Suggestions For A Good $100-$125 Blu-Ray Player (1 Viewer)

Ok, I really hate posting such a subjective question like this, but I need some feedback on what good $100-$125 (if not cheaper) Blu-ray players are out there, and where the best place is online to buy one (factoring in price, shipping costs, New York State tax, service, return policy, etc.). I live in the U.S., so it needs to be Region A, though multi-region wouldn't be a bad thing I'm getting really fed up with the Insignia player (model NS-BRDVD3) I bought in October 2009 for $150 from BestBuy (Insignia is their high-end brand, Dynex is their low-end brand). I could sit here all day and type up all of the problems I'm having with it that have never been fixed, some of which I reported to Insignia via their forum back in November 2009. Most of the problems only came into being after firmware updates. Essentially the updates fix one thing - if I'm lucky - and break something else. The firmware issue is made worse by the site (http://www.insigniaproducts.com/products/dvd-players-recorders/NS-BRDVD3.html) not having a firmware "update history" to let me see what changes have been made since the last time I updated the firmware. Of course, that probably wouldn't be of much use anyway, since the descriptions are very rarely descriptive. The most recent firmware update (dated January 2011) is listed on the site with this description: "1)Includes addition of CinemaNow digital service as well as other performance improvements for your blu-ray player." It would be most useful to know exactly what these "performance improvements" are, especially since I haven't seen any since I did the update a few days ago.. I would like to find a new Blu-ray player that also has these features (everything but the last item are really the only good things I can say about the Insignia player) -- A simple, clean, easy-to-use interface. (I don't need it too simplified, but I want something that I can get right into without having to read through a manual first.) -- The on-screen display shows current and total runtimes for videos that aren't time-coded, such as videos encoded as menus (see: early Columbia-Tristar DVDs). -- Firmware can be updated via wired online connection, file on front-loading usb device (updates available for d/l on website), or files on CD/CD-R. -- HDMI and composite outputs. -- Semi-quick to load Blu-ray discs. (Not that I have anything to compare the Insignia player to, but it seems to load somewhat quickly) -- Upscale DVDs to near-HD. (This might be a standard feature on all players, but I thought I'd mention it anyway it case it's not.) -- It would be nice if it could show (somewhere in the settings or where ever) what firmware version is currently installed in the player. -- It would be nice if only had one 4:3 and one 16:9 output setting and abided by them. (The Insignia has "16:9 Wide" which stretches 4:3 content horizontally, and "16:9 Pillarbox" which most of the time displays everything in the correct aspect ratio, but a firmware update broke it on some discs. There's no need for anything more than one 4:3 and one 16:9 output setting as all content should be shown in the correct aspect ratio, not stretched or cropped.) I know that I'm not giving you guys much to go on for suggestions, but I honestly don't want to shop for a new player. I just know that it's not worth my time and effort to bother dealing with BestBuy or Insignia; that I'm better off washing my hands of the item and getting a new player from a different manufacturer.

The Sony BDP-S370 meets most of your requirements, and is currently $99 at Amazon. Sony does a very good job of providing firmware updates long term -- I just received another update for my 2.5 year old BDP-S350.

Panasonic BD65 is the way to go.

Thanks for the suggestions, you guys. I'm gonna look into those two models to gets some specs. Anyone know if Pioneer Blu-ray players are any good, or if there are any priced in the $100-$125 range? I never had a problem with two different Pioneer DVD players I bought in 2001 - both purchased already modded for region-free and copy protection-free play (but not PAL play), back when I needed to connect the player through my VCR. I still have both players, though one sits in the closet. I took a quick look over at the PioneerElectronics.com site and they only had a small handful of players, with the cheapest at $300. Of course, maybe they're just trying to push their more expensive players on the site, so they don't mention any others than may be cheaper.

the panasonic 65 would be much better then the sony370.

specially if you want netflix to work.

Jacob

The Pan. BD65 is also an excellent DVD upscaler. I've got 2 of them. You won't find a bad review anywhere on it.

I got the Panasonic BD65 for Christamas after researching here and numerous other places. It isn't an Oppo, but for over 350.00 less, it is a fantastic unit, including upscaling. It does upscale as well as my Oppo 981 (which I use for DVD-Audio, SACD and DTS discs). It also does a great job playing Netflix and YouTube videos if you have a wireless network.

Are there any other good players besides the Panasonic BD65 and the Sony BDP-S370? It would be nice if I had a few more choices. I took a look at both players over at Amazon - Panasonic: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0038KN114/ Sony: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0036WS4CA/ - and there seem to be a large number of negative reviews. I hope that's not anything to be concerned about.

I have a 2.5 year old Panasonic (BD35) and it has been a very good machine. While I don't have any hands on experience with the newer models, I can easily recommend the brand.


One of the reasons people recommend Panasonic and Sony is that they're very good about getting firmware updates out. I've read a lot of horror stories about players that don't get timely updates. With BD players, this is a big issue.


It's worth pointing out that some of your wish list is not possible. For instance, no BD player can make DVDs look "near HD". The resolution just isn't there in the source material. That doesn't mean that you can't get a very nice picture from DVDs, but near HD is not attainable.


As far as aspect ratio goes, a lot of players will have problems with some DVDs. For instance, non-anamorphic discs should automatically be zoomed in (for widescreen TVs), but many are incorrectly flagged and will show up window-boxed. Just pointing out that it's almost impossible for a player to get every disc right. Usually, these can be handled manually either by the player or the TV; just thought I should throw it out there.


I don't think you can go wrong with either the Sony or Panasonic players. If I were buying today, I would undoubtedly get one of those (because I could never convince my wife that the Oppos are worth the extra money).

Just one more request before I make my final decision about which player to buy... Could owners of the two suggested players, the Panasonic BD65 and the Sony BDP-S370, please post some images of the menu interface? It'll help me make my decision, so I'd greatly appreciate it. Thanks.

You can pick up an open box sony s570 or bx57 on ebay for about $100

You're going to base your decision on the menu interface? Come on now. The BD65 is clearly the superior player.

Originally Posted by Jim Mcc

You're going to base your decision on the menu interface? Come on now. The BD65 is clearly the superior player.

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Another vote for the BD65! I bought a new one a few weeks ago from an online vendor for $90 + $5 shipping. Excellent player.

I have always been a fan of Panasonic players. I have recently retired some older BD50s for faster players and have just got my hands on a review copy of the 310. Its out of your price range, but its kid brother the 110 can be found at Amazon for $125. Since they are post analog sunset players they have HDMI and composite out, no component. They GUI is much improved and its a pretty fast player. There is an optional wifi adapter, but if you wanted wifi you should just spring for the 210 which has it built in.


http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-DMP-BDT110-Wi-Fi-Blu-ray-Player/dp/B004LNFJCQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1303682774&sr=8-1

A lot of us started with Panasonic..... with DVD players. It think my first DVD player was a Panasonic A110, then I grabbed an A310. I'd also recommend the real successor here. The panasonic baseline players do a very good job on mixed content - that's pretty important because some low end players will REALLY struggle with some types of contend. The Panasonic BDT110 is a good to great buy. For the price (while out of your range) there is almost nothing on the market to compare with the Panny 210, which is fantastic.

I'll add another vote for Panasonic. They quite simply make the most reliable players on the market. Sony is okay, but only relative to other manufacturers. Whatever you do, DO NOT buy a Pioneer like you were contemplating earlier, your experience will be much like that with your Insignia (though I too liked Pioneer's DVD players in the past.) Panasonic's interface is very plain. When you turn the player on there is just a blue splash screen with a Blu-ray logo on it. You can press the Viera Cast button on your remote to bring up the internet services (such as Netflix), which are tiled in 9 boxes on the screen. It is simple, and not the prettiest, but it is effective. The BDT110 that Matt recommended above is $5 out of your price range on Amazon, but I would say go for that.

Originally Posted by Patrick Mason
I'll add another vote for Panasonic. They quite simply make the most reliable players on the market.

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For me, their rep for reliability got tarnished a bit w/ their BD60 from a couple years ago -- well, their old CRT RPTVs weren't exactly trouble-free either, but at least I was aware of what I was getting into w/ them. I also used to recommend Panasonic w/out hesitation, but maybe things are changing a bit now. My 1.5-yo BD60 has been acting up and started having trouble reading/recognizing several discs -- it also had what seemed like a rather long, layer-change pause w/ some discs before (although I'm not sure if the latest firmware fixes that for me). And these issues seem to be fairly common for this model judging by user reports on the web. Still, I'd rather trust Panasonic for an inexpensive player at least for now...




Anyway, how is everyone's BDT110 (or bigger sibling) doing these days? I'm thinking of getting one to replace the old BD60 as our main player -- and maybe relegate the BD60 to parttime duty or maybe give it away. Given the price and the likely upgrade (eg. faster load times, DLP-compatible 3D playback, etc.), I don't feel too bad about having to replace the old BD60 in this instance.


I don't really care about BD-Live, streaming and whatever other internet-based services for this, so not interested in paying a premium to have WiFi built-in. Also, don't need multichannel analog audio out -- and I guess I can live w/out component video out.



I'd consider springing for something substantially more like another PS3 or an Oppo, but at this point, I just don't feel that confident about reliability/durability of BD players for the long haul -- yes, I also already have a PS3 w/ an optical drive that stopped working after 2 years. They just don't seem to make these things like they used to...


_Man_

ManW_TheUncool said:

 

 

Anyway, how is everyone's BDT110 (or bigger sibling) doing these days?  I'm thinking of getting one to replace the old BD60 as our main player -- and maybe relegate the BD60 to parttime duty or maybe give it away.  Given the price and the likely upgrade (eg. faster load times, DLP-compatible 3D playback, etc.), I don't feel too bad about having to replace the old BD60 in this instance.

 

I don't really care about BD-Live, streaming and whatever other internet-based services for this, so not interested in paying a premium to have WiFi built-in.  Also, don't need multichannel analog audio out -- and I guess I can live w/out component video out.

 

 

I'd consider springing for something substantially more like another PS3 or an Oppo, but at this point, I just don't feel that confident about reliability/durability of BD players for the long haul -- yes, I also already have a PS3 w/ an optical drive that stopped working after 2 years.  They just don't seem to make these things like they used to...

 

_Man_

 

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I upgraded to a BDT210 about a month ago (birthday present from my wife) from an almost 3 year old Sony BDP-S350, which was demoted to our bedroom. The Sony was having a few audio issues with newer releases, so it was time for a new player. While the Oppo was tempting, I just couldn't bring myself to spend $500 on a BD player. While I haven't put a stop watch to any titles, load times are much faster than the old Sony. Setup was simple, and the player hasn't had any issues loading any of the BD discs I've played so far -- maybe a dozen or so. I have not checked out the SD-DVD upconversion quality, since I still use an Oppo 980H for DVD's. I have tried out two of the streaming services -- Pandora and Vudu. Response time while navigating those features is a little slow, but seems to work fine otherwise. The built-in wireless adapter supports both 2.4GHz and 5GHz. I have been using the latter with my simultaneous dual band router with no issues. The player has no onboard memory for BD Live, so I just grabbed an old 2GB SD card that I had in a Garmin GPS. I do not use BD Live, but wasn't sure if the memory was needed for anything else.

I have to say that after its first firmware upgrade I have never had a problem with my Insignia NS-WBRDVD, which I've had since 11/2008. I paid about $120 for it at the time, and in most ways it is comparable to the Panasonic BD60 I bought my brother-in-law for Christmas last year. Except that it has wi-fi, which has been essentially trouble-free. I'm only thinking about replacing it now because it does not support Amazon streaming. With the pending NetFlix price increase I'm thinking about getting an Amazon friendly player since I'm already a Prime member. I'd also like to keep the price down, make sure wi-fi is built in (I hate using dongles almost as much as I hate paying for them) and a faster load time would be nice. (The Insignia - like the Panasonic - can be on the slow side, especially with Universal discs. You can order a pizza when you put in one of the Bourne films and if you're luck the main menu will be up by the time the pie arrives. ) I'm sure a lot of us will be keeping an eye on this thread for suggestions, but I hope that people don't let one person's problems with Insignia turn them off to the brand. As the saying goes, "the plural of 'anecdote' is not 'evidence'." No single user's experience with a single copy of a given player model is going to tell you much about that model - much less the entire line. And that goes for my good experience with an Insignia as well. You need to read a lot of posts that trend the same way before you can really make any judgments. Regards, Joe