Good Bluray player for my Setup. (1 Viewer)

[Brandon Carpenter]

Howdy forum,

Looking to add a Bluray player to my setup and I wasn't sure what to get. I've seen some good reviews for the BDP-S790 but i'm not entirely sure if it's worth the $.

I'm using the Yamaha RX-A710 Receiver and the sound is great. But will a more expensive BR device offer better picture and audio quality compared to a $40 BR device? Or would I just be paying for the extra features.. I honestly don't need all the added features just the ability to watch blurays.

Although, if the BDP-S790 does offer a noticeably better picture/audio quality than I might just grab that one.

Thanks for the help,

Brandon.


EDIT: I also welcome any recommendations ya'll might have for a BR player. Willing to spend around $200 for one if it's worth the dough.

 

[AnthonyClarke]

Whatever you get (and I'm a firm believer in the Oppo quality) just make it has multi-region BR playback so that the entire world can be your oyster ....

 

[FoxyMulder]

Most players will give you identical image and sound quality via HDMI, some players have superior analog audio outs, some have multi region capabilities or can be modded to enable multi region, some players have been known to have noise reduction switched on even when you set it to off, for example some Samsung blu ray players and this means grain reduction is being applied at all times, if you go for something like a Panasonic you will usually find it's cheap and reliable and does the job well.

 

[schan1269]

If you plan on replacing a DVD player, with a BD player to "play all"(even CD), get...1. One that does anamorphic correctly for DVD (not all can)2. Secondary audio output. Audio only, over HDMI, sucks.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Brandon,

Welcome to the forum. I think you'll find this place to be your new home.

I second the opinion of Panasonic. Though I am an Oppo owner now, I have
previously owned Panasonics and they all preform beautifully.

Once you buy your player, keep us posted on what you are viewing and what
you think of the Blu-ray titles.

 

[vidiot33]

I've been doing home theater for 30+ years, and my take on blue ray players is that on newer movies, most players will look very similar. If you play a lot of older movies, then a more expensive player will look (and possibly sound) noticeably better. I also own both a Cambridge Audio and a Panasonic player, and both look and sound excellent with well mastered material. If you're into CD's, SACD's or DVDA's, you may want a more advanced player such as Oppo or Cambridge..

 

[Brandon Carpenter]

Thank you all for your replies.For those recommending a Panasonic bluray player, do ya'll have a specific bluray player in mind that is around $200?Also I'm really only interested in playing blurays any nothing else.Note: I've. Noticed the sony bluray player I mention before has "super bit mapping", how important is that in a bluray player?Thanks again.

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Brandon,

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=panasonic+blu-ray+player

Take your pick.

Read the reviews. They are always the best way to gauge the product.

You don't need 3D (unless you plan to upgrade)

 

[FoxyMulder]

Note: I've. Noticed the sony bluray player I mention before has "super bit mapping", how important is that in a bluray player?Thanks again.

Here you go.

http://www.sonyinsider.com/2009/09/19/hands-on-with-sonys-super-bit-mapping-and-hd-reality-enhancer-technology/

I own a PS3, an Oppo and a Panasonic player, it's the placebo effect when people see differences in image quality between blu ray players or they have not calibrated each input on their displays independently to compare, there is no difference unless one of the players has some processing switched on or is faulty, HDTV Test found the same thing, there is no difference for image quality.

 

[Brandon Carpenter]

Looks like I have all the information I need to make my decision, thanks for the help everyone!

 

[Ronald Epstein]

Brandon you are welcome. Glad you joined us here. Once you get your player head over to the software discussion area.

 

[Jari K]

"Most players will give you identical image and sound quality via HDMI."

With Blu-ray films, when there are no upscaling etc this is true. But I'm sure that there are some differences when it comes to DVD upscaling. Probably not huge differences among the quality brands in the similar price range, but still.

I would make sure that these are supported if you want to watch DVD and BD releases all over the world:
- Region free (both DVD and BD)
- Native PAL and native NTSC support (meaning, that I assume that some players can only have "PAL to NTSC" or "NTSC or PAL" conversion).
- Native 50Hz or 60Hz support for 1080i/50 and 1080i/60.
( ~ 100V- 240V, 50/60Hz AC power supply if you want e.g. US player and live in Europe )

 

[FoxyMulder]

"Most players will give you identical image and sound quality via HDMI."

With Blu-ray films, when there are no upscaling etc this is true. But I'm sure that there are some differences when it comes to DVD upscaling. Probably not huge differences among the quality brands in the similar price range, but still.

For upscaling i think Oppo are the best.