went out after 10 years, and rather than get a $30-70 dvd player, i thought i'd give blu ray a shot. liked it enough to do some research and decided to get the sony for my main set up. haven't regretted the purchase so far.

FusionGuy · 07-30-2009, 05:37 PM

Interesting comparison. I guess you get what you pay for. I recently passed up the magnavox in favor of a refurbished BDP-S350 from a Sony outlet store. I got it for only $129. I'm loving it so far.

markob50 · 07-30-2009, 07:31 PM

I also bought mine from the Sony outlet store for 129.99. And for an extra 20.00 I got the 2 year extended warranty.

Blu Titan · 07-30-2009, 07:37 PM

That is not a fair comparison. Sony is a zillion times better than Magnavox in any electronic product category.

olivehead · 07-30-2009, 08:05 PM

i don't know if i'd go that far. but let's say between 1.25 and 1.5 times better than magnavox. for an entry level player, especially at that price, i was fairly impressed. they need to work on (1) remote ergonomics (2) fastforward and rewind (3) some features like subtitle and audio (for example, to change audio or subtitle on the magnavox requires 2 steps; the sony, the typical one step).

on another note, all the manufacturers should just stop packaging their blu ray players (and dvd players for that matter) with the complimentary yellow-red-white video cables. if you're into blu ray, you're at least a decade past those kind of connections. so keep those cables and knock $0.99 off the price. they really ought to throw in a 6 ft. hdmi with a $250+ player.

blu-ray_girl_fan · 07-31-2009, 05:11 AM

It's odd that people keep harping on whether or not a player has an Internet connection. I have a Magnavox that I got sometime in June/July 2008. I have been able to play every disc I put in it, including "Watchmen" and the spiffy PIP mode. Meanwhile, it appears that various Samsungs and Sonys crap out on people on a regular basis.

What's better--having to update your firmware all the time or not at all?

HDPlasma · 07-31-2009, 08:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blu Titan

That is not a fair comparison. Sony is a zillion times better than Magnavox in any electronic product category.

Really?
The Magnavox > S300 and other older Sony players.

Sony RPTV's also have issues. I should know, I own one.
I have a Sony receiver that blew out the surroundsound power section in 2 years.

Sony is a brand name usually associated with quality but that does not necessarily mean all their products are superior over other brands that use cheap labor.

HDPlasma · 07-31-2009, 08:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blu-ray_girl_fan

It's odd that people keep harping on whether or not a player has an Internet connection.

What's ironic is when the Blu-ray HD DVD battle was going on, the majority of blu-ray early adopters expressed that internet connection was not desired or needed but now that it's an option, it's a "must have."

421211 · 07-31-2009, 09:24 PM

Thats why you get a ps3.

blu-ray_girl_fan · 07-31-2009, 10:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HDPlasma

What's ironic is when the Blu-ray HD DVD battle was going on, the majority of blu-ray early adopters expressed that internet connection was not desired or needed but now that it's an option, it's a "must have."

You know, unless you have a keyboard hooked up to your Blu-ray player, it's a pain trying to chat with just a remote control. One day, when home theater PCs are the norm, the BD-Live stuff that they're pushing now might be cool, but I'm not really interested in buying a movie-themed T-shirt from a silly web portal.

HDPlasma · 08-01-2009, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 421211

Thats why you get a ps3.

PS3: $399
Magnavox: $98
Blu-ray PQ betwen the 2 palyers: Comparable
Saving $300 for the same end result for watching movies: Priceless

Histep · 08-01-2009, 04:07 PM

Hi,
In my opinion, The BIG reason for a live internet connection, is only for them to be able to SELL you someting and stay in your Credit card account! A USB port and flash drive is all they need for FW updates.

Does anyone know of a player that will play the disc reliably without glitches, decode all the sound formats, and bitstream all the sound formats?
HERB

keylay31 · 08-26-2009, 01:16 AM

So how come SonyStyle has the bdp-s350 for $250 refurbished these days? Thoughts?

smiley · 08-26-2009, 01:23 AM

Some of the most worst electronicss I have ever owned have been Magnavox so I really have no interest in wasting more money on low quality products.

Jtodd · 08-26-2009, 01:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blu Titan

That is not a fair comparison. Sony is a zillion times better than Magnavox in any electronic product category.

I agree there is no comparison here what so ever.

rajendra82 · 08-26-2009, 05:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Histep

Hi,
Does anyone know of a player that will play the disc reliably without glitches, decode all the sound formats, and bitstream all the sound formats?
HERB

PlayStation 3 slim

HDPlasma · 08-26-2009, 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by smiley

Some of the most worst electronicss I have ever owned have been Magnavox so I really have no interest in wasting more money on low quality products.

Thanks for your contribution.

HDPlasma · 08-26-2009, 08:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jtodd

I agree there is no comparison here what so ever.

Magnavox > S300

FeltToaster · 08-31-2009, 07:23 AM

With the Sony you are getting what you pay for. With the Magnavox you are getting what you pay for and a bit more. I am also a proud owner of the Sony in the first post.

Grif32 · 09-01-2009, 01:06 PM

I was going to grab the Magnavox BD player for the bedroom but I found the new Vizio VbR100 brand new dlvd for $100 so I went with that. This player was a steal for $100. Load times suck but its for the bedroom the PQ is great and SD DVD's look better on through my Vizio BD player then they do with the PS3 I have in the living room.

It has touch buttons on the front like the PS3 and is jet black. Very nice looking unit. Built very well also.

I wish I bought 2 for that price. Has played everything perfect so far.

07-30-2009, 04:58 PM	#1
olivehead Active Member Member since:Jul 2009 4K collection:5 Blu-ray collection:1202 Blu-ray reviews: 4	My Opinion: Magnavox vs. Sony just picked up the bdp-s360 from BB for $225 (the 10% coupon works on their sale price, and none of their local competitors, incl. sears and walmart, would take the coupon). for 2 weeks i've had the magnavox nb500mgx ($98 from walmart). while the magnavox is a perfectly good entry level player, and with BD and DVD has performed without a hitch, the sony is just much "smoother," easier to use, has better menus and remote, can be updated via ethernet connection, and so on. having hooked up both to my plasma, i'd also say the sony has a marginally better picture. don't get me wrong, though. the magnavox is a steal in the current market for 98 bucks. but if you have the means, i'd suggest springing for the sony if it's that vs. the magnavox or any other the other funai clones. you may prefer panasonic or samsung brands, which i can't comment on. the only reason i happen to have 2 now is because the bedroom dvd player went out after 10 years, and rather than get a $30-70 dvd player, i thought i'd give blu ray a shot. liked it enough to do some research and decided to get the sony for my main set up. haven't regretted the purchase so far. Last edited by olivehead; 07-30-2009 at 05:01 PM.

07-30-2009, 08:05 PM	#5
olivehead Active Member Member since:Jul 2009 4K collection:5 Blu-ray collection:1202 Blu-ray reviews: 4	i don't know if i'd go that far. but let's say between 1.25 and 1.5 times better than magnavox. for an entry level player, especially at that price, i was fairly impressed. they need to work on (1) remote ergonomics (2) fastforward and rewind (3) some features like subtitle and audio (for example, to change audio or subtitle on the magnavox requires 2 steps; the sony, the typical one step). on another note, all the manufacturers should just stop packaging their blu ray players (and dvd players for that matter) with the complimentary yellow-red-white video cables. if you're into blu ray, you're at least a decade past those kind of connections. so keep those cables and knock $0.99 off the price. they really ought to throw in a 6 ft. hdmi with a $250+ player. Last edited by olivehead; 07-30-2009 at 08:08 PM.

09-01-2009, 01:06 PM	#20
Grif32 Expert Member Member since:Oct 2007 Trading Score:1	I was going to grab the Magnavox BD player for the bedroom but I found the new Vizio VbR100 brand new dlvd for $100 so I went with that. This player was a steal for $100. Load times suck but its for the bedroom the PQ is great and SD DVD's look better on through my Vizio BD player then they do with the PS3 I have in the living room. It has touch buttons on the front like the PS3 and is jet black. Very nice looking unit. Built very well also. I wish I bought 2 for that price. Has played everything perfect so far. Last edited by Grif32; 09-01-2009 at 02:01 PM.

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07-30-2009, 05:37 PM	#2
FusionGuy New Member Member since:Jul 2009 Location:Philadelphia	Interesting comparison. I guess you get what you pay for. I recently passed up the magnavox in favor of a refurbished BDP-S350 from a Sony outlet store. I got it for only $129. I'm loving it so far.

07-30-2009, 07:31 PM	#3
markob50 Member Member since:Aug 2008 Location:Southern California Blu-ray collection:64	I also bought mine from the Sony outlet store for 129.99. And for an extra 20.00 I got the 2 year extended warranty.

07-30-2009, 07:37 PM	#4
Blu Titan Super Moderator Top ranked HT gallery Top contributor Member since:Jul 2007 Location:Edo, Land of the Samurai Home Theater Gallery:42 4K collection:41 Blu-ray collection:2864 Blu-ray reviews: 2 Trading Score:92	That is not a fair comparison. Sony is a zillion times better than Magnavox in any electronic product category.

07-31-2009, 05:11 AM	#6
blu-ray_girl_fan Banned Top contributor Member since:Jun 2009 Blu-ray reviews:1 Trading Score:87	It's odd that people keep harping on whether or not a player has an Internet connection. I have a Magnavox that I got sometime in June/July 2008. I have been able to play every disc I put in it, including "Watchmen" and the spiffy PIP mode. Meanwhile, it appears that various Samsungs and Sonys crap out on people on a regular basis. What's better--having to update your firmware all the time or not at all?

07-31-2009, 09:24 PM	#9
421211 Member Member since:Nov 2008	Thats why you get a ps3.

08-01-2009, 04:07 PM	#12
Histep Member Member since:Mar 2009 Location:Daytona Beach, Fl	Hi, In my opinion, The BIG reason for a live internet connection, is only for them to be able to SELL you someting and stay in your Credit card account! A USB port and flash drive is all they need for FW updates. Does anyone know of a player that will play the disc reliably without glitches, decode all the sound formats, and bitstream all the sound formats? HERB

08-26-2009, 01:16 AM	#13
keylay31 Junior Member Member since:Aug 2009	So how come SonyStyle has the bdp-s350 for $250 refurbished these days? Thoughts?

08-26-2009, 01:23 AM	#14
smiley Active Member Member since:Jun 2007 Location:Barron, WI Blu-ray collection:144	Some of the most worst electronicss I have ever owned have been Magnavox so I really have no interest in wasting more money on low quality products.

08-31-2009, 07:23 AM	#19
FeltToaster Member Member since:Aug 2009 Blu-ray collection:9	With the Sony you are getting what you pay for. With the Magnavox you are getting what you pay for and a bit more. I am also a proud owner of the Sony in the first post.

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