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Blu-ray Disc Player Thread

Old 11-16-09, 11:19 AM
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Re: Blu-ray Disc Player Thread

I concur w/ Dining Dead in that I'm looking for a BR player w/ maximum upcoverting capability.

One item that may or may not have been discussed here previously is that the Criterion Collection uses the PS3 as their "reference" BR player. How this came about I don't know, but I doubt that Criterion would endorse an inferior player when their rep is built on high-quality A/V restoration.

So if PS3 is good enough for CC, why would anyone buy a stand-alone BR player...?

Originally Posted by Dining Dead
Seeing that blu-rays are nearing the same prices as standard, I think I'll finally break down and get a blu-ray player.

My television is a 40" Samsung LN40A550.

I'm not as concerned with Wi-Fi, Netflix, and a lot of other special features. I just want a player that has outstanding image and sound quality. Especially important to me is a player that does an excellent job of upconverting standard dvds.

I've heard good things about Panasonic's DMP-BD60 picture and sound on blu-rays. Is this machine also good with upconverting? I just have so many standard dvds that it is crucial that it is.

Any suggestions?
Old 11-16-09, 12:07 PM
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Re: Blu-ray Disc Player Thread

Originally Posted by The Consul
I concur w/ Dining Dead in that I'm looking for a BR player w/ maximum upcoverting capability.

One item that may or may not have been discussed here previously is that the Criterion Collection uses the PS3 as their "reference" BR player. How this came about I don't know, but I doubt that Criterion would endorse an inferior player when their rep is built on high-quality A/V restoration.

So if PS3 is good enough for CC, why would anyone buy a stand-alone BR player...?
Two things to consider:
1. When Criterion jumped into Blu-ray, the PS3 was still pretty much the best all-around Blu-ray player, so their decision to use the PS3 as a reference player made sense. Since then, a number of other excellent players have been released, many of which would be viable "reference" players, so using Criterion's choice as a current standard is potentially flawed.

2. It all depends on the features you want/need. Criterion doesn't use the PS3 to upscale standard DVDs - they use it to test their BDs, so their choice of the PS3 isn't necessarily relevant if upscaling quality is important to you. Additionally, if you need analog outs for audio, the PS3 isn't a viable choice. If power consumption is important to you, the PS3 is not the best choice. Etc, etc.

All that said, the PS3 is my personal BD player of choice. I just recognize there are many practical reasons to choose something else.
Old 11-16-09, 12:30 PM
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Re: Blu-ray Disc Player Thread

Kevin,

Many thanks for clearing some things up for me re the PS3 and CC. By "upscaling" I assume you mean "upconverting," which as I'd said is of fundamental importance to me given my large SDVD collection. If the PS3 isn't a good upconverter it's not the right choice for me; realizing that you are using a PS3, would you or anyone else on the forum recommend any specific BD players based on upconverting capability (and sorry if this has been mentioned already)?



Originally Posted by kefrank
Two things to consider:
1. When Criterion jumped into Blu-ray, the PS3 was still pretty much the best all-around Blu-ray player, so their decision to use the PS3 as a reference player made sense. Since then, a number of other excellent players have been released, many of which would be viable "reference" players, so using Criterion's choice as a current standard is potentially flawed.

2. It all depends on the features you want/need. Criterion doesn't use the PS3 to upscale standard DVDs - they use it to test their BDs, so their choice of the PS3 isn't necessarily relevant if upscaling quality is important to you. Additionally, if you need analog outs for audio, the PS3 isn't a viable choice. If power consumption is important to you, the PS3 is not the best choice. Etc, etc.

All that said, the PS3 is my personal BD player of choice. I just recognize there are many practical reasons to choose something else.
Old 11-16-09, 02:08 PM
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Re: Blu-ray Disc Player Thread

Originally Posted by The Consul
I concur w/ Dining Dead in that I'm looking for a BR player w/ maximum upcoverting capability.

One item that may or may not have been discussed here previously is that the Criterion Collection uses the PS3 as their "reference" BR player. How this came about I don't know, but I doubt that Criterion would endorse an inferior player when their rep is built on high-quality A/V restoration.

So if PS3 is good enough for CC, why would anyone buy a stand-alone BR player...?
Because there are very good players that can be had for around $100-150 less now? The remote issue bugs some people too; to really solve it on the PS3 you have to buy a $50 part. Then of course, you have people who just don't want to use a game console as a player, just because.

By "reference," I also took that to mean it's their test player, not necessarily what they think is the best quality.
Old 11-16-09, 02:12 PM
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Re: Blu-ray Disc Player Thread

The Sony S550 has new firmware out that adds both slow and freeze frame functions to the player. I know this is of importance to a few people. I have this player and love it. Very solid.
Old 11-16-09, 03:24 PM
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^That's good news for Sony player owners. Thanks for posting it.
Old 11-16-09, 03:34 PM
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Re: Blu-ray Disc Player Thread

Originally Posted by The Consul
Kevin,

Many thanks for clearing some things up for me re the PS3 and CC. By "upscaling" I assume you mean "upconverting," which as I'd said is of fundamental importance to me given my large SDVD collection. If the PS3 isn't a good upconverter it's not the right choice for me; realizing that you are using a PS3, would you or anyone else on the forum recommend any specific BD players based on upconverting capability (and sorry if this has been mentioned already)?
The PS3 isn't a bad upconverter at all. I would say it's probably average to slightly above average. Most would agree it's not the best available no matter how you slice it though.

In the under $500 category, the Oppo is probably king when it comes to upconverting, based on reviews at least.
Old 11-16-09, 04:35 PM
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Re: Blu-ray Disc Player Thread

Originally Posted by The Consul
So if PS3 is good enough for CC, why would anyone buy a stand-alone BR player...?
Speaking for myself as a non-gamer, I just can't rationalize buying a device where I would be using only 50% (if that) of its capabilities, even if it is priced competitively with some quality stand-alone players. Additionally, the PS3 has a reputation of running hot & noisy, and is said to be a power hog even in standby mode. Plus there's the remote control issue that was mentioned earlier. Any or all of those drawbacks might be tolerable to someone who was using it for both gaming & BD viewing, but in my view they're hard to justify if you're only watching BDs.
Old 11-16-09, 08:43 PM
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Re: Blu-ray Disc Player Thread

Originally Posted by The Consul
So if PS3 is good enough for CC, why would anyone buy a stand-alone BR player...?
Because I don't play games and the LG BD390 is just as good as the PS3, if not better.
Old 11-16-09, 09:12 PM
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Re: Blu-ray Disc Player Thread

Could someone with both a PS3 and a standalone player (preferably a quality brand: Sony, Panasonic) tell if a stand alone would perform better than a PS3 just strictly on the PQ?

I'm only a PS3 owner but in the back of my mind,I always felt a stand-alone player would perform better visually. I mean back in the DVDs days, a quality standalone player would crush the XBOX or PS2's DVD performance,no doubt and that has sort of carried on with my thinking.

Edit to add: I'm also not that impress with the PS3's DVD upconverting abilities. I mean it's decent and serviceble but my HD-A2,HD-XA2 and Oppo 981 beats it quite handily imo.

Last edited by davidlynchfan; 11-16-09 at 09:34 PM.
Old 11-16-09, 11:34 PM
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Re: Blu-ray Disc Player Thread

I won't own a PS3 as a Blu-ray player (again) because the remote sucked (a $25 add-on) and I wanted an actual Display to see runtime etc. I'm very happy with my BD390.
Old 11-17-09, 10:26 AM
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Re: Blu-ray Disc Player Thread

Does anyone own a Panasonic DMP-BD60? How good is it at upconverting? I heard that it's comparable to LG BD390. However, the Panasonic is only $130 on Amazon while the LG is $274. What justifies the $144 price difference?
Old 11-17-09, 10:30 AM
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Re: Blu-ray Disc Player Thread

Originally Posted by Dining Dead
Does anyone own a Panasonic DMP-BD60? How good is it at upconverting? I heard that it's comparable to LG BD390. However, the Panasonic is only $130 on Amazon while the LG is $274. What justifies the $144 price difference?
The BD390 was $230 for a while on Amazon. It'll drop soon enough. The only difference I know if is the BD390 can play any movie format via USB, has Netflix, VuDu and a few other things. Don't know about Upconverting though I remember the Panasonic 30 being poor. The BD390 seems pretty good to me...but I honestly don't watch many DVDs anymore so its kind of a moot point for me.
Old 11-17-09, 10:53 AM
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Re: Blu-ray Disc Player Thread

Originally Posted by GizmoDVD
The BD390 was $230 for a while on Amazon. It'll drop soon enough. The only difference I know if is the BD390 can play any movie format via USB, has Netflix, VuDu and a few other things. Don't know about Upconverting though I remember the Panasonic 30 being poor. The BD390 seems pretty good to me...but I honestly don't watch many DVDs anymore so its kind of a moot point for me.
Thanks. Basically all I want is a blu-ray player that has great picture and sound and is really effective at upconverting. All of the extra features (Netflix, WiFi, etc.) are worthless to me.

I own over 500 standard dvds so great upconverting potential is paramount. So many of my favorite movies are still not available in blu-ray (Lost in Translation, Sunset Blvd., Chinatown, the list goes on).
Old 11-17-09, 11:46 AM
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Re: Blu-ray Disc Player Thread

Originally Posted by GizmoDVD
The BD390 was $230 for a while on Amazon. It'll drop soon enough. The only difference I know if is the BD390 can play any movie format via USB, has Netflix, VuDu and a few other things. Don't know about Upconverting though I remember the Panasonic 30 being poor. The BD390 seems pretty good to me...but I honestly don't watch many DVDs anymore so its kind of a moot point for me.
I believe the BD390 is also much faster than the Panasonic when it comes to loading and response times, from what I've read.
Old 11-17-09, 11:49 AM
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Re: Blu-ray Disc Player Thread

Originally Posted by kefrank
I believe the BD390 is also much faster than the Panasonic when it comes to loading and response times, from what I've read.
From what I've read, the BD390 is the fastest BD player on the market now (beating the PS3). It's been touted as the 'reference' player by some.
Old 11-17-09, 12:41 PM
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Re: Blu-ray Disc Player Thread

Originally Posted by GizmoDVD
From what I've read, the BD390 is the fastest BD player on the market now (beating the PS3). It's been touted as the 'reference' player by some.
So, essentially, the BD390 is $100-$140 more expensive because it has some extra features that the Panasonic doesn't have and it loads discs about 30 seconds faster?

I think I'll go with the Panasonic.
Old 11-17-09, 12:45 PM
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Re: Blu-ray Disc Player Thread

Originally Posted by Dining Dead
So, essentially, the BD390 is $100-$140 more expensive because it has some extra features that the Panasonic doesn't have and it loads discs about 30 seconds faster?

I think I'll go with the Panasonic.
Among other things, yes.
Old 11-17-09, 01:09 PM
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Originally Posted by Dining Dead
So, essentially, the BD390 is $100-$140 more expensive because it has some extra features that the Panasonic doesn't have and it loads discs about 30 seconds faster?

I think I'll go with the Panasonic.
30 seconds is probably overstating it. The Panny is a pretty quick third generation player, just not as fast to load Java-laden BDs as the PS3 or LG390.

I can't address the upscaling because I use my HD-A1 for upscaling DVDs (and I watch more DVDs than BDs because much of my viewing is TV on DVD). I've never put a DVD in my BD80.
Old 11-17-09, 03:00 PM
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Re: Blu-ray Disc Player Thread

Originally Posted by lizard
30 seconds is probably overstating it. The Panny is a pretty quick third generation player, just not as fast to load Java-laden BDs as the PS3 or LG390.

I can't address the upscaling because I use my HD-A1 for upscaling DVDs (and I watch more DVDs than BDs because much of my viewing is TV on DVD). I've never put a DVD in my BD80.
If you ever get the time, I'd be very interested to know how your BD80 handles upscaling DVDs.
Old 11-17-09, 03:44 PM
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Re: Blu-ray Disc Player Thread

I didn't realize that my crappy Samsung LN40A550 does not have 24p. So, basically, I guess the Panasonic DMP-BD60 upconverting feature would be pretty much useless to me. Why did I have to go with Samsung? My next tv will be a Sony.
Old 11-17-09, 04:09 PM
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Re: Blu-ray Disc Player Thread

Originally Posted by Dining Dead
So, essentially, the BD390 is $100-$140 more expensive because it has some extra features that the Panasonic doesn't have and it loads discs about 30 seconds faster?

I think I'll go with the Panasonic.
For what it's worth, there is a known issue with the Panasonic BD60 and BD80 that causes intermittent, random freezes for 5 to 10 seconds during BD playback. The frequency and length of the freezes seem to vary significantly, but it's a widespread problem reported by many owners of those players and has been acknowledged by Panasonic. As yet, Panasonic has no fix for this problem.

The only reliability issue I've heard about for the LG BD390 is a possible lip sync issue, but it's been difficult to get accurate information about that.
Old 11-17-09, 04:13 PM
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Re: Blu-ray Disc Player Thread

Originally Posted by kefrank
For what it's worth, there is a known issue with the Panasonic BD60 and BD80 that causes intermittent, random freezes for 5 to 10 seconds during BD playback. The frequency and length of the freezes seem to vary significantly, but it's a widespread problem reported by many owners of those players and has been acknowledged by Panasonic. As yet, Panasonic has no fix for this problem.

The only reliability issue I've heard about for the LG BD390 is a possible lip sync issue, but it's been difficult to get accurate information about that.
Thanks for the info. Much appreciated. So do you think the LG BD390 would be a better option for me for an upconverting player? Or should I just go an extra $50 for the PS3? Since my Samsung 40A550 doesn't support 24p, I figure my options might be a bit more limited in regard to upconversion.
Old 11-18-09, 11:20 AM
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Originally Posted by kefrank
For what it's worth, there is a known issue with the Panasonic BD60 and BD80 that causes intermittent, random freezes for 5 to 10 seconds during BD playback. The frequency and length of the freezes seem to vary significantly, but it's a widespread problem reported by many owners of those players and has been acknowledged by Panasonic. As yet, Panasonic has no fix for this problem.

The only reliability issue I've heard about for the LG BD390 is a possible lip sync issue, but it's been difficult to get accurate information about that.
Yes, I had the freeze happen last night while watching Monsters, Inc. After five seconds or so the movie (or extra feature, in one case) just picks right up (and the freeze isn't repeatable). While a bit of a nuisance, it is fairly rare in my experience. It was the fourth time since I bought the player six months ago that I had the freeze.

If the freeze issue is off-putting to a potential buyer of a Panny BD60, the Sony S360 is an equivalent name-brand player at a modest price. And Sony recently added freeze frame/slow motion to its players via firmware update, as mentioned upthread, a notable lack before.
Old 11-18-09, 11:47 AM
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Originally Posted by Dining Dead
I didn't realize that my crappy Samsung LN40A550 does not have 24p. So, basically, I guess the Panasonic DMP-BD60 upconverting feature would be pretty much useless to me. Why did I have to go with Samsung? My next tv will be a Sony.
I really don't think you will have a problem with upconverting DVDs with ANY reputable BD player. Reports suggest that most do a creditable job. Please understand that you can only upconvert DVDs over the HDMI input on a display, component inputs are limited to SD because of copy protection on DVDs. But if a player upcoverts a DVD and you ship it to the display by HDMI, you should get an upscaled picture that is noticeably better than typical Standard Definition, although not as nice as High Definition. Even if your display doesn't have 24p input capability. Displays are also often quite good at upconverting when fed a 480p signal.

I am unable to use my BD player for DVDs because I have it on component inputs (my HD-A1 has the DVI port, long story). My display is now too old and primitive (CRT rear-projection) to really give useful information about how players upscale. Sorry. While I would like to upgrade my display to an LED lit one, the main thing holding me back is that I wouldn't know what to do with my old display; there is no market for them where I live, so far as I know.

Longtime posters here will be aware that I am not a fan of the PS3 for a variety of reasons (listed in early pages of this thread), most notably that it is an enormous power hog, whereas the Panny players draw ~25 watts. If you are not a gamer, the PS3 is not the best Blu-ray Disc player.

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