OFFICIAL "HELP ME CHOOSE A PLAYER" THREAD: Can't decide? Start HERE. - Page 348

I purchased an LG BD 350c 6 months ago. After numerous problems (some firmware, some hardware), it is going back. So now the question is what to replace it with?

I am curious about what brand tends to be the best for updating firmware? LG seems to be pretty bad. I have been having problems from day 1 with Disney/Pixar movies and updating the firmware does not solve those problems. The web seems to contain many references to people having problems with LG and Disney.

I have heard that PS3 tends to be the best for firmware but it is a bit out of my price range. So is there a lower cost (say $100-$200) unit that is very good for firmware updates? Does the brand matter? I was thinking that since Sony has a lot of control over Blu-Ray and the PS3 is supposed to be good, then perhaps a Sony player would be the best option.

For reference I have a Panasonic 46" 1080p plasma TV and a Yamaha 7.1 surround sounds system which I will be using with this device. I basically just want the unit that will be the most "hassle free". I don't care about 3D.

Thanks.

I can guarantee you that you are not getting uncompressed audio from your HD DVD player over coax. It's physically impossible. You're getting DTS. Blu-ray works exactly the same way. When you play TruHD, you get DTS over coax. Any blu-ray player will give you the same audio you get with your HD DVD player today.

Coax and optical come from an S/PDIF interface with a bandwidth of 9.2 mbps. TruHD is 18 mbps. So it's impossible. The fact that you think you're getting lossless tells me DTS is probably good enough, and any player will work fine.

Yes you are correct, I guess what made me think it was, was that the HD DVD player menu was saying it was out putting in Tru-HD, but of course the AMP was puttting out DTS. Any suggestions on a new AMP???

I own the oppo 93. its pretty much like the oppo 83 more or less. you should be fine.

Jacob

Sorry but I'm still limping along with my 10+ yr old amp and won't even consider a new one until mine dies. So I haven't even looked at amps in years. I'd suggest you listen to both lossy and lossless somewhere if you can and decide if the difference is worth several hundred dollars to you. It's not to me, so I'm perfectly content with DD5.1 and DTS.

I was at Best Buy today and they had both the Samsung BD-C6500 and the LG BD570 for the same price. Is one a better player than the other?

You make a good point, I'll have to make sure an upgrade is worth it to me. Thanks for the help.

Figure I will try my hand at this thread... I currently have an old Panny BDP30 player that I would like to upgrade to something new (i.e. a gift from 'Santa').

I usually watch BD's that I own over the network streamed through my SageTV system, but for rentals or anything I havent yet ripped, I need a decent BD player. But I have some other wants, as detailed below:

1) Networked player (hardwired ethernet, not wireless)
2) Internet streaming from Netflix, Amazon VOD and Vudu.

Any other cool features would just be 'gravy' IMO. Regarding #2 above, what I really want is something that will do 1080P and 5.1 audio. I dont know if any players out there (besides PS3?) will do this?

I recently purchased a new Panny G25 plasma that has both Netflix and Amazon VOD, but I am only getting stereo from my TV to my AVR (Onkyo 708) regardless if its over HDMI (ARC) or optical. Plus the Panny only does 720p from Netflix I think, and not sure what amazon is sending to my TV, but doing A/B testing on the same show with my TV vs. Tivo, I do notice a slight difference, so maybe its also sending the tv 720 rather than 1080p?

I know Amazon has 1080P and 5.1 audio for certain devices as I get it on my Tivo Premiere.

So whats the best thing for Santa to bring me, thats in a decent price range (under $300, Santa has a budget afterall!)?

What to do......

Remodeling my basement and I currently have a HTPC for my living room that handles, well everything. Two months ago I grabbed a Harman Kardon DVD 48 to handle SACD and CD duties for the basement setup. Just ordered a LG BD570 for Blu-Ray and Netflix duties along with DNLA MKV/MP3 playback from the HTPC.

My dilemma is, I could cancel the BD570 order and pickup a BDP-S470 instead which "in theory" should do everything the DVD 48 + BD570 can do in one player. The player will be hard wired so I don't care about wireless, my concern is the MKV (Blu-Ray Rip) playback of the Sony. Everything will be running through a TX-NR1008 via HDMI. (Analog Multi-CH for the HK if I keep it)

So do I stay with the two player HK/LG route or go with the single Sony?

Is DSD to Analog better than DSD to Mulit-CH PCM for SACD? I'm pretty sure the DAC'S in both the HK and Onkyo are similar Burr-Brown 192khz/24.

Okay, I'm thinking about getting a BR player. First off, I need someone to tell me that I am NOT crazy for getting a BR player and matching it with my existing equipment-- Panny Plasma TH-50PHD8UK (obviously not 1080p), and a Panny SA-XR55BK (no HDMI), oh and existing DVD is Oppo OPDV-971H. Essentially, will BR quality be lost in my system? I see a significant PQ increase comparing a DVD to DirecTV HD signal, and would hope for at least the same type of PQ increase.

I do foresee a monitor upgrade in my future-- hoping for a 65" set at some point. And, if I do, I will move the 50" plasma up to the game room and the receiver with it, so I will need a new one downstairs at that point.

I'm leaning toward the BD93 Oppo since I have enjoyed my SD one so much. My main focus is playing from a USB hard-drive MKV wrapped backups. So I really don't need all the extras the BD93 would have, but again, I don't mind spending the money on the Oppo if it'll do what I want it to and do it well. However, if there is another great player that plays USB MKV well, and is cheaper, I would consider.

1366 x 768 is high definition and more than DVD can provide, so I would call you uncrazy.

Do you have digital input on that display? The studios are killing off component and your life will be hard if you need it.

-Bill

I was worried about the same thing before I bought a Blu-Ray player. I've got a 42-inch Panasonic 9UK plasma, 720p, and I think the upgrade was worth it. The increase in resolution is apparent and, just as apparent, is an increase to the "vibrancy" or "depth" of the color. I'm not sure what the correct term is and I haven't done any research to find out the technical reasons, but the colors on Blu-Ray look better. Maybe it's just an apparent side effect of the increased resolution.

Depends on your seating distance.



The Oppo is/will be a great player, but if you're not taking advantage of it's universal capabilities and other items, I'm sure there's better options. Heck, even if there aren't other good BD players for Hard-drives (even though I'm sure there is) you could get a good Blu Ray player for around $100 and a separate device for backups (Ne0550, WDTV, Boxee, etc.), and still have a couple hundred dollars to spare vs the Oppo.

I'm running my current Oppo direct to the Plasma via HDMI (well DVI to HDMI if I recall correctly since the 971 doesn't have HDMI). I bring my DTV HD DVR into the plasma via Component.


True, however, I always go with the easiest functional path for the wife and kids. And I believe that will be a single device solution, so I'll likely go that route. And while the extra features of the Oppo might be wasted on me now, they might be useful to me later.

All you need is a good universal remote for that. My wife and kids have no idea how complicated my system is with 3 DVR's, BD player, WDTV, VCR and receiver. The kids just hit "Watch kids TV" for their DVR, or "Watch Movie" to access the WDTV's HD, or "Watch Blu Ray" for the BD player, etc.

Very simple. My 5 and 7 year olds have no problem watching anything they'd like even though I have 10 pieces of equipment in the living room connected various ways.

Sorry - this got lost in the blur of posts, so I'm going to try again (with a slight edit)

Relative A/V newbie here.

I'm interested in upgrading my DVD player from my current OPPO DV-980H (running a 5.1 setup through an Onkyo HT-SR800 receiver to a Philips 42" LCD, model 42PFL7422D/37) to a Blu-Ray Player.

Here's what's on my wishlist:

• Would like to play AVI, DivX/XviD, MKV, and if possible, MP4
• USB port - I currently have a 350GB Western Digital hard drive with AVIs permanently docked into the OPPO
• Wi-Fi (would like access to video files from a networked computer in another room)
• Netflix streaming
• Upscaling existing DVDs
• Conversion for R2 PAL discs
• Pandora (not essential, but would be cool)
  

I see that OPPO has a soon to be released model that seems to do all of this, but I'm not looking to break the bank this time around - can this be done for around $250 (if not less)? Thanks in advance for your help!

Sorry Project, but I think you got no response before because the player you want doesn't exist for less than $250.

Fair enough - thanks for that.

So, what kind of price range would I be looking at? I saw the LG BD570, which seemed to do most of what I wanted, although it's not clear if it can be unlocked to play PAL discs. It was $117 at Amazon, which is why the $250 guess on my part seemed reasonable at the time. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks again!

Any suggestions of a good remote at a reasonable cost. I haven't started to look yet.

Harmony's are the best, IMO. Just need to look for good deals. many people like the Harmony One, but I find most people don't need all the bells and whistles.

You can currently get the 620 for $55 shipped, HERE., but not sure how long it will be at that price.

There was a deal on the 700 yesterday for $70, but it's already dead.

Both good overall players. Samsung C6500 supports more Web Apps and DiVX

Hello!

I am ready to buy a Blu-Ray player, but dont need one with an expensive decoder in it, as I would like my Onkyo SR876 to handle the decoding. The Oppo BDP-80 filled this role perfectly, but is obviously discontinued.

What players have this same sort of flexability (SACD, ethernet in, quality digital transport above all other things)

I just dont want to pay for a high end decoder that wont be used.

Thanks very much for the info. I just want to do something similar to what you are doing, have a button for my wife to get things set up to watch TV, for my grandson to play XBox Live and watch movies.

Hello, I am looking for a budget blu-ray player to put on TV in computer room. Already have 1 in bedroom and 1 in main viewing room... have noticed that streaming is useless as I never use it to watch netflix. No bells and whistles needed here.

Since I don't need streaming, what is the best budget model? I am thinking the LG BD530 but idk.

Thanks.

I just purchased a Mitsubishi 65" DLP (WD-65638) and bought a Pioneer VSX-1120-k receiver. I need to purchase my first blu ray player and could use some suggestions. I remember reading somewhere that there is a good blu ray player to pair with the 1120 that will result in jitter free video, but I can't find that thread anywhere. I have a Roku, so I don't need Netflix streaming, but I would like it to be networked.

Any suggestions? This is my first blu ray player and I really have no idea where to start. I have read several pages of this thread, but it is all pretty overwhelming.

Thanks,
Shane

I'm not clear on the LG PAL issue either. Not only that, it would need to be region-free, which I don't think the LG is either. You're probably better off playing PAL and region-free on some other box, otherwise it's going to cost you. That's the one feature that's expensive and hard to find.

BR player (bx37) or upscaling dvd player for 37 inch TV at 720P?

It's for a family member who only watches standard tv with a regular cable box or regular DVDs... they could already have a upscaling dvd player (connected via component cables).

Would the BR player make a real difference at 720p if they're already upscaling their DVDs??


Thanks!

So I was in Big Lots last night (you know that's not the best way to start a story) and seen they had a Blu-Ray player for $60 dollars. I was with my mom and she said she would get it for me as a Christmas gift, and return it if I found a better deal. Anyway when I got home I found out it was a refurbished Sylvania NB501SL9, changing the model number to begin with an R. I went on Amazon.com today and found a LG BD530 for $70 and have been considering returning the Sylvania and getting the LG.

What I'm asking is if I'm better off getting the newer LG, as I worry about future DRM issues. And also which will last me longer because I figure a refurb may give out sooner.

Hi,

I can't decide which player to buy. I've looked at the PCH C-200, the Dune Base 3.0, Dune Prime 3.0, TVix HD M-6600N Plus, Netgear NeoTV 550, LaCinema Mini HD Connect and JVC XV-BP1.

My requirements are:
- SATA port for adding a BluRay reader, or coming with internal BluRay.
- Plays (all) commercial BluRays and DVDs.
- USB ports
- MKV and MP4/H.264 High Profile @ Level 4.1.
- ISO/IFO support.
- Full navigation with menus.
- External subtitles (.srt) as well as subtitle streams in MKV _and_ MP4 movies.
- Japanese language support, at least for subtitles and filenames.
- Access to Flickr (with login, so I can access my private photostream).
- HDMI, with audio passthru

Optional, but nice to have:
- Japanese support for the interface
- Web browser or apps

I'm considering buying the NeoTV550 if it supports Japanese I asked here and in Netgears forums but haven't got an answer yet. If it does not, what are the alternative choices?

Thanks!

I currently have a Sony KDF55XS955 connected to a Pioneer vxs-d811s

I'm looking for a player that has the 7.1 rca outs so I don't have to buy a new receiver. The Oppo's are a bit too much, well the current one that's not on sell.

I would like to get something like an oppo but not with the cost. I don't have and sacd's, so that doesn't have to be in it.

Wired connection prefered (wireless will work if nessecary)

Would like a player that does netflix(I can do it on my wii) but ... it would be nice to have the apps available all in one place. I will sacrifice them for a better player though.

Ability to connect a usb/hd would be nice.

Do not care about 3D as my tv doesn't support it/waiting for a glassless display.

I think that covers it...

Price would be nice sub $350

Thanks!