Blu-ray player recommendations?

[IronWing]

I'm looking for a blu-ray player. The price range is very broad so I'm trying to figure out which options are worthwhile and which I can skip.

My current setup:
TCL 43" 4K Series 4 Roku television
Old school Technics audio receiver, 2.0, analog inputs only. Currently, I run analog audio from the TV to the receiver.

I stream DVDs from my desktop. The network connection drops often enough to be annoying as the router is at the far end of the house from the TV. Once the network reconnects, the audio ends up lagging by a lot as the audio and video streams are buffered separately. So, I'd like to get a blu-ray player to avoid this issue.

I figure that a native 4K player is probably worth it. Which other options would matter with my setup? Any brands to avoid?

 

[OlyAR15]

Panasonic ub820.

 

[igor_kavinski]

I used an Xbox One S for two years as a UHD bluray player. Never had an issue.

 

[OlyAR15]

I used an Xbox One S for two years as a UHD bluray player. Never had an issue.

Neither Xbox nor ps5 support Dolby vision on 4K discs. Whether that is an issue is up to you.

 

[Muadib]

I just read this, but I don't know if I agree with his findings.

Best Blu-ray Player for 2024: Tested by Our Experts

We’ve rounded up all the best HD and 4K ready Blu-ray players on the market

www.cnet.com

 

[igor_kavinski]

I just read this, but I don't know if I agree with his findings.

Best Blu-ray Player for 2024: Tested by Our Experts

We’ve rounded up all the best HD and 4K ready Blu-ray players on the market

www.cnet.com

The Sony UBP-X700 is supposed to be REALLY good.

https://www.whathifi.com/sony/ubp-x700/review

 

[OlyAR15]

The Sony UBP-X700 is supposed to be REALLY good.

While the Sony players are decent, there are a few issues:
1. DV has to be enabled manually.
2. They occasionally lock up, forcing you to unplug them to get them working again. I have an X800, an older model that didn't come with DV. I've had it randomly lock up a couple of times, which is rather annoying, and I'm considering getting the Panny.

 

[igor_kavinski]

2. They occasionally lock up, forcing you to unplug them to get them working again. I have an X800, an older model that didn't come with DV. I've had it randomly lock up a couple of times, which is rather annoying, and I'm considering getting the Panny.

Have you tried turning off standy mode or disabling the network connection on it?

 

[OlyAR15]

Have you tried turning off standy mode or disabling the network connection on it?

What would that have anything to do with the Player locking during playback?

 

[Crotulus]

Sony UBP-X700 is currently on sale (Best Buy, Amazon, etc.) for $160. Picked one up yesterday for a secondary setup but won't be able to give it a spin until the weekend.

 

[igor_kavinski]

What would that have anything to do with the Player locking during playback?

That's what fixed it for some users. I know, weird.

 

[Fallen Kell]

Well, I would recommend what I have, but they are not made anymore and the prices have gone through the roof for anyplace that has them anymore (even used):

Oppo UPD 205 (with region-free mod)

Quick check online shows that used they go for about $3k in good condition. New in box go for about $5-9k. I can't recommend them at that price (retail they were something like $1k + ~$200 for the mod board/kit).

You can still find the UPD 203 for like $1.5k, but that is still a horrible price compared to what they were originally at ~$600. The only real difference between the 203 and the 205 is the 205 has much better analog outputs, and replaceable op-amps (as well as balanced analog outputs, and a better timing/clock on the HDMI outputs for higher precision, headphone output, and a USB DAC that can be used by other sources to take advantage of the high quality DACs with other gear, all stuff that doesn't matter if you are simply staying digital like most people do now). If you have older AV receivers that do not support 4k or Dolby Vision, these have a second audio-only HDMI output that lets you connect to those receivers and have the 4k image bypass and go to your TV.

 

[SKORPI0]

The Sony UBP-X700 is supposed to be REALLY good.

https://www.whathifi.com/sony/ubp-x700/review

Has Dolby Vision and can play 3D blu-ray disc.

 

[mikeymikec]

Of those of you who play BR discs reasonably often, do you have a player that reliably plays them? My Panasonic DMP BD75 player has failed me for the last time!

I'll even buy a Sony device if I have to.

 

[Muadib]

Of those of you who play BR discs reasonably often, do you have a player that reliably plays them? My Panasonic DMP BD75 player has failed me for the last time!

I'll even buy a Sony device if I have to.

I have a PS5, a Panny DP-UB420-K, and a Oppo UDP-203. No problems.

 

[igor_kavinski]

I'll even buy a Sony device if I have to.

Get a used Xbox One S. Those can be had pretty cheap. I had tons of fun using it for watching standard and UHD Blurays.

Playstation would be a no from me. Coz it doesn't allow running Kodi (AFAIK) so you are restricted to playing only certain media formats.

 

[Fallen Kell]

Of those of you who play BR discs reasonably often, do you have a player that reliably plays them? My Panasonic DMP BD75 player has failed me for the last time!

I'll even buy a Sony device if I have to.

Yes, all my Oppo players that I have bought and/or gifted to friends/family work great. Unfortunately they stopped making them a few years back, so it is hard to recommend given that the prices on them have shot through the roof due to supply/demand. A PS4 or PS5 will work, but doesn't have a nice remote control interface that a standard stand-alone player would have.

I think the consensus current statement/reference level blu-ray player would be the Panasonic DP-UB9000. But is has a lot of features that are designed more for an audiophile, with higher quality DACs, high quality analog outputs, and support for audio formats (it still isn't as good as the Oppo UPD-205, as it doesn't support SACD, DVD-A, or have replaceable/upgradable OpAmps), and will cost as much as the Oppo when it was available.

For the, I just want good video and don't need all the audio benefits as I am just using my receiver, the Panasonic DP-UB820 is probably want you want to look at. It is basically the same main core as the DP-UB9000, but removes most of the audiophile grade upgrades, and is mainly just a player for those that want to stay in the digital domain and let their receiver/TV do the conversion from digital (similar to the Oppo UPD-203 vs the UPD-205).

For reference, I and/or my family have 1x Oppo UPD-205, 2x Oppo UPD-203, 1x Oppo BDP-103, and 1x Oppo BDP-95, all of which are still working wonderfully (even the 12 year old BDP-95).

 

[dlerious]

While the Sony players are decent, there are a few issues:
1. DV has to be enabled manually.
2. They occasionally lock up, forcing you to unplug them to get them working again. I have an X800, an older model that didn't come with DV. I've had it randomly lock up a couple of times, which is rather annoying, and I'm considering getting the Panny.

arrgh, I have a UBP-X800M2 I picked up a few years ago. Haven't hooked it up yet though (No 4k TV yet, just 4K monitor).