Can somebody advise me on the best bang-for-buck blu ray dvd player to buy for my circumstances, as follows:
1. It must be able to play dvd's of all regional codes etc.
2. It must be compatible with PAL and NTSC discs, TV's etc.
3. It must be set up for Netflix and preferably have wireless Internet capability.
4. It should have a powerful chip processor and be quick to operate.
I have seen some models online that seem to meet these requirements, but I don't know if I can trust the sales hype (they are all in the $350-$480 price range):
Sharp BD-HP70
Pioneer BDP-330
Pioneer Elite BDP-31FD
Sony BDP-S570 (and BDP-S470)
also various Oppo models (but they seem expensive at about $800-$900, and I can't see what advantage they have over the less expensive brands). Thanks in advance.

How about a HTPC?

Life or death matter, eh?

If you have this many requirements, you best shop a while. Wouldn't want to get anything wrong.

I bought my Oppo BDP-83 for right around $499 (and that's with the region-free modification already installed) back in August. I suspect the reason you're seeing such high prices is that the two 'current' models have been discontinued (the official reason being a parts shortage), so the resellers are jacking up the prices because of the scarcity. The BDP-80 sold for $250 or so, as I recall. There will be new model(s) supposedly by Nov-Dec.


The BDP-83 has one distinct advantage over the other brands (and it's lower-priced BDP-80 sibling): the high-end Anchor Bay chipset for DVD upscaling. It doesn't have that netflix crap built-in, though, so if you need that, you may want to wait for the new BDP-93 (that I've read will have Netflix streaming, as well as 3D compatibility). It will also have the same $499 price tag, though. I guess it will also remain to be seen whether the same hardware modification for region-free will work in it or not, and if not, how long it will take for one to hit the hackers' market.