Recommend a Blu-Ray player to me.
 

What player has most people gone for? I know that some have playback problems and these problems can/could be solved by firmware updates.
Not really interested in the LG dual format player, want to go the separate player route.
Which one has the highest praise?
Also I am from England so I really cannot benefit from and instore offers that might be going around.

20gb Playstation 3. It is an excellent BD player, zero issues so far, will be highly supported with upgrades, and the cheapest of all.

Like Josh said, the 20GB PS3 is a fantastic Blu-ray player.

The best deal right now is on the Samsung model. This is what I have. The only unsolved compatibility issue that I know of is with Speed. Fox will be sending out replacement discs soon. Once they released the firmware upgrade for it in October it has really become a very nice player. You can get it at the U.S. Amazion for $589.00: http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-BD-P10...&s=electronics

The Sony and Pioneer are probably the most universally recognized as the best, but they are more expensive. You can get the Sony for $770 here:http://www2.butterflyphoto.com/shop/...layers-_-BDPS1

You can also go the Playstation 3 route for $499 or $599 which is very highly thought of as a Blu Ray player. The only reason I did not go with the PS3 was because the only type of remote it can use is Bluetooth. I like my touchscreen remote and do not want to have a second remote sitting around.

Actually, the PS3 Bluetooth remote is really outstanding, taking advantage of Blu-ray only features as well as various function of the PS3 itself. I have a Harmony remote but I have no problem putting the PS3 remote next to it.

I myself use a PS3, but if I could afford it I would have sprung for the Panasonic.

Another vote for the 20 gig PS3, I'm very satisfied with it. The quick load times put my HD-A1 to shame. It is annoying that it doesn't work with my Harmony, but I agree that the Bluetooth remote is very good.

The Samsung can be found for less than $500.

I also agree with the PS3. That's what I'm using.

I have the 20 gig PS3 and the Sammy... never had any problems playing Speed, Descent, etc, on the Sammy with upgraded firmware, but I would also recommend the PS3 first, the PQ it produces is just a tad sharper IMO.

I have the Samsung & Panasonic players. No problems with any of my discs except for the aforementioned Speed on the Sammy. I prefer the Panasonic for the extra tweaking and convenience options, but the PQ on the Samsung is almost comparable to it, so it's hard to beat the price.

Good point, but those are refurbished. The Amazon one is new. My Sammy was a refurbished model I got in October for $485 sealed off of Ebay and I have had great luck with it.

either 20gb ps3 or wait for a bd-live standalone

Another vote for the PS3.

Another 20GB PS3 here...

The Samsung may be a good choice, but for a more future proof option I would go with the Sony PS3. I like the 60G with its wireless internet. I don't think the 20G has that which means to update the system you would have to use a disc or run wires.

I purposely bought the 20. One, I used the $100 I saved to upgrade to a 120gb PS3. Two, the internal wifi is problematic, and you get a better connection with a direct ethernet hookup. If you want wifi, there are plenty of cheap workarounds. But mostly, the all-black look of the 20 is classy compared to the cheap silver plastic lip of the 60.

And most of my hard core gamer friends with the 60 are using a hard-wired ethernet connection with PS3.

I am not playing over the Internet (just updating the system, etc), I have yet to ever find a 20G and I do not mind the silver. The Wifi was only problematic for me in that my router needed updated it now works just fine. I would have probably gotten the 20 if I could find it, but the 60 is fine and I do like the Wifi for updates, I hate dragging the 100 ft ethernet cord out for my A1. If I was going to play games over then net, I would probably hard wire it as well.

Another recommendation for the 20g PS3. Speaking of the remote, is there a place I can purchase one online with free shipping? (To Alaska... so no UPS or FedEx)

I bought the 60 because it was easier to find, I actually like the silver lip, and running a wire simply isn't an option with my setup, so I have to have the wifi. I'm sure 60GB will be all I need for a long time.

I got mine for $13 and change shipped from CDUniverse using the Google checkout ($10 off). It's not free shipping, but overall a good price.

Note that niether version of the PS3 has 5.1 analog audio outputs, meaning that you will need an HDMI-capable receiver in order to listen to the PCM soundtracks on many Blu-ray discs.

Do you mean in order to listen to them at full capacity?

I have the BDP-S1, and I'm wasn't crazy about how the 5.1 outputs sound so I've just been using optical. When I watched Brothers Grimm which has a PCM track, I was still getting multi-channel at the receiver.

Is this something the PS3 can't do over optical?

You're probably listening to the disc's default Dolby Digital 5.1 track through the optical (I believe you have to select the PCM from the disc's audio menu). All players should have this capability through the optical and coax outs.

You need HDMI or the analogs and your settings set correctly on the player/receiver/disc to get the full effect of PCM and advanced codecs.

If you are using the optical connection over the BDP-S1 you are not listening to the PCM track, just the regular DD 5.1 track. In order to listen to the PCM track you must use the analog outs which the PS3 does not have. As Josh said, if you have a receiver that accepts the audio and video HDMI signal you will be able to listen to the advanced audio codecs, but that is the only way. The optical signal only outputs a standard DD or DTS track.

Doesn't optical downconvert PCM to high bitrate DTS? I remember hearing something about that back when the Samsung came out.