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Which is the better purchase right now?

#1
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10/27/08 at 2:11pm
  • Joined: October 2008
  • Post Count: 1
Hi all,

I am new to this site and I apologize in advance if this question or anything similar has been posted numerous times. I am currently unhappy with my current DVD player (Phillips DVP5140) and have been thinking of purchasing a Blu-ray player or replacing it with a top of the line DVD player (I was thinking of getting either the OPPO DV-981HD or Oppo DV-983H). I like the multi-region capabilities of the OPPOs and they look like excellent but expensive options to get the most out of my current DVDs. I am also looking at several Blu-ray players such as several Sony models and the Panasonic DMP-BD35. As far as I have seen though, any multi-region players being sold of the market are overpriced and I have not seen anything that guarantees that will play regular DVDs from other regions. Also the hacks to convert a player to region 0 or whatever the universal region for Blu-ray disks is looks much more complicated than merely entering a code into the standard remote. Is it better to buy the OPPO now (they are about the same price as a Blu-ray player) and wait on the other?

Thanks
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#2
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10/28/08 at 3:41pm
  • Joined: August 2003
  • Location: SF Bay Area
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Re: Which is the better purchase right now?

OPPO makes very good dvd players, but unless you're interested in hi-res music I'd get a BluRay player. You're going to sooner than later anyway so why put it off. On the other hand, OPPO's hold their value very well for a dvd player so you could probably sell it pretty quickly if you got one first. Then again, why not get both! Then you could have it all! After all, it's your money, not mine . But if it's one or the other, I'd get the BluRay.
"Everyday room": Mitsubishi 52631 RPTV, H/K 520, H/K dvd-5, H/K 8380, H/K CDR 20, OPPO BDP-83 BluRay player, Dish-HD, Infinity Beta 20's-C250-OWS1's, Dayton HSU10.
"Movie/Music room": Toshiba 65HM167 RPTV, Pioneer Elite 59txi, Elite DV59avi, Elite CD-59, Pioneer PD-51FD BR, Dish-DVR, Swan Diva...
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#3
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10/29/08 at 10:39am
  • Joined: December 1998
  • Location: Michigan
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Re: Which is the better purchase right now?

I had a similar dilemma about a month ago after upgrading my TV to a new 1080p capable display. I decided to go BluRay instead of spending approximately the same amount of money on an Oppo SD-DVD player. While the Oppo may have slightly better upconversion of SD-DVD's, the Sony BluRay player also upconverts SD-DVD and gives me the ability to play BD discs, too. It just seemed like a better way to spend my money.

Of course, I have since bought quite a few BD movies, so I guess the BluRay player ended up costing me a lot more money.
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#4
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10/29/08 at 2:20pm
  • Joined: August 2001
  • Location: New York City Area
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Re: Which is the better purchase right now?

Just get one of the better BD players w/ solid upconversion for DVDs. The new Panny's are supposed to be pretty good all-around. For a cheaper option, you might also consider the Samsung BDP-1500.

And of course, if you don't mind the "game console" uncoolness, there's also the PS3 -- and if you can make use of the Sony new credit card deal, you can even knock off $150 (less taxes and maybe the $20 for a Bluetooth remote) from the price on that too.

_Man_

Just another amateur learning to paint w/ "the light of the world".

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#5
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10/31/08 at 3:33pm
  • Joined: October 2008
  • Location: Lunenburg, Nova Scotia
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Re: Which is the better purchase right now?

I bought the 981HD first because of my large DVD library. Also the format war had not been resolved yet. I have since acquired a BD30. Do I regret spending the money on the Oppo? Not a bit. It outperforms the BD30 in every respect for SD. Don't get me wrong, I'm very happy with the Panasonic for HD and upscaled SD just can't compete with with HD... but it will take quite a while for many of my DVDs to become available on Blu-Ray. In the meantime I can watch them now. Bonus - The Oppo is very fast, does a great job with CDs and comes with a 6' HDMI cable.
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