So, I'm gettin' me a Blu-Ray player, the question is which one? (1 Viewer)

[Elphaba]

The obvious choice is the PS3. Plays games, Blu-Ray discs, has other media functionality, easy firmware updates, decent upscaling.

It's been reported to have a noisy fan, but so far that's the biggest negative.

Second choice: Panasonic, the one with the five free movies. It comes with five free movies. I actually like all five of them, and would be getting the two POTC movies anyway. Negatives: It's $600, about $100 more than the competition. I could buy $100 worth of discs for that price difference, but not quite get five.

Samsung BDP 1200: It has the HQV processor, which I have seen highly praised. Negatives: It costs more than the Sonys, and doesn't come with the free movies of the Panasonic at the same price.

Sony S300: It's $500, or actually currently $487 at Best Buy. This is a couple of hundred less than they want for the first generation Sony. The big negative is that, compared to the PS3 at the same price, it doesn't play games.

The PS3 is the obvious choice, or am I missing anything here? Are the stand alone players going to offer any advantages in image quality or usability over the PS3, either on Blu-Ray discs or upscaling my rather large SD collection?

I'm buying in the next few days, and I've all but decided on the PS3, but I want to cover all my bases.

 

[Jari K]

This depends from who you ask (what is "noisy" and what is not), but it´s never totally quiet (I have listened e.g. Toshiba´s HD DVD-player and it´s not "totally quiet" either). The other negative point probably would be the lack of analog 5.1-out (if you have HDMI-receiver or you´re planning to buy one - then it´s not a major omission). You can get those "5 free movies" with PS3 also, I believe).

The other factors mainly depends on the individual needs of each person;
-Do you play games in the first place?
(If you play games, you might prefer Xbox 360 solely for the reason that they have better and wider selection of games..)
-Do you like the features like downloading games, JPEGs, MP3s to the harddrive?
-Do you "hate Sony"? (yes, seems to be the reason for some people, since Microsoft and others are in it for the charity.. )


And: You want to choose Blu over HD DVD?

 

[Elphaba]

I was referring to the 5 movies that come in the box with the Panasonic. You get POTC 1 & 2, Fantastic Four, The Transporter, and Crash. There's also the five you get mail in for any Blu-Ray player, which makes it ten for the Panasonic.

-Do you play games in the first place?
(If you play games, you might prefer Xbox 360 solely for the reason that they have better and wider selection of games..)

Yes.

-Do you like the features like downloading games, JPEGs, MP3s to the harddrive?

That has some appeal, but I wouldn't miss it a whole lot if I didn't have those features.

-Do you "hate Sony"? (yes, seems to be the reason for some people, since Microsoft and others are in it for the charity.. )

Nope. I did list two Sony devices here, so I think that's some indication.

 

[Elphaba]

Oops. Double post.

 

[Jari K]

With "hating Sony"-comment, I was mostly sarcastic. But I have read that this could be one reason why some people don´t choose e.g. PS3 or Blu-ray..

I personally feel that PS3 could be a right choice for you. For me it was very simple; I play games, but not that much anymore. I know that the game selection with PS3 (at least not yet) is not that wide like it´s with e.g. Xbox 360, but give me the new Tomb Raider, Resident Evil, MGS, Medal Of Honor, etc etc and I´ll be fine. Unlike some hardcore players, I´m not *that* demanding (I still like good games, of course).

Then I wanted (for many different reasons, mainly for the bigger studio support and some other factors) Blu-ray and I especially wanted *internal* HD-player (so Xbox 360 & add-on was a no-no to me). So again PS3 was a good option.

Then I thought that this will be my "first HD-player" and most likely not the last. So even if I probably buy a stand-alone HD-player at some point along the line (could still be some years even), I´ll use PS3 for games (and other stuff) etc. I wanted into HD-game now.

One thing is of course the region codes with Blu-ray, that are included in *selected* titles (not all of them). These are included in the stand-alone players also, not just PS3. HD DVD has also additional interactive/web based features basically fully functional, while the BD-J (BD-Java: http://www.blueboard.com/bluray/ ) is (still!) not ready. There are plenty rumors, so hopefully soon Blu-ray has also their interactive/web based support ready to go. *I´m not sure* that how PS3 will support full BD-J, meaning that is it just quick firmware update or something more?

One good thing with PS3 is, that they´re great for adding firmware-updates. PS3 has also 24fps support.

My 2 cents.

 

[Adam_R]

I think you answered your own question there.

I listen at pretty low volumes these days due to having a baby, and can NEVER hear my PS3 fan at all. Seriously. NEVER.

I keep my PS3 out in the open though and it stays very cool too. I have heard reports from those who keep it locked up behind glass that when it gets hot the fan kicks into overdrive and can be heard. I have never experienced this.

 

[Alf S]

Wal Mart has the Sony for $488 plus you get 7 free movies with it.

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/produ...uct_id=5984216

 

[Shane Martin]

The same player Alfer recommends is cheaper at Sams or Costco.

The negatives to the current batch of stand alone players is they may not be able to play future extra features because of BDJ Profile 1.1.

The Ps3 is the most "future" proof of the bunch even if it's not a 100% guarantee.

 

[Carlo_M]

I've owned the PS3 as my sole BD player for quite a few months now, and I've never been tempted to buy a standalone player. Something I could never have said for the PS2/XBox as a DVD player.

 

[Jari K]

This is true. I´m still fairly sure that some day I´ll buy a stand-alone HD-player too. PS3 will do just fine for some years, though.

 

[Elphaba]

Thanks, the PS3 it is, then.

 

[raymond caputo]

i am not aware of the free 5 mail in's...i bought the panny and got the 5 in the box....does anyone know of the other 5??

 

[John Garcia]

If you bought it after July 1st, then you may still qualify. Both the BD10K and BD10AK are listed.

PS3 for me baby, only wish I wouldn't have had to pay that extra $100 I paid for it, but it has more than gotten its use since December (I'm a gamer).

 

[Elphaba]

http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/pdf/rebates/13590.pdf

The selection is not very good, not nearly the quality of the five discs that come with the Panasonic.

I'm getting Chicken Little, Corpse Bride, Stir of Echoes, Babel, and Kiss of the Dragon (or Transporter 2 if I get the Panasonic BD player). I've seen Chicken Little on a Blu-Ray display at Best Buy, and it looks great as a demo disc, which it should, coming from an all digital source.

I am just drooling at the thought of a pixel perfect BD transfer of the Pixar movies, both Toy Stories, Nemo, and The Incredibles especially. We are at least getting Cars soon, which means Pixar on BD is a good possibility in the near future.-

 

[John Garcia]

Corpse Bride was rated as one of the best titles in terms of video quality so far. I would tend to agree with that.

 

[Seth=L]

That isn't very surprising. I would expect some of the other movies that set standards like Star Wars and LOTR to have excellent video quality once they are released as well.

 

[John Garcia]

I think it IS a bit surprising that it surpassed some titles that are direct from digital....

The new Star Wars titles are practically animated, but they already do look pretty darn good even in SD.

 

[GregoryP]

What made the PS3 a no-brainer for me was the fact that none of the stand-alone players are going to be upgradable to Profile 1.1.

I've never used a game machine as a stand-alone player before but am very happy with the PS3.

 

[Elphaba]

Thank you everyone.

I thought I had this all decided. Then I check this week's Best Buy flyer, and lo and behold, one of my three finalist TVs is $200 off, and there's a discount of $100 off if you buy a HD player of either flavor at the same time and another $100 off if you get home audio of $499 or more. The first day I can be guaranteed no rain, I'm off to get my new home theater.

Problem: Videogame systems are excluded, so no discount on the PS3. Darn it. The Sony BDP S300 would be $387 after the discount. That's very tempting. But no games. No games, though, means more money to spend on DVDs, like the three extended edition LOTR sets that are on sale right now.

Arrrgh.

I'll make it an impulse when I get there, decide what feels best. At worst, I'll be coming home with a new home theater system that will look and sound great as soon as my speakers arrive (ordered them online to save money).

By the end of this week, I'll be in HD theater heaven.

Hee.

You've all been wonderful, thank you for the feedback.

 

[TravisR]

If you've waited this long for them, you might as well wait another couple of years for the HD versions... but if you can't they're on sale at Circuit City for $8.99 (as opposed to Best Buy's $12.99).