OFFICIAL "HELP ME CHOOSE A PLAYER" THREAD: Can't decide? Start HERE. - Page 486

Originally Posted by Vampidemic 

ARC is for use with HDMI receivers. For instance, if you purchased a new AVR, ARC could allow you to use a single HDMI cable to connect the receiver to the TV. In addition to that HDMI sending video from the various input sources from AVR to the display, the ARC could send audio from the TV sources (tuner, SmartTV apps, etc.) back to the AVR to output the audio using the same cable using to feed video to the display from other HDMI sources.
In your case, you have no need for ARC. You simply need to connect the analog RCA outputs from your TV to an input on your receiver, then any source plugged into the TV should pass audio through to the receiver. Then configure the TV not to use the built in speakers.
The Blu-ray player will automatically downmix the audio to stereo when it sends the audio to the TV over HDMI.

Originally Posted by dpilot83 

Hi all. New here. Our DVD player just went bad on us so I figured I might as well get a Blu-ray player.
Our TV is just a regular TV. I don't know how big it is but I would guess maybe 27". I totally understand that the TV will never be able to keep up with any Blu-ray player we might buy, but I'm sure we'll upgrade the TV someday.
As far as inputs, the TV has component inputs (Y, Cb, Cr, L, R) and then regular input (Video, L, R) and then an old style antenna input. My main concern is buying a Blu-Ray player that will force us to switch TV's. I don't want to have to do that until the TV gives up.
My normal method in life is to buy good to high quality stuff and keep it forever. I absolutely do not like things that break or otherwise cause problems. That being said, I don't need every gadget out there. I'm not terribly concerned about whether I'll be able to watch in 3D 5 years from now when we have a better TV. I am absolutely not willing to spend more than $500 but if I can get something that won't cause me grief for 1/5 of that, I'll be a happy man. After briefly looking things over I was thinking maybe the Panasonic DMP-BDT220 might fit the bill. Does that sound like a decent choice or is there anything else I should be considering? Thanks.

Originally Posted by snidely 

I think the current Sony model (S590?) is available for under $100. It seems to be a toss up here between the Panny you mention and the Sony. Fry's does have good prices - however - they don't always clearly disclose whether the object they are selling is new or used. (The use euphemisms like "reconditioned"," remanufactured", "factory inspected"/)

Originally Posted by Vampidemic 

You didn't provide any specifics about your TV. Is this just a 4:3 aspect ratio standard definition CRT TV set, or a widescreen HDTV set of some sort with only analog inputs?
If you have a standard definition TV, you could use the composite output of most any Blu-ray player to connect to your TV, but the only benefits you're going to get out of upgrading to Blu-ray is compatibility with Blu-ray media and any other features not typically included on DVD players (network based content, for example). This kind of makes sense to me if you invest a significant amount of money in media or if you want the network services such as Netflix, but you should keep a few things in mind:
1) Most disc players are designed to be mass manufactured as cheaply as possible. They're not really designed to last, and they're certainly not designed to be repaired cost effectively. This helps to ensure a future market for their successors. I understand the desire to buy things that last, I miss those days, but that's generally not the way things are made anymore. The Oppo players seem to be an exception to that, but unless you really have a desire for the high end features of the Oppo players, in my mind it would seem silly to drop $500 on a Blu-ray player when you could easily buy yourself a 32" LCD and a decent Blu-ray player for that price.
2) Most BD players, especially in the sub $200 price range, are not designed for high performance over analog audio and video outputs. Most consumers use BD players with HDMI equipped TVs and they work great that way, but the newer players are increasingly not intended to be used any other way. I have not actually used a BD player with an older standard definition TV set via composite connection, but I would not be surprised if it performed worse than the DVD player you are replacing, especially when playing BD discs, which the player will have to downscale to a lower resolution in real time to output to your TV.
Overall, just understand that you're going against the grain if you decide to use a new BD player with an older standard definition TV set. I would tend to recommend either picking up a cheap DVD player to keep you going until you're ready to buy your next TV set, or think about making the jump to an HDTV sooner than later. Otherwise, just understand that your old CRT set is likely to outlast your new BD player. In particular, the optical disc drives tend to wear out after a few years (sometimes sooner), and when that happens it is typically less expensive to replace the entire player than to fix it.
If you have an HDTV with 720i or greater resolution, that changes things. In that case, you will see a benefit to upgrading to Blu-ray, but only if you get an older player that has Component outputs. This is due to "Analog Sunset" (do a search for it) as 2012 and beyond players do not support component outputs. You'll want a 2010 or earlier player or to otherwise ensure that the player you get does not downscale HD content over the HD component outputs.

Originally Posted by ad720 

Good questions. I really don't know what I want to do with it so I should do some research. Thanks for the info.

Originally Posted by spec1alk 

I ended up going with the Panasonic 220 from Amazon. It was $20 more, but was in stock and I trust Amazon more than Fry's. I also get free 2-day shipping as a prime member. The deciding factor for me was that the disc loading times and Amazon Instant Video interface are better on the Panasonic. My wife also likes the look of the Panasonic better, and I am kind of leary of the Sony after the "cannot operate this disc" messages I have been getting.

Originally Posted by Vampidemic 

I don't have a direct answer to your question, but most manufacturers release new models earlier in the year and the new Oppo's don't seem to have dual band Wi-Fi, so I'm guessing no.
Some manufactures that previously offered dual band Wi-Fi have removed it from newer models, presumably to lower cost. I believe both Sony and LG have done this.
Since this feature seems to be uncommon, have you considered using a dual band wireless bridge to feed the Ethernet jack on your player? This may yield better performance than the cheap wireless components built into most players regardless of whether dual band or not. If you go that route you can pick a player based on other features that can't be easily worked around and possibly use the bridge to feed other devices in the same location as well.

Originally Posted by ProfD 

Hi ! (First post !)
What do people think of the
Panasonic - 3D Wi-Fi Built-In Blu-ray Player - DMP-BDT220 ?
It is currently $99 at Best Buy. I just ordered a Panasonic p50ut50 for my basement with a Denon AVR-1613 for 5.1 surround, and I wanted a decent 3d blu ray player to go with it...

Originally Posted by BillP 

The Panny 220 and Sony 590 are the 2 most popular 3D players (a coin flip), unless you want to go higher end with the Oppo 103.

Originally Posted by ProfD 

EDIT: I just read some posters saying that Frys.com sometimes sells "refurbs" without adequately informing the customer. How I can determine if Frys.com is planning to send me a refurb (I couldn't see any indication on the Fry page personally). If that were going to be the case I'd rather buy it new from BB.com for the extra $20.

Originally Posted by PeteST 

Happy holidays, everyone! I posted this on the Official S790 thread but thought it wouldn't hurt to also post it here.
I'm trying to replace my fat 40GB PS3 and have narrowed down my choice to either the S790 or BDT-500.
Upscaling is not too important, since I really don't use/watch DVD. I understand the BDT-500 may have slightly better audio than the S790, but that too is not terribly important in my particular 7.1 system/set-up.
Just looking for a reliable player that runs cool, is quiet, has the quickest load time and best possible 2D video quality. I know... why bother with a 3D player? Seems like manufactures pack the best performance (faster processors) into their 3D line of players.
Has anyone owned both of the above mentioned players? If so, which is faster in terms of load times? I realize load times are highly dependent on the disk content (java, etc...). Thanks!

Originally Posted by teachsac 

Several of us. The Panasonics are slightly faster loading. Remember, we're only talking seconds here and not minutes. Not sure you really need the 500 or 790 if you're not running 3D. What 's your setup? There is no difference in the Panasonic models AQ/PQ between players. The biggest thing for the 500 is it offers a less expensive analog solution than the Oppo. The 790 only adds more processing because it scales to 4K.
S~

Originally Posted by PeteST 

Thanks for the reply/feedback. My equipment consists of the following. It's a bit outdated, so please don't laugh.
Monitor: Elite Pro-141FD
Receiver: Elite VSX-84TXSi
Speakers: Revel Concerta line
Blu-ray player: PS3 (fat)
Everything is connected via HDMI.
If there are other (non-3D) players on the market that have blazingly fast load times, then I'd surely get one of those instead. However, it is my impression that manufacturers simply don't put the better (faster) chips/processors into their "regular" 2D players. Therefore, if you want faster load times and perhaps better 2D performance, you need to step up to their 3D players, which in general are packed with the better hardware & software.
Thoughts?
Pete

Originally Posted by teachsac 

Panasonic uses the same proprietary chipset in all of their players. Features really distinguish their players. If you are running everything through your receiver, you can get by with the Panasonic 220. The non 3D Panasonics lose out in streaming features and such. You should be able to run one HDMI cable through your receiver to the TV and set the player to PCM for decoding. No real need for two HDMIs if you aren't using 3D.
S~

Originally Posted by PeteST 

Hmmm... I thought I read somewhere that the 220 is slower (longer load times) than the 500. Yeah, not really interested in the ability to stream since the resulting PQ is still inferior to Blu-ray. Wish the local B&M's around here carried all three players (Bdt220, bdt500 and S790), so I could try/test for myself. If load times are the same between the 220 and 500 (and PQ is also the same of course), then I'm all over the 220.

Originally Posted by PeteST 

...not really interested in the ability to stream since the resulting PQ is still inferior to Blu-ray.

Originally Posted by PeteST 

Hmmm... I thought I read somewhere that the 220 is slower (longer load times) than the 500. Yeah, not really interested in the ability to stream since the resulting PQ is still inferior to Blu-ray. Wish the local B&M's around here carried all three players (Bdt220, bdt500 and S790), so I could try/test for myself. If load times are the same between the 220 and 500 (and PQ is also the same of course), then I'm all over the 220.

Originally Posted by teachsac 

VUDU gives you a free movie when signing up and registering your player. Give it a shot.
S~

Originally Posted by PeteST 

Will do. Thanks again.
Of course, we all know where this will lead.
- buy the bdt220 & try/stream a Vudu 1080p movie
- discover I really like the convenience & surprisingly great PQ compared to Blu-ray
- want a player that has a greater feature set & faster streaming capabilities than the bdt220
- return the bdt220 and get the bdt500, s790 or one of the Oppo's
- ....
Oh well. January is my birthday month, after all!

Originally Posted by crystalfinger 


Thanks for the quick reply Vampidemic. Sadly, the new Panasonic hdtvs do not include analog outputs only digital (HDMI and optical). The original plan was to use a simple DAC until I learned they do not decode dobly digital signals. I was hoping I could use a BDP to act as a simple receiver.

I took a closer look at the S590 manual, and you're absolutely right - it does not indicate that the HDMI output is ARC enabled. Overly optimistic on my part..

Are there any DV players that have ARC enabled HDMI?

Originally Posted by Vampidemic 

I don't know of any BD players that can do this. However, you might look into something like this:
http://www.gefen.com/kvm/dproduct.jsp?prod_id=5980

Originally Posted by Vampidemic 

I don't know of any BD players that can do this. However, you might look into something like this:
http://www.gefen.com/kvm/dproduct.jsp?prod_id=5980