I'm hoping to find a simple, no-frills blu-ray player that will work with my bare-bones setup. Is it possible to hook one up directly to a monitor? And use my headphones for sound?

The monitor is a Samsung 2233sw. It has a DVI-D with HDCP connection. It will do 1920x1080 and is 16:9 I'm guessing I can get an HDMI/DVI adapter to hook up it up with. From what I've researched, it *sounds* like I can do that, but if I've missed something please let me know.

My ideal blu-ray would be 1. inexpensive and 2. have a headphone jack so I can use my headphones (no speakers on hand) and 3. not dependent on having an internet connection to work (I do have a connection but it's spotty and I don't want the hassle).

I'm overwhelmed at what I've been researching with wi-fi, apps, streaming, 3D, etc. etc. I just want something plain jane - but not a piece of crap - that will allow me to watch that lovely Harry Potter box set that's arriving Monday (happy early birthday to me!) on my Samsung monitor.

You should be able to buy a HDMI-DVI cable and that's all you'll need for the video. Should be the same price as a regular HDMI cable.

I think the only ones with a headphone jack will be the portable players. Or the $1200 Oppo 105, but I'm guessing that isn't what you mean by "inexpensive". The older Sony portable is down to $200 at Amazon right now. And the cheap brands are barely cheaper, probably not worth it.

Theoretically, you could use the red/white audio output jacks from a non-portable player with an adapter for headphones, but you wouldn't have volume control without an amp. Do you use a headphone amp? Note: not all players have these jacks, either, don't assume they do. For instance, Sony usually does, Samsung usually doesn't.

No player requires an internet connection to play a disc. They use it for BD Live extras, firmware upgrades, and streaming apps. You may want/need to use it once, to update a new player to the latest firmware.

An alternate possibility would be a computer drive, if you have a computer setup that would work. That would connect via USB to your computer and output video and audio like anything else from your computer. This could be the cheapest way, theoretically. But may be a little more complicated to use day-to-day.

Thanks for the info, Spiky. I was really unsure of the internet part since I didn't want to get stuck with some device that needed to phone home every time I wanted to use it.

Yeah, in an alternate universe the Oppo would be grand, but in my current universe $1200 is some serious cash.

I'd considered the computer option, but Steve Jobs once described blu-ray as a "bag of hurt" (which it IS, only because Apple isn't supporting it, thus making this a huge pain for me). There are 3rd party software workarounds to use with an external drive, but the reviews I read weren't good and it sounded as if my hardware wouldn't supply enough horsepower for good video. I currently use the Macbook as my dvd player with Bose headphones, no amp required, and it works out well.

Portable players have such tiny little screens that I wouldn't want to waste money on them.

There is an old RCA 2500 home theatre amp rattling around here somewhere. It has various RCA inputs, plus an optical audio jack which is something I've seen mentioned on a few of the blu-rays I've looked at. Maybe that's my solution since I've not found anything currently available listing a headphone jack as a feature.

The Panasonic DMP-BDT220 seems to get good reviews / good value recs and is under $100 on Amazon. I'm kind of leaning toward it since it sounds like it would work with that RCA amp.

That sounds like a good plan, that receiver should have a headphone output, and Panny makes great BD players. The optical is really only important for surround sound, not headphones. You could use either rca plugs or optical from a player to the amp and be fine for headphones. If you want to save some space compared to an HT receiver, there are tiny little headphone amps for very low prices these days, too.

I think I'll give that a shot - it'll fit under the desk and I could drop cables down the back. I looked it over this morning and it does have a headphone jack. I also have the speakers and I remember this thing having amazing sound but yes, space is at a premium so finding a spot for all of them could be an issue. I also am having a moment of nostalgia for that thing as it still has the local RCA address on the back of the unit. I remember the building and the huuuuge (20? 40? feet tall) Nipper peering at visitors from the 2nd floor balcony.

No nostalgia for the old monitor though. It's full of features but also is a behemoth and weighs a ton (I cannot lift it at all) while only giving me 2 extra inches of screen. I have no room for it at all, thus my love for the Samsung 2233.

Thanks for your help. It's awkward trying to make my old tech compatible with the newer stuff and my electronic gizmo budget only goes so far.

Another thing you could do is get a pair of computer speakers, which don't cost much and don't really have to be used with a computer. They usually have a headphone jack, but make sure first if you were to go this route. That would also allow you to use the speakers sometimes if you don't always feel like wearing headphones.

Hooray! My Panasonic Blu-Ray arrived and with a $3 adapter I plugged the dvi cable into it, and the optical cord to the RCA receiver and it works fine! I was able to enjoy some of the extras on the box set - finally!

I need to troubleshoot why I'm not getting sound from the rear speakers (there's a signal when I hit the test button, but not when I'm watching the blu-ray), but even if I don't solve that I'm still happy with what I have.

Make sure the player is set for surround instead of stereo. It's possible it defaults to stereo.

Thanks for the suggestion. It is on surround, and it's actually working great now. I think it may have been the fact I was watching with the In Movie Experience mode. When I played just the normal movie I suddenly had big fabulous sound (and need to reassure my poor dog for the rest of the day because I'd temporarily moved the subwoofer over by his bed thinking I'd need to work on something. Poor guy.)

If In Movie Experience is the secondary audio, it usually defaults to stereo. I forget if that is because of discs or players.