Bluray player discussion

[MrDudeMan]

I searched and haven't found much in the way of BluRay player discussions. I am looking to get a BR player and can't really find any opinions on here. Is this the wrong forum or do people just not talk about it very much?

I've been reading a lot and I'm currently wondering about the PS3. The general opinion of the reviews say it is the best BR player with the most headroom. Can anyone shed some light on this?

I don't want a PS3 for gaming but if it is the best BR player then I'm up for getting it specifically for that purpose. However, if there is a player with similar functionality at a lesser or similar price, I'd love to hear about it.

I've also seen very mixed reviews regarding the Samsung players. People either love or hate them.

Edit: I forgot to mention I am very interested in finding a BR player with high quality upconverting capability. This is a big part of the decision for me as we have tons of DVDs and probably won't buy an equally large number of BR movies.

 

[PurdueRy]

I love the PS3 I just bought. I got it for about $280 after getting a Meijer charge card(10% off first purchase) during a 20% off sale if you used your Meijer card.

It's a good console and plays BR just fine. Fairly quick compared to my HD-A3. The only downside I would say would be the Bluetooth remote. You can get the Nyko accessory, but it doesn't have all the functionality of the Sony remote.

I think its the only profile 2.0 player out there...so that's a nice comforting stat. It's also quiet so its not going to be heard over the movie.

 

[vi edit]

The single biggest advantage of the PS3 is that it's software based and is virtually free from being obsolete in regards to firmware and software based upgrades.

Other things as mentioned are the very good playback and it's also the cheapest one on the market.

Cons are as follows:
- It doesn't "look" like a conventional player and you can't stack on it.
- No IR support (can't use a Harmony/Universal remote out of the box)
- Noise (while normally quiet, the fans can be very loud, especially if placed inside an A/V cabinet or in a warm room)
- Power consumption is much higher than a dedicated device

It's really the safest bet of the Blu Ray players, but you have to decide if the cons are significant enough to you to warrant going stand alone. You certainly lose some of the console value if you have no intentions of gaming, but that doesn't detract from it's pricing.

 

[MrDudeMan]

Ideally the player I get will need to somehow work with my Phillips universal remote. It's one of those over-the-top touch screen LCD remotes. I love it but it's ridiculous.

Anyway, I should probably go to Best Buy and look at the players to get a feel for what I'm really talking about. I posted a week or two ago regarding TVs and got some great advice from you guys, but going to the store made the research and opinions "real" if that makes sense. I ended up getting the LN52A650 52" Samsung LCD and I love it. I am just trying to get a BR player that will complement it well.

I'll go to Best Buy tonight and post again as I'm sure I will have more questions. So far, though, it looks like the PS3 is a really good choice.

 

[vi edit]

You can get around the lack of IR a couple different ways. One is to buy an IR dongle and slap it on the front of the PS3 -

http://www.amazon.com/PlayStat...e-Remote/dp/B000R5H7KE

Another is to buy this hack and let it send IR signals via bluetooth.
http://ir2bt.com/

A lot people are foaming over the mouth at that device, but frankly I'm just fine with the $20 dedicated BT remote. I can deal with the extra controller on the table.

 

[MrDudeMan]

Originally posted by: vi edit
You can get around the lack of IR a couple different ways. One is to buy an IR dongle and slap it on the front of the PS3 -

http://www.amazon.com/PlayStat...e-Remote/dp/B000R5H7KE

Another is to buy this hack and let it send IR signals via bluetooth.
http://ir2bt.com/

A lot people are foaming over the mouth at that device, but frankly I'm just fine with the $20 dedicated BT remote. I can deal with the extra controller on the table.

Sweet thanks for the info/links.

I'll admit I am somewhat shocked at how expensive all of the BR players are. I'm going to get one anyway but $300+ is annoying. If I can get a PS3 in the low $300's I'll probably buy it but that seems to be more difficult than I first thought.

 

[Midnight Rambler]

Did you buy your TV at Best Buy ? If so, they have an HDTV Advantange plan where you get $100 off for buying a BR player (or PS3) with your TV. If you just bought this TV, I'd think that they'd re-ring the sale for you so that you could get the $100 off deal.

Alternately, sign up for a Sony VISA card and use it to buy your PS3 and get $100 credited to your account. Just make sure to purchase from an authorized Sony retailer.

 

[erwos]

Wait for the new Sony players, IMHO. They should be coming out in the next couple months.

 

[JackBurton]

In June the new PS3s will be coming out which will include a cooler running chip. I'd advise for you to wait until then. But I'd definitely recommend getting a PS3.

 

[DaveSimmons]

^ that's supposedly true for the 80 GB model, but the 40 GB PS3 has had the cooler, lower-power 65nm Cell processor all along.

If you want 80 GB, PS2 backwards compatibility, Metal Gear Solid 4 game, rumble controller (but for $499 instead of $399) then the June refresh 80GB Metal Gear bundle is the one to get.

Note that even if you don't care about gaming, the PS3 makes a good media player (photos, music, web videos) and can stream content from a PC or Mac.

 

[Shawn]

I would definitely wait. All of the blu-ray players out now are overpriced, not feature complete (except for the PS3), buggy, and expensive.

 

[JackBurton]

Originally posted by: DaveSimmons
^ that's supposedly true for the 80 GB model, but the 40 GB PS3 has had the cooler, lower-power 65nm Cell processor all along.

If you want 80 GB, PS2 backwards compatibility, Metal Gear Solid 4 game, rumble controller (but for $499 instead of $399) then the June refresh 80GB Metal Gear bundle is the one to get.

Note that even if you don't care about gaming, the PS3 makes a good media player (photos, music, web videos) and can stream content from a PC or Mac.

Correct. I'm just looking forward to the refresh in June because it will include the media reader in it. I have a 60GB PS3 and I love the media card reader. And don't forget, SACD support in the upcoming model, which the 40GB model is missing.

 

[MrDudeMan]

Originally posted by: Midnight Rambler
Did you buy your TV at Best Buy ? If so, they have an HDTV Advantange plan where you get $100 off for buying a BR player (or PS3) with your TV. If you just bought this TV, I'd think that they'd re-ring the sale for you so that you could get the $100 off deal.

Alternately, sign up for a Sony VISA card and use it to buy your PS3 and get $100 credited to your account. Just make sure to purchase from an authorized Sony retailer.

I got the TV on Amazon. $750 cheaper than BB :Q



The fact that several of you agree that waiting is probably a good thing makes me want to do just that. I'm not sure what I really need out of the PS3 though so waiting may or may not benefit me. I probably don't need anything other than the lowest capacity model as I won't really use it for anything but watching BR movies. However, maybe in June when the refresh is released the I'll be able to find one cheaper.

I don't want to make a hasty decision so I'll sit on this for a while, but after looking at tons of reviews I really don't want to get any of the standalone players. PS3 seems like the obvious choice at the moment.

 

[vi edit]

If you are comfortable plopping down $400 on a player and have zero intentions in using it for the gaming/media center functions then it really doesn't make a lot of sense to get the PS3.

The cons of the PS3 would just be too much for me to overcome if I had no desire to use for anything but video.

If you don't mind waiting out for some newer players to hit, that sounds like a better option for you.

 

[MrDudeMan]

Originally posted by: vi edit
If you are comfortable plopping down $400 on a player and have zero intentions in using it for the gaming/media center functions then it really doesn't make a lot of sense to get the PS3.

The cons of the PS3 would just be too much for me to overcome if I had no desire to use for anything but video.

If you don't mind waiting out for some newer players to hit, that sounds like a better option for you.

Yeah that's why I said earlier I'd only get it if I could find one in the low $300's, but even then I'd still be hesitant. I guess I can't say for sure that I will never play games on it, but I just have no desire to do so at the moment. The ease of updating the BR software on the PS3 is what makes it attractive to me over the others.

I can exercise some patience and wait a month or two for some new players, but it's going to be difficult. If I can find a really good deal on a PS3 in the mean time I may pull the trigger.

Do you, or anyone else for that matter, have any personal experience with any of the standalone players?

 

[vi edit]

I think Rio Rebel has a stand alone player. It's an older Panasonic I think. I'll drop him a PM to look at this thread.

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: vi edit
If you are comfortable plopping down $400 on a player and have zero intentions in using it for the gaming/media center functions then it really doesn't make a lot of sense to get the PS3.

The cons of the PS3 would just be too much for me to overcome if I had no desire to use for anything but video.

If you don't mind waiting out for some newer players to hit, that sounds like a better option for you.

Really the only cons I can think of for my PS3 which I bought probably 80% for the blu-ray player is that it:

1. Does not support IR
2. Doesn't fit in well with other A/V equipment

Other than that, I have never noticed anything else annoying about it if used as only a BD player. I have always found it very quiet. I have the 40G model. SACD support is lacking...but I don't know too many people who are that into that format(which is virtually dead). The media card reader might be annoying to some but I wonder if a external USB reader might work. It supports my usb webcam just fine and supports external hard drives.

 

[vi edit]

Have you tried putting your PS3 inside of an entertainment center? Holy hairdryer of doom!

My 80 gig model sits outside of my entertainment center and is virtually silent. I tried putting it in the spot where my old Xbox (original) was at and it freaked out because of poor ventilation.

A normal stand alone isn't that picky. Plus it's just a lot of extra stuff that could fail - hard drive, lots of moving parts with the slot load design, hot running CPU, ect.

If you aren't using the other benefits then they become unneeded burdens.

 

[Rio Rebel]

Originally posted by: Shawn
I would definitely wait. All of the blu-ray players out now are overpriced, not feature complete (except for the PS3), buggy, and expensive.

Don't listen to this bullshit. Nothing but FUD here.

Whether the players are overpriced and expensive (is there a difference between those terms?) is up to you. I won't argue that. But the statement that they are "buggy" is crap. I have a Panasonic BD10, and it has been FLAWLESS through all the movies I have played on it. I have seen little to no reports of being "buggy" from most of the standalones OR the PS3. I saw some early reports of buggy issues with the first Samsung model, but there's not a current model out today that most people would characterize as "buggy".

As to "not feature complete", this is more crap from the anti-Blu-Ray crowd. For most of us, the ability to play the video and audio flawlessly is as "feature complete" as we care about, and that is what we get. If you are looking for internet-integration, robust picture-in-picture, or the like, then maybe you should make sure you're informed about the features. But calling these players "not feature complete" is more misleading crap. It would be like saying that 95% of the DVD's out there are not feature complete because they don't utilize the capability of showing the film from different camera angles. Just because the feature has been talked about, or partially implemented, or implemented by a rival technology, doesn't mean all the players or discs are lacking if they don't have it.

 

[Rio Rebel]

As to which Blu-Ray player to get, I wouldn't contradict any of the info you've received here. But I would add my own perspective:

I care absolutely nothing about internet integration or pip, so having a profile 1.1 or 2.0 player means nothing to me. If you do care about those things, the PS3 has an advantage.

I do care very much about audio - something that many people seem to overlook in the new HD formats. Blu-Ray (and HD-DVD) gives you not only improved video, but also better audio formats, like Dolby TrueHD, uncompressed PCM, DTS-HD, and in some cases DTS-Master Audio. To utilize these formats, you must have more than just an optical cable or coax digital. You must have either hdmi in to your receiver, or analog outputs from the player and analog inputs on the receiver.

Here is where this is relevant: for many of us with high quality audio systems that may be a couple years old, we wouldn't want to replace the receiver to get hdmi functionality. So to take advantage of the advanced sound, we would need a player with analog outs. My Panasonic BD10 has analog outs (7.1, in fact), and suits me well. Other standalones may or may not have them. The PS3 does not, and would require and hdmi capable receiver to get the advanced audio.

Finally, the fact that Harmony (or other standard IR remotes) doesn't work with PS3 cleanly is an issue to me. And the fact that it is shaped differently and is a little hotter than other components is also an issue.

Frankly, I think it's very much a debatable point whether the PS3 is the best player for most people strictly as a BD player, not considering games. I can see some real advantages, and real disadvantages, considering what you want and need.

Regardless, I know you'll enjoy getting into Blu-Ray movies. It is remarkable how good they look, particularly in a home environment with minimal calibration (like a calibration disk or even the THX "optimizer" on some dvds).

 

[Rio Rebel]

A couple of other points - I haven't read much lately about the PS3 when it comes to upconverting. I know initially, it was pretty poor in comparison to some other players. That may have changed to some extent with firmware updates, but if this is a strong consideration for you, it would be good to try to find out more.

Also, the PS3 has the potential to serve yet another purpose - media server. This may also be a consideration for you. It would be nice to have the ability to play high quality music files as well as Blu-Ray disks.

 

[vi edit]

I think the upconversion thing was addressed in a very early firmware update. I know that DVD's look very nice on my 42" 720p screen. Much better than the $60 Philips upconverting DVD player that I tried for a few days before returning.

The media center function is very nice. I just grab stuff from the WMP server on my desktop and pull them to the PS3. I have some classical music that I'll throw on there and use the "nature" theme as a screensaver. The combination of music and giant earth/space objects floating on the screen keep my 3 month old daughter happy for a good 20 minutes or so

 

[kenrippy]

i recently bought a sony 300/301 at costco. it's slow, & doesn't support the newer audio formats. those are both big points to me, but the video quailty is fine. i've got a capable receiver to work with all current audio formats, so i'll be looking to upgrade sooner or later.

the only reasons i bought it was because;
1) it's the only player that costco carries near here.
2) i can return it to costco at any time (when prices drop - and you know they will)

 

[Muadib]

I love my Panasonic DMP-BD30K, but its upconverting quality isn't great. When I tested the PS3 against the BD30, I found that it's upconverting was the same as the BD30. That might have changed though, since the PS3 has since had new firmware.

On Blu-ray play, the BD30 was clearly better. That too may have changed though.

Updating the firmware on the BD30 is very easy to do. Download, burn to CD-R, stick the burned disc in the BD30, wait 5 minutes, done. The 2.0 profile really isn't worth it to me.

I'm also in total agreement with Rebel when it comes to the new audio formats. The sound on some Blu-ray disk is unbelievable.

You can't beat the price on the PS3 though. It's a great bargain.

 

[abaez]

Originally posted by: kenrippy
i recently bought a sony 300/301 at costco. it's slow, & doesn't support the newer audio formats. those are both big points to me, but the video quailty is fine. i've got a capable receiver to work with all current audio formats, so i'll be looking to upgrade sooner or later.

the only reasons i bought it was because;
1) it's the only player that costco carries near here.
2) i can return it to costco at any time (when prices drop - and you know they will)

I thought Costco went to a 90 day policy for electronics, because of #2?