OFFICIAL "HELP ME CHOOSE A PLAYER" THREAD: Can't decide? Start HERE. - Page 489

True. For full video (including component), finding a used Oppo (8x or 9X) is probably the best solution. They're still up there in value though, if price is a problem.
Edited by hernanu - 1/10/13 at 12:41pm

Hi,
I moved over from Uk and have a sammy 64e7000 on the way. I bought a sony bd59 from costco then realised (before opening) that it doesnt play PAL DVD or 1080i50 BR.

Can anyone recommend a 3d player that can play all formats? Don't care too much about apps and features as the TV plus Roku2 box will deal with that, domt have sat/cable tv , just watch netflix, hulu and stuff I stream from pc. Just need best player for disk content up to 200 bucks or so.

thanks

Ah, glad this thread is here, I didn't want to barge into one of the Owner's threads.

I'm looking at a new player, largely for the upgrade to 3D since my current player is too old to support it. Heard some good stuff about the Sony BDP-S790 in the Owner's thread, but when shopping around, not only is the BDP-S590 in stock locally (the 790 isn't), it's also a third of the price. of the 790. Specs wise, I can't really see much of a difference, except in the streaming services and the extra HDMI out. Both have Netflix, which is all I use anyway, and I've only got use for one HDMI anyway. On paper, the 590 seems to do everything I need it to do, and the price is much more reasonable.

Bottom line: Is the 790 really worth that much extra money over the 590?

If you don't need the extras, then you don't need to pay the extra money. The 590 will do fine by you.

Thanks for the feedback. What do you mean by "oppo?" Is that a brand or a term that I'm unfamiliar with? Also, Composite out is not necessary, as the input on the VCR and DVDR are analog, so I only need HDMI and analog (yellow RCA jack) to be active. Does anyone have a blu ray that simultaneously can output both? What model? Thanks!

Oppo is a brand and the yellow video cable is composite, not to be confused with component( red, blue,green). Sony's may, I check the owners manual and get back to you.

There are two settings on a Sony that would ensure the composite video is active. Set 24p playback to off and set Output Video Format to Video. It may be active all the time. You can check in the owners thread where someone may currently be doing it.
Edited by moxie1617 - 1/10/13 at 7:07pm

anyone.

does anyone know if the sammy bd6500 playes PAL dvd and region B bluray ?

do you think it would be a good choice to go with sammy e7000 plasma ?

thanks

Do you just need PAL/50 Hz playback, or do you need to play region B/region 2 discs?
In general, the US players from the major manufacturers will honor region restrictions (only playing region A, region 1 or region free discs) and are not easily modified to ignore region restrictions, so your options are pretty limited. Do some research for 'Insignia region free'. Insignia is the Best Buy house brand and they have some player models that are known as being easy to convert to region free --- though apparently you need to obtain an older software version. Best of luck.

If by chance all of your discs are region free, you have additional options. The LG players are not particularly great players, but they're pretty inexpensive and will playPAL/50Hz content. There are other options as well if you don't need region free.

thanks.

So, if I was to ignore region then the Sony 590 is just fine as a player for USA BR/3D ? Is there any point in upgrading to an oppo 103 (I do like them as I had them in UK) but considering I just need to play content, not hook in an AV amp or need any special audio processing, and mainly just stream TV through a RoKu - do you think Sony is fine for that?

I have a great little region free Pioneer DVD player that I could use for my R2 DVDs.

I think my panny 210 in the bedroom has played my UK BR disks such as The Departed , I recall, so does that mean the Sony will too?

If not, maybe if I change my criteria and look for a player that will play all region BR and not worry about DVD - would that make things easier ?

cheers

Hmm ... a number of UK-sourced BR discs are not region-coded. It's possible that's why they played on your panny 210. I would not expect any Region B BR discs to play (check the boxes carefully)

Myself, I moved to the US from the UK some years back, with a stack of R2 DVDs. Bypassing the DVD Region restrictions is relatively easy (though some players require additional hardware to handle the PAL to NTSC conversion). BR is more troublesome and - in the case of a modified BR player I purchased last week, but returned immediately - requires a custom firmware, and must be switched off between region changes. I opted for a LG BP-620 that would handle any DVD region, but only BR region A (and, of course, any BR discs not region-coded).

There's a couple of places that specialize in such hardware, whether fully region-unlocked or not, with/without PAL to NTSC conversion, and/or dual-voltage; Google is your friend. They also have high-end brands like Oppo, but expect to pay significant premium over the normal US street price.

Hi-
I'm setting up a media room / HT and have never owned a Blu Ray player before and need some help. The main thing I want to do is be able to watch MKV/MP4 movies off of my Mac Pro through a network. I currently have a Boxee Box upstairs and it's okay. I was wondering if there is a good Blu Ray player that is also a good media box? I know I can do this with individual devices but would rather have one that does both well. Thanks

In addition to what Ericpenfold said, please be clear that the Sony US players will not play PAL/50i content from disc. The same is true of unmodified Panasonic players. However, region free Blu-ray discs where all content and menus are 24 fps should work on all US players, even if purchased outside the US.

Additionally, the Sony players can play PAL/50i content via DLNA.

Blu-Ray player under $100.00?

Hello, I am looking for a good player that is priced under $100.00 for my daughters room. The less the better. She has a 42 inch Vizio 120hz LED tv. She has many regular DVD's so a player with a good upconversion is a must for her dvd's. WiFi would not be a bad thing for her to have either. I have been searching and reading many reviews and it is getting quite confusing. I know I can get some solid advice here as I have done in the past. Thank you for any replies.

Panasonic BD87

That got some really bad reviews do you own one?
http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-DMP-BD87-Ultra-Fast-Booting-Blu-ray/dp/B00752R4S2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357976514&sr=8-1&keywords=Panasonic+BD87

Hi All,

I appreciate your advice concerning which blu-ray player i should buy.

As per enclosed image, I currently have samsung series 6 TV with Samsung HT-X715T home theater system (The illustrated blu-ray player is just to predict connections and is not acquired).

I am mostly interested in the below:

- Performance (Video/Audio)
- Making use of my existing Home Theater System for Audio.
-plays backups and regions (our default is pal i think)

I have little to no intrest in web services and streaming.

I would be grateful if you could advise a couple of models, I plan to pay around 100~150 but would pay a bit more if it is justified.


Thank you.
Edited by fuseless - 1/12/13 at 9:08am

No, I own the 220 and the BD65.

I am having a hard time deciding between the Sony BDPS590 and the Sony BDPS790

I do not care for the new techonogoly stuff, I just want a blu-ray player that just play movies

Which one do you think I should choose?

If you don't need the 4K scaling, go with the 590.

S~

Thanks,

I think I will just use my 590 that I got from Costco for BR and then use my Pioneer region free for R2 DVD. I was hoping to cut down on devices and connections to TV but its no big deal , I guess. The Pioneer is a great player and I am guessing it will look good on my new Samsung 64pne7000 when it arrives next week

OK, friends - "Help me choose a player," as the thread says!
(please))

I've just bought a JVC RS-4810 projector.
Will be running things out of a Lenovo W520 notebook.
Looking for an external blu-ray player. Given the reasonable pricing, let it be a player & burner & do everything possible - the best thing out there at a normal price.
As for the issue of whether decoding, etc., would be done by the hardware or by the software - on that, too, I'd like to ask for your wisdom and counsel. Which set-up (equipment & software) makes the most sense?
The installed player is Corel WinDVD SD.
Thanks in advance!

I wouldn't automatically assume that your Pioneer DVD player (assuming you brought it with you from the UK) will output correctly to a US-purchased TV. Mine did not - even though it had a switch to toggle between PAL and NTSC output. Granted, this was 7 years ago, before HDMI, and upconversion etc.

Actually, if region-free players are an option, that would be great, as my work requires me to view both US and foreign films with some frequency!
Again - thanks in advance.
PS - there are no 489 pages here - which is, in a way, like no pages. A bit of work is ok, but here one wouldn't know where to look anymore.

I bought here when I moved over. It is a great little player, I think if I remember correctly it was about 500 bucks new 4 years ago, got it for 90 bucks including conversion and it had HDMI too.

Is there a thread here, or a guide somewhere else, that will clearly explain:
1.) The HD formats available - on B-R discs and for download, etc.
2.) The software and hardware options and limitations (including requirements to sign up for continual software/firmware updates)
and so on?
Thanks

1) Most makers don't document it, so we can't document it. If you need broad file streaming support, get a streamer like WDTV, computer, etc. for that, not a blu-ray player. If you have questions about a couple of specific formats, go ahead and ask. Specify whether you'll be using disc, USB or DLNA.

2) All blu-ray players require continual updates due to terrible standards, overly creative disc authors and ever changing security measures.

mdavej, thanks. I'm obviously a bit behind and trying to catch up on this.
1.) Can one not look at the contents of a blu-ray disc, or at a downloaded file, and see the format? I understand hy streaming might make the format "invisible"...
2.) How onerous is it to keep the software/firmware updated? Is it generally via a paid subscription? Will older blu-ray discs/downloaded files always work?
3.) Does it make more sense for me to download HD video than to use blu-ray, or do will the same pathological security & other limitations apply in every case?

I *am* planning to work through a computer (a Lenovo W520). The blu-ray would be plugged into the computer, probably via USB3 (the optical port will be the out for the projector & sound system). But, again, perhaps it would be better to avoid b-r and download files?

I'm trying to figure out the best and least annoying way of getting and watching HD. I'm flexible, but in the end, once I've figured it out, I don't want it to be a continual source of work.

Thanks to all in advance.

1) On a computer, yes, on a player no. Where exactly do you find commercial Blu-ray discs of different file formats? They're all the same apart from different region encodings for foreign discs.
2) It's automatic and free. It's rare that an update will break old disc playback. An update can break file playback.
3) Questions about bypassing copy protection don't really belong in this thread and probably not on avsforum at all.

It's impossible to connect any blu-ray player discussed in this forum to a computer via USB. If you want to buy a blu-ray drive for your computer, post your questions in the HTPC forum. This forum is about stand-alone players. You seem to be mixing questions about blu-ray drives and blu-ray players, so I can't quite tell what device you are talking about.

They best ways to watch HD are to buy/rent discs, stream from paid or ad supported services or go to your local movie theater. That way those who created the material ultimately get paid for their work.

Thanks for that.
You're right that I'm possibly confusing players and HTPC drives.
But a mention of downloading files hardly justifies the presumption that I mean doing so in a legally dubious manner.
Are you saying that no one sells files for download that you can keep, only streaming? That would be disappointing... and odd. Esp. as I understand that even I-tunes does so.
But you're right, I should probably be in the htpc forum - I didn't realize the distinction.

I was gonna wait and go with Sony's new 2013 Blu ray players but damn are they UGLY!!!!! I hate the new design so what I am gonna do next month is get a 2012 model. Maybe the S590 or the S790. Got until next month to decide.