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BD Player Advice?

post #1 of 30
1/30/08 at 10:49am
Thread Starter 
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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post #2 of 30
1/30/08 at 11:07am

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_
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post #3 of 30
1/30/08 at 12:07pm
Thread Starter 

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.
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post #4 of 30
1/30/08 at 12:26pm

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.
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post #5 of 30
1/30/08 at 12:27pm

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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post #6 of 30
1/30/08 at 3:20pm

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.
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post #7 of 30
2/1/08 at 6:20pm

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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post #8 of 30
2/1/08 at 6:27pm

Re: BD Player Advice?

Quote:
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.

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.
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post #9 of 30
2/3/08 at 11:06pm

Re: BD Player Advice?

I think the playstation is the best one with the least bugs and the most upside
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post #10 of 30
2/7/08 at 4:52pm

Re: BD Player Advice?

Quote:
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.
Hmmmmmmmmm.....sounds like money is a little short right now. If I were you, I would buy the Toshiba HD-A3 at Best Buy for $150. It comes with (7) HD-DVD titles (2 in the box and 5 mail-in) and is a damn good buy. You get 1080i output through component.
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post #11 of 30
2/7/08 at 7:16pm

Re: BD Player Advice?

Quote:
Originally Posted by bigluigi
Hmmmmmmmmm.....sounds like money is a little short right now. If I were you, I would buy the Toshiba HD-A3 at Best Buy for $150. It comes with (7) HD-DVD titles (2 in the box and 5 mail-in) and is a damn good buy. You get 1080i output through component.

I didn't know that player can play BDs or I would've done that in a heartbeat myself.

_Man_
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post #12 of 30
2/7/08 at 10:05pm

Re: BD Player Advice?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Man-Fai Wong
I didn't know that player can play BDs or I would've done that in a heartbeat myself.

_Man_
Awwww....Man,
It's still on sale....go treat yourself. It's real easy on the pocketbook.
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post #13 of 30
2/7/08 at 10:31pm

Re: BD Player Advice?

Quote:
Originally Posted by bigluigi
Awwww....Man,
It's still on sale....go treat yourself. It's real easy on the pocketbook.

LOL. In truth, I probably would've done it already and gone Purple (just before Warner's announcement), but (un?)fortunately for me, adding an HDD player will also require me to plunk down extra $$$ so I can handle the additional 1080i component video source. And now, it probably doesn't make any sense at all to do it unless Toshiba gave me the player (plus a couple desirable titles) completely for free -- and even then I'm not sure how I'd use it. I don't even have use for it as an upconverting player as I don't have HDMI and my 1-yo Denon upconverting player is already relegated to audio-only duty (for music on hirez and CD), LOL.

And no, I most definitely would not want to trade my PS3 for a Toshiba HDD player even though I generally like Toshiba products (and my first few DVD players along w/ first "bigscreen" TV were all Toshibas).

_Man_
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post #14 of 30
2/8/08 at 1:26am

Re: BD Player Advice?

Quote:
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.

I have the Sharp and like it very much, especially the fact that it is very silent (most HD players have audible fans, especially the PS3) and that I have until now never had problems playing a BD titles (the Samsung seems to be problematic in this respect). The Sharp even upconverts DVD to 1080i. I have it connected via digital input to the receiver and it plays Dolby Digital and DTS just fine. I even get uncompressed PCM, although only in stereo.

Multichannel uncompressed PCM sound is available via the analogue 5.1 output which can be connected to your 5.1. inputs at the receiver. I think the Sharp has also internal Dolby True HD decoding, so the only thing missing would be DTS-HD sound (but then you get normal DTS instead which is not bad).

And lastly I would think it to be unwise to buy a HDDVD player at this late time point in the format war, even at those cheap prices, so I would not recommend following bigluigi´s advice.
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post #15 of 30
2/8/08 at 6:12am

Re: BD Player Advice?

Um... what's the LFE bug from the BD30? Is it fixable and how?
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post #16 of 30
2/8/08 at 7:24am

Re: BD Player Advice?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ric Easton
Um... what's the LFE bug from the BD30? Is it fixable and how?

It has a thread around here somewhere Ric. But from what i read, probably not fixable. But i dont think they know 100% right now.

I have a Sony 300, and its a fine machine. But if i were in the market now, i would wait just a LITTLE longer for a Profile 1.1 or 2.0 player. I dont think the Sony 500 is, but i dont know if it can be a profile 1.1 after a firmware upgrade. No matter what you get make sure it has the latest firmware update. My Sony 300 has been a beauty after it got its first update.
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post #17 of 30
2/8/08 at 10:52am

Re: BD Player Advice?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Hartwig Hanser
I have the Sharp and like it very much, especially the fact that it is very silent (most HD players have audible fans, especially the PS3) and that I have until now never had problems playing a BD titles (the Samsung seems to be problematic in this respect). The Sharp even upconverts DVD to 1080i.
Hey....don't dis-respect the Sammy 1400.Actually, my Sammy upconversion capabilities leaves alot to be desired....just horribe compared to my Toshiba HD-A2, but the Sammy's 1080p picture is nothing less than breathtaking!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hartwig Hanser
And lastly I would think it to be unwise to buy a HDDVD player at this late time point in the format war, even at those cheap prices, so I would not recommend following bigluigi´s advice.
Look!!! Forget the "war" for a minute and just think practicality. If your on a tight budget, or not, the A3 is a terrific buy especially with 7 HD titles thrown in and costing only $150...surely, you can see that. The Blu-ray players cost over twice as much and NO free titles. Bummer!!!
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post #18 of 30
2/8/08 at 11:15am

Re: BD Player Advice?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ric Easton
Um... what's the LFE bug from the BD30? Is it fixable and how?
LFE output from the BD30 (and also BD10 and Denon 2500) when playing back uncompressed MPCM soundtracks via HDMI run 5db lower than when played back on other BD players. LFE bug does not affect any of the other HD audio codecs (e.g., Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD) bitstreamed from the BD30, nor does it affect PCM output via 5.1 analog out.

Is it fixable? Theoretically it could be...but given Panasonic's current stance regarding this issue...odds are that a fix may not be forthcoming.
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post #19 of 30
2/8/08 at 11:19am

Re: BD Player Advice?

Quote:
Originally Posted by RickER
...But if i were in the market now, i would wait just a LITTLE longer for a Profile 1.1 or 2.0 player. I dont think the Sony 500 is, but i dont know if it can be a profile 1.1 after a firmware upgrade. No matter what you get make sure it has the latest firmware update. My Sony 300 has been a beauty after it got its first update.
I read somewhere else that supposedly Sony pretty much stated that the only BD player they will support as far as BD Profile updates are concerned is the PS3. This is not to say that they won't offer general firmware updates for their other BD players...but as far as hoping for a Profile f/w update for those players--don't count on it.
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post #20 of 30
2/8/08 at 6:06pm

Re: BD Player Advice?

Quote:
Originally Posted by bigluigi
Forget the "war" for a minute and just think practicality. If your on a tight budget, or not, the A3 is a terrific buy especially with 7 HD titles thrown in and costing only $150...surely, you can see that. The Blu-ray players cost over twice as much and NO free titles. Bummer!!!

Well, that may or may not make sense depending on the individual. If one strongly believes that BD is the future and HDD is gonna be dead soon (considering the circumstance), then one is gonna end up needing to buy a BD player anyway. Why not just save that $150 toward the inevitable BD purchase, if we're gonna be practical about it?

Of course, if the OP needed yet another (top notch) upconverting player for the guestroom or wherever, then I guess it can certainly make good practical sense to pick up an A3.

If, however, one's goal is really to dive into HDM and want all the titles they're interested in asap, despite whatever may actually be practical, then by all means go pick up an A3 (or whichever other Toshiba) and make full use of all the clearance pricing to grab all the available HDD titles one wants and not worry about where the format will end up...

_Man_
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post #21 of 30
2/9/08 at 7:38pm

Re: BD Player Advice?

Has the PS3 gotten an update allowing it to stream DTS-MA?
I am also trying to decide on the best player to get. upconversion is not that important as I can use my HD-XA2 for SD DVDs. But the best possible in lossless sound is imperative either 5.1 out or through HDMI to a Pioneer 9120.
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post #22 of 30
2/11/08 at 3:07pm

Re: BD Player Advice?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rolando
Has the PS3 gotten an update allowing it to stream DTS-MA?
I am also trying to decide on the best player to get. upconversion is not that important as I can use my HD-XA2 for SD DVDs. But the best possible in lossless sound is imperative either 5.1 out or through HDMI to a Pioneer 9120.

Not yet unfortunately, and even when it comes, it's expected to decode DTS-HD/MA to uncompressed PCM before passing via HDMI. There is no expected plan to pass DTS-HD/MA (nor Dolby TrueHD) in its undecoded/original form -- it's been said that the HDMI hardware on the PS3 cannot pass them undecoded (though I have no idea why). If passing the undecoded/original bitstream track is important to you, then you'll need to look at some other player.

_Man_
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post #23 of 30
2/11/08 at 3:52pm

Re: BD Player Advice?

I have both the ps3 and the panasonic 30. they are both fine players. if you want to bitstream your trueHD and DTS MA.. then go with the panasonic 30.

Jacob
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post #24 of 30
2/12/08 at 1:31pm

Re: BD Player Advice?

Might I introduce another way of looking at this?

I was in the same situation, except for having HDMI, on my TV. Anyway, I was going to wait for a player with 7.1 outs since that’s all my receiver has.

I couldn’t wait any longer and sprang for a PS3 two weeks ago and couldn’t be happier. I’m now thinking of replacing my receiver that I have almost a grand into for one with HDMI. The PS3 is so cool, I don’t want to relegate it to the upstairs “occasional theater” just for the lossless sound. Who knows, depending on what prices do, I may just purchase a second BR Player!!!
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post #25 of 30
2/13/08 at 9:23am

Re: BD Player Advice?

I am also looking to get a BluRay player. I currently have a Toshiba HD-A1, which I will keep for upconversion and HDDVDS.

Since I have an old receiver, I would like a player that can decode ALL of the advanced audio codecs and pass them out via 5.1 analog. From what I can tell, the Samsung BD-P1400 does this. Is that correct?

Also, I am not sure what "profiles" are, but I am not sure I feel like waiting for the newest one. I really don't care about extras, especially a PiP commentary. I just want to be able to play all of the movies. Can I do this with an older profile player on a newer profile disc? Again, I just want to be able to play the movie.

Thanks
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post #26 of 30
2/13/08 at 2:37pm

Re: BD Player Advice?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Marc_Sulinski
Also, I am not sure what "profiles" are, but I am not sure I feel like waiting for the newest one. I really don't care about extras, especially a PiP commentary. I just want to be able to play all of the movies. Can I do this with an older profile player on a newer profile disc? Again, I just want to be able to play the movie.
Profile 1.0 players should be able to play Profile 1.1 or 2.0 discs just fine, but without the PiP commentary or web-enabled features that the newer profiles enable. Notice the emphasis on should. Until we have more Profile 1.1 or 2.0 titles available to play on older 1.0 machines, we really won't know exactly how this pans out, but odds are you will be able to play most discs on a 1.0 player.
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post #27 of 30
2/13/08 at 3:02pm

Re: BD Player Advice?

Marc, et al,

I would stay away from any profile 1.0 player made by Samsung or most anyone else other than Sony, if I were you. Not worth the hassle/risk at this point.

_Man_
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post #28 of 30
2/14/08 at 12:36pm

Re: BD Player Advice?

Quote:
I would stay away from any profile 1.0 player made by Samsung or most anyone else other than Sony, if I were you. Not worth the hassle/risk at this point.

So does the Sony BDP-S500 decode and output all known audio codecs via 5.1 analog? What is the profile of this player? Since it is a sony, is it likely that the profile could be upgraded via a firmware update?
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post #29 of 30
2/29/08 at 9:40pm

Re: BD Player Advice?

Just so everybody realizes that firmware update 1.6 for the Panny BD-30 fixes the LFE problem.





Crawdaddy
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post #30 of 30
3/20/08 at 7:37am

Re: BD Player Advice?

Hi Hartwig,

Need some advice from you rgarding the Sharp BD player. Just bought
the BD-HP20A and like you really love it for the slimness and quietness.

I bought it only after considering the Sony BD-S300 and Samsung BD1400.
The advice I seek is this.My A/V receiver an Onkyo 676 have a 5.1 input.
So the only option was to utilised the BD player's 5.1output to play Blu ray
DVDs.

As I read from this thread the managing of the LFE proves a challenge from
the LPCM source.I've tried to setup the speaker but to no avail. The LFE
signal prove too strong.Is there a way to counter this or maybe simply
set as no subwoofer.
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