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Blu-Ray recommendations

B

Bird222

Diamond Member
Well my DVD player died. I kinda want to get a blu-ray player but I really don't know if I will be buying many blu-rays. What you recommend for a blu-ray player and a dvd player? I don't need a bunch of features just a good player that will last awhile.
 
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...27129072-L011A

85-$10 w/ promo code
comes with cyberlink powerdvd 10 bd3d
cheapest drive w/ bluray playback software i've seen in a while.
then you can use your computer to play blurays on your TV 😀.

otherwise, there are many refurb bluray players for ~$50, or new ones for ~$100. Try to stick with the panasonic/LG/sony/etc brands.
The PS3 is also a good bluray player if you want to also play some PS3 games.
 
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panasonic bdt220 ~140 atm (was on sale a few months ago for ~80-110)
http://www.adorama.com/PCDMPBDT220.h...m_source=gbase

sony bdp-s590 $90
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...FWbhQgodwiYATA

LG BP330 $90 no 3d
http://www.amazon.com/LG-Electronics.../dp/B00BD7UVO4

LG BP530 $119
http://www.amazon.com/LG-Electronics...ref=pd_sim_e_1

if you're ok with refurbs, many of these can be had for close to $50 refurbed

also, i think blurays tend to have more preview commercials (especially the annoying bluray commercials on the blurays that tell you how awesome bluray is even though you already own bluray and probably know it's awesome due to it's loss-less audio and HD resolution) in the beginning, and ironically more antipiracy warnings at the beginning/end of movies (bluray has more DRM)...

It'd be nice if HD-DVD continued, since then I'd know for sure whether or not the DRM has anypart to play in the scratched discs failing to play/skipping scenes, or if it was just the higher density media/thinner protective coat. RIP HD-DVD.

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If you go bluray, I'd also recommend looking at getting a home theater receiver + speakers 😀 to make use of the awesome audio, if you don't already have some:

receiver
pioneer vsx-523 $250
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...receiver.html/
or an onkyo/denon/yamaha/marantz, some can be had for <$200 (onkyo tx-sr313)
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...irtualParent=1

speaker
the martin logan mlt-2 is on sale for $250
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16882981013
monoprice also sells a cheapy 5.1 set for $90 + shipping
http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10906&cs_id=1090601&p_id=8247&seq=1&format=2
pretty spiffy review of the monoprice speakers
http://reviews.cnet.com/surround-speaker-systems/monoprice-8247/4505-7868_7-35017874.html

100 ft copper speaker wire (50 ft might also be enough, depending on room layout) ~$20
http://www.monoprice.com/products/p...=10239&cs_id=1023903&p_id=2793&seq=1&format=2
 
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I am also looking to purchase a Blu Ray player. I just bought a brand new TV that has 3D capability and I want to maximize the 3D experience by having the blu ray player support it.

Can anyone make some recommendations?
 
I picked up the S590...really nice and cheap.

An Oppo is the way to go if you don't have a budget.

A PS3 is a nice player for the gamer.
 
RJHNY1 said:
Hey all, I just bought a new Samsung 60" TV. I just wanted to ask a few questions...

Do I really need a hi-speed HDMI cable? I've heard it's a waste of money.

Any recommendations regarding a surge protector? I live in an apartment building, so I don't think it's an absolute necessity right now, but should I still purchase one?

I'm not a technology genius like some of you guys are, but any other recommendations you guys can make to maximize the picture quality of my TV?

Thank you!
Click to expand...

Should be a different thread.

However, HDMI from monoprice is about the same for any technology.

I like the Isobar protectors. I would always recommend a surge protector.

Based on your model # of TV you can do a search for recommended settings. I have a NSX-46GT1 and I was able to find a very good step by step for the ideal settings.

In the end, PQ is very subjective. Many people find properly calibrated TV's too dim as they like over saturation and high contrast/brightness.
 
Yeah, I mean to post it in a new thread. My bad!

Why the S590? Can you provide some more insight on that? Is the 3D on that player good?

It's also $150...is that "cheap" for a blu ray?
 
RJHNY1 said:
Yeah, I mean to post it in a new thread. My bad!

Why the S590? Can you provide some more insight on that? Is the 3D on that player good?

It's also $150...is that "cheap" for a blu ray?
Click to expand...

The S5100 has replaced the S590. Go with that one. And yah, I'd consider anything less than $150, cheap for a BD player.
 
JackBurton said:
The S5100 has replaced the S590. Go with that one. And yah, I'd consider anything less than $150, cheap for a BD player.
Click to expand...

i just picked up the s5100 last week based off of jack's recommendation of that player and doing some slight research on it after he pointed me in that direction. the oppo has more features, but they are features i would never use, so no way i could justify spending $360 more JUST to get an oppo.

i was using my ps3 just fine until it was pointed out to me recently that my version of the ps3 can't do both 3d and the hd audio track. that was basically the reason i bought a stand alone player over just using the ps3.

watched jurassic park 3d last night and it was awesome for sure. can't say the picture quality or anything is different than ps3, but it sure sounded great! and as jackburton also mentioned, it is nicer with bitstreaming that you can 100% know what audio source you are getting since the receiver will tell you exactly what it is. with my ps3, since i was using PCM it would just say "multi ch in" and i truly didn't know exactly what soundtrack i was getting.

another pro for me is that the s5100 runs MUCH cooler than the ps3. i have all my gear in a closet and i tested it out last night during jurassic park, which is over 2 hours long, and shut the closet while watching the movie. when i opened it after the closet was NOTICEABLY cooler than when watching a movie on ps3. i usually would keep the door open when watching movies to get more airflow in there, but my amp is really loud fan wise so it's nicer when i can close it. although, when watching a movie i can't hear that stuff anyways cause my system is cranking.
 
Jack, thank you. I shall research it out! Is this the best one that you're recommending that's within this price range?

purbeast0, you seem happy with the s5100. Jack has also recommended that to me. Would you definitely recommend that one as well, or do you wish you purchased a different one?
 
RJHNY1 said:
Jack, thank you. I shall research it out! Is this the best one that you're recommending that's within this price range?

purbeast0, you seem happy with the s5100. Jack has also recommended that to me. Would you definitely recommend that one as well, or do you wish you purchased a different one?
Click to expand...

i've only used it once so far lol but i mean so far so good. it definitely seems to load faster than the ps3 too.
 
mmntech said:
PS3 is a good, all round media device. Stores music, photos, and videos locally, slick Netflix interface, rentals, plus DVP and Blu-ray. If you don't need anything fancy, you can get a good quality basic player for well under $150.

Check Amazon for the top rated players. This Sony one was getting good reviews. $113.
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-BDP-S390-...7202694&amp;sr=1-3
Click to expand...

The S390 has no front LED display and no internal storage which could present problems with Disney BD's and BD Live in general. You can connect a USB stick to add storage, but that just adds an extra cost and an ugly solution at that since it only has one USB port and it's on the front of the unit. The S390 is also a discontinued model.

IMO, if someone wants a good overall unit, I see no reason to get anything less than the S5100. It's definitely a nicely priced unit, and quite honestly, if you can't afford ~$130 for a BD player, maybe it would be better to just stick with DVD.
 
yeah to be honest when i was looking at bluray players and saw that $137 for the S5100 was for one of the better models out there (before you get into the oppo range) i was shocked how cheap the price of it was.
 
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