I noticed the Panny BD-80 seems to be running low on stock since the prices are back up to the high $200s and low $300s. I have to keep reminding myself that CES is in 5 weeks.

^Yes. The BD60 has also been going in and out of stock at Amazon. These models lasted much longer than the previous 35/55, so I am expecting new ones to be announced soon.

Firmware update 2.2 is available for the Panasonic BD60 and BD80. The fix is described as:
1. BD disc Playability

However, Chris Boylan, of Big Picture Big Sound, reports that this update is intended to fix the infamous "freeze" problem:
http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/fo....html#post3745
[Thanks to Jim for this information: http://forum.dvdtalk.com/9870130-post10.html.]


BD80 Updating page:
http://panasonic.jp/support/global/c...index2_na.html

BD80 download page for burning to a CD:
http://panasonic.jp/support/global/c...0/bd80_na.html


BD60 Updating page:
http://panasonic.jp/support/global/c...index2_na.html

BD60 download page for burning to a CD:
http://panasonic.jp/support/global/c...0/bd60_na.html

Well, I finally took the BD plunge today. Ordered a JVC XVBP1 from eCost based on strong reviews from Amazon & AVS. It was $ 136.00 shipped. For the past few months I'd had my eye on the LG BD390 but a combination of high prices and some wobbly performance reviews put me off. Eventually I decided that wireless Netflix streaming wasn't that important and decided to go for the more basic XVBP1. Time will tell if I made the right decision.

My birthday's around the corner and I've decided to ask for a blu ray player. Is there any kind of general consensus on the best player (for a reasonable price of course)? Currently, the Sony BDP-S560 is what I'm asking for. Thoughts?
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-BDP-S560-...1878760&sr=8-1

A significant number of people on the board including myslef have SONY and they are as good a choice as any. Panasonic and Samsung are probably the others most own. Have had several SONY's and they have performed well but have not had others to compare it to. Someone like Gizmo has owned numerous brands and I know he likes LG but SONY rarely gets poor reviews.

The Sony S360 will cost less than the S560, if you don't need the extra features (the S560 has Netflix, Amazon, and other VOD streaming; it also has built in WiFi capability, if you want that). If you don't need the extra features of the S560, it isn't "better" than the S360. If you want VOD streaming capability, you might also want to check out the Sony N460. It is the same as the S360 except that it has VOD streaming. Unlike the S560, it does not have WiFi.

The Panasonics are also well regarded. The equivalent to the S360 would be the Panny BD60. The rough equivalent to the S560 would be the BD80 (which has analog outs, unlike the Sony players, as well as the ability to stream Amazon and YouTube video, and supports Divx, but does NOT have WiFi). You probably wouldn't go wrong with any of these players but it depends on your specific needs.

The Panasonic BD60 and Sony S360 can usually be found for $120 to $130 or so. The Sony N460 can be found for $180 or so. The Panasonic BD80 and Sony S560 can usually be found for $170 to $200 but the BD80 is very expensive at Amazon now, so the stock may be limited.

Be aware that new models from most of the manufacturers will likely be announced at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) next month, so the current models are probably out of production (OOP) and stock may become limited. If you see a good deal on one of the old models and don't want to wait for a new model, grab it (or, rather, have your family members grab it for you as a birthday present — nice gift!).


[Edited for errors and additional information: the Sony S560 does NOT have multi-channel analog outs.]

Do you think the new models will have any significant upgrades? Aside from wanting a player that is good all around, I really want one that will upconvert well, since I have a large number of SD DVDs. I was looking at the s360 and 460 and I didn't really see anything wrong with them, I just don't want to get the cheaper one and regret it later. But what do I know? I have a fairly small TV (26"). You think I'll be good with the 360?

I think the only upgrades will be in features, such as VOD streaming, WiFi, lower MSRP, 3D capability, and the like. Otherwise, I wouldn't expect the new models to be significantly different from the current generation. Perhaps they will surprise me, but improved PQ or AQ seems unlikely. Slightly improved disc loading times is a possibility. The reason I mentioned that the S360 is much the same as the S560 is because the only significant difference is in features, not BD or DVD playback quality. If you don't think you will need VOD streaming or WiFi connectivity, the S360 should be fine. However, if you get an S560 now, you will be ready if you ever want to stream video from Netflix and the like, via WiFi to a broadband internet connection, if you have one (I don't, so all this stuff is irrelevant to me).

IMHO, most Blu-ray Disc players do a fine job of upconverting DVDs. While there may be high-end players, such as the Oppo, that will do a slightly better job, you would be hard-pressed to tell much difference in DVD playback with most HDTVs. On a 26 inch? Not likely! [However, bear in mind that you may get a much larger display someday and having a BD player that has good PQ and features will "future-proof" your setup. Nevertheless, player prices have been dropping and buying a fancy player a few years from now will likely not cost very much.]

To sum up: the reason the lower numbered BD player models are cheaper is because they have fewer features, not because they are less capable at Blu-ray Disc and DVD playback.

Thanks Lizard! My family was giving me shit for wanting such an expensive player when there are cheaper ones anyway.

Hi all,

Long time lurker, first time poster

I live in denmark and have been thinking about importing a BR player from the US but i have little to no knowledge on technology () so i was hoping some one here could help me out. Is there anything specific i need to run an importet BR player? How are they noise wise? Do they sound more like a Xbox360 then a PS3? The reason i'm asking is because my parents' Samsung player makes a lot of noise when it's on.

The player i was thinking about getting is the Sony S360.

Hope someone can help me out.

Thanks,
Anders

Sony S360 is a fine player along with the LG BD370/390 and any Panasonic.

One of the LGs reps over at AVS confirmed a new LG player will be shown at CES and will do all the BD390 does now, plus Pandora, Picaso Albums and Accuweather. The BD390 is also discontinued.

I'm in the market for a new TV, so if they do a bundling with a LED TV + BD player I'll grab it. My BD390 has been rock solid.

Are there any Blu-Ray players out there with multidisc changers (eg. 5 disc trays)?

Sony has a 400-BD carousel player, but I don't believe I've seen a 5-disc changer anywhere, oddly enough.

All of the recent BD players are quiet, so far as I've heard. I have the Panny BD80 and I can't hear it at all when it is on. Some of the PS3s were reported to be very noisy but I assume that you are not interested in those.

I'm not sure how a USA/Canada BD player would work in Europe. You would need to supply it with 120 V 60 Hz power. If you have a way to do that, and have an HDTV with HDMI, I guess that it should work ok. The folks in the International forum here probably know a lot about all that stuff. I certainly do not.

The 400 disc one actually pulls information via BD-Live that shows Artwork, Synopsis etc. Very cool.

New LG Blu-ray player has a built-in harddrive!

Thanks Lizard, i'll try in there also. I have the HDTV with HDMI and i think i have that kind of power but i better check it all out before buying a Blu-Ray player i can't use because of something.

I already have a PS3 but i can't watch the region coded Blu-Rays on it

I've added four 3D Blu-ray Disc players to the list in the first post:

Sony BDP-S770
Panasonic DMP-BDT350
Samsung BD-C6900
Toshiba BDX3000

Release dates and pricing information are still a bit sketchy. Of note is that the Panny has two HDMI outputs, so it can send an HDMI 1.3 signal to existing receivers and an HDMI 1.4 signal to a 3D HDTV. The others apparently have just one HDMI 1.4 output, although there may be a workaround.

Any reviews for the Samsung BD-P1590? I just got it for my birthday but I'm considering exchanging it for the Sony BDP-S360. Thoughts?

So posts over at AVS (man that place has gone downhill over the past few years) suggest that the older Panasonic BR players with Vierra Cast will not see updates to enable Netflix streaming. I find this odd, especially since the entire concept of VC was to allow additions in the future. Besides, weren't some of the plasmas last year enabled by VC if they had an ethernet connection onboard?

Does anybody have any concrete info? Granted I'd be buying a new Panny (BD85 or 65), but I would be disuaded if they give a shaft to their previous customers.

Same with LG, Sony', Samsungs etc. They want you to buy the newer models and not the older ones. Plus, they have to pay money each time they put a certain service on a player. Why pay money so an older, now discontinued player, can get more features that would deter people from buying the newer players? Exceptions do happen, but typically it's because the CE screwed up (i.e. promising BD-Live on the LG BH200 and having to come through with it).

And before you say something like "to keep customers happy" you should know they don't care

Yes, but didn't the advertising material say something like, "More features coming soon; to be added later". It seems like you can argue that is true for VC, but then it would really be, "More features coming soon; to be added to Vierra Cast, but unaccessable to you by this player."

Talk about a shaft move for those that bought in.

From what I can tell, Viera Cast is some kind of interface that can add different providers. If that's the case, it looks like it would be a matter of Panasonic partnering with NetFlix to get their streaming on VC, not something that would be added to a device with a firmware update.