OFFICIAL "HELP ME CHOOSE A PLAYER" THREAD: Can't decide? Start HERE. - Page 400

Trying to decide between the Panasonic 210 and the Sony S580.

No needs for 3D or streaming.

My primary concern is picture quality and 1080p upconversion for DVDs.
Fast loading would make wifey a bit happier too.

Any thoughts?

Personally I've found upconversion on sony to be softer than on panasonic. Panny also has more user-configurable settings to control upconversion quality. In power-hog mode, panny loads very fast.

If you don't need streaming, you might want to conside the Panny 110 to save money (same exact PQ). But wired (210 is WiFi) for firmware upgrades.

Hi, in process of buying a bluray-player. I want a single player for CD, DVD, Bluray and "data-files". My eyes is on the OPPO BDP 95.

I have a Pioneer PDP LX5090, Denon PMA2000r, a Technics SH-8065 (yes I use an equalizer and I like it ). Today I use a Meridian 507 for CD and a Pioneer for DVD. Reading the reviews, they seem to be quite similar. Open, natural, a bit analythical. I use AR9LSI for speakers (yes the almost 30 year old speakers but I like them).

My question is if anyone out there has compared the Meridian 507 with the OPPO BDP 95?

If I go for the OPPO, it must replace the Meridian since the idea is to remove one machine for my sterero setup since I lack one analgue input on my amp and must go via the Pioneer DVD when I want to use the stereo watching TV.

PS. I know that the best way is to bring it home and compare but in order to avoid hazzle (i.e. buy the machine and later returning it) before doing that, any insight is welcome. DS

For 1 GB internal storage is it worth the upgrade from the Samsung D6500 to the D6700? I would not use the two HDMI outputs.

What exactly are you going to use the internal storage for?

In my research on a new BD player, what stands out to me isn't which features a particular model does or doesn't have; those facts are pretty clear cut for the most part and easy to discern.

Nor does performance really differ; for most eyes, there isn't really much difference in BD PQ, though some are reputed to have better upconversion results.

Those factors aside, the primary difference is in execution--software compatibility, streaming performance, and overall bugginess.

By that measure, there is still work to be done, even though the manufacturers are now on the nth generation of BD players.

In a wholly unscientific observation of the candidates I'm considering, the term "firmware" appears in 26.8% of the responses in the LG 6xx owners thread, 12.7% in the Panasonic x10 thread, and 10.1% in the Sony 580 thread.

That's not the say that the Sony is the most glitch-free, but I still find it a fun little experiment without slogging through every page of the mega-threads.

However, after reading about 30 pages of this thread pertaining to the 2011 models (which starts around 371 onward), it seems that the Panasonic x10 has the most recommendations (or the most vocal supporters), so that's likely going to be my choice.

And on a side note, I would recommend that those who desire the widest media file compatibility, whether through local storage, or a network, just go ahead and get a separate media player, and let your BD player handle the discs and streaming from the commercial services. Those little boxes are cheap, and will play almost everything thrown at them. Save yourself the aggravation of trying to find the same level of compatibility or versatility with a device from a mainstream CE company. It's not in their primary interest to provide it (particularly for a company that also produces content, like Sony), and even if they wanted to, their license agreements and lawyers would probably discourage it.

So I have been using my friends PS3 for Blue Rays the past year, but am ready to give it backto him and am now in need of a good player for BR, DVD, and CDs. I have a dennon 2310CI and have heard that it has some issue with certain players so I thought I would ask before I purchased anything. The main features I am looking for are:

Compatibility with my reciever
Decent Load times on Blue Ray
Ability to be controlled by Harmony remote (seems like a given)
Nice Looking
Price $100-250
It would be nice if it could handle multi region DVDs (but not required)

In all honest I have no clue about wether each player has a difference in quality (sound or picture), but am certainly looking for a good and reliable player.

Thanks

Hey guys I read through this thread over the past couple days...well that last couple dozen pages or so.

I needed a decent 3D player. Wifi was not needed. Netflix is a plus as I've only streamed it through 360, and I've heard some of the stand alone devices stream it better.

I decided on the Panasonic 110.

Just watched Rio 3D and for my first home 3D movie. I was extremely pleased. My only other BD player was a Samsung bdp1590(i think). The first couple ones to drop to the $150 price point a couple Christmas' ago. The Panasonic loaded MUCH faster than my old Samsung.

Haven't updated firmware, or played around with any settings. Just popped the disc in and checked out the 3D movie. So far so good. I'm happy with it.

so far

I think I've been going about it all wrong. The more I think about it, the less likely it is I will ever use 3D or WiFi. The Blu Ray player is like 7 feet from the Ethernet connection and if I want to watch something I'd just buy a vid using Comcast on demand or plug in the Blu Ray player to the router.

I should be focused on load times for Blu Ray & DVDs and ability to play DVDs. I would immediately go with the Panasonic but the OCD in me hates having mixed manufacturers. I'd prefer it to be Samsung still.

So, back to the drawing board, UGH!

Panasonic still has the DMP-BD75 for 2011 which doesn't support 3D if your OCD is that bad.

Alright well now I am very confused. So as usual once I begin my quest for an item I end up wanting the best there is. IN this case it seems that he OPPO 93 is it for me, but it is too expensive to justify for my needs.

So I understand that players such as the OPPO are better at upscaling DVD content, but can anyone give me an idea of how this content will look if I just let me AVR (Denon 2310Ci) handle it. I supposed my questions is that since I have what I consider to be a pretty good receiver, how should I alter my decision process on a good BD player?

I am looking at the Panasonic 110, but would be happy to spend more if it meant improved quality. I don't care about any online content except for easy firmware updates.

Thanks

I have a BDT-110 and it upscales nicely. I doubt most people would even notice the difference.

I think he means he feels compelled to buy a Samsung blu-ray player because he has a Samsung TV.

I've already given my 2 cents, but let me just add that I'm currently on my third Samsung TV / Panasonic disc player combo (two DVD recorders and one blu-ray), and each time the marriage has worked perfectly. I wouldn't hesitate to go with either the 110 or 210.

I just don't care for Panasonic's interface compared to Samsung. I was able to try out Samsung 5300 and I like it. I'm gonna get a Samsung and if it sucks then I'll return it to Amazon and get the 210. Hopefully I won't though. Still looking at the D6500 vs. D6700. I can't find the load times for DVDs anywhere.

DVD load times usually aren't an issue with any player that's probably why no one reports them. It's loading the java program on the BD disc that causes the long load times.

I was thinking of upgrading my BD65 for the Pan. BDT110, but I don't need the problems. Are there any other players with just as good image quality and DVD upscaling, and the Netflix features, at about the same price? Thanks.

This may seem like a move in the wrong direction, but I'm getting to the point where I think separating Disk playing from Streaming might be the easiest solution. I've got a decent BRD player and my Tivo does OK (but not great) Netflix. However, I thinking of adding a device like the Roku or AppleTV that has been designed fro the sole purpose of streaming might provide a better experience.

I'm looking for a Blu-ray player for my parents. I have a PS3 that does very good with Blu-ray and especially upconverting videos. I want to get my parents a standalone Blu-ray player though that would be comparable to the PS3. I have a Google TV I got with a TV I ordered, but the controller for the machine seems like it would be way too complex for them.

I was looking at the Sony BDP-S580.

Trojita-
Be very afraid! I bought my parents a DVD player (and a TV) and every time something goes wrong I get a call from them. Worse yet, I get a call every time a DVD doesn't play or has "clever" menus that they cannot figure out.

I'm sort of halfway kidding and halfway serious.

What are the reasons I wouldn't use a PS3 as my primary Blu-ray player? Seems like a no brainer so I'm wondering what I might be missing.

If you already have a PS3, it is a no brainer. If you're shopping for a player, it isn't so simple. Stand-alone players are much cheaper, smaller, less power hungry, quieter, cheaply and easily work with IR remotes as opposed to game controllers, faster loading and simpler and more convenient to use. I have a PS3 and a stand-alone player, and I never use my PS3 to play blu-rays. It's just too much hassle.

I use a Harmony One remote with my PS3 through the Logitech Harmony Adapter for PS3.

Hi guys, I purchased a Pioneer SD player based on reviews on this forum and have just beginning to use the USB slot to play videos. I would like to use an external HD drive so I can play videos easier instead of my current way which is to copy a video file onto a USB flash, then play the video, delete it, then copy another video file in order to play a 2nd video. I found out that my current DVD player will only accept 32FAT which limits a video file to less than 4GB.

My question is that are there other DVD player that will accept NTFS? This way I can copy a lot of video files onto my 80GB hard disc drive and then use the USB to play them. My 80GB HD can only be formated in NTFS.

2nd question, is Blue Ray picture quality a lot better when playing a SD disc vs a SD upconverted DVD Player? I normally just play SD video that I have recorded off the air using a DVD recorder, burn onto a Disc to be played later.

I am not interested in the high end Blue Ray DVD player since I don't own any Blue Ray disc so would like to get a basic Blue Ray player if possible. Thanks for any help.

That's great, but that IR adapter alone is nearly half the cost of your average stand-alone player. If you buy used, you can get an entire player for that price.

Of course, but not everyone has the same selection criteria, and this thread proves it!
I like the adapter because it saves space and reduces clutter in my TV stand.

We're talking about Blu-ray players, right? There is a separate forum for DVD players, but I don't recall any that support NTFS.

For BR, I believe at least one of the LG players did. The current OPPOs do.


No, when playing DVD a BR player is just like a DVD player. Quality varies for both types of machine for DVD.


You'll need to specify a price range. The OPPO is $499.

You might also look at Media Server products. There is a forum here. They are more likely to support the video copy formats and disc types you need.

-Bill

A friend of mine is looking at the Panasonic BD75. Anything else around $125 to consider?

Get the BDT 110 for the same price plus you get the Avatar 3D disc which you turn around and sell on e-bay.

Thanks Bill for your quick and informative response. I will look into the Media servier products.