What's the Best Upconverting BD Player (profile 1.1)

Mark Zimmer · 09-12-2008, 11:06 AM

My mom is likely going to get a new TV, and she has a pretty sizable DVD collection that she'd like to be able to upconvert, and she'd like to get into BD. She's not at all tech-savvy though, so I need a one-player solution that is NOT a PS3. She also doesn't have (and will never have) an Internet connection so firmware updates are out. But she likes extras (loves the PIP feature from HD DVD) so profile 1.1 is a must, and 2.0 is overkill. No need for fancy sound processing; she'll be using the TV's speakers (yeah, I know, but what can you do?)

So, her main goals are best possible upconversion in a BD player, that does 1.1. What would you recommend? PS3 isn't going to work for her; she looked at it and immediately got confused.

hodedofome · 09-12-2008, 04:45 PM

Samsung - Blu-ray High-Definition Disc Player with 1080p Output - BD-P2550

Kevin Stewart · 09-12-2008, 05:21 PM

Currently, the Denon DVD-3800BDCI is the best upconverting BD player.

If that's out of her price range, the next best would be the Pioneer Elite BDP-05FD and then the Pioneer BDP-51FD

Mark Zimmer · 09-15-2008, 10:36 AM

Thanks for the tips.

Scott Merryfield · 09-15-2008, 01:45 PM

How do these upconverting BD players handle 4x3 material on standard DVDs? I just ordered a new Samsung 67" LED DLP monitor and would like to get a BD player that also can handle my sizable SD-DVD collection. One of the features I love about my current 480p DVD player -- a Panasonic RP-91 -- is it will pillarbox 4x3 material automatically, and I can scale/zoom non-anamorphic widescreen transfers to eliminate the side pillarbox bars.

Do any of the BD players handle 4x3 material in a similar manner? At the very least, I would need the player to display 4x3 material properly, with the side pillarbox bars (i.e. no stretching of the frame). I have lots of TV on DVD and classic 1.33:1 films that need to be displayed properly, and would love to have a single player in my equipment rack for both SD-DVD and BD-DVD.

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RomanSohor · 09-15-2008, 04:41 PM

Can't speak for anyone else's players. I have the Sharp BD-HP20 and it automatically pillarboxes 4X3 material. The Sharp does not have a zoom mode for dealing with Letterbox 4x3 (as opposed to anamorphic 16x9) material, I have to use the zoom mode on my projector for that, otherwise I get the "black bars around all four sides" look. For the few non-anamorphic titles I own, it's fine, as most of them I either like enough to upgrade to BD when they come out (Disney's Hercules) or hardly ever watch anyway.

Steve Schaffer · 09-17-2008, 06:11 PM

Sony players will also pillarbox 4/3 material. You have to set "upscale" to "normal" in the setup menu
initially, then it will automatically pillarbox 4/3 stuff.

Scott Merryfield · 09-17-2008, 09:34 PM

Thanks. One other question. I have read that BD players are rather slow in loading discs compared with SD DVD players. Does that slowness also apply to loading SD-DVD discs, or are they just slow when loading BD discs?

I'm trying to decide if I want to buy a BluRay player now, or wait awhile longer for the players to improve and drop in price and just buy an upconverting DVD player for now.

Hartwig Hanser · 09-23-2008, 07:40 AM

Unfortunately, BD players are also slow with DVDs, at least my Sharp is.

There seems to be coming an Oppo BD player this winter with the superb upconverting/deinterlacing solution of the Oppo 983. Might be worth waiting for.

Scott Merryfield · 09-23-2008, 11:16 AM

Thanks, Hartwig. I decided on a compromise -- I ordered a Sony BDP-S350 BluRay player from Amazon for $258. That is only a little more money than an Oppo upconverting SD-DVD player. I will keep the Panasonic RP-91 SD-DVD in my system for now to play the few non-anamorphic widescreen titles I still have, and be another option for SD-DVD playback should the Sony prove to be problematic with some titles.

Hopefully BluRay players will continue to evolve and improve over the next couple of years, and I can then move the Sony S350 to the bedroom. For now, I cannot see spending $400 - $500 for a possibly flawed player just so it can decode the newer audio formats and pass it on to my older Pioneer Elite receiver... and I am not ready to replace the receiver. I will just have to continue "suffering" with lossy DD and DTS 5.1.

Man-Fai Wong · 09-23-2008, 02:42 PM

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