Another "help me decide": Yamaha Rxv-663 & Samsung LN46a650 - which Blu-ray player

[trustwell]

I live in the States, have a Yamaha rxv-663 receiver and a 46 inch Samsung LN46a650. Currently, they're connected via HDMI.

I'm having trouble deciding between the Sony 350/550. I don't think I need the extra audio features on the 550 and I'm comfortable buying my own usb drive and updating the 350 to 2.0. Is the 350 update even out yet?

From what I think I understand my receiver will pick up the bitstream via PCM and interpret that itself. Basically - in my situation - because the receiver can do the job, I do not need a player that does it as well. Is this correct?

Also, I'm thinking about the Panasonics Bd-50, 55, and 35.

I'll need something with a hard drive (or that can take a hard drive) for the BD Live content. I suppose they all can handle that?

Any help would be appreciated.

TW

[BIslander]

The S350 and BD35 will be fine with your receiver. You can bitstream the lossless audio formats and don't need the analog functions in the S550 and BD55.

[shadow72]

Originally Posted by trustwell

I live in the States, have a Yamaha rxv-663 receiver and a 46 inch Samsung LN46a650. Currently, they're connected via HDMI.

I'm having trouble deciding between the Sony 350/550. I don't think I need the extra audio features on the 550 and I'm comfortable buying my own usb drive and updating the 350 to 2.0. Is the 350 update even out yet?

From what I think I understand my receiver will pick up the bitstream via PCM and interpret that itself. Basically - in my situation - because the receiver can do the job, I do not need a player that does it as well. Is this correct?

Also, I'm thinking about the Panasonics Bd-50, 55, and 35.

I'll need something with a hard drive (or that can take a hard drive) for the BD Live content. I suppose they all can handle that?

Any help would be appreciated.

TW

All I can say is you have a great receiver and an awesome TV!

[BACsader]

With the receiver that you have, whatever one of those you find for cheaper I would pick up. Since the receiver will be doing the decoding, it doesn't matter. Just read up on which one is faster loading, had less problems with movie playback. Etc....

[trustwell]

Originally Posted by BACsader

With the receiver that you have, whatever one of those you find for cheaper I would pick up. Since the receiver will be doing the decoding, it doesn't matter. Just read up on which one is faster loading, had less problems with movie playback. Etc....

Thanks for your response - I really appreciate it.

I think my tv supports 1080/24p. Would a player that supports 24p be that much better? I may just go for the Panasonic even though it is slightly more expensive than the Sony - as now I'm not sure I can burn the update on my MAC.

Thanks,

TW

[Zman2k2]

If this helps the decision, someone posted the review for this players here.
Panasonic DMP-BD35 and 55

I just like giving homework. The Sony uses a USB thumbdrive to store the BD-Live content, and the Panasonic uses SD media cards, like those in cameras. I have seen the Sony in action, and it is a very nice player, but I always remember that review above. Hope it helps.

[callas01]

I just got the Panny BD35, and I can tell you it is a great little player. I will have it hooked up to my new Sony 920 friday once the AVR is delivered. I have not used the BD live function, but i can say that it looks easy. I would def/ recommend it for anyone that needs a good bdp.

[trustwell]

Thanks for the help. I read a bit and really like the Panasonic based on what I've seen in the above link and in other reviews. However, I'm still stuck on this 1080/24p issue. If my Samsung LN46A650 supports 1080/24p, I'm guessing I'm better off going with Sony 350 (price wise).

TW

[Yeha-Noha]

Originally Posted by BIslander

The S350 and BD35 will be fine with your receiver. You can bitstream the lossless audio formats and don't need the analog functions in the S550 and BD55.

He's right. I have the V663 and you won't need to pay more for analog outputs from a BD player because this receiver decodes all the lossless audio formats.

Also from the user comments I've read, because I need to replace my old S301 player, the DMP BD 35 is the better of the two (vs the S350 not S550). I am buying mine soon, so I have not tested it out yet.

[trustwell]

Thanks again! I think I'll go with the Panny. I just "RTFM" for my tv and learned that it is actually 1080/60 not 1080/120 so I guess the 24p issue isn't relevant now.

[shadow72]

Originally Posted by trustwell

Thanks again! I think I'll go with the Panny. I just "RTFM" for my tv and learned that it is actually 1080/60 not 1080/120 so I guess the 24p issue isn't relevant now.

The TV supports 24p. The 120hz I think your refering to is always on, unless you shut it off in the menu options of the TV. When you have your player set to 24p and are playing a BR movie, the TV will display 1920x1080@24Hz. When playing a standard DVD it will display 1920x1080@60Hz. Don't worry, the Hz at the end is misleading. It's actually the frames per second. The 120Hz option on the TV is never displayed and like I said before is always on unless you turn it off manually.

[cheese17]

Originally Posted by rwojtalewicz

He's right. I have the V663 and you won't need to pay more for analog outputs from a BD player because this receiver decodes all the lossless audio formats.

Also from the user comments I've read, because I need to replace my old S301 player, the DMP BD 35 is the better of the two (vs the S350 not S550). I am buying mine soon, so I have not tested it out yet.

I am searching for a quick lesson on providing the best audio from a yet to be purchased BD player. My current config is a Sharp Aquos LC-46D64U, Yamaha RX-V995 and Boston Accoustics Micro90. I understand that the best I can produce at this time is 5.1, but I do not want to limit myself going forward, so I would like the 7.1 capability. The question right now is I was looking at the Panny 35, but concerned without the analog outputs I would be in trouble. A quick education would be much appreciated.

Thanks

[BIslander]

Originally Posted by cheese17

I am searching for a quick lesson on providing the best audio from a yet to be purchased BD player. My current config is a Sharp Aquos LC-46D64U, Yamaha RX-V995 and Boston Accoustics Micro90. I understand that the best I can produce at this time is 5.1, but I do not want to limit myself going forward, so I would like the 7.1 capability. The question right now is I was looking at the Panny 35, but concerned without the analog outputs I would be in trouble. A quick education would be much appreciated.

If I recall, your receiver doesn't have HDMI. If you want lossless audio, you will need the BD55 instead because it has multichannel analog outputs. The player will decode the HD audio, convert it to analog, and send the analog channels to your receiver over six audio cables. The BD35 is a good fit for receivers with HDMI. The BD55 adds analog outs, DivX support, and a coax audio output.

[cheese17]

Originally Posted by BIslander

If I recall, your receiver doesn't have HDMI. If you want lossless audio, you will need the BD55 instead because it has multichannel analog outputs. The player will decode the HD audio, convert it to analog, and send the analog channels to your receiver over six audio cables. The BD35 is a good fit for receivers with HDMI. The BD55 adds analog outs, DivX support, and a coax audio output.

Thanks for the clarification. You are correct in saying that my receiver does not have HDMI. One last question. Knowing that my current config is limited to 5.1. Would missing out on the lossless by simply taking an optical out of the TV and feeding it to the receiver really have that much impact on the quality of the audio?

Thanks

[BIslander]

Originally Posted by cheese17

Thanks for the clarification. You are correct in saying that my receiver does not have HDMI. One last question. Knowing that my current config is limited to 5.1. Would missing out on the lossless by simply taking an optical out of the TV and feeding it to the receiver really have that much impact on the quality of the audio?

Optical out of the TV will limit you to a stereo downmix, unless you have one of the few TVs that outputs DD 5.1 from external components. You should always run audio direct to your receiver, not through the TV.

As for whether lossless is better, it depends on who you ask. Optical is limited to the lossy versions of DD and DTS. But, they are encoded at higher bitrates on BD. Personally, I think lossless is better - clearer and more detailed. I don't hear a dramatic difference. But, some people do.

[trustwell]

Thanks for the help. I purchased the Panasonic BD-35k.

TW