Blu Ray advice

Matedawg11

Matedawg11

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Hey guys i just wanted to know which Blu Ray player is the best to get in regards to price and quality and everything thats great about Blu Ray. I know I'm really late in the game for Blu Ray but any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks ahead of time
 
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I have an older Sony model--BDP-350 and have had no issues with it. Sony players in general get pretty good reviews.

Another consideration is whether you want Netflix streaming built in, which some players have. I see you have an XBL gold account so you're probably covered. I'd kind of like it in my next BR player though since I don't know that I'll buy another console beyond the 360 and I use the streaming a good bit.

PS3 is also a very good player if you have a desire for a 2nd console--if not, then it's not worth the extra cost over a stand alone player IMO. But great deal if there are PS3 exclusives you'd really like to play etc.

For some more info, here's a list of the best BR players from CNET that have video reviews attached to each.

http://reviews.cnet.com/best-blu-ray-players/
 
I've read that the PS3 is one of the fastest blu-ray players on the market, but non-ps3 systems are slowly catching up. If you were to get a br player, I say get one with built in wireless and netflix. I have the lg bd 390 and it's been great. Nice to have something quite and not having to use the 360 for netflix.
 
Thanks!! I actually was considering a PS3 but seeing as I do not play my Xbox 360 as much anymore I dont think that would be the best investment
 
[quote name='Matedawg11']When you guys say fast do you just mean the menu loading or what??[/QUOTE]

Yeah. Blu-ray can be slow to get to the menu. Doesn't really bother me, but some discs take a minute or more to get loaded to the menu. A lot of times I just through the disc before grabbing a drink etc.--which I usually did with DVDs anyway.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']Yeah. Blu-ray can be slow to get to the menu. Doesn't really bother me, but some discs take a minute or more to get loaded to the menu. A lot of times I just through the disc before grabbing a drink etc.--which I usually did with DVDs anyway.[/QUOTE]


Serenity comes to mind in taking FOREVER to get the to main menu.
 
I'm pretty sure most BR Players would be the same, some of the newer have some of the nice new quirks like support for better/higher audio or Netflix, maybe some widgets n stuff but if you're just looking to watch BRs, I'm pretty sure some of the cheaper ones would suffice.
 
If you have a K-Mart near you pick up the Sony S360 for $50. It's not the newest but it got fairly good reviews and for $50 it's well worth the price.
 
I love my Pioneer BDP-320. Its currently listed for ~$167 on Amazon, which is a great deal for a higher-end unit with great build quality (BBY is probably still selling it in their Magnolia stores for $400) It doesn't stream anything, but is quick to load and play. Also, firmware updates take just a few minutes, whereas a few Samsung units I've tried seem to take hours.

I also have an older Sony (BDP-S300 I think) for my bedroom. Much slower loading time, but has good picture quality and playback. You probably won't go wrong with any Sony model.
 
PS3 is a good option if you're a gamer. If you don't plan on playing games don't waste your money on it. Try this one (same player I use at the moment). Loads fast, updates via ethernet port, BD-Live, and no issues at all playing new discs. If you're a NetFlix user you might want to look into this one which is basically a S360 but streams as well.

Which ever player you chose, please visit Amazon or Blu-ray.com and check reviews from current owners. There are some players out there that are just flat out bad. Learn from others mistakes and avoid them (anything from Sharp, early Samsung models, Insignia, ect.).
 
[quote name='Be3fJerky']I'm pretty sure most BR Players would be the same, some of the newer have some of the nice new quirks like support for better/higher audio or Netflix, maybe some widgets n stuff but if you're just looking to watch BRs, I'm pretty sure some of the cheaper ones would suffice.[/QUOTE]

Always good to read reviews.

Some have more problems with not wanting to play certain discs. Some may be stuck on the older firmware and not upgradeable. Some just don't produce as good of picture and sound as others etc.

If you stick to big brands like Sony, Samsung, Pioneer etc. you should be fine though for the most part. I avoid the cheap off brand stuff like the plague. You get what you pay for.
 
Based on what I've read (from some time ago; haven't read many reviews lately) nearly all players will give you the same basic quality, particularly if you're outputing at 1080p24. Beyond that it's mostly down to features. Netflix was already mentioned. Your current home theater situation might play a part as well. If you have an older receiver that doesn't handle HDMI (and therefore doesn't handle the newer audio codecs) but does have 5.1 analog inputs, you may want to spend a little more on a player with built in decoders and 5.1 analog outs.
 
[quote name='Transformah']I love my Pioneer BDP-320. Its currently listed for ~$167 on Amazon, which is a great deal for a higher-end unit with great build quality (BBY is probably still selling it in their Magnolia stores for $400) It doesn't stream anything, but is quick to load and play. Also, firmware updates take just a few minutes, whereas a few Samsung units I've tried seem to take hours.

I also have an older Sony (BDP-S300 I think) for my bedroom. Much slower loading time, but has good picture quality and playback. You probably won't go wrong with any Sony model.[/QUOTE]

The BDP-320 isn't a Magnolia product. Only the Pioneer Elites are. Speaking of, I own an Elite BDP-05 which is the second most expensive BluRay player out there. The picture quality is superior over the PS3 and the sound is for sure nicer. I'm not saying go out and buy an $800 BRD player, I'm just saying don't buy one that tries to be a "jack of all trades" if you want quality. Another good thing to look into is a region free player so you can get UK releases that aren't out in the US like Pulp Fiction on bluray.
 
Check out the Blu-Ray discussion thread stickied at the top of this forum. Lots of elitests in there talking up their experience with blu-ray players - which is perfect when you actually want advice from someone with wayyyy too much expertise in the field.
 
[quote name='ITDEFX']I've read that the PS3 is one of the fastest blu-ray players on the market, but non-ps3 systems are slowly catching up. If you were to get a br player, I say get one with built in wireless and netflix. I have the lg bd 390 and it's been great. Nice to have something quite and not having to use the 360 for netflix.[/QUOTE]

Incorrect. PS3 is quickly becoming the slowest Blu-ray player currently in production. Nearly every current Stand alone is 2-3x times faster at loading discs. And stand alones offer...Netflix, VuDu, Pandora, Amazon VOD, CinemaNow, MKV playing, Streaming etc.

LG BD390 is one of the best. players. ever. And this is coming from someone who has owned/tested/reviewed 50 of them. It's currently out of production, and the BD570/590 are decent upgrades.

[quote name='aniceday']How about this Panasonic DMP-BD65 1080p Blu-ray Player bundled? It has good reviews.[/QUOTE]

Damn good deal!

[quote name='ZincAlloy']Save yourself the money and get a PS3. You can actually rent blu ray movies off the PSN for a few bucks.[/QUOTE]

No, you can't. You can rent movie in HD, but they are not "blu-ray movies". VuDu, which is now on all LG, Toshiba and Samsung players has HDX - which is a step up from the HD downloads on the PSN store, and a slight step down from Blu-ray. Also they use Lossy DD+ (you won't be able to tell the difference between it or TrueHD/DTS MA unless you are Superman).

[quote name='supershammy']Check out the Blu-Ray discussion thread stickied at the top of this forum. Lots of elitests in there talking up their experience with blu-ray players - which is perfect when you actually want advice from someone with wayyyy too much expertise in the field.[/QUOTE]

:D All info is a Google search away.
 
[quote name='Allnatural']Based on what I've read (from some time ago; haven't read many reviews lately) nearly all players will give you the same basic quality, particularly if you're outputing at 1080p24. Beyond that it's mostly down to features. Netflix was already mentioned. Your current home theater situation might play a part as well. If you have an older receiver that doesn't handle HDMI (and therefore doesn't handle the newer audio codecs) but does have 5.1 analog inputs, you may want to spend a little more on a player with built in decoders and 5.1 analog outs.[/QUOTE]

Some players allow you to tinker with Picture Quality and/or have chips to give out better DVD upconverting (all out of production now, of course). But for the most part they all will output the same type of picture. Audio as well for all models now in production from a name-brand.
 
IMO the ps3 is the best

Plays Games
Browse the Net
Upconverts your dvds
Stream music, movies and pics to your PS3, or copy from your laptop/pc to it
Plays netflix

also you can pop in a 500gb HDD for mad cheap, hook external HDDs up to it and play tons of films etc.

its just incredibly easy to use and does everything you could possibly want it to do
 
[quote name='styl3s']IMO the ps3 is the best

Plays Games
Browse the Net
Upconverts your dvds
Stream music, movies and pics to your PS3, or copy from your laptop/pc to it
Plays netflix

also you can pop in a 500gb HDD for mad cheap, hook external HDDs up to it and play tons of films etc.

its just incredibly easy to use and does everything you could possibly want it to do[/QUOTE]

Not everyone wants to play games.
Not everyone wants to browse the net on their TV using a game controller (really, aside from 15 years olds who don't have a laptop who the hell would use it?)
Every BD player upconverts DVD
Depending on which player, you can stream music/pics/movies as well. They'll even play MKVs
Most BD players do Netflix as well - with no disc
Some BD players allow external HD to be plugged in

And all of that for half the price of a PS3. Faster loading, less power, more features ;)
 
[quote name='ZincAlloy']Save yourself the money and get a PS3. You can actually rent blu ray movies off the PSN for a few bucks.[/QUOTE]That is incorrect. HD rentals are $5.99. Not a few bucks. ;)
 
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