Hey guys,
I been eyballin one of these lately and was wonderin what you guys have or are shopping for. Any tips on what to look for?
Thanks in advance!
cgtrox 8-)
I would say anything Sony.
Maybe even consider a PS3, player and games all in one. Mine works great. :)
The PS3 is a trap! Stay away - the games look incred!!! You will be BROKE! I resisted, lol. ;)
Good time to get one though, Chris, some kick ass stuff is coming out in the coming weeks, the good old 'blockbuster', fun home theater type stuff thats a blast with big screens, surround systems, etc...Gladiator, Braveheart, Lord of the Rings, etc, all have street dates, hitting late summer.
This is the handy link I always pass along to people - print it up, throw it in your wallet and just keep an eye open. Reason I say that is because some stores will still try to blow out the obsolete players, and even if the price is dirt cheap and may suck some in, you'll lose out in the end because some Blu Ray discs (especially newer) will not even read/run on them due to late spec changes, etc. As long as you get a 1.1 (or better) compliant player, you're set (only diff from the 2.0 is the connectivity, 1.1 has no ethernet hookup, 2.0 does).
http://www.idoblu.co.uk/page2%20Blu-ray%20Players.html
I started with the Panny DMP30 (think Derthian has one as well), its only 1.1, doesn't do one of the main three HD audios but I didn't care, have a new reciever that does 'em all (Onkyo SR606)...recently moved it to the bedroom when I bought my second player, the Panny DMP BDP60 (2.0/final, only $240 at BB). The PS3 is a strong option because its 2.0, plays games, etc, but its pricey and some reviews/people feel in side by side tests, the image (for blu ray movies only, not games or upconverted dvd) falls just a hair soft compared to the 'stand alone' Blu Ray players.
So factor in your sound setup before you buy - do you want to take advantage of the HiDef audio? Most of the newest players (and I think the PS3 as well) will decode ALL the new forms/codecs of HD audio - but do your homework, not every one does, I just had a friend discover that his newer (and think it was actually a Sony) player that is a 2.0 model does not do "DTS-HD MSTR", so he has to buy a reciever now that will if he wants to take advantage of the moveis that are encoded with that (MOST are NOW using this and "True HD").
I think what he's saying is first to decide what you want the player to do, decide if your real picky about perfect best you can get picture, audio as well, then buy what you want from there. Someone who isn't real picky about picture and sound can easily be satisfied with a player from Walmart of any kind. Then, their's people like me with, hate to mention this......6 pair of headphones.....before I found the perfect one's for me. ;D
Do a search on the latest technology concerning Blue Ray players. That would be a good start. You can spend as much money as you want on these things. Usually, if you don't know how to use all the functions on the more expensive one's, it won't do any good anyway. Go middle of the road if you don't want the PS3.
Ironically, supposedly today is the first day of some sort of unannounced sale at most WalMart locations, they have end caps loaded with a newer Magnavox Blu player @ only $128. Its not a bad player either from everything I just read, definitely one of the better of the lower tier brands (sylvania, funai, mag, etc)...if you're on a budget, there ya go, if you're not, then $20-$70 more will get ya loaded player from a more reliable brand that'll last you a long time and prolly have every bell and whistle already there, "future proof" as they say.
I second the Panasonic player. Very stable player. I initially bought a Samsung; what a piece of fucking Shit (though I do like my Samsung LCD). It would LOCK up on standard DVD's. My Dad bought a PS3. Not bad, but I'd still take the Panasonic for Blu-Ray. It does what it does VERY well. Sony's stand-alones aren't bad, though I haven't tried anything recently.
I'd buy the Panasonic again.