OFFICIAL "HELP ME CHOOSE A PLAYER" THREAD: Can't decide? Start HERE. - Page 63

What Blu-ray player are most forum members using with the Denon AVP-A1HDCI? What's the best, most cost effective Blu-ray player choice besides the Denon DVD-3800BDCI that will still bitstream Dolby TrueHD, DD and DTS-HD Master Audio through HDMI? Is a player from Sony or Pioneer a better choice?

I am using the Panasonic BD 30 for Blu ray with excellent results. I don't however think it does as good a job on standard def as my toshiba HD DVD, so I use the toshiba for SD.

this question belongs in the blu ray forum....

I am currently using the Panasonic DMP-BD50 with great success on the Denon AVP-A1 (bitstream via HDMI). I also have successfully used the PS3.

Tom

batpig,
I'm looking for Denon AVP-A1HDCI owners to respond.

Tom Blake,
Which combination do you like better?

why would it matter what specific receiver you have? once you are comparing receivers with internal decoding, there is no such thing as a blu ray player that is good for receiver X but not receiver Y.

what you are asking is, what is the best blu ray player that can bitstream all the audio codecs to my receiver, which is a generic blu ray player question, and really has nothing to do with your receiver. it's nonsensical to think there is a blu ray player that kicks ass with the Onkyo 905 but just sucks with the Denon AVP but is sort of OK with the marantz 8200.

again, this belongs in the blu ray forum or, maybe, the dedicated AVP thread if you really want to quiz owners. anyway, I'll stay out of it now...

Why? you will get the exact same results as you do today with the PS3. Either the zeros and ones arrive, or they don't. One player won't be any better than another at bitstreaming, and you will get the same results if the PS3 does it or your receiver does it. Some receivers have more flexibility with adding sound processing to a audio signal it decodes over a LPCM over HDMI signal. I don't thing you'll find a spec of difference between any other player and your PS3 when it comes to handling lossless audio formats, save for the little light on the front of your receiver.

i use a ps3 myself so i have no experience with stand-alones. a player that bitstreams also isnt an option for me as my receiver doesnt decode. also, there are so many players out there now you'll need to give us your budget in order to get a good recommendation. pretty much all standalone players can bitstream nowadays. does said player for you have to be the latest profile (i forget the number, 2.0?)?

with that said, some of the more popular players have been the panny bd30 and bd50 as well as sony's s350. i know sharp has a player out also. pio and denon's players are too expensive for me so i never looked them up.

Thanks for providing such a thought provoking and un-biased answer

To the OP:
The Denon DVD3800BDCI is good because they include good upscaling for standard def DVDs.
The Pioneer Elite BDP-05FD & BDP-51FD are known for great Blu-ray playback and providing a good picture.
The least expensive option that still provides great quality is the Sony S350.

My personal pick would be for the Sony.

Simply stated, if a Denon AVP-A1HDCI user wants to purchase a new Blu-ray player, what player is being used by most Denon AVP-A1HDCI owners? Considering the high quality audio & video processing ability of the AVP-A1HDCI, do I still need to spend $2,000 on a Blu-ray player to achieve the same level of performance that a $500 player will achieve? At what point did you feel the added cost stopped giving you better sound and picture quality? Dolby TrueHD, DD and DTS-HD Master Audio will be bitstreamed through HDMI.

Seriously, though... do any of the 3 players you mention have any perceivable difference in their ability to deliver lossless audio? What differences will you find between bit-streaming from any of these 3 players compared to having the PS3 do the decoding and delivering the lossless audio over LPCM? Now, there is a chance that his AVR may have more options for Pro Logic II processing on a lossless signal it decodes, but in the end, the actual audio (prior to any processing) will be exactly the same. It doesn't matter if the PS3 decodes it, or the receiver decodes it.

Now, there are various reasons to like the 3 players you mentioned, but not a single one has anything to do with their ability to bitsream lossless audio formats to a receiver. Why? Because there is absolutely no difference.

The only time that decoding on the on the player vs. decoding on the receiver comes into play involves the receiver's ability to apply processing to the decoded signals. An Onkyo 605 can't matrix PCM over HDMI from 5.1 to 7.1, while the Onkyo 705 can. But, the Onkyo 605 can take a bitstreamed lossless track, decode it, then matrix it to 7.1 In that particular case, the PS3 wouldn't be the best option, a standalone would provide more flexibility. But, other than that, there is no difference! and all players will bitstream the same. Zeros and ones, that's all it is, zeros and ones...

Actually no, the 605 cannot matrix up a bitstreamed lossless track from 5.1 to 7.1. But the 606 can.

I want to jump on the Bluray bandwagon but have some issues. I have an Emotiva MMC-1 that doesn't do any processing of the new audio formats. I could get a Sony or Panasonic that decodes and outputs over analog 5.1 but end up paying huge dough for that right now.

Alternatively I could enjoy the better picture quality now and wait for Emotiva to come out with their new pre late in the year. To that end I could buy the Panasonic BD-30 for $250 right now. Since it has horrible SD playback I could keep my Oppo 981.

Sound like a plan or should I spend the extra dough on the onboard processing? I just want to be sure the BD30 is a quality player.

THANKS!

I am looking at getting a blu-ray player but I dont know which one is best for me. I have a Samsung 61 inch DLP HL61A750 TV I have a Denon 7.1 AVR-2807

Giving a budget and requirements help.

I am looking at getting a blu-ray player but not sure what the best for me. I have a 61 inch SAMSUNG DLP HL61A750 and a DENON 7.1 AVR-2807

Well I was obliged to give the OP all of his options for great picture quality as well as audio. After all, for most of us Blu-Ray is about PQ first and audio quality is just an added bonus.

But yes you are right, if you need a bitstream only black box, there's really no difference between LPCM and bitstream beyond the matrix issue that you mentioned.

But I still hate the idea of buying a PS3 just for BluRay. It's time as the reigning champ among Blu-ray players is coming to an end.

Looking at the Amazon deal today, but want to make sure I would be happy with the BD30. I have a Mits HC 5000 projector, using HDMI. Denon reciever, optical input. Think the unit will work with the 24 FPS ability? Sound comments on the optical input?
Thanks!

first let me explain why then i will get into what players i have found online so far.

right no my current bluray players are my PS3 and Samsung 1400. i found my samsung to have superior video picture quality over my ps3 so i have come to the conclusion that stand alone players are better, my opinion. i also want the player to bitstream HD audio otherwise my Denon 4308 and Yamaha 3800 are a big waste of money. right now the ps3 can't do that so that's another reason i'm not simply useing my ps3 as a BD player.

as for my Samsung 1400 it's been nothing short of a big pain in my behind. i have found so many issues that's it's become embarrasing on more then one occasion. it seems whenever my family/company come over to watch a movie this player starts going crazy on the good parts. it's embarrasing because when my company is over i always need to stop the movie half way through and switch to my PS3. that takes about 5+ minutes to get the movie back to the same scene. i also check for updates every week simply because i get movies from Netflix and i hate watching a movie then finding out this player needs an update otherwise it becomes impossiable to watch. so at this point i have no confidence with Samsung products at all.


right now i'm looking at the Sony 350 and Panny BD50. my main concern is picture and audio quality. i have 2 receivers that will output DTS MA and Dolby Tru HD so i'm not worried about the player not being able to decode the sound. i will not accept a player that can't bitstream the audio. i guess i'm more worried about the quirks each player has, maybe because the samsung has tons of them. so any advice and please no "this or that player is right around the corner". i have been around long enough to know this or that is never really around the corner.

thanks for any help.

how much are you willing to spend--I am planning on getting the denon 3800 or perhaps the universal player coming out in a few months. My samsung has been equally embarassing and I understand your predicament--I have reverted to my panny 10a in my reference system for now as a result--my panny has been a flawless performer and loads reasonably quickly. The samsung (mine is a 5000) picture is better (if it ever plays). The older sonys were horribly slow but has reasonaby good video I think. My dad has a sony 300 I bought for him that again has worked great but takes an eternity to load...I like the reon and even better hqv chip myself and would probably try to snag a player with that in it.

nfc2469, the best is the Denon 3800, but it's pricey. The 2nd best, IMO, is the Pioneer 51. For less $$, I'd recommend the Sony 350 or PS3.

OK - But why? Seriously, I'm no PS3 fan boy, but eventually, I caved in and got one. And now, I really like it. There are some reasons to steer clear of the PS3, but for most people, I still think it is the top option. It loads/plays fast, supports the latest features and puts out a pretty nice picture for the price range. Throw in the fact that it is a pretty slick media extender and that whole game console thing, and the PS3 turns out to be a nice deal. There are some very nice stand alone players, and for some people, that IS the way to go, but my default recommendation has to still be the PS3.

And quite a few people put high value on audio quality, too

The PS3 has been a great interim solution, but I have to agree with M@verick that it's days as the champ are numbered. You will soon be able to get the performance of the PS3 in a standalone player at the same or for a lower price -- and that is before you throw in $100 for a PS3 IR solution.

Not yet though. Everyone thought the Pio 51 was going to be the answer. Nope.

Maybe the Oppo.

Well, let me know when that day comes. Until it does, the PS3 is still the sweet spot.

And.. $100 for an IR solution? Really? I guess the $16 Nyko Blu Wave doesn't count, then? The lack of a power or eject button hasn't kept me from using it. My Harmony works just fine, and the wife&kids don't seem to mind. If they don't notice, I think it works!

So, when the day comes where a stand-alone out performs the PS3 as a mainstream BR player, I'll believe it. But until then, just go buy a PS3 already!

Watch for the Panasonic BD-35. I think that will replace the PS3 as the sweet-spot Profile 2.0 player that decodes everything.

I was thinking of waiting for this player. When will it be available?

- Rich

Hello. I just recently purchased my first HDtv, a samsung 50" plasma 720p. Got it hooked up yesterday from a 27" CRT.
My old dvd player hooked up through component video was horrid.
The Playstation 2 through composite was quite a bit better.
So, I was thinking after reading around that I'd get an oppo 980, but I got to reading people with 720p television's recommend blu-ray even for that resolution.
Now, I'm sure all those 1000+ dollar players are nice, but the panasonic bd30 can be picked up really fair-priced right now and well over half, probably over 3/4 of the reviews I have dug up on it are very positive. Why would one need to spend so much money on a movie player? Just for bragging rights? I hope you don't spend that much time watching movies unless you're a professional film critic or something. Besides, with the economy as is right now, I know I for one have much more important things to concentrate on.

Just my $.02. I think I am going to stop wasting anymore time thinking about it and order a BD30 player.

welcome to avs!

I have had a panny 10ak for some time now--with your tv it is probably a great choice. My panny has been completely and entirely reliable--the more expensive units do tend to have better picture quality and analog outputs. Compared to my samsung bdup5000 the panny has a softer picture with more grain but at least it plays consistently. In reading the many threads on the samsung models it seems like they are very firmware upgrade dependent and far less reliable on the whole. Even before I updated the firmware on the panny last week it still played everything flawlessly which is really what you EXPECT when you buy one of these units...

In the budget category I like the panny and sony models. My dad has a sony 300 and I think honestly the picture is a bit sharper than the panny I have.