Blu Ray DVD Players

[fruhike]

I am planning on a new Blu Ray DVD player and I was leaning toward the Panasonics. My TV has only 1 HDMI in, so I use a switcher for the inputs from my computer, DVD, and Xbox. I also run an optical audio out from the DVD to my receiver. I think I get better sound that way. I like this setup because I don’t always have to turn on the receiver to listen to the TV. Given that, do I really need the audio processing of the Panasonic BD-80 or can I just go with the BD-60? Thanks in advance.

60

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16882103416

80

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx...N82E16882103419

[HSB0531]

Since you're on the subject of players...

Anybody know if there are any Blu-Ray recorders out yet?

And if so, what do you recommend?

[belikerick]

I was thinking about the OPO but don't think my finances will let me go there this year.

Considered the PS3, which my son would love, but don't want to have to shell out for a new AV receiver...

any thoughts on the LG BD-390?

I'm liking the fact that it has the wireless access to Netflix, etc. but looking at reviews on Amazon it seems people either love it or hate it...

Also do you think that the release of the OPO-83SE will bring the price of the regular model down?

Thanks

[JohnnyB]

I was thinking about the OPO but don't think my finances will let me go there this year.

Considered the PS3, which my son would love, but don't want to have to shell out for a new AV receiver...

Why do you think you would have to? What's your current audio setup?

[gregc]

Snapped up a BD-60 for $99 this weekend; a no-brainer for me.

[RacerX]

Any opinion on the bottom feeder bluray players?

Like the Panasonic BD605 vs. the Sony s360

I'm leaning tward the Panasonic because I had a GREAT experience with the warranty/service group on my 42" 1080p plasma (which I love). and the Viera link might be usefull.

I have a super low tec sound set up at the moment (old skool bang&olufson reciever into a Phase-tech sat/sub speakers, just feeding from the plasma outs. Don't laugh, I can get it rumblin' pretty good in my tiny house!) so, zoomy surround sound is not a priority.

Mostly interested in which would look best on the plasma and which might up-convert the best since we have a bunch of non BR dvds.

Thanks!

Mark.

[JohnnyB]

Any opinion on the bottom feeder bluray players?

Like the Panasonic BD605 vs. the Sony s360

I'm leaning tward the Panasonic because I had a GREAT experience with the warranty/service group on my 42" 1080p plasma (which I love). and the Viera link might be usefull.

I have a super low tec sound set up at the moment (old skool bang&olufson reciever into a Phase-tech sat/sub speakers, just feeding from the plasma outs. Don't laugh, I can get it rumblin' pretty good in my tiny house!) so, zoomy surround sound is not a priority.

Mostly interested in which would look best on the plasma and which might up-convert the best since we have a bunch of non BR dvds.

Thanks!

Mark.

If not the Panasonic, consider the new Toshiba BDX2000. I haven't personally used it, but Toshiba probably has the most concentrated development in upconversion. Back when they were fielding HD DVD, those Toshiba players consistently beat the Blu-rays when it came to upconverting std. DVDs. Second, when Toshiba scrapped their HD DVD product line, they transferred the upconversion development over to make better upconverting DVD players. They were so pissed at Sony that they refused to make Blu-ray players and tried to narrow the performance gap between DVD and Blu-ray playback. Anyway, Toshiba has been developing upconverting DVD players for over 4 years as if their life depended on it.

I have a Toshiba HD DVD player and still use it occasionally (I have around 20 HD DVDs). It's nice.

[Mike Lee]

I'd go for the Sony S360 at current prices. I have a Sony S350 (previous version) in the MBR on a 40" XBR4 LCD and it's fine.

Since Sony is the developer of the Blu-ray format, they seem to do better at disc compatibility. I've never had a Blu-ray disc not work on a Sony player, as long as you keep up with the firmware updates. My Oppo has had some disc compatibility issues, but most seem to be resolved now with the latest firmware.

The Sony S560 with WiFi is a great choice if you want the connectivity and you have a WiFi network in your house. I added a wireless network extender with an ethernet output (Apple Airport Express) near my S350 to get it networked, but the extender also improves the overall wireless signal around that part of the house, so it's not completely dedicated to the player.

Realistically, check the reviews and find the one with the fastest boot up and load times. You will get more frustrated with long load times than with any of the slight differences in picture quality between players. On a 42" screen you're not likely to see the differences very much, except on test patterns and benchmark discs.

If you were using a 55" panel, or a projector onto a 10 foot screen, then picture quality differences between players would be more of an issue.

[RacerX]

Thanks guys,

I went with a Panasonic bd60. Hooked it up last night and watched SpeedRacer on BR...just killer. Really shows off the 1080p Plasma.

I tried an older (2000) Dream Theater standard dvd and it was without question better that my old dvd player (which still looked pretty good).

Mark.

[specialk]

Congrats!

+1 on the Panasonic BD-60.

[BadgerDave]

Didn't see this mentioned in a quick scan of the previous posts:

One potentially stealthy shortcoming of the PS3 is it's incompatibility with virtually any universal remote. The PS3 remote functions are bluetooth only with no interconnectivity with infared controllers.

I found this out when trying to program my Harmony One remote to control my set-up. The PS3 is the only device it can't control.

[Mike Lee]

Didn't see this mentioned in a quick scan of the previous posts:

One potentially stealthy shortcoming of the PS3 is it's incompatibility with virtually any universal remote. The PS3 remote functions are bluetooth only with no interconnectivity with infared controllers.

I found this out when trying to program my Harmony One remote to control my set-up. The PS3 is the only device it can't control.

You can get IR adapters that plug into the PS3's front USB port to work around this, but it's not an ideal solution. The big shortcoming of the PS3 is the fan noise. Mine is pretty bad, though I've heard there is some variability between units. Once mine hits the high fan speed, it never slows back down until you turn it off. It usually hits hi speed about 20 minutes into a Blu-ray. The new PS3 slim is supposed to be more quiet, but I haven't tried one.

[Armitage]

Ha!

Reviewers Find $500 Oppo BDP-83 inside $3,499 Lexicon Blu-ray Player

Posted January 18, 2010 07:42 AM by Juan Calonge

Veteran audio/video site Audioholics received the high-end, THX-certified Lexicon BD-30 Blu-ray player (which lists for $3,499) for review and has now published its product analysis, which will come as a shocker to many. After a thorough review, they conclude that Lexicon "simply lifted the Oppo BDP-83 and threw it into their own chassis."

Lexicon claimed and continues to claim that, while the BD-30 took components of the Oppo, it had added technology and made improvements to it. Audioholics emphatically retorts that it is an Oppo BDP-83 player, "chassis and all, shoved inside an aluminum Lexicon wrapper" and that "as far as we could determine, Lexicon didn't change a single thing in terms of the hardware."

The Audioholics reviewer opened the player, examined all the components and tested the performance of the Lexicon using an audio analyzer. All results were virtually identical to those of the previously reviewed Oppo.

Admittedly, many AV brands reuse designs from other manufacturers, but Audioholics finds it objectionable that a company can simply take an existing model, put it in a heavy case and add $3,000 to the price tag.

It seems all they changed were the faceplate, remote and the actual disk drawer.

[Mike Lee]

Yep, I heard about that too. NAD did it with a Samsung or LG Blu-ray player first, and now Lexicon has done it with the Oppo. Pretty lame IMO.

Not to be outdone, Oppo now has the BDP-83 SE for people wanting even higher quality A/D conversion and output stages. It also has separate power supplies for those obsessed with such. My BDP-83 is connected to my A/V receiver over HDMI, so I don't even use the A/D converters in the player. No point in getting the SE for me, but some people with legacy high end analog setups might want it.

[Mike Lee]

Oppo now has a lower cost Blu-ray player under $300.

BDP-80

http://www.oppodigital.com/blu-ray-bdp-80/

It's smaller, still supports SACD and DVD-A, but lacks the Anchor Bay VRS video processor. Sounds like an ideal transport for an external video processor, or a great standalone for medium sized HDTV's.

The BDP-83 is going to look better on really big screens, especially projectors due to the superior video processor but otherwise the BDP-80 should be fine for most users.

I want to get one to go with my "other" HDTV. The BDP-83 will stay where it is on the main system.

[Armitage]

I couldn't be happier with my Oppo BDP-83 (thanks JohnnyB). The way it upconverts DVDs is stunning too. Much better then my Panasonic and Sony ones.

[tommy p]

I'll try to find this out from other sources or reviews, but if anyone gets one of these I'd like to know how well it reads homemade DVD's in various formats, and if it can read DVD's with different Region Codes.

[Mike Lee]

I'll try to find this out from other sources or reviews, but if anyone gets one of these I'd like to know how well it reads homemade DVD's in various formats, and if it can read DVD's with different Region Codes.

There are no multi-region Blu-ray players, not even from Oppo. Doing so violates the license on the technology. There is a hacked firmware for the BDP-83 that you can use at your own risk, and there is a 3rd party hardware mod that makes it region free. The hardware mod works and is actually probably safer than using a hacked firmware.

I have an Oppo DV-980H which can be made region free with the factory firmware, there's just a secret code you have to know. So if I really need to watch a DVD from another region I can always use that.

[Armitage]

I wonder if there's a secret code to make the Oppo BDP-83 region free when playing DVDs?

[seeker]

Heh all, Brought this back to the top rather than start a new on.

I am making the leap to Hi Def TV; Samsung LED 240 Hz 46 incher coming today and upgrading to HD Triple Play FIOS in a week. Am now looking at getting a Blue Ray player.

Setup will be TV with FIOS upstairs. My wife has a Netflix account, so am exploring getting that routed to the TV upstairs too. Internet will be downstairs on an existing network; replace cable with FIOS. Plan to plug the FIOS wireless router into the existing hardwire one for both Netflix as well as connectivity for laptops. Still reading up on how to do that (playing with DHCP, blah blah).

Anyway, that means I want a WiFi capable player. Do have an extensieve DVD library already, so upconverting(?) is pretty high on my list. Picture quality too.

However, don't want to spend a lot of coin, cause have blown a bunch in the last week already, lol. Being able to get something NOW would be cool too, cause it's be a week before the FIOS comes.

Thanks all!

[JohnnyB]

Anyway, that means I want a WiFi capable player. Do have an extensieve DVD library already, so upconverting(?) is pretty high on my list. Picture quality too.

For a wifi-capable player, take your pick. The Playstation 3 also has all those capabilities. We use ours to watch Blu-rays and Netflix Instant Watch.

If you want the best DVD upconversion plus wifi, get an Oppo plus their Wireless Network Bridge Kit.

The Oppo is also the best one for music as well, as a lot of design went into the audio and disk-reading parts of the design. It'll play CD, HDCD-encoded CD, CD-R, DVD-A and SACD. It has internal surround processors for all codecs and 7.1 analog outputs, so you can get the lossless decodes as long as you have the analog inputs to handle it.

[seeker]

JohnnyB,

Should have known you were first responder on all things audio/visual, lol.

What is the Oppo BDP-80 1080p 50/60 Hz spec mean? I thought that was too close to AC power to cause picture flutter? My Samsung runs at 240 Hz.

Normally do a lot more detailed research first, but they were blowing out the TVs at a pricepoint I knew was good.

BTW, for Oppo, what's the best way to purchase? I can only afford the BDP-80 model at this time.

Thanks!

[doody]

make sure to enable blurays in your netflix account. watch instantly is not available in hi-def yet.

[JohnnyB]

What is the Oppo BDP-80 1080p 50/60 Hz spec mean? I thought that was too close to AC power to cause picture flutter? My Samsung runs at 240 Hz.

That spec says: Power Supply: ~ 100V - 240V, 50/60Hz AC

That means the power supply can run on any voltage from 100 VAC (Japan) to 110 (USA) to 220-240 (Europe). The 50/60 means it can run on either alternating frequency. I believe Europe is 220/50 where USA is 110/60.

US-spec Blu-ray players can put out frames at 60 frames per second (fps) (coinciding with AC frequency, as video does) or at 24 fps, as film is shot. To accommodate both 60 and 24 fps playback, the newest HT-oriented TVs run at a refresh rate that is a whole multiple of both 24 and 60. That's why the new LCD displays refresh at 120 or 240Hz (plasma can still refresh much faster than LCD, 600 Hz, which also works for 24 or 60 fps.

The important thing to know is that when you play a Blu-ray movie set to 24fps playback, you'll get a real clean judder-free picture on your 240Hz Samsung. Not only will slow motion and stills be sharp, fast motion with be smooth and easier to follow.

BTW, for Oppo, what's the best way to purchase? I can only afford the BDP-80 model at this time.

Check Oppo, Amazon, and Musicdirect.com and pick the one that suits you best on delivery times, return policy, and shipping rate. I've bought audio products from all three; they're all prompt and reliable with excellent customer service.

[seeker]

JohnnyB,

The line I was referring to was not the PS spec, but the one that is under "Excellent Video Quality":

Full HD 1080p Output - The BDP-80 features user selectable video output resolutions, including 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, and up to 1080p 50 or 60Hz.

That's what had me puzzled. It's under BDP-80, not the 83. Your explanation covers it; didn't know they upconvert the freq too.

Thanks!

[Mike Lee]

I think the 50 Hz frequency refers to PAL encoding common in Europe.

The BDP-80 is a good choice, I just got one for my "other" HDTV. I have a BDP-83 in my main system and it's been great. Oppo is a great company and has tremendous support with firmware updates that add features and improve the product.

But if you want WiFi, there's all sorts of models out there from the mass market brands. Many have Wi-Fi and Netflix streaming for less than the BDP-80.