Blu Ray help for a new guy.....

Hey guys, looking to purchase a blu Ray player. My budget is ~$175. I'm really not sure what makes a blu Ray player better than another, but this Panasonic (DMP-BD60) got great reviews on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d.html/1...1&a=B001V9LA44 . Is this a good buy or can I do better for my price range? Looking for best PQ in my price range and decent features. I am using it with a Panasonic 42" G15 plasma. Thanks!

I like the LG 370 (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B001UQ6F4S/ref=ord_cart_shr?_encoding=UTF8&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&v=glance) myself.

Can't do much better than that Panasonic, at least for the price...

How do the LG and the Panasonic compare? People on this forum tend to stay away from LG TVs, is it the same with their other electronics. I am aware of the wifi and netflix on the LG as well. Is that the only major difference?

I would save up and get the Oppo BDP-83, you might have to wait a little longer but the wait is well worth it.

I don't believe you could tell any difference in Blu-ray picture quality between current players in any given price range. Most important issues are reliability, customer service and features in my opinion. There are quite a lot of complaints about the Panasonic DMP-BD60 at AVSForums and here. Apparently this generation of Panasonic players has a video stuttering or dropout problem based on the complaints I have read. I don't own one and have no first hand experience and this is a surprise based on the Panasonic track record with Blu-ray players but you should research the problem before purchase.

I believe Oppo and Sony are the best Blu-ray player manufacturers in terms of value with excellent customer service and reliability. Panasonic and LG would be behind those two. The only Oppo player so far is way out of your price range but if you can find a closeout Sony BDP-S350 or BDP-BX1 (same player) in your price range and if the features are consistent with your needs it would be a good choice. The Panasonic DMP-BD35, the previous generation player might be found at closeout at or near your price range.

If you can't find a major manufacturer player with the features you want within your price range, you can consider a Funai made player and there are a number of those.

Chris

I don't believe you could tell any difference in Blu-ray picture quality between current players in any given price range. Most important issues are reliability, customer service and features in my opinion. There are quite a lot of complaints about the Panasonic DMP-BD60 at AVSForums and here. Apparently this generation of Panasonic players has a video stuttering or dropout problem based on the complaints I have read. I don't own one and have no first hand experience and this is a surprise based on the Panasonic track record with Blu-ray players but you should research the problem before purchase.

I believe Oppo and Sony are the best Blu-ray player manufacturers in terms of value with excellent customer service and reliability. Panasonic and LG would be behind those two. The only Oppo player so far is way out of your price range but if you can find a closeout Sony BDP-S350 or BDP-BX1 (same player) in your price range and if the features are consistent with your needs it would be a good choice. The Panasonic DMP-BD35, the previous generation player might be found at closeout at or near your price range.

If you can't find a major manufacturer player with the features you want within your price range, you can consider a Funai made player and there are a number of those.

Chris

Thanks for all of the info Chris and everyone else, its incredibly helpful. As for the Oppo player, there is zero chance of me being able to purchase that as I am a college student and cannot afford it (just bought a G15 plasma so Im broke). I will look to purchase the Sony you listed possibly. Are the LGs any good though? The netflix feature intrigues me. Are the blu ray streams from netflix as high quality as a normal blu ray disk though?

How is the BD player in the PS3? Is it worth getting over any other BD players in my range? I ask because I can get a 40GB PS3 off ebay for ~$200....Does it have a lot of features and such for playing BD?

The PS3 has always been regarded as an excellent Blu-Ray player. I have had mine for over a year, and absolutely love it. Plus it has the added benefit of gaming, and access to the Sony website where you can download games, movies ( rent or buy ), and lots of other applications. For your price range, I think this is your best option. :2cents

How is the BD player in the PS3? Is it worth getting over any other BD players in my range? I ask because I can get a 40GB PS3 off ebay for ~$200....Does it have a lot of features and such for playing BD?

The 40GB PS3 is a great Blu-ray player at $200 although I am not sure what kind of PS3 you can get for that price, is it used? It is a full-featured player but no direct Netflix streaming feature yet and I don't know if that will be added. There may be some way to access Netflix indirectly but I don't know how to do it with a PS3. Any video streaming I have seen is nowhere near the quality of Blu-ray in my opinion.

Chris

The PS3 has always been regarded as an excellent Blu-Ray player. I have had mine for over a year, and absolutely love it. Plus it has the added benefit of gaming, and access to the Sony website where you can download games, movies ( rent or buy ), and lots of other applications. For your price range, I think this is your best option. :2cents

I already have an XBOX 360 and really don't game a ton, so is it worth it to get the PS3? The PS3 is also over $200, and I would like to keep my budget at or below $200.

The 40GB PS3 is a great Blu-ray player at $200 although I am not sure what kind of PS3 you can get for that price, is it used? It is a full-featured player but no direct Netflix streaming feature yet and I don't know if that will be added. There may be some way to access Netflix indirectly but I don't know how to do it with a PS3. Any video streaming I have seen is nowhere near the quality of Blu-ray in my opinion.

Chris

It would be used. I would prefer new though.

The PS3 is a very good BD player, but if your not a big gammer and already have a 360, a used $200 PS3 off e-bay would not be the best way to go IMO. Plus you have Netflix capabilities with your 360.

IMO a new Panasonic DMP-BD80 at Amazon for $199 shipped is the way to go. Very good player at that price. The BD35K (I own) is a great player as mentioned above. They don't sell them anymore but can find a refurb for around $120 or so.

http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-DMP-BD80-Clarity-Blu-ray-Player/dp/B001V9LA4E/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1254769921&sr=8-4

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/B001GAOYCS/ref=dp_olp_refurbished?ie=UTF8&qid=1254770365&sr=1-1&condition=refurbished

The PS3 is a very good BD player, but if your not a big gammer and already have a 360, a used $200 PS3 off e-bay would not be the best way to go IMO.

IMO a new Panasonic DMP-BD80 at Amazon for $199 shipped is the way to go. Very good player at that price. The BD35K (I own) is a great player as mentioned above. They don't sell them anymore but can find a refurb for around $120 or so.

http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-DMP-BD80-Clarity-Blu-ray-Player/dp/B001V9LA4E/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1254769921&sr=8-4

ok, but I think it was previously mentioned that the dmp 60/80 had a lot of issues. Is this true and have firmware updates fixed them?

ok, but I think it was previously mentioned that the dmp 60/80 had a lot of issues. Is this true and have firmware updates fixed them?The current BD60/80 line has a random freezing problem. It's sort of like a layer change where the video freezes for a few seconds. This problem appears to be truly random, affecting some players but not others, and it is not repeatable or related to any specific discs. There is no firmware fix and it is not clear that a firmware alone will be able to fix it.

The BD35/55 line does not have this problem. I have a BD55 and it's a great player. That might be a way to go if you can find one.

[QUOTE=BIslander;946452]The current BD60/80 line has a random freezing problem. It's sort of like a layer change where the video freezes for a few seconds. This problem appears to be truly random, affecting some players but not others, and it is not repeatable or related to any specific discs. There is no firmware fix and it is not clear that a firmware alone will be able to fix it.

The BD35/55 line does not have this problem. I have a BD55 and it's a great player. That might be a way to go if you can find one.[/QUOTE

so is that problem alone enough to pick the Sony BDP-S350 over it?

so is that problem alone enough to pick the Sony BDP-S350 over it?Based on the descriptions I've seen, I wouldn't get a BD60 or BD80 right now. The Sonys get excellent reviews and the PS3 remains one of the top BD players around.

I know quite a few people that have a BD60/80 and none of them have the drop out issue talked about on AVS..:what: But as mentioned, it sounds like a random thing. Not sure if it is under a certain manufacturing period or something. Out of the thousands of these players sold, mabey 5% experience this problem. Mabey less, mabey more. Not sure. But they are very well reviewed on many sites. $149 for a BD60 and $199 for a BD80 is a very good deal IMO. The only major differences between the 2 IMO are analog 7.1 outputs and DivX and Xvid support. If these are non issue, the $50 extra for the BD80 is not needed. If you get the studder/dropout issue for any reason, just send it back to Amazon and pay the extra $50 for the Sony BDP-S350. It is also a very good player for the price and has simular features. If you don't want to take any chances at all, the S350 would be my next choice.

Again, for the reasons I listed above, I would NOT spend $200 (+ shipping most likely) for a used PS# on E-bay. Just my :2cents..

Edit: 1 issue that the BD-350 has is no onboard decoding for lossless Dolby True HD and DTSHD-MA. You will need a SS receiver with with the built in decoders to send it bitstream. Not sure if that matters to you, but 1 thing to note.

Is this pioneer worth it for $219 used? Is it better than the Sony?

http://www.amazon.com/Pioneer-BDP-51FD-BonusView-Blu-ray-Player/dp/B001A5NGZU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1254791338&sr=8-2

I know quite a few people that have a BD60/80 and none of them have the drop out issue talked about on AVS..:what: But as mentioned, it sounds like a random thing. Not sure if it is under a certain manufacturing period or something. Out of the thousands of these players sold, mabey 5% experience this problem. Mabey less, mabey more. Not sure. But they are very well reviewed on many sites. $149 for a BD60 and $199 for a BD80 is a very good deal IMO. The only major differences between the 2 IMO are analog 7.1 outputs and DivX and Xvid support. If these are non issue, the $50 extra for the BD80 is not needed. If you get the studder/dropout issue for any reason, just send it back to Amazon and pay the extra $50 for the Sony BDP-S350. It is also a very good player for the price and has simular features. If you don't want to take any chances at all, the S350 would be my next choice.

Again, for the reasons I listed above, I would NOT spend $200 (+ shipping most likely) for a used PS# on E-bay. Just my :2cents..

Edit: 1 issue that the BD-350 has is no onboard decoding for lossless Dolby True HD and DTSHD-MA. You will need a SS receiver with with the built in decoders to send it bitstream. Not sure if that matters to you, but 1 thing to note.

Doesn't the current model Sony BD360 decode all the HD audio formats though over HDMI? I thought i remember reading that so that is another option as well.