OFFICIAL "HELP ME CHOOSE A PLAYER" THREAD: Can't decide? Start HERE. - Page 201

Blu-ray quality is not the same across the board! Differences may be pretty subtle in most cases, but some players definitely are better than others.

I still think for what you want and what matters to you (reliable player, BD and SD DVD playback only, no streaming needed, best PQ and AQ value) the Pioneer is the player for you.

yeah that's what i figured...i mean there is no way the $100 walmart blu ray player can be on the same level as a $300-$500 player like the 320 or the OPPO....although im sure it will be more evident the larger the screen and the quality of your tv...still thinking about pulling the trigger

For the most common case of taking 1080p24 on the disc and putting it out as 1080p over HDMI, relatively little needs to be done to the signal (compared to DVD) and a cheap player's performance might be very similar to an expensive one in this regard.

There can be all sorts of other factors in what makes a player valuable, of course.

-Bill

Been poking around the net and these forums, and it seems people generally have good luck with open box (or, if they don't, a good retailer will accept a return on it). Either way, I'm not necessarily rushing to dump several hundred on a BR player, but I'm really drawn by the Netflix instant streaming feature the BDP2500 has. $200 for an open box, $250 for a refurb. I'd say $250 is the absolute cap for my Netflix-compatible budget. Which should I be looking at?

To me, Samsung is garbage... at any price. Pass.

I hope you guys can help me.

I own a PS3 (60 GB model) and I'd like to have a standalone BD-Player because the fan of the PS3 is really annoying. Picture quality (BD and DVD upscaling) and DVD-codefree is very important to me.

I'm very interested in the OPPO 83, because it seems to have a outstanding video quality and it can be modded codefree (for BD too, which is extremely nice). Downside is, that I live in Europe, so I have to import it. It would cost me ~ 725 Euro (619 Pounds / ~ 1.000 USD). Furthermore I don't need the audio features (e.g analogue audio, DVD-Audio, SACD).

Is there a alternative to the Oppo? And DVD codefree would be nice.

At first I wanted a Panasonic 60, but I heared of the freezing problems. My second choice was the Pioneer 320, but I've read it has a layerbreak of 2-3 seconds, is that true?

I disagree with the previous poster. I've had good success with Samsung products (i.e. HDTV). While I don't have a Samsung BD player I've read very good things about the 2500 & 2550.

Well, it's either the BDP2500, which was reviewed with excellent image quality, or the LG BD370, which was reviewed with average to sub-par image quality. I've had mixed results with Samsung as a whole, but on the other hand LG doesn't get very many nods.

Heh. By this logic there's no way the Oppo can be on the same level as the multi-thousand-dollar players out there.

I've had very good luck with my refurbished P2550. I'd say with an open-box you'll have slightly higher chance of failure, but you'll also have the full warranty. I think the P2550 as a video player (BD, DVD, Netflix) is a tough value to beat, mainly due to the HQV Reon processing. It's not top-of-the-line in terms of high-res audio support, analog DACs, or build quality... but for video it's hard to beat without spending 2-3x more.

2550 is a great machine, but thebland is partly right - samsungs are hit or miss.

if you can take it back within 15-30 days, i would take the chance provided it's priced well - under 200. you'll need a remote to access netflix.

I've had good luck with my P1000, UP5000, and P2550. The UP5000 was open-box and bricked on the first firmware update, but was repaired under warranty and worked for 9 months flawlessly afterwards. The P2550 was refurbished and has worked flawlessly for 6 months.

Given availability of new units and the price of refurbished units (around $225) I'd say an open-box unit is worth about the same as a refurb unit in the box. You can't get video processing in the same league without paying at $500 or more.

I see that the 2550 is being discussed again in regards to video processing, does this include Blu Rays or just DVD's?

I believe in 1080p output mode Reon only applies to DVD. I believe in 720p mode Reon does the down-scaling for BD but doesn't apply any noise reduction. I believe the full Reon processing IS applies to Netflix SD content, and Reon scaling is applied to 720p Netflix HD content for 1080p output.

I picked up an open box Sammy 2550 about 2 months ago, which is the same as the 2500 except for the addition of Pandora. I was fortunate to get it from Best Buy for $129, including remote.

While it may not be renowned for it's build quality, or high quality DACS, it has a multitude of features that should accomodate most owners. Excellent BD PQ, as do most BD players and outstanding DVD upconversion, compliments of the Reon chip. Analog 7.1 Multichannel outs. It is BD-Live capable, if Live floats your boat. Then throw in the extras of Netflix streaming and Pandora, if it's the 2550.

In the 2 months that I've had the 2550, it has only failed to play one title properly. That title is Watchmen, playing the Maximum Movie Mode. Turns out, this title gives many players fits and I've read that WB released an initial bad batch of disks??? Quite frankly, my only real concern with this player is how long it will hold up, which prompted me to purchase a very inexpensive 2 yr service plan from Best Buy.

IMO, if you're looking at the 2500, maybe you should try seeking out an open box 2550 at Best Buy instead. Chances are, you will get them to sell it you sub $200, it will have a full mfgr warranty and you can add a service plan if you choose. Plus, you get at least 30 days to return.

Btw, you mention "good luck" with an open box. IMO, good luck or bad luck can be a factor with open box, refurb and NIB. The important thing, is the ability to easily return any duds. Contrary to someone calling Samsungs "garbage", I believe the 2500/2550 is a very capable player and at sub $200, a real bargain. Just my two cents.

Mike T

for those that do have the Pioneer 320 and/or Samsung 3600 can you chime in regarding PQ and AQ...also I am going to be running the player directly to my Samsung LN46B750 via HDMI...I have no need for streaming ability or anything of that nature...just concerned with the PQ and AQ or Blu-Ray's and DVD's...please let me know...thank you

I just bought an LG 390 (and finally ditched the Bravo D1, which lasted five years before giving up the ghost). Effortless connection to my Apple Airport Extreme. Maybe they updated the firmware, but I encountered none of the problems I heard about. I'm enjoying the Netflix on Demand feature. So far, so good...

I'm surprised people keep mentioning AQ for BD & DVD... at least people using audio (decoded or bitstream) over HDMI. Outside of a major design flaw, there just isn't going to be any difference. The analog side is a different story, but those don't seem to be the majority of folks asking about AQ anyway.

Which stand-alone BD players have the ability to recognize and play music and pictures off of an NTFS formatted external hard drive? I have a WD 1Tb USB drive, externally powered, and I'm trying to build a short list of players that can work with NTFS, since Xbox 360 apparently can't.

Hi,

I'm looking into the following Blu Ray models:
LG BD370
Samsung BDP-2500/2550/3600
Pioneer BDP 120/320
Oppo BDP-83

Here's my situation:
My preamp is somewhat outdated and can only accept a toslink or digital coax cable for audio input. No HDMI or discrete analog inputs are present (other than stereo). The preamp is a Golden Theater GTX-1, and still sounds great for what it does.

I'm buying a new TV, most likely a samsung or LG plasma. It will be 1080p and have HDMI inputs.

I don't need DVD-Audio or SACD due to my preamp situation. Also, the formats don't really interest me after just compiling a massive collection of digital music (in FLAC format.) For Hi-Fi I go analog, and would much rather spend the money there.

Therefore, I need a blu ray with great picture quality. The audio processing will be done by the preamp, so I just need a player with a solid optical audio output. I was originally going to go with the Oppo, but it's kind of pricey. I know it's the best quality, but do any of the others stand up to it?

Thanks for your time,

Phil

According to your requirements, only the Sammy and LG will do since they're Netflix capable.

Yeah, I just saw those Pioneers in passing. I know the new Oppo does support Netflix streaming. I also realize that is new, but has anyone upgraded from the LG or Samsung to the Oppo? Is it a significant difference in regards to video and/or audio?

Thanks,

Phil

New Oppo? The BDP-83 does not do netflix.

There is no significant difference in video/audio if you're outputting 1080p/24 and bitstreaming.

So BD Live does not mean netflix support? I had that confused...Well, the Samsung seems to get slightly better reviews regarding picture quality. Is that the general consensus around here?

It's a shame you are hung up on the netflix streaming (why do people want that?) because the Pioneer 320 has great PQ and AQ, and the upscaling of DVD's is very good too. Build quality is way better than the others you are looking at.

But nevermind the Pio 120, it is just a rebadged Sharp...

I don't know why you would question why people want Netflix streaming, it seems like a nobrainer to me. I've been using a PS3 for a couple of years for BDs but when I get a second player it absolutely must have Netflix support. I don't see why anyone with a Netflix subscription wouldn't want a compatible player unless they have another device to accomplish the task.

Ok I am taking back my bd60 because I still have time and might want to get my money back or get another one. But first not being a top notch audio/video person of the jvc and the panny which one is better?

I guess by better which it technically better both picture and sound. Also which might play more movies both blu ray and sd dvd's without problems. Ya I know that last statement is a crap shoot I guess? But still would like some feed back.
appreciated

It still baffles me why sound quality keeps coming up at all. Unless you're using the analog outputs (2ch, 5.1, 7.1, whatever) it's bit-for-bit digital. Regardless of if it's decoded/decompressed, bitstream, lossy, or lossless format, it's still bit-for-bit digital.

I have a PS3 for blu-ray playback and a Toshiba XA2 for SD DVD. I bought the Roku player to stream movies from Netflix and I am somewhat satisfied with the the Roku but not quite happy as it is limiting my download stream speed to 2.6 meg even though my ISP service is 15 Mbps. I want to get a Samsung to get a better picture quality from Netflix and need your help picking a model from Samsung that gives the best Netflix streaming experience, the best picture quality possible given my ISP connection speed. Thanks.

to complete my ht system, i need to purchase a blu-ray.

my system consists of:

panasonic plasma g-15, pioneer elite sc-05, as well as 5 b&w speakers...six, if you count the sub.


my budget is about 500 bucks. i listen to music about 60 % and the rest movies.

for whatever reasons, i've narrowed my search down to either Panasonic or Pioneer bdp-fd23...or the step below.

please give me your thoughts. it seems i should stick with panasonic because that's who makes my tv....or....should i stick with pioneer since they make my a/v receiver?