OFFICIAL "HELP ME CHOOSE A PLAYER" THREAD: Can't decide? Start HERE. - Page 439

Please name *recent* blu-ray players having 5.1/7.1 analog RCA rear panel RCA outs.

So far Panasonic DMP-BDT 500 (out in May?), OPPO 93, and OPPO 95 are what I've found. All fairly pricey units.

Are there any other *recent* units that I can buy NEW?

FWIW I just bought the recent inexpensive Monoprice unit and am returning it.

Samsung BD-C6900, a 2010 model you can still buy new. The 2011 "replacement" BD-D6500 lacks 7.1 analog outputs.

Panasonic DMP-BD85K, another 2010 model, that's hard to find new.

Where network connections might help you is in getting pain free firmware updates to deal with Disc compatibility problems that pop up now and then.

Otherwise, if you're just using it as a bluray/DVD player, any good one will do - the Panasonics have gotten good press here lately.

Also, it's good to have options. PQ when streaming Netflix is significantly better with my 2011 BluRay player than my top-of-the-line 2011 plasma, even though they are the same brand (Panny). Go figure.

Yeah that's true. I didn't even think about it.
Would anyone suggest a decent model less than $200. Thanks!

The just released 2012 Panasonic models are getting very good user comments here in "Official Panasonic DMP-BDT 220/320/500 Owners Thread" at http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1395341

It's still a fairly short thread; I suggest that you read all of it.

Both the 220 and 320 are under $200.

Thanks! Will check them out.

I change my previous question littlebit:

What is the best transport blu ray player under $300? I mean: it is able to output 4:2:2 YCbCr colours (Panny can), has source direct (Panny has not), does not distort colours (according to hometheaterhifi.com Panny does not).

And audio question: I know that blu ray audio can be transferred as bitstream but what about CD audio? I am going to use blu ray player also to play CDs. Can any bluray player bitstream CD/SACD/DVD-Audio?

Thank you very much.

Is there a true network blu ray player put there?

Where I can put 1 player in the media closet and have it play at any given TV within the house?

Is there an app based TV that can do this? Or some other network interphase that can?

I've got a top end receiver with hdmi 1.4, so I don't need analog outs. Using hdmi for audio, will there be any audio quality difference between different players? Will having dual hdmi out give me any advantage (less signal noise or something)?

I plan on solely watching 2d/3d blu-rays, no streaming/dvd/avcd/etc. Solely for blu-rays, will there be any PQ difference between players? What are the best few players on the market solely for 2d/3d blu-ray PQ performance?

Thanks!

No for all your questions. All players will give you the same audio (your receiver is doing the audio processing), very similar video for BluRay (there is some PQ difference for upscaling SD DVDs), and no need for dual HDMI outs (that is for people with non-3D capable receivers). I recommend the Panasonic players as great value (the 110 for wired and 210 for WiFi are the 2011 models, and the 220 and 320 are the 2012 models.

So this is just bs?

TWIN HDMI for digital audio processing can create an ideal acoustic environment for the audio receiver. Additional output can be dedicated for audio output. Less interference from the video signal creates an ideal environment for the audio receiver to achieve pure, high quality sound.

100% BS. HDMI is designed to carry digital video and audio with no interference whatsoever. It's a perfect bitstream. The kind of interference you might see from multiplexing analog signals is non-existent. If you can think of a single scenario in which some kind of video interference can change a the bit in the audio stream, please tell us. Even if it were possible (which it isn't), error correction would fix it.

Are there any blu-ray players that have dvd upscaling performance on par with Oppo but at a sub-$200 price point? I'm considering the Oppo, but it's getting hard to justify $500 on a player now that Netflix and VOD are becoming more prominent.

if you're interested in quality at all, then:

1. you won't use Netflix or any other VOD to begin with
2. if you use Netflix or any other VOD service, you'll need the best scaler for streaming (lack of) quality then you'll still need at least a Pioneer Elite BDP-53FD (streets as low as $350 in Canada)

OK, since there seems to be differing opinions please tell me simply how to connect my CD player to my AVR for the very best analog sound quality on CD's? Thank you.

depending on your CD player. If the AVR have better DAC then connect it using S/PDIF coax cable digitally to the receiver. If the CD player have better DAC then use the RCA output to the receiver.

I use a Pioneer PD-D9 CD player analog out to Musical Fidelity X10v3 tube buffer to my receiver's analog input.

Thank you David for the reply. I have an Oppo 83 player and an Onkyo 876 AVR which has 2 HDMI outs by the way. Would you happen to know which has the better DAC. I know the Oppo has Wolfsen and I think the Onkyo has Burr-Brown?

Also if I do as you say and connect using the S/PDIF coax cable (one cable right) digitally won't that give me a digital sound instead of analog sound? Thank you for helping a beginner.

I personally like Wolfson.DAC the most.

In terms of connection, yes the connection to your AVR will be digital, but the signal will still have to be converted from digital to analog be it being done in the player, in the receiver or on a standalone DAC.

Trust your ears, try both, choose whichever one you like most and enjoy the music.

Thanks much David. Do I need to use a special cable for the digital cable or just any regular RCA cable? I promise this is the last question. Thank you.

I mainly use Netflix/Amazon/VOD as a substitute for disc rentals, and for my daughter's childrens' shows (she likes the Wonder Pets).

But although standard DVD is slowly receding, I still do have some standard DVDs that aren't available in blu-ray and which I'd like to watch with high-quality upscaling. Are there any sub-$200 players that compare to the Oppo, or does nothing else come close?

Many Oppo owners in this forum have stated that Panasonic upconversion is on par with Oppo. Those start around $90.

Ask away. We're all here to learn and help each other.

For cable, you don't need special digital cable. Any 75 Ohm cable will do when the length is around 5 ft. So composite video cable is enough.

I will answer myself: I found Denon DBP-1611 for around $400 in Central Europe (where I am). It plays every disc, has no streaming options (only youtube) and is insanely expensive in comparation to that all it has to do is just "nothing" - just read and bitstream.... Also Marantz 5005 has the same functionality (as it is IMHO nearly the same player) and is even more expensive.

Pioneer BDP-320 has also Source direct, however it is quite obsolete and full of problems (according to owners thread).

And of course all the OPPOs with price tag even higher than Marantz.

Sad that neither Onkyo nor Yamaha nor anybody else offers any alternative...

I am wondering that nobody has filled this space in market (cheaper quality BD transport player) yet...

OPPO had the $280 BDP-80 a few years ago, but it didn't last long. It was specifically intended for the transport niche.

Fashions change. First everyone wanted a transport, then every device had to stream every online service. Now it's 2D->3D conversion and soon 4k upscaling.

I would be just as happy with a simple transport.

-Bill

Yes. Check out the Panasonics.

I own the Panasonic BDT-310 but IMHO the upscaling for streaming content is still lower in quality than my BDP-LX55 (BDP-53FD).

Thank you so much. Have a pleasant evening.

are there any dvd players NOT made in China? can anyone suggest a good Made in Japan unit? thanks.

there is no more BD player made in Japan anymore. Only BDR (like DVR but with BD burner) that are not available for markets outside Japan.

To put it simply, people want cheap player, cheap player can't be made in Japan.

Unfortunately, due to the market demand, we end up getting what we are willing to pay for.