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better bd player than the panasonic DMP 35 (1 Viewer)

AmusingistheDawn

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I'm thinking about giving my dad my bd player, so I was wondering what would be a good upgrade from what I have now? Will 200 dollars more even make a difference?
 

Jim Mcc

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It depends on what features you want. If you don't want Netflix or any of that other crap, I'd get the Pan. BD60. I love mine.
 

ManW_TheUncool

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Originally Posted by AmusingistheDawn

I'm thinking about giving my dad my bd player, so I was wondering what would be a good upgrade from what I have now? Will 200 dollars more even make a difference?
$200 more (than your old player?) meaning something like $500 or so? That would get you the Oppo BDP-83, which sounds like a great all-around player (that also plays SACD and DVD-Audio).

I recently picked up the Panny BD60 on the cheap (because my PS3's drive seems to have broken down at least for now), and that's a nice player for the $, especially for the $100+tax I paid. But it's not a fast player, especially if you like to keep BD-Live enabled, and doesn't have the various bells-and-whistles. PQ is excellent though even for upscaling DVDs, which is probably something you missed w/ your old player. For instance, I was surprised at how good my 50th-anniversary It's a Wonderful Life DVD looks w/ it. Not sure how well it compares to the Oppo players for upscaling DVDs though.

_Man_
 

Sam Posten

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Don't buy ANYTHING until you see the new hotness announced today at CES.... Every manufacturer has a major upgrade. OR Buy a PS3 =)
 

ManW_TheUncool

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Originally Posted by Sam Posten

OR Buy a PS3 =)
Actually, I'd hold off on pushing the PS3 until it's clear the BD drive problem is easily avoidable/fixable -- mine stopped working after ~2 years.

I still need mine fixed -- hopefully, it's really just a simple case of dirty laser lens that can be fixed easily.

_Man_
 

AmusingistheDawn

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PS3??? Would one really put the oppo 83 in the same category as a PS3? I really just don't want a gaming system in my HT room, so i'm biased. I will however keep my eyes open after this week to see what a good buy will be.
 

ManW_TheUncool

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The PS3 is an oddity that doesn't really fit neatly into any one specific category in the HT world (outside of HTPCs). Whether it suits you is a highly subjective thing. For some, it will be like the swiss army knife or the best thing since sliced bread. For others, it will be too quirky/unconventional.

And at its current price of $300, it also doesn't fit neatly into the range of BD players for comparison. The Oppo is $200 more. And most other standalones are $100-150 less (unless you want specific things like multichannel analog out, eg. Panny BD80, which the PS3 also does not do).

Do note though that you also won't need to add additional memory/storage for BD-Live (or similar) stuff w/ the PS3. Most other standalones will need additional memory/storage at some point, if you want to make the most of BD-Live (or similar).

Also, of the current players, only the PS3 seems to be guaranteed to support 3D playback w/ the newly announced 3D BD spec. If you want 3D playback, that's another thing to consider.

_Man_
 

AmusingistheDawn

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Yea, I dunno. I'm not worried about the 3D thing just yet. Honestly I don't even think it's all that cool.
Something weird about using the PS3 for me as a BD player. A quirk if you will...

Does the oppo-83 even compare to a PS3 though?
 

ManW_TheUncool

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Originally Posted by AmusingistheDawn

Does the oppo-83 even compare to a PS3 though?
Are you asking if the Oppo is as good as (or better than) the PS3?

Too bad the search doesn't work so well, but there was an older long thread on the Oppo. And IIRC, most feel the Oppo to be just as good as (if not exactly better than) the PS3 wrt regular BD playback w/ the added bonus of multichannel analog out among other things, eg. industry leading upscaling DVD playback, SACD/DVD-Audio playback, standard IR remote interface, etc.

The primary benefits of the PS3 are in everything else outside of regular packaged media playback. Well, for some, Bluetooth remote is desirable, and certainly, built-in WiFi is generally preferable (IMHO) to a hard connection (for stuff like BD-Live, etc. or even Universal's new iPod remote/interface feature). And of course, if you care about BD-Live and similar extras, then having a good size HDD built-in for storage would be nice too.

_Man_
 

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