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01-30-2008, 12:49 PM
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#1 of 30 
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Member
Join Date: Jul 1999
Local Time: 06:15 AM
Local Date: 10-14-2008
Posts: 762
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BD Player Advice?
Given these choices:
$350 Sony BDP-S300
$350 Samsung BD-P1400
$400 Panasonic DMP-BD30K
$400 Sharp BD-HP20U
$500 Sony BDP-S500
$500 Sony PS3 80GB
And here's the catch: my current TV and Receiver are somewhat archaic. TV is a Toshiba 50H81 (component, no HDMI, 1080i) and receiver is a Sony (don't have model number handy, no HDMI, DD/DTS 5.1).
It's really not feasible to be upgrading the TV or receiver any time in the near future. I understand that over component I won't get upconversion of SD-DVD, but would get HD playback at 1080i, correct? However, I know virtually nothing about newer audio playback formats and whether any of these players (or other BD players) will connect to my receiver via optical.
Until just the last few weeks, I hadn't even pondered high-def DVD formats because I didn't think I could get any playback without HDMI, so I really haven't followed any discussions or done a whole lot of research to this point. I don't even know what questions to ask! I would greatly appreciate any feedback or advice.
...And then there's the guy who saw the sign that said "Wet Floor", so he did.
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01-30-2008, 01:07 PM
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#2 of 30
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Member
Location: New York City
Join Date: Aug 2001
Local Time: 07:15 AM
Local Date: 10-14-2008
Posts: 2,490
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Re: BD Player Advice?
Dave,
Does your receiver have 5.1 analog input that you can use from one of the better BD players? If not and you don't mind the PS3 being what it is, then a PS3/40GB ($400) might be your best bet right now. And if you don't mind getting a new Sony credit card, you can even get $100 back by getting the PS3 from a Sony store (or their SonyStyle online store) w/ the use of a new Sony card. FWIW, that deal is good for *any* Sony purchase over $300, so you can use it for the Sony standalone also, if you want.
If your receiver does have 5.1 analog input, then you might want to consider waiting for the newly announced Panny BD50 to come out considering you're willing to go upto ~$500...
_Man_
Just another amateur learning to paint w/ "the light of the world".
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01-30-2008, 02:07 PM
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#3 of 30
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Member
Join Date: Jul 1999
Local Time: 06:15 AM
Local Date: 10-14-2008
Posts: 762
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Re: BD Player Advice?
OK, receiver is a Sony STR-DE835. According to the Technical Specs page on Amazon, it has:
Analog-audio inputs: 9 (phono, CD, MD/DAT, tape, TV/satellite, DVD/LD, video 1, video 2, 5.1-channel surround)
Digital-audio inputs: 3 Toslink optical (MD/DAT, TV/satellite, DVD/LD), 1 coaxial (DVD/LD)
Does that help? I don't know what kind of audio outputs the BD players have, so I'm not sure what to look for.
...And then there's the guy who saw the sign that said "Wet Floor", so he did.
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01-30-2008, 02:26 PM
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#4 of 30
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Member
Join Date: Dec 1969
Local Time: 07:15 AM
Local Date: 10-14-2008
Posts: 12,182
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Re: BD Player Advice?
Does it have a cluster of six RCA jacks for each speaker/sub to come in individually? It sounds like it does, but I'm not quite sure.
Jay's Movie Blog - A movie-viewing diary.
Transplanted Life: Sci-fi soap opera about a man placed in a new body, updated two or three times a week.
Trading Post Inn - Another gender-bending soap, with different collaborators writing different points of view.
"What? Since when was this an energy ball movie?" - Overheard during a screening of Takashi Miike's Dead Or Alive
"What the hell religion are you people?" - Overheard during the Captain Marvel serial at SF/29
"If I feel even one bullet hit me, I will rip your lungs out through your nostrils!" - Ron Silver as himself, "Heat Vision And Jack"
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01-30-2008, 02:27 PM
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#5 of 30
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Member
Join Date: Jan 2006
Local Time: 05:15 AM
Local Date: 10-14-2008
Posts: 29
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Re: BD Player Advice?
We're in just about the same boat, Dave. My TV has component inputs and one DVI input, and my receiver has 5.1 analog inputs. Since I'm limited to 1080i for video, I'm not concerned about a 1080P player. However, since the top HD audio formats (Dolby Digital True HD and DTS-MA) will work over analog, I'm focused on getting a player that will process those formats.
The PS3 does not have analog outputs, so it's off my list. As for the others, it's my understanding that they either do not internally decode both DD True HD and DTS-MA, or they're not Blu-ray 1.1, the spec that enables features like picture-in-picture bonus materials.
Right now, I'm waiting for either the upcoming Panasonic BD50 (mentioned above) or the Samsung BD-UP6500 (dual-format player).
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01-30-2008, 05:20 PM
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#6 of 30
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Member
Location: Lacombe, AB
Join Date: Jul 2003
Local Time: 05:15 AM
Local Date: 10-14-2008
Posts: 2,040
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Re: BD Player Advice?
I'd go with what Man says. If you're willing to wait until it comes out, the Panasonic BD50 seems to be what you need.
\"My opinion is that (a) anyone who actually works in a video store and does not understand letterboxing has given up on life, and (b) any customer who prefers to have the sides of a movie hacked off should not be licensed to operate a video player.\"-- Roger Ebert
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02-01-2008, 08:20 PM
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#7 of 30
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Member
Location: Toronto area, Canada
Join Date: Nov 2002
Local Time: 07:15 AM
Local Date: 10-14-2008
Posts: 1,891
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Re: BD Player Advice?
Hope you don't mind me tagging on here... I'm in a similar postion re the archaic display. I have the 7.1 analog receiver inputs.
Tell me: is the BD50 supposed to be able to upscale SD fine? And I gather it will work OK with BD into my display's component inputs for now (I am not sure if it even handles 1080i, it's a 2001 vintage Sony)? Thanks a lot.
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02-01-2008, 08:27 PM
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#8 of 30
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Member
Join Date: Aug 2003
Local Time: 07:15 AM
Local Date: 10-14-2008
Posts: 279
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Re: BD Player Advice?
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Dave Gorman
Given these choices:
$350 Sony BDP-S300
$350 Samsung BD-P1400
$400 Panasonic DMP-BD30K
$400 Sharp BD-HP20U
$500 Sony BDP-S500
$500 Sony PS3 80GB
And here's the catch: my current TV and Receiver are somewhat archaic. TV is a Toshiba 50H81 (component, no HDMI, 1080i) and receiver is a Sony (don't have model number handy, no HDMI, DD/DTS 5.1).
It's really not feasible to be upgrading the TV or receiver any time in the near future. I understand that over component I won't get upconversion of SD-DVD, but would get HD playback at 1080i, correct? However, I know virtually nothing about newer audio playback formats and whether any of these players (or other BD players) will connect to my receiver via optical.
Until just the last few weeks, I hadn't even pondered high-def DVD formats because I didn't think I could get any playback without HDMI, so I really haven't followed any discussions or done a whole lot of research to this point. I don't even know what questions to ask! I would greatly appreciate any feedback or advice.
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Either go for the Sony S500 now or wait to see if the Panasonic BD50 has the LFE bug from the BD30 fixed or not.
For every shadow, no matter how deep, is threatened by morning light.
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02-04-2008, 01:06 AM
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#9 of 30
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Member
Join Date: May 2005
Local Time: 11:15 AM
Local Date: 10-14-2008
Posts: 17
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Re: BD Player Advice?
I think the playstation is the best one with the least bugs and the most upside
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