OFFICIAL "HELP ME CHOOSE A PLAYER" THREAD: Can't decide? Start HERE. - Page 103

I think ultimately your better off comparing them yourself, especially if you have the ability to do so.

I may stand corrected. I will ask them about DVD players.

They changed their policy about a year ago, so you may just have been grandfathered in. I hope you are right, and if that's the case, I'll definitely buy from Costco.

I just got a costco CCard and already got a few hundred back so I'll be keeping my membership for a while.

This is likely the case.

I do not have the ability to do so. I do not own the BD player. I was hoping someone who has actually tried the player would answer. If you aren't going to be helpful, don't answer.

I just bought the Sharp BD-HP21U and I think it is excellent at both Bluray and upconversion of standard DVD. The audio is also excellent and load time is faster than most others. I have a Sharp Aquos Tv, so I have the additional benefit of using only 1 remote. When you turn on either device, the other one automatically tuns on and begins to play. I definitely recommend it for anyone with an Aquos tv.

What's with the attitude?

Many of us have tried the BD35(myself included), but don't have your Philips DVD player or know what kind of display your using to make a valid comparison as to the difference you'll see in upconvert quality.

If your looking for a general comment about the upconvert quality, the question has been posted and answered on every page for the last 10 pages of this thread. If want a better upconvert player then get a Samsung. If you want a better overall player stick with a Panasonic or Sony.

Thanks Donnie. Minicumscc take a look at:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/ima...ctronics&img=1

The 6 inputs on the red, white, blue, pink, green, purple in the center clump of inputs for the front l &r , rear l & r, center and sub.

From looking at my owners manual and the back of the receiver I have what looks like 5.1 RCA inputs for the fronts/center and surround. Remember I am new at this but I am assuming that is what you mean by 5.1-channel audio inputs. Based on that I definitely need to stay away from the Sony/Panny 35's and step up to the 55's and of the 55's the PAnny vs Sony?

Thanks this is really helpful.

Yes, you'll use the 5.1 RCA inputs you pointed out. You'll want to skip the Sony S350 and the Panasonic BD35. Your logical choice would be between the Sony S550 and the Panansonic BD55. Both are pretty equivalent as far as features. Here is the comparison thread. LINK

No, it has nothing to do with being grandfathered in. DVD players are not one of the items that is limited to a 90 day exchange/return policy. The same goes for Blu-Ray players.

Good Info Guys,
My receiver has HDMI so I would think that would be the path for me to use in setting up a BD player. If true, the 5.1 analog would not be a benefit for me, correct? Therefore the Panny 55 would offer nothing over the 35 for me, if I understand this correctly.

Does your receiver decode advanced audio?

I have a Yamaha RX-V2600. It has a very long list of codecs that it decodes. I am not sure of the "latest". They seem to add new ones every year.

According to the receiver spec's it doesn't. The Pananasonic BD35 will decode TrueHD and DTS-HD MA via HDMI. This player will work fine with your receiver. No need to get the BD55 and go the analog route.

Also, I think your Yamaha receiver can pass 1080i over the HDMI, but not 1080p, which may or may not be of some concern.

Will going with the Panny/Sony 55's be better than just using the optical on the Panny/Sony 35's into my receiver? From what I am reading in some other places the sound pickup may not be that much of a difference on the higher end BD players. Is my argument flawed?

If your interest truly lies in the best audio quality then the BD55 and the S550 are the way to go.

Sgooter,
I am concerned about the fact that the 2600 is a 1080i upscaler. If sending a 1080P signal from the Blu-Ray player via HDMI, won't the 2600 simply pass the 1080P signal on to the 1080P HDTV or do I need to send the video signal directly to the HDTV and the audio separately to the 2600? I would think that the video signal could be passed through the 2600 with decoding by the player. I hope my 2600 is not going to hold me up on getting the 1080P signal to my new 1080P HDTV. Thanks for all your help and to others on the board.

Sorry, but I've noticed a pattern in this thread of people being unhelpful and rude in this thread, so I assumed you were doing something of the sort. Out of the last four questions I posted in this thread, this was the only one someone responded to, and I thought you were being rude.

I was just hoping that someone had tried the other player. Since I only have the one TV, if I got the Panasonic, it would be hard for me to tell which is doing a better job (I would put a dvd in one, watch it, than take the disc out and put it in the other). Without having both run side-by-side, it'd be hard for me to tell which is doing the better job.

I've also noticed when you look at the tech specs for products it lists a lot of things that relate to how it decodes things, hinting at how good it is overall. Since I'm fairly new at this, I don't understand what any of those specs mean. I was thinking someone who could just look at the specs would have some idea if one was generally better than the other.

You're asking the right question, but I don't have a factual answer for you.
My opinion is that your receiver cannot pass thru the BR player's 1080p video over the HDMI because the 2600 is limited to 720p or 1080i. Connecting the BR player's HDMI cable directly to your 1080p TV and the player's analog outputs to your receiver may be an option, but I believe only the Panny -BD55 model will pass the new blu-ray audio codecs over analog. Don't take my opinion as fact. Let's wait and see if others more technically knowledgeable in this specific area can help solve this puzzle for you.

This is my set up... what would be the best BD Player for me?

52" Samsung LCD - LN-T5265F : http://reviews.cnet.com/flat-panel-t...-32306310.html
Pansonic Home Theater - SC-PT650 - http://reviews.cnet.com/home-theater...-32392659.html

I'm leaning toward the BD-P2500 at the moment. But again I don't know.
The 3 total I am looking are...

Samsung BD-P2500
Pansonic DMP-BD55
Sony S550

I want:

1. The best blu ray image I can get, regardless of long load times.
2. I wan the best upscaling I can get for regular dvds, which I'm guessing ist he HQV with the Samsung player.

Please help!

Actually I've tried to search for the answer many times. So either I'm not using the right search criteria, or I would have to read 103 pages to find an answer that may or may not be there, when I'm sure someone here knows the answer off the top of their head. No need to get upset. Either way, I haven't been able to find my answer so I tried to get some help here.

Mark

Mark, I do apologize if I offended you. It's not that you asked a question; it was your comment about not having time to do a search. You hadn't mentioned that you tried to search.

Ok to move on?

I knew that the Yamaha 2600 would only upconvert to 1080i, but was hoping that it would simply pass through the 1080P signal while processing the audio, all via HDMI. If not, I will skip the Blu-Ray player and continue to use my Pioneer DV79 and upscale to 1080i. Heck, with a 40 inch HDTV, I would not see much improvement at 1080P anyway.

Before bailing on this, what does the manual say about video pass-through and/or handling of 1080p signals? You might also try the Amps & Receivers forum. There's probably an owners thread for the 2600.

After reading through these forums, I am still confused and had a question for anyone willing to help. I want to get 2 BR players this month & I am still confused on which one of the newer models would work best for me.

I have a Onkyo 604( HDMI) with a (Samsung 6188) in one room and a Onkyo 504(no HDMI) with a Samsung 4253 in the other. Which of the currents BR players would work better for each set? The Panny 35, 55 (or BD-50)? or the Sony 350 or 550? of course the PS3 could also be considered. The main thing I care about are picture quality, sound quality and ability to play SD dvd's. Thats pretty much it. Lastly, is there a consistent source (as far as pricing) to get these (I read the pricing threads) or do you just have to search around for deals individually? Any help would be greatly appreciated since I am confused about all this and would really like to get the best player for the money ASAP. Thanks so much...

Hi all, I'm down to the Sony 350 vs Panny 35 for a cheap Blu ray.

Which is more responsive and faster to boot/load?

I have read and read and read on here and can't seem to find the Blu-Ray player right for me. Everyone on here is way too technical, albeit on other forums no one seems to know what they're talking about. Therefore, I like this forum; everyone seems knowledgeable.

-Just bought a Samsung LN46A550 for $1149

I want:

-Best PQ/$
-Reliability
-Full Functionality with new Blu-Ray releases
-Decent upconversion quality... if all new releases are Blu-Ray I don't really care at all about this.

What I don't care about:

-I'll never have any dedicated receivers or surround sound; the most my TV setup will ever consist of will be Charter HD box/package and a Blu-Ray player.
-Spending $600 on a player to get a questionable difference in PQ.

I want something that will go best with my TV, and I can't seem to find anything in my budget, at least not talked about on these forums.

I'd like to get a PS3, but they're just too darn expensive right now.

$300 max, but $200 preferred.

Is the Panasonic DMP-BD35 the best for me?

Gosh, for that much I could almost get a PS3 and be able to do high-def gaming, too. Hmmm....

Get the Panasonic BD35 (+ 4 movies) fromthis Amazon link. It'll run you about $210 total. Very well-regarded player. Otherwise, get a Sony 350. Those two are pretty much the best low-priced players out there at the moment.

EDIT: Oh yeah, and don't forget to get the PDF for your free copies of Ratatouille and Nightmare Before Christmas by mail.

Before I jump on this, let me just make sure of something. Are most users on this forums videophiles? In other words, for an average joe this player will do just fine and I'll be quite happy with it if I don't know what to look for otherwise?

Honestly you will be fine with this player. The Panasonic BD players have a history of solid playback, support, and are usually problem-free. You may have to do a firmware update periodically but it is pretty straightforward, especially if you have a USB drive or Internet connectivity.