Question on what kind of BD player I need

[shedberg]

Hi all,
Thought I would ask a stupid question. I currently have a Panasonic HDTV that only handles 1080p/60 although I plan to upgrade to a 1080p/24 at some point. Do I need a BD player that handles the 1080p/60 output and if so, which one would you recommend? I probably won't use any live interactive capabilities but would like to have the ability to upgrade the player easily - again, I can use a CD or internet.

Any suggestions?

[Michael D'Angelo]

I believe all Blu-ray players can be set to do 1080p/60. I have two Panasonic DMP-BD35 and they can do 1080p/60. Also I know the PS3 can.

[Stuart Sweet]

As far as I know every BD player will handle 1080p/60 and I'd say it's the rare one that doesn't handle 1080p/24 as well. Personally I'm very happy with my Sony BDPS350, easily upgradeable via network or disk. It is very full featured except it doesn't do slow motion or DTS-MA. The Sony BDPS500 does DTS-MA, I think it does slow motion as well.

[shedberg]

I believe all Blu-ray players can be set to do 1080p/60. I have two Panasonic DMP-BD35 and they can do 1080p/60. Also I know the PS3 can.

THANKS! Just wondering because specifications I have read sometimes mention it and sometimes don't. I have heard good reviews for the Panasonic DMP-BD35 on both this forum and others.

Thanks for the information and quick response!

[Michael D'Angelo]

THANKS! Just wondering because specifications I have read sometimes mention it and sometimes don't. I have heard good reviews for the Panasonic DMP-BD35 on both this forum and others.

Thanks for the information and quick response!

I have had them for a few months now and have been very happy with them. I have not had any problems at all.

It has all of the new audio formats and DVD up-conversion is very good.

[spartanstew]

Keep in mind that the BD35 (and BD55 and most Sony's and Pioneers) are currently hard to find, because there's a whole line up of new players scheduled to be released within the next 2 months. Unless you need one right now and/or find a great deal somehow, you might be better off waiting a bit.

[Brandon428]

If you want a BD player then the PS3 is the best choice to me. Its always on the front lines of new features.

[Matman]

Got a Sony BDP-S550 about a month ago. Been very happy, good upscaling on regular DVD's and a pretty quick startup time.

[Steve615]

We picked up one of the LG BD300 players around Christmas '08,and have been pleased with it.

http://us.lge.com/bluray/

[johnp37]

If you want a BD player then the PS3 is the best choice to me. Its always on the front lines of new features.

I don't own one and at $500+ it was out of the question. Got a good deal on the S550.

[dave29]

I don't own one and at $500+ it was out of the question. Got a good deal on the S550.

A PS3 is $399 retail.......

[spartanstew]

A PS3 is $399 retail.......

And you can get it at BB right now with Guitar Hero III (free) and a $50 BB gift card. Basically reducing the price of the PS3 down to about $300.

[Jason Nipp]

I have the original BDP-S1 Blu Ray player from Sony. I didn't have to pay for it.

I also have a PS3. AT the moment the PS3 get more action. But that is only because it's hooked up to a better display. ;)

If I had to choose a new BDP to buy, I hear good things about the new Samsung BD-2500

[Brandon428]

And you can get it at BB right now with Guitar Hero III (free) and a $50 BB gift card. Basically reducing the price of the PS3 down to about $300.

That's a good deal and if you get it with the Playstation VISA card http://www.us.playstation.com/PSN/Events/Promotions/351?ILC-lps&FTTR=UnchartedPS3System_PSCC_bottomright_event351 you can get an awesome deal.

[shedberg]

Thanks for all of the advice! I LOVE this forum!

[dettxw]

One major question to ask yourself is are you interested in the new lossless codecs (Dolby TrueHD & DTS HD-MA) and how will your audio system handle them? Do you want the Blu-ray player to decode them and send PCM to your amp, or, do you want them bitstreamed to the amp so you can see TrueHD or HD_MA displayed on the amp itself? Sound is the same, but some people want that amp display.
Some players like the PS3 only decode the new codecs internally and output PCM. The Sony BDP-S550 will also bitstream the new codecs so your amp can decode.
Then there are the people that want 7 channel analog out from the player, which some do and some don't.

[Hutchinshouse]

Samsung BD-P2550 does it all. Better image quality than PS3 too (per reviews I've read and side by side comparison). It supports Netflix HD & Pandora music streaming. It supports firmware upgrades via the Ethernet port. Such a cool feature. It has a kick-butt video processor (http://www.hqv.com/) too. DVD playback quality is the best I've seen. I use the onboard decoder and send the uncompressed audio via HDMI PCM Direct. Sound quality is sick! Also, the load times much faster than my old Sony S300 BD player. I'd recommend this player to anyone in the market.

[shedberg]

One major question to ask yourself is are you interested in the new lossless codecs (Dolby TrueHD & DTS HD-MA) and how will your audio system handle them? Do you want the Blu-ray player to decode them and send PCM to your amp, or, do you want them bitstreamed to the amp so you can see TrueHD or HD_MA displayed on the amp itself? Sound is the same, but some people want that amp display.
Some players like the PS3 only decode the new codecs internally and output PCM. The Sony BDP-S550 will also bitstream the new codecs so your amp can decode.
Then there are the people that want 7 channel analog out from the player, which some do and some don't.


I have an audio system whose receiver does handle the lossless codecs. Not sure what you mean about displayed. Sorry, also do not know what PCM means. My audio output is 7.1.:confused:

[spartanstew]

If a player decodes the lossless audio and it's sent to the receiver, it's done so via PCM (pulse-code modulation). When done this way, the display on your receiver will show "PCM" (or some variation). Blu Ray players also have the option to bitstream the audio to the reciever and let the receiver do the decoding. When this is done, the display on the receiver will show whatever sound format is being used (i.e. "Dolby TrueHD").

The sound is the same either way, but some people would rather have the receiver do the decoding so that they can see the audio displayed on the receivers screen. Many people, however, prefer to have the blu ray player do the decoding, because of commentaries and other items that might be in lossless: If the movie is in lossy audio and the commentary is in lossless and you bitstream the audio to the receiver, you won't be able to play the commentary. If you let the Blu Ray player do the decoding and send it via PCM, it has the ability to mix the two soundtracks together.

[dettxw]

If a player decodes the lossless audio and it's sent to the receiver, it's done so via PCM (pulse-code modulation). When done this way, the display on your receiver will show "PCM" (or some variation). Blu Ray players also have the option to bitstream the audio to the reciever and let the receiver do the decoding. When this is done, the display on the receiver will show whatever sound format is being used (i.e. "Dolby TrueHD").

The sound is the same either way, but some people would rather have the receiver do the decoding so that they can see the audio displayed on the receivers screen. Many people, however, prefer to have the blu ray player do the decoding, because of commentaries and other items that might be in lossless: If the movie is in lossy audio and the commentary is in lossless and you bitstream the audio to the receiver, you won't be able to play the commentary. If you let the Blu Ray player do the decoding and send it via PCM, it has the ability to mix the two soundtracks together.thanks for answering that, I'm traveling to Newark, OH and it's hard to type on this PDA.
Note that the PS3 won't bitstream the lossless codecs but the BDP-S550 will, but with the problem described with the non-lossless codecs.

[Cholly]

Just a thought: If you buy a PS/3 and use HDMI output, it MUST go through your receiver in order to get bitstream audio. The optical output is disabled when using HDMI output, as I learned this past week when upgrading the A/V receiver (from an Onkyo HTR-510 to my Yamaha RX-V657, which, unfortunately doesn't have HDMI inputs) I use it with. I had to get a component cable for the PS/3 so I could get 5.1 sound via optical.

[Reaper]

I just bought a Sony BDP-BX1 for $209 from macmall.com. It was a great deal!

[dettxw]

Just a thought: If you buy a PS/3 and use HDMI output, it MUST go through your receiver in order to get bitstream audio. The optical output is disabled when using HDMI output, as I learned this past week when upgrading the A/V receiver (from an Onkyo HTR-510 to my Yamaha RX-V657, which, unfortunately doesn't have HDMI inputs) I use it with. I had to get a component cable for the PS/3 so I could get 5.1 sound via optical.Note that PS3 bitstreamed audio is lossy-only; the PS3 only outputs the lossless codecs as PCM. The BDP-S550 will bitstream the lossless codecs, but with the limitation described by spartanstew.

[spartanstew]

Just a thought: If you buy a PS/3 and use HDMI output, it MUST go through your receiver in order to get bitstream audio. The optical output is disabled when using HDMI output, as I learned this past week when upgrading the A/V receiver (from an Onkyo HTR-510 to my Yamaha RX-V657, which, unfortunately doesn't have HDMI inputs) I use it with. I had to get a component cable for the PS/3 so I could get 5.1 sound via optical.

I thought there was an option in the PS3 to turn the HDMI audio off (thereby activating the optical audio).

[bobukcat]

I thought there was an option in the PS3 to turn the HDMI audio off (thereby activating the optical audio).

Yes, you can set the audio output of the PS3 to HDMI, Optical or the AV SCART cable. The Optical is limited to 5.1 and the SCART is limited to 2.0 stereo. You can also choose which formats the Audio can be sent in, there is an "Auto" setting for this but I've noticed it doesn't always choose the highest quality by AVR will accept if I leave it on auto. It would be nice if you could send 5.1 out via HDMI and Optical at the same time, but that's not possible.

[bobukcat]

Samsung BD-P2550 does it all. Better image quality than PS3 too (per reviews I've read and side by side comparison). It supports Netflix HD & Pandora music streaming. It supports firmware upgrades via the Ethernet port. Such a cool feature. It has a kick-butt video processor (http://www.hqv.com/) too. DVD playback quality is the best I've seen. I use the onboard decoder and send the uncompressed audio via HDMI PCM Direct. Sound quality is sick! Also, the load times much faster than my old Sony S300 BD player. I'd recommend this player to anyone in the market.

I'm really struggling between this (or the model that will replace it) or another PS3 for my main movie-watching area. I like that I can play a game occasionally, watch Youtube, stream my entire MP3 library to it and browse the internet on the PS3 but Netflix HD is really drawing me towards the Sammy. Do you need anything other than a regular Netflix account to stream the HD movies (well, other than the obvious Ethernet connection that is)?

[FogCutter]

I have a Sony BD-350 and 550, the latter in the theater room. I use its internal decoders for audio, sending a 7.1 analog signal to my 8 year old Denon receiver. I was blown away when I played some old DVDs with Dolby 5.1. The audio improvement was dramatic. The only thing that makes sense is that the Bluray player has 8 year newer audio processors, certainly the disks haven't changed.

The only downside to this installation is that the 550 will not synthesize the two rear channels on 5.1 material, where the receiver would. But the increased clarity and spacial resolution in the operating channels make up for it. And DTS Master Audio 7.1 programming is sublime.

BTW- I have a Toshiba HD-DVD player side by side with the 550, and to my eye Bluray is better. Better color saturation, contrast, the pq is just plain better.

Bluray is Sony's revenge. They finally got even over the Beta/VHS thing.
Good for them.

[Cholly]

Yes, you can set the audio output of the PS3 to HDMI, Optical or the AV SCART cable. The Optical is limited to 5.1 and the SCART is limited to 2.0 stereo. You can also choose which formats the Audio can be sent in, there is an "Auto" setting for this but I've noticed it doesn't always choose the highest quality by AVR will accept if I leave it on auto. It would be nice if you could send 5.1 out via HDMI and Optical at the same time, but that's not possible.

I didn't find that anywhere in my user guide. My problem is that I'm using my PS/3 on a 32 inch Sony CRT TV that has DVI input (no HDMI), that's why to get audio on the TV, I broke down and got a Sony component video cable (with L/R audio), and am using optical out from the PS/3 to my Yamaha RX-V657 receiver for surround. That limits me to DTS-EX, AFIK.

[bobukcat]

I was at my local Best Buy yesterday and although they seem to be doing some kind of new layout or something in the TV area (there were about 1/3 of the normal amount of flat-screens on the wall) I noticed they have both the new P1600 and P3600 BD players in stock. I'm very close to pulling the trigger on the 3600 for $399 and using my triple points coupon to go with it. I had almost decided on another PS3 but since this also includes the ability to stream content from my PC AND Netflix HD support I think it's the winner.

[dave29]

I was at my local Best Buy yesterday and although they seem to be doing some kind of new layout or something in the TV area (there were about 1/3 of the normal amount of flat-screens on the wall) I noticed they have both the new P1600 and P3600 BD players in stock. I'm very close to pulling the trigger on the 3600 for $399 and using my triple points coupon to go with it. I had almost decided on another PS3 but since this also includes the ability to stream content from my PC AND Netflix HD support I think it's the winner.

Good to know, I think I will go check it out. I like the PC streaming option.

[spartanstew]

I was at my local Best Buy yesterday and although they seem to be doing some kind of new layout or something in the TV area (there were about 1/3 of the normal amount of flat-screens on the wall) I noticed they have both the new P1600 and P3600 BD players in stock. I'm very close to pulling the trigger on the 3600 for $399 and using my triple points coupon to go with it. I had almost decided on another PS3 but since this also includes the ability to stream content from my PC AND Netflix HD support I think it's the winner.

The P3600 is new (and supposedly only available at Best Buy for right now), but the P1600 is their old machine. Also, I believe $399 is MSRP.

[bobukcat]

The P3600 is new (and supposedly only available at Best Buy for right now), but the P1600 is their old machine. Also, I believe $399 is MSRP.

It's interesting (to me anyway) that the 3600 isn't even listed on Sammy's website yet.

[dave29]

It's interesting (to me anyway) that the 3600 isn't even listed on Sammy's website yet.

It doesnt have HQV, so I am no longer intersted in this unit now. From the sound of it, the 2500 is a better machine.

[bobukcat]

It doesnt have HQV, so I am no longer intersted in this unit now. From the sound of it, the 2500 is a better machine.

Dave, where did you find enough specs on it to determine that it doesn't have the HQV chipset? I haven't had a lot of time to look just yet but my initial search turned up very little.

[dave29]

Dave, where did you find enough specs on it to determine that it doesn't have the HQV chipset? I haven't had a lot of time to look just yet but my initial search turned up very little.

I read it multiple times at AVSFORUM. If i get a chance i will find the thread and post a link.

[bobukcat]

I read it multiple times at AVSFORUM. If i get a chance i will find the thread and post a link.

I saw that too but nothing official and another site is claiming that it definitely has the "Reon" chip from Silicon Optix in it. I think I'll wait and see if anything official is released before buying, even though SD upconverting isn't as important to me as some of the other features (Netflix HD, streaming content from PC, etc.).

[dave29]

I saw that too but nothing official and another site is claiming that it definitely has the "Reon" chip from Silicon Optix in it. I think I'll wait and see if anything official is released before buying, even though SD upconverting isn't as important to me as some of the other features (Netflix HD, streaming content from PC, etc.).

Got this off another site.....
Here is Samsung's response after I complained that the BD-P3600 was in stores but not on the web site and I wanted to know about the HQV chip.

"Either the site has not been updated yet or the model has not officially been released. It has a newer VQE (Video Quality Enhancement) chip."

Would be nice to know how the VQE compares to the HQV. "Newer" doesn't necessarily mean better.

[hdtvfan0001]

Most of the emphasis on Blu Ray players in 2009 will be around 3 things:

1) Refining support for audio codecs

2) Refining video items such as BD-Live and other supplimental features

3) Adding the support for downloadable HD content (new models coming)

Other than that - the Profile 2.0 standard is now commonplace, with Profile 1.1 not that far behind. More 1.1 units are still selling than 2.0, primarily because of the price gap. If BD Live means nothing to you...then 1.1 does the trick.

[Bobby H]

Newer generations of BD players will have to add built in Wi-Fi support. For a long time the PS3 has been the only BD capable device with built in Wi-Fi (and Bluetooth). The upcoming Sony BDP-S560 has built in Wi-Fi N support. LG and Samsung are going to introduce new Wi-Fi capable BD players. By this fall a lot more BD players should be including Wi-Fi.

I think Wi-Fi is a pretty important feature. I spent over $80 on a wireless "game adapter" to connect my Dish Network ViP722 receiver to my Wi-Fi network. If I buy a standalone BD player within the next year or two, I'm going to insist on buying one with built in Wi-Fi. I currently use a 80GB PS3 (the older one with SACD capability and 4 USB ports).

Standalone BD players will need more "media center" options (network audio/video streaming from PCs, multimedia playback from attached USB hard drives, etc.).

One thing I enjoy about my PS3 is being able to attach external hard discs and thumb drives to the thing and play much of the audio and video contained on them. My entire music CD collection (roughly 400 discs) is backed up to a 1 terabyte hard disc in full LPCM WAV quality. The PS3 can access any of the tunes from that collection pretty fast. It sure beats loading music CDs into the optical drive.

More than a few standalone BD players have USB ports on them, but the players vary in capability on using those ports. Some only use the ports for basic storage while others may have more of the capability I see with the PS3.

[spartanstew]

Newer generations of BD players will have to add built in Wi-Fi support.

I disagree. If needed, wifi is available via third party add-ons (as you noticed). Adding it to players will only up the cost of the player which many don't need.

PS. Did you just post this on another forum too?

[Bobby H]

Yeah, I posted something about this topic in a similar discussion on another forum.

To support my opinion about incorporated Wi-Fi in BD players, you end up spending more money for an external Wi-Fi game adapter style device than you would for having such a feature incorporated into the BD player itself. A good quality adapter costs at least $60-$90. I doubt the Wi-Fi antenna in the Playstation 3 costs anywhere near that. In addition, you have the added problem of the adapter needing yet one more available electrical outlet. Integrated Wi-Fi would do away with that need.

How many Blu-ray player owners are actually going to the trouble of running LAN cable to hard wire their Blu-ray players? I think it's a pretty safe bet that many are not doing so at all.

The only reason I went to the trouble of buying an external game adapter for my Dish Network ViP722 receiver was to do away with the $5 per month fee for not having a phone line or LAN cable attached. If the monthly out of pocket cost was removed I wouldn't have bothered connecting the receiver to the Internet at all.

In the end, I think it's going to take Blu-ray players offering Wi-Fi capability for a lot of BD Live features to gain a lot of broad, mainstream use.

[spartanstew]

Yeah, I posted something about this topic in a similar discussion on another forum.

To support my opinion about incorporated Wi-Fi in BD players, you end up spending more money for an external Wi-Fi game adapter style device than you would for having such a feature incorporated into the BD player itself. A good quality adapter costs at least $60-$90. I doubt the Wi-Fi antenna in the Playstation 3 costs anywhere near that. In addition, you have the added problem of the adapter needing yet one more available electrical outlet. Integrated Wi-Fi would do away with that need.

How many Blu-ray player owners are actually going to the trouble of running LAN cable to hard wire their Blu-ray players? I think it's a pretty safe bet that many are not doing so at all.

The only reason I went to the trouble of buying an external game adapter for my Dish Network ViP722 receiver was to do away with the $5 per month fee for not having a phone line or LAN cable attached. If the monthly out of pocket cost was removed I wouldn't have bothered connecting the receiver to the Internet at all.

In the end, I think it's going to take Blu-ray players offering Wi-Fi capability for a lot of BD Live features to gain a lot of broad, mainstream use.

I agree that for those that need WiFi, it's cheaper to have it in the box than buy an external adapter. However, there's many people that have a LAN line already run to their systems (and many more that could run one) and wouldn't want to pay any extra to have this feature.
I also think the key to selling Blu Ray to JSP is to have cheaper players, not players with more features. Now, perhaps someday when BDLive actually proves to be something worth having (so far, there hasn't been much released that's noteworthy - other than slowing down load times), you might be right, but not now.
Currently, profile 2.0 and BDLive are just ways to have discs load slower and possible have the studios and others gather information about the user.

[hdtvfan0001]

I disagree. If needed, wifi is available via third party add-ons (as you noticed). Adding it to players will only up the cost of the player which many don't need.

PS. Did you just post this on another forum too?
I agree with your disagreement. :D

[dave29]

I disagree in the built in WIFI as well, just an added cost that us hardwired guys don't need. Oh yeah, my PS3 is hardwired as well. I don't use wireless unless it is on a laptop or absolutely a must.

[dettxw]

My PS3 with wifi is still hooked up to a WGA600N through a switch.

[dave29]

My PS3 with wifi is still hooked up to a WGA600N through a switch.

If mine were wireless, I would use that too.