OFFICIAL "HELP ME CHOOSE A PLAYER" THREAD: Can't decide? Start HERE. - Page 8

Originally Posted by coolhand

Longtime Red Die Hard Buying Blu Today with your Help!

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I have decided that I am sick of the whole thing. I am going to keep an HD player on hand for Bourne and the slew of other HD movies I can't find anywhere else. Bbut I need my Hi Def. So I am going to go Blu. I have been eying the BD player deals thread for weeks now and I am pretty much done waiting. None of the deals really applies to me anyways (no Frys within 1000mi, my BB and CC won't price match ANYTHING).

I have a Panny 900 FP with a 106" HiPower screen. I have a Pioneer 1014 (no HDMI) receiver with 7.2 set up. I expect to get a Onkyo 605 sometime soon, but don't see an immediate need right now.

My choices:

PS3: Buy.com with $15 coupon no tax, no S&H: $380
Panny 30: BB $499 - 12% is $439 with triple points is a $25 reward zone (is this really worth more than a PS3).
Sony 300: Best Buy with 12% off is $352 with triple points (free $20 reward zone coupon) and $5 existing reward zone with 5 free movies (and there are 5 I would happily pay $16 each for). Or no rewards, no movies at CC for $260 (assuming I can pass the $40 coupon off)
Sony BDPS1: Same price at Best Buy as the 300. I imagine the 300 is better as it is newer but I cannot get a comparison. I know this model has a higher MSRP and I like the look a lot more.
Samsung 1200: CC open box for $239-40 coupon (again, assuming I can pass the coupon off) Older model but $200 with 5 free is something I can be happy about.

Looking for insight into how the older models compare with the 300 and to see if people think the Panny is worth the extra $100.

Thanks for the help. Will be a smurf by the end of the day today with your help!

Originally Posted by krisjan

Here you go...

Originally Posted by Donnie Eldridge

Your considering purchasing the 5000? You have my condolences.

Originally Posted by WOLVERNOLE

I would appreciate advise that I think essentially comes down to two questions: (1) Even though I have the new AVR...Denon 3808ci which has the 1080/24p and HDMI 1.3 processing, would it be BETTER to have Blu-Ray Panasonic model-to-come with stand-alone ability to process 1080/24p, HDMI 1.3, or simply have the Panny BD-30 which passes through the Denon process ?, and
(2) this question has been asked, but is there any credible info on when the aforementioned Panasonic BD-50 will be available ?

Thanks for your input. I continue to wonder if there is an inherent advantage to internal Blu-Ray processing compared to pass-through !

Originally Posted by Deckman37

My four year old HT is getting a little long in the tooth. I have a Bravo D2 that has finally bitten the dust and needs replacement. My projector is a Sharp 10K 720P with DVI or Component and my receiver is a Pioneer VSX-1015TX with a seven speaker setup. I'm keeping the projector and receiver for at least another year. If you were me, which player would you get?

Originally Posted by CarlRx

I have 5.1 analog inputs, but the PS3 has no way of outputting in that fashion?

Originally Posted by CarlRx

Is the PS3 profile 2 upgradeable? Is there anything in the new spec that would require new hardware that the PS3 lacks?

Originally Posted by CarlRx

So, PS3 sounds like it is the way to go, but please confirm for me that because I have an "older" receiver that lacks HDMI, I will for now only have access to standard 5.1 Dolby Digital or DTS soundtracks?

But these are available on EVERY disc, so for now I am sacrificing audio for future 'upgradeability' until I upgrade my receiver.

I have 5.1 analog inputs, but the PS3 has no way of outputting in that fashion?

Is the PS3 profile 2 upgradeable? Is there anything in the new spec that would require new hardware that the PS3 lacks?

Would there be a better option?


Thank you all.


--Carl

Originally Posted by zerog6

Everyone's mostly talked about Audio Quality in the players on here, but there's hasn't been much discussion about Video Quality. I have a good old optical connection for audio with my Receiver and I'm not going to be upgrading that any time soon. So I'm solely concerned about Picture Quality. So in terms of solely Picture Quality, what are the best players out there??

Originally Posted by eskimo2176

PQ is something all of the players do incredibly well with BDs.

Seriously, I've seen alot of players in action and the PQ is within +/- 5% across the board really.

What you really should be looking @ is functionality.

PS3 is the most versatile of the bunch.
BD30 is a great machine, PiP capable and bitstreams over HDMI (audio)
BD10... Not PiP capable, but decodes every codec internally with the exception of DTS-MA and can pass over analog connections to legacy receivers.

BD50, which hasn't been released yet, will do everything the BD10 will do, but provides 1.1 and 2.0 (PiP and online).

IMO, if you have a legacy receiver (no hdmi) I would recommend something from Panasonic (either BD10 or upcoming BD 50) because of the ability to get great audio out of legacy receivers.

Cheers.

Originally Posted by zerog6

I'm not concerned about versatility. I don't need hdmi 1.3 since I don't have an hdmi receiver. I don't use PIP. I'm not going to online with the player so I don't need profile 2.

I want the most basic, stable player with the best PQ

Originally Posted by zerog6

I'm not concerned about versatility. I don't need hdmi 1.3 since I don't have an hdmi receiver, I don't use PIP, and I'm not going online with the player so I don't need profile 2.

So basically all BD Players have the same picture quality? How about the first gen players like the pioneer elite HD1 and the sony S1?

I want the most basic, stable player with the best PQ. Forgot to mention I want something that outputs 1080p/24, which I think the Panny BD10 does not do.

Also I've read on here from many that say the BD10 has a noticeably softer PQ than the BD30

Originally Posted by Donnie Eldridge

Correct..the BD10 does not do 1080P/24. The HD1 and S1 are rock solid players and will do TrueHD to LPCM via analog.

Originally Posted by zerog6

After more reading, I've seen that the Sony S300 is internally a carbon copy of the S1 but much cheaper. So in all the cases, I think I'll just go with whichever between the HD1, BD30, and S300 I can get cheaper

Originally Posted by zerog6

Also I've read on here from many that say the BD10 has a noticeably softer PQ than the BD30

Originally Posted by Donnie Eldridge

I got news for you. The HD1 and S1 are copies of each either also.

Originally Posted by joffer

it doesn't. no BD player has "noticeably" softer picture than any other BD player if set up correctly. there may be other differences, such as the ability to deinterlace/output 1080p60 better.

Originally Posted by zerog6

Well perhaps that's the case, I know that the hd10 doesn't support 1080p/24 as the hd30 does, so maybe that's where the difference is.

Originally Posted by LarryChanin

Hi,

The Sony BDP-S300 is a basic player which, according to Widescreen Review, has very good video. It can be purchased for less than $300.

Larry

Originally Posted by Mark Silver

I apoligize for not understanding this, but can someone tell me if my next statement is correct before I go out an by a PS3.

If my receiver/TV does not have HMDI and I hook up the PS3 via the optical cable, I will NOT get 5.1 and will only be receiving 2 channel stereo. Is this correct ?

Originally Posted by ledname

Thank you so much for the info...I decided on the Sammy 1400...I've heard better reviews on this site from owners about the Panny...but with the cost being about $100 more and the knowledge that I might need a newer one when Profile 2.0 is standardized, I decided that was the best bang for my buck.