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BluRay for Dummies...or, what must I know before buying? - Page 2

post #31 of 82
11/17/09 at 9:36am
I entered the BD market about a year ago, and personally have found the technology quite stable. There are a couple of things that annoy me (slower load times for discs, inconsistent ability to save my viewing place on a disc, etc.), but overall the transition has been smooth and the upgrade in video/audio quality has been worth the cost and effort. Maybe I have been lucky, but I do not consider my situation that unique.
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post #32 of 82
11/18/09 at 12:16pm
i don't get into early adoption cause i can't afford it to begin w/... but BD is the DREAM home video format that i've been waiting for since early 90s =).

i now have 4 BD players & 300+ titles =). my experience is that standalone

DaveF,
if you are buying new hardware today, it'll work. most of the HDCP handshake issues have been resolved afaik. the issues you read about are just a handful of peepz. my experiences have been pretty bug free even since the format's inception.



Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveF View Post
Thanks, and I can appreciate the reality that specs and features are a moving target. That is relatively new for home audio.

But I'm also anxious about whether stuff simply works. I see a lot of comments about Blu Ray players that can't actually play Blu Ray discs, that have inexplicable pauses, that can't pick up in the middle of a disc after stopping the way a DVD does, and stable HDMI connections. Similar concerns exist for new receivers. I do think it's not unreasonable to expect to buy a device ready for "prime time".

That said, my impression is that stuff works pretty well now. Though if I really wanted bug free, I'd wait another year :)
 
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post #33 of 82
11/21/09 at 7:10am
Thread Starter 
I've been fixated on getting a Blu Ray with 5.1 analog output. But can I use a Blu Ray player with coax digital out into an older receiver that does Dolby Digital and DTS?
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post #34 of 82
11/21/09 at 8:26am
Quote:
Unfortunately, Microsoft legitimized "selling a pig in a poke". Now, everyone's doing it. I STOPPED early adoption. If Sony and the rest can't finish a design before they start selling it, then count me out.
 

Companies have been releasing products too early for years. I never did early adoption. Not just because I was afraid things wouldn't work right but because I wanted to wait for the price to come down. That's why I hope there are many others who do want to buy things when they first come out. I'll let them be the ones to deal with what doesn't work at first, and pay the price. But BR, and hdmi, are still evolving and probably will for quite a while. And a lot of the problems  have to do with the software not the hardware. But at this point I think BR is a safe bet. Maybe everything won't work as advertised but enough of it will, and work very well, that it's worth the risk.


Quote:
Would you allow a car company to sell you a car that is an anchor after 2-3 years?
 

We did. Several times. Remember the Edsel and the Vega and the Yugo and the (stay tuned  ).

Quote:
But I'm also anxious about whether stuff simply works. I see a lot of comments about Blu Ray players that can't actually play Blu Ray discs, that have inexplicable pauses, that can't pick up in the middle of a disc after stopping the way a DVD does, and stable HDMI connections. Similar concerns exist for new receivers. I do think it's not unreasonable to expect to buy a device ready for "prime time".
 

I've had 3 BR players so far. A Samsung 1400, a Pioneer 51 and the OPPO 83. The 1400 had problems playing a couple of discs like Iron Man but a firmware solved the problem. I sold it to get the Pioneer. The Pioneer and OPPO have been trouble free so far.

The main issue now seems to be streaming video, like Netflix. Apparently sometimes the player can't keep up and has to pause for a moment. And the video quality isn't always up to par, or so I've read.
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post #35 of 82
11/21/09 at 8:29am
Quote:
I've been fixated on getting a Blu Ray with 5.1 analog output. But can I use a Blu Ray player with coax digital out into an older receiver that does Dolby Digital and DTS?
 

Yes you can. In fact, I have both my BR players connected with 7.1 analog and Toslink/Coax. I use the analogs for Hi-Res BR and the Toslink/Coax for everything else.
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post #36 of 82
11/21/09 at 8:49am
Thread Starter 
Thanks. Do all the special features, commentaries, etc. play through coax/Toslink digital?

I'd prefer the Panny BD80, as my best balance in cost, performance, features. But if its price doesn't get to where I want it, I can go with the BD60, LG370, or similar entry model.

If I were to look at the value of my time, I should have just bought the BD80 and been done with it...but where's the fun in that? :)
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post #37 of 82
11/21/09 at 8:51am
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveF View Post

Thanks. Do all the special features, commentaries, etc. play through coax/Toslink digital?

 


They always have for me.
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post #38 of 82
11/21/09 at 9:09am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by TravisR View Post

They always have for me.

Good to hear. I'd hoped so, but given previous explanations on how Blu Ray audio works, I wasn't sure.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeff Gatie View Post

On Blu-ray, a commentary or special feature track is a single stream.  It's not mixed in with the movie sounds, it is meant to be mixed in at play time.  So in order to fold in secondary audio, the player has to decode the movie DTS/DD (or DTS-HD, TrueHD, etc.) soundtrack, fold in the commentary, and then output the mixed streams to the receiver.  It can only do this in the LPCM (multi-channel PCM) realm.  A player doesn't have the power to decode DTS/DD/etc.,  fold in the commentary, and re-encode to DTS/DD/etc.  So, in order to hear secondary audio mixed in with the movie, you have to turn off bitstreaming and let the player decode.

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post #39 of 82
11/22/09 at 5:43pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks all for comments and insights. I just ordered the Panasonic BD80 for a reasonable price. My wife informed me that we'll be getting Blu-Ray discs for Xmas so, no, it wouldn't be a bad idea to buy a player

Well, maybe not... I discovered this morning that it's out of stock and won't ship for a month. Not sure if I want to cancel the order or wait it out. :(
Edited by DaveF - 11/23/09 at 7:29am
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post #40 of 82
11/24/09 at 8:31am
congrats DaveF!!! that is an awesome player. i'm biased of course, lulz. i have the older BD35K. i have to tell you that panasonic has issued only 1 firmware update since i bought it in december of 2008. as far as i know there wasn't another firwmware before that nor since the 1 update. that 1 update is to fix a PiP issue, not even to fix any BD disc compatibility issues (or it might but i dunno about it). either way, Panasonic has been a SOLID A+ player!!!

it has also scored 'near-perfect' on DVD upconversion i think, just like the oppo 83 upscaling. so it's definitely one of the best upconverts ever made.

BD80 has analog outputs, you'll luv it =).
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post #41 of 82
11/24/09 at 1:02pm
Thread Starter 
Premature :( I canceled the order when I learned it was 4 weeks from shipping. But I intend to get it (hopefully before Xmas) and I'm actively watching Amazon, etc. for the BD80 to hit my buy price :) It has the unique combination of features and price and quality that I want; and I'm looking forward to it!
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post #42 of 82
11/24/09 at 1:06pm
Dude,

Can't believe you didn't jump on that BD80
when it was $158.
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post #43 of 82
11/24/09 at 1:12pm
Thread Starter 
That was a blunder. Live and learn. :( I wasn't yet committed to the purchase and didn't realize how good that price was. I thought that was "normal", not "amazing".

Now stock seems to be low. NewEgg hasn't had it for a week. 6ave is a month backordered. Amazon changes sellers daily. And their price has been yo-yoing.

When it gets to $175 at Amazon again, I'll buy it.
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post #44 of 82
11/25/09 at 12:33pm
DaveF,

amz used reseller has it on sale for $169.11 delivered, but "PLEASE READ BEFORE BUYING. This item was a display model in one of our stores. Item does show some signs of handling. Product comes in original box along with all original accessories."

i'd still grab it, these types of stores usually have replacement policies in case anything goes wrong. just my 2 cents ;).
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post #45 of 82
11/25/09 at 4:06pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the tip, but I don't buy display models. :) They've seen the equivalent of years of (ab)use. I'm in no hurry, now. New stock will drop in price again before Christmas.
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post #46 of 82
11/26/09 at 2:00pm
Thread Starter 
Ok, now I'm done :)

Bought the BD60 for the lowest price I've seen it. I'd prefer the BD80, but the price has been very erratic and stock low. This means I'm forced -- against my will I assure you ;) -- to buy a new receiver in the near future. And I tried to use the HTF Amazon affiliate link, so hopefully HTF gets some lucre.

Thanks again for tips and help.
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post #47 of 82
11/26/09 at 2:43pm
 Dave,

Know you were waiting for the BD80, but really, you got a
first-rate player in the BD60.  

Even better than the one I bought a year ago.

You will be very happy with your purchase.  I love Panasonic
BD players.

Congrats my friend!!!!
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post #48 of 82
11/26/09 at 5:42pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks! I'm looking forward to it. :) The 60 is as good as the 80; my only reservation with the 60 was that I have choose which 2 of 3 components to be digital 5.1 audio until I upgrade my receiver. The $$ savings though make it worth the bother.
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post #49 of 82
11/26/09 at 5:58pm
You all have me scared now. I am by no means technologically astute, but I just made a purchase of the Samsung LCD HDTV-LN46B640 from BB sight unseen. My wife promised me about a year ago that I could buy one so I was going to wait until I got back from Iraq, but the price dropped for Black friday so I bought it online. I know I will need to get a whole audio system because the one feature Samsung doesn't seem to do well on is the sound. Which BD player will go best with a samsung and what would be the best compatibility with an audio system too?  I am willing to spend about $300-500 on BD player, I just don't want to purchase one that will lose it's functionality within the next year.... just not a good investment. Seeing that I have three kids, going to movies is not financially feasible on a regular basis, so I want to have a good home theater experience.  What say ye?  Thanks for any tips.

sorry for all the questions in the BD thread that aren't necessarily fit for it.
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post #50 of 82
11/26/09 at 6:40pm
Thread Starter 
Any Blu Ray player is going to work fine with your new TV. And a new receiver will give you great sound from your Blu Ray. My challenge -- I started this thread -- is that my receiver is 8 years old and doesn't have HDMI. Your new devices have HDMI.

From here and other research, I've gathered that there are several good, affordable Blu Ray players. If you want top-end performance (and price), I've read good things on Oppo and Pioneer Elite.

More affordable options:
Panasonic BD60 ($130 on sale; quality audio / video. Has SD port on front for BD-Live memory)
LG BD370 or 390 (reported to be fastest to boot and load discs. 390 has 1GB memory built in)
Sony BDP-S360 ($150 on sale. Sony brand name, if you're a Sony guy)
Many at HTF rave about the PS3 as a player. At $299, I consider it high priced, so didn't look into it.

I've read bad things specifically about the low-end Pioneer Blu Ray players (not Elite).

Arguably, they all play Blu Ray discs, so it's about secondary features. Some have analog audio output for people like me with older receivers. Some have USB ports for memory while others have SD / SDHC card ports. Some have WiFi. Some will stream YouTube. Some have Netflix streaming (if you're a Netflix customer). Some play DivX video from a USB drive. Some have better remotes than others. If these details matter to you, you'll have to search for the player that best serves you.

I wanted pricing under $175 (tax and shipping). I wanted SD card for memory. I don't need WiFi and don't care about YouTube or NetFlix streaming. I wanted coax digital audio out. No player has all that. I chose the Panny BD60 for everything but coax audio and will upgrade my receiver next year to overcome my audio input limitations.

Happy shopping.
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post #51 of 82
11/27/09 at 5:11am
Thread Starter 
Just ordered the new receiver I need :) Unexpected sale popped up.
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post #52 of 82
11/27/09 at 6:15am
Quote:
 Just ordered the new receiver I need


See, that's what happens.  Which one, Dave?
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post #53 of 82
11/27/09 at 8:47am
Thread Starter 
Onkyo 707.

I tell my wife it's all for her Blu-Ray player, but I'm not sure it's working :)
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post #54 of 82
11/27/09 at 8:54am
Thanks Dave, I do appreciate the feedback. I will probably go with the PS3, that way I can get a gaming system too (we have a wii, but to have a PS3 for some FPS is exactly what I would like).
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post #55 of 82
11/27/09 at 9:50am
Thread Starter 
If you have questions about the PS3 as a Blu Ray player, there was a big thread on it in the HD Hardware thread. A few members are big fans and could help you out, I'd expect.
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post #56 of 82
11/27/09 at 1:08pm
In the long run, I think you made the right decision to get an hdmi (1.3a ?) receiver to go along with the BR player. This way you can use all the features both the BR and avr are capable of.

Now, is it possible your speakers and sub are the weak link?   See you in the speaker forum....or, maybe not  .
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post #57 of 82
11/27/09 at 7:28pm
Thread Starter 
Speakers are overdue for upgrade. It may go in the budget for next year. So, yeah, I may be pestering folks in the speaker forum. :)
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post #58 of 82
11/30/09 at 10:08am
lol, welcome to "Upgrade"-itis DaveF ;).

i agree w/Ron, Panasonic players are top notch.

tacomaDan, at those budget prices for BD Player, Oppo BDP-83 is one of the very best because in addition to BD, it upscales DVDs perfectly, plays SACD/DVD-Audio.

but if ur kidz like playing PS3 games, then PS3 slim will also work, but u lose DVDA/SACD.
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post #59 of 82
11/30/09 at 11:24am
Thread Starter 
My lust for gadgets is in constant battle with my frugality :)
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post #60 of 82
11/30/09 at 3:02pm
Congrats, Dave!  Welcome to the Blu club.    Did you also score some BF-priced BDs to feed the new player (and AVR)?

_Man_
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