Blu-Ray players

[montypythizzle]

I went to BB to check out some Blu-Ray players and OFC I see the Insignia BR player and think meh and check out others.

A manager or dept. mgr. comes up to me and I explain I am looking for a BR player and I tell him I am looking towards name brands instead of store brands and he says "You ever read consumer reports they rate this (Insignia) highly", I said no, I usually read personal ratings and Internet reviews from my favorite sites. He also says "You are pretty much paying for this.." and points at the brand (was looking at an LG and Sony that were priced around $250 or so, the Insignia at $175 I believe).

Anyway, good thing I didn't trust him about the whole "Consumer Reports review" when I googled it I found many talking about slow remote response and not playing some obscure BRs. OFC same ol same ol from when the econo DVD players came out.

So pretty much, I am looking for something that plays all BRDs and is between $200-250, lower the better. I really want something that is half as expensive as the PS3 as we already have one in the main room, so $200 is the sweet spot. I don't really know what to look for on the main sites. I am not afraid to buy used from a good seller.


Thanks in advance.

 

[s44]

Are you a Costco member? They should have the Panasonic 605 (the BD60 + HDMI cable) for $230 (in-store, not website).

Otherwise, Electronics-Expo has the BD60 for a bit under $250. Use coupon code "ONLINECAT20" to get another $20 off.

And yes, this is the machine to get.

 

[Muadib]

Costco has the Panasonic BD-605K on sale this week for $229.95 if you have the coupon. That's their version of the DMP-BD60, and here's a review of it.

s44 beat me by seconds.

 

[montypythizzle]

Is EE.com legit? Also, I don't have a Costco nearby.

This thread is looking good though.

Only Google checkout...

 

[Muadib]

EE is legit. They have stores here in NJ.

If you don't mind a refurb, ecost.com has the DMP-BD35AK for $200.

 

[s44]

legit

there's a regular checkout button on the right of the google one

 

[erwos]

I would spend a little more and get a Sony BDP-S360.

 

[s44]

Actually, the Panasonic is the better unit, both in build quality and handling of SD (Panasonic upscales better and can produce a proper 24p output).

 

[erwos]

Originally posted by: s44
Actually, the Panasonic is the better unit, both in build quality and handling of SD (Panasonic upscales better and can produce a proper 24p output).

The Panasonic can upscale DVDs to 1080p24? Source?

The BDP-S360 can output BR-Ds at 1080p24, assuming that's what they were authored at.

 

[s44]

Its predecessor the BD35 could do it (read the next several pages of that thread for tech talk about how it works). Given that it's apparently the exact same video chip, I'm 99% sure the BD60 can. edit -- yep, it can

Yeah, with the right setting all Blu-Rays should play back at 24p on any player... I think Panasonic is the only one converting SD to that though.

 

[smitbret]

In all seriousness, just pay the extra and get a PS3. You won't regret it a bit.

 

[vi edit]

Originally posted by: smitbret
In all seriousness, just pay the extra and get a PS3. You won't regret it a bit.

I own a PS3 right now and when I revamp with a dedicated HT setup in a year or two I'm ditching it for a stand alone player.

There's three things that I can live with, but am annoyed by with it as a stand alone player.

1) My 80 gig (original 80 gig..not the new SKU) still has some slight fan noise after an hour of playback. I can hear it during quiet diaglog scenes and it's annoying.

2) No built in IR support without a hack or expensive add on. A little fustrating when you have a $60 Harmony remote and can't use it (out of the box) with the PS3.

3) It's not built like a traditional AV device. It doesn't like being in an entertainment center because of excessive heat generated. And you can't stack stuff on it if needed.

None of them serious complaints, but yes I do regret it a bit.

 

[erwos]

Originally posted by: vi edit
None of them serious complaints, but yes I do regret it a bit.

Ditto. We're definitely in the market for the vaporware-esque BR-D changer Sony has been talking about for a while now. The PS3 is nice, but it's not really the best BR-D player anymore.

 

[JackBurton]

Originally posted by: erwos

Originally posted by: s44
Actually, the Panasonic is the better unit, both in build quality and handling of SD (Panasonic upscales better and can produce a proper 24p output).

The Panasonic can upscale DVDs to 1080p24? Source?

The BDP-S360 can output BR-Ds at 1080p24, assuming that's what they were authored at.

And assuming your TV can do a proper 1080p/24. But yes, the BDP-S360 is a great suggestion for a good BD player. Better option would be the BDP-S560, which has built in wifi.

 

[montypythizzle]

Hmm that refurb looks nice, but the brakes locked up on my truck today, but I get paid on Thurs. and have a few hundred in the bank so I might get that panny, but I noticed it didn't have a Coax output which I may actually need. I go to every link so keep on posting to get some ideas in my head of what to get.

 

[alrocky]

Originally posted by: s44
Are you a Costco member? They should have the Panasonic 605 (the BD60 + HDMI cable) for $230 (in-store, not website).

Otherwise, Electronics-Expo has the BD60 for a bit under $250. Use coupon code "ONLINECAT20" to get another $20 off.

And yes, this is the machine to get.

The Panny is available on the Costco website with free shipping.

 

[ranmaniac]

MacMall sometimes has open-box deals. I got really lucky and got a Sony BDP-BX1 (Costco version of Sony BDP-350) for under $160. Also check AVSForum, they have a special deals thread in the BluRay players section.

 

[montypythizzle]

Originally posted by: alrocky

Originally posted by: s44
Are you a Costco member? They should have the Panasonic 605 (the BD60 + HDMI cable) for $230 (in-store, not website).

Otherwise, Electronics-Expo has the BD60 for a bit under $250. Use coupon code "ONLINECAT20" to get another $20 off.

And yes, this is the machine to get.

The Panny is available on the Costco website with free shipping.

That deal sounds pretty swell, and to my surprise my truck is only going to need 200$ worth of repairs, might be able to get this baby.

 

[s44]

I think the Panny is the better unit, but I just posted a refurb deal on the Samsung P1600 in the Hot Deals forum.