OFFICIAL "HELP ME CHOOSE A PLAYER" THREAD: Can't decide? Start HERE. - Page 62

Using a separate remote is a big issue. When you have a Harmony remote the idea is to control everything with the Harmony. Although if you get the USB IR receiver for the PS3, you would only need to turn it on at the console.
My 20GB(that was upgraded to 160GB last Summer) is much louder than any stand alone device I own.
But I easily notice the fans since I can hear the fan in a TiVo from 20 feet away easily.

I don't think it's too much to expect someone to spend five minutes looking for info before asking a question that's been answered 100's of times.

Next time I just won't respond to them.

Having gone though this thread and a few others I was all set to buy the Sony 350, but now I see Oppo is coming out with a Bluray player.

It seems their units did quite well with standard DVD's and that what most of my movies are...anybody else thinking of waiting for the Oppo and seeing what its like???

Al

Slightly off topic but I was looking at ebay auctions for Blu-ray movies and some say DVD: 1 (US, CA) and others say Blu-ray: A (includes US, CA). What is the difference?

First up - the folks who are here every day and do indeed see the same/similar question being asked over and over - I get your point that it is tiresome to answer the same questions over and over (believe me, I do it for a living! ), but please try to realize that not everybody knows this forum inside and out and when you say, "do a search!!!!111!!" and then provide no answer, you just come off as being a bit of a jerk. I get where you're coming from, but if it bothers you, please, just ignore the question. Anybody asking would rather get no answer than a kurt response that still provides no actual help. If it really is only 5 minutes and so easy to do a search, then provide the link so the person knows exactly what you are talking about. And from experience with the search, I know the reason people do not use it is because it will often spit out hundreds of results with zero guidance as to which one provides the actual answer the person is looking for. So basically, help...or don't. But there's no need to be kurt and if it honestly bothers you, then perhaps it'd be a very good idea to take a little break from visiting the forum so frequently

MOVING ON!

During loud passages, the fan noise of my 80gig PS3 is drowned out. But during quieter passages, I can easily hear the fan noise humming away. It's not like the end of the world or anything. I can most certainly live with it. But it's definitely plainly audible and I'd simply prefer to have as close to dead silence as possible.

From what I can tell, the 40gig PS3 models were significantly quieter during movie playback than my 80gig. And from the reports I am reading, it seems as though the newest 80gig units out there are also just as quiet. By the same token, I know that the original 60gig units were even louder than my 80gig unit, so there seems to have been a steady progression to quieter and quieter PS3 units as time has gone along.

If you're just now considering a PS3 purchase, from what I know of the issue, it seems as though any unit you would buy now would be very quiet and no louder than any other disc player in your gear stack. I simply have an older unit - I got the 80gig MotorStorm bundle only a week or two after it came out.

As for use with a universal remote. I got the official Sony PS3 Bluetooth remote for free when I bought my PS3, so I just use that. I have my Harmony One remote for everything else and I just use the PS3 Bluetooth remote for the PS3. I don't consider it to be a big deal to have a grand total of 2 remotes and the major control buttons for playback on the PS3 Bluetooth remote are distinctive enough in shape, size and placement that I easily memorized them so that I can use the PS3 Bluetooth remote in the dark.

I wouldn't want to use the standard game controller as a remote. It works, but it isn't the most intuitive thing, so I wouldn't recommend it myself. I think the Bluetooth remote is just fine, but you can also use a IR to Bluetooth adapter, like the IR2BT if you really really want just one universal remote for everything.

As for my own situation, I guess what it really boils down to is that I'd like a silent Blu-ray player for a clearly lower price than a PS3. Otherwise, I might as well just buy a new, second PS3!

Players sold in the US have Region 1 for DVD and Region A for Blu-ray. There are some differences between 1 and A. For example, for DVD Japan is region 2, but for Blu-ray Japan is region A. Europe continues being in a different region from the US region 2 and region B. For the details on DVD look here Blu-ray look here.

Well, depending on whether or not you use the "extra" features of your 80GB model, you may want to put it up on ebay (or the sale forums here) and probably make back a nice chunk of change if you buy a new one. Since the newer models don't have SACD playback, PS2 b/c, or the extra slots, it seems that in some circles demand for the ones that do will only go up.

Thanks for the links as they were extremely helpful. It seems to me that the blu-ray movies labeled on eBay as DVD: 1 should have been identified as Blu-ray: A in their listings as DVD: 1 really refers to SD and not BD type movies that are HD. I guess that the sellers are checking the wrong boxes for their product description.

What is the cheapest player with Bitstream audio and Source Direct for video?
(Not interested in a PS3)

All I want is a fast transport.

- Rich

Jonathan Teller You're right on about the search thing/ignore. I will be doing more searches and didn't really mind being reminded.

Since I'm getting the Yamaha 663 that has hdmi and can do the hd audio and some other neat stuff, wouldn't a basic bd player with hdmi out be all I need? LOL. Is there a "basic" one with hdmi? I know...I'll search that. I've been looking at the Panasonic bd30 which is being discontinued in todays CC ad. They have it for $359. It can be had for less on ebay, if one trusts that. I'll see if BB will honor that price PLUS take off 12% with a coupon I have. If they do that I'll probably go that way. I'm not interested in an off brand that can be gotten at Pep Boys for $149 but if I can't find one without all the bells and whistles for less that $400 I'll just get the ps3 and have 2 remotes. Like you said, no big deal in having 2 remotes. There's always the "Toothfairy" which seems like another alternative in getting around bt.

Still in the hunt.

Two mutually exclusive requirements, I think.

Not really. My HTPC is fast!
I just want similar performance in a transport.

- Rich

Most would not consider the PS3 a transport, since it does not output all audio via bitstream -- not that that makes much difference anyway.

Yes. Soon, my HTPC will be one with the new ASUS HDMI 1.3 sound card.
However, I need a player my wife can use.

My second choice would be the fasted inexpensive player. Is that the Samsung 1500?

- Rich

There have been reliability issues with the Sammy's. I'd stick with the Sony 350, or (higher end) the new Pioneer 51.

Best Blu-Ray for a 7.1?
I have a 7.1 set up and have a Onkyo 705 receiver.
Whick would be the best player for all the high end codecs?
Would it be better to bitstream, or useLPCM or HDMI?
Looking for some help, as there is a lot of people with first hand knowledge here.
Thanks in advance

The 51 is a little pricey but has the right features. I am not sure about performance though. I think it has some 1 minute load times.

The Sony is blue, what were they thinking

- Rich

ahh...and there in lies the rub! I most certainly make use of the PS2 backwards compatibility with my older 80gig PS3, so that's something I'm not willing to sacrifice right now.

And that's why it would seem a bit silly to me to buy a second, new PS3 and sit it right next to my existing PS3, just to use it as a more silent Blu-ray player Although, it WOULD be a convenient way to get a DualShock3 controller

What about the Insignia (aka Funai/Magnavox/Sylvania etc.) player? Going by the cnet review, it seems as though so long as you can use bitstream audio output and the 1080p/24 video output, it's actually a perfectly decent player. Only Profile 1.1 and rather slow to load, but like I said, I can always use the PS3 if I really want to see a BD-Live feature and I can live with the slow loads if I have to.

Anyone have experience as to the operating noise of the Insignia player? It certainly is the lowest priced one at the moment that I'm seeing.

Looking for some input. A friend of mines has a Sony S300 selling for $275 or offer. Is it any better than getting a PS3?

I thinking on punting and getting a low cost player.
Engadget HD has a post:

Best Buy's Insignia NS-BRDVD Blu-ray deck falls to $229

I would like to stay under $300.

Tempting. Too bad it has silver trim, my wife likes all black.

- Rich

The S300 is a recently discontinued model that is a step down from the PS3 in many ways. The replacement Sony model is the S350 and it MSRP is scheduled to drop from the current $399 down to $299 later this month. I would wait a couple of weeks and pick up the new model if you want a Sony stand alone BD player instead of the a PS3.

+1
s300 @ even $250 = No deal.

I have no idea how to budget for a new player, maybe the Sony 350 in a month, but I would need to sell my perfectly working Samsung 1400 first. What I would like is a all audio bitstream player, BD live, and of course HDMI 1.3....if the player can decode all formats to LPCM I guess I am fine with that.

So considering if I get X amount of dollar for the 1400, which I have had only problems on a rented Ratatollie disc, what would I NEED to spend to get BD live, bit streamed audio (just like the 1400), oh and I need 1080p 24fps.

Oh, I know this one!

Z = Y - X
where Y is the cost of the new player and X, as you mentioned, is what you would get for selling the 1400. Z would be the difference, which is what you would need to spend.

As a serious answer, I think selling your 1400 for ~$150-200 is reasonable, considering you can get the Funai players for a hair over $200 on sale. I'd budget anywhere from another $150 to $400 depending on what you want to get (150 for the Sony 350 or more for something else).

I'd like to purchase a blu ray player today (will probably order from amazon). I'd probably buy a PS3 but the noise complaints scare me away. The models that I'm leaning towards are the Panasonic bd30k and the Sony s350.

Reliability, ease of use, fan noise, and especially up conversion are the most important factors. Being 2.0 or having all the latest audio specs mean nothing to me.

Any suggestions would be most appreciated.

The new PS3 don't seem to have any fan noise issues. They are quiet - at least from everything I've read or heard, they are quiet. The 40gig models were quiet. My complaint was only about the older 80gig model. The one that came out with MotorStorm packed in and had the software emulation PS2 backwards compatibility support.

The new 80gig model that comes with the DualShock3 or has Metal Gear Solid 4 packed in - that one should be quiet. It has no PS2 backwards compatibility though. And that's pretty much the only reason I'm not replacing my older 80gig PS3 with a new one because I make use of the PS2 backwards compatibility for sure.

If you're ok with no PS2 backwards compatibility though, then the PS3 is still the best Blu-ray player. It loads way faster than any other Blu-ray player (especially BD-Java discs!), menus navigate more smoothly and faster (again, especially BD-Java). It's BD-Live right away (might need to do the firmware update, but that's no biggie). 1080p video performance is still among the very best. 1080p/24 is perfect, just like most other players with 1080p/24 output. It decodes all audio formats and can output 7.1 PCM via HDMI.

Basically, the PS3 is still the best choice for a Blu-ray player. From what I've read and experienced for myself, the new 80gig models are very quiet, so don't be scared away by that! The PS3 is also a darn good DVD upscaling player, so even there, it beats most of the stand-alone Blu-ray players - many of which are pretty bad DVD upconverters.

Other than that, the Sony S350 looks like it'll be the best choice for a stand-alone player. It decodes everything except DTS-HD:Master Audio. But it can output bitstream audio for all formats, so as long as you've got a receiver that can handle the decoding, everything's good on the audio side. Video performance seems to be great across the board. And while it isn't BD-Live right out of the box, it will be upgraded via firmware to BD-Live in the future. You'll need to supply a USB drive for the necessary memory, but that's not such a big deal.

IMO, load times are unimportant. The 51 reportedly has the best PQ, which is the most important feature, IMO. But one could certainly argue that the PS3 or Sony 350 are a better value.

I currently own a Sony Playstation 3, but I'm looking for a new Blu-ray player that's as good as the PS3 for video, but that will also allow me to bitstream Dolby TrueHD & DTS-HD Master Audio through HDMI.

What's the best current or recently announced Blu-ray player that will look as good as the PS3 on video, but will also allow me to bitstream Dolby TrueHD & DTS-HD Master Audio through HDMI? My preference is Sony, Pioneer and Denon.

The MGS4 bundle is the same 80GB PS3 as the Motorstorm bundle, meaning it has backwards compatibility and SACD playback. The new 80GB is based on the 40GB and is not bundled with a game, doesn't have BC, can't play SACD, but does have DS3 controllers, is $399, and is as quiet as the 40GB unit.