Mr. Cinema

I used Netflix last night and was surprised how quickly it loaded up my selection. Usually the standalones are a tad more sluggish than the PS3 or 360, but this one worked pretty fast.

Sdallnct

I just hooked up that LG BD player that Walmart had for $65 at Black Friday. I was holding off think I'd exchange it for a nicer player, but never got around to it.

It works just fine. Lots of plastic, but quality image! I'm not sure I'll hook up to net, but might. If I get around to it. My PS3 is still my main player in my media room. But this is great for living room!!

For well under a $100 I'm very impressed.

BigSue

I have one and I like it a lot, however, it does run very hot. After watching a flick, slide your hand under the right side of it. Maybe it's mine :::: I don't know. It's on a fairly open shelf by itself. Also, after downloading an update in December, the "Net" option on the Panny is much slower to load and respond to button pushing. I don't really use that too much, yet.

Aside from doing a wonderful job playing Blu-rays, it does a fantastic job upconverting DVDs.

Mr. Cinema

I wish the remote had some Netflix buttons. Unless I've missed something, the only way to see the time remaining and quality of the stream during playback is using the pause button. I wish the display button worked, but it doesn't. Panasonic is about as reliable as Sony when it comes to BD players, so I think this one will be fine. I do wish they would update their menus. It's still the same setup they've had for years now. Time for a face lift. Their new players arrive in the Spring, so maybe they'll feature a new menu setup.

Sdallnct

Best buy has the Toshiba 2500 on sale for $110. I was tempted. Not wireless, but does have ability to be wired and has netflix. And has 5.1 analog outs.

Randy Miller III

Any other sweet deals for (reasonably) good quality Blu-Ray players floating around? I'd love to get one for

lizard

^You might want to consider these name brand, sub-$100, players:

Panasonic DMP-BD45 Ultra-Fast Booting Blu-ray Disc Player at Buy.com $99.56 shipped
Panasonic DMP-BD45 at Amazon (via Electronics Expo) $99.56 shipped

LG BD530 1080p Network Blu-ray Disc Player $95.99 shipped
LG BD530 Network Blu-ray Disc Player $99.00 shipped

Toshiba BDX2500 Blu-ray Disc Player $99.99 shipped

I'm not seeing any good deals on Sony or Samsung basic players today.

You can get other basic brands, such as Vizio and Magnavox, for less and you might find deals in-store at places such as Target or Walmart. This isn't the best time to be shopping for BD players since new models are coming out soon and supplies of the old ones are limited.

You can find factory refurbs for less money, but one has to shop carefully because sometimes they are more expensive than the same model new.


If I didn't want WiFi or networking, I'd probably go with the Panny BD45. I have the older BD80 and am very pleased with it.

Ropes Pierre

Does anyone know a one stop resource for learning what to look for in blu players. I am finally breaking down and buying one and would like to know what to look for.

I am going to google, and check something like amazon's site, but just wanted to check if there was a decent "dvd talk" approved place to start learning.

TIA

lizard

^I'm not aware of any basic guide to BD players here at DVD Talk, although I do have a glossary of terms at the bottom of the first post of this thread that might be helpful. I haven't been keeping up with the latest models of BD players in my list because they have really become so common and inexpensive that almost any player will do the basics pretty well (playing BDs, DVDs, CDs, handle lossless audio, etc.).

What you need to ask before you shop:

Do you want to stream movies from places like Netflix or Amazon?
If so, you will likely want a player that is WiFi capable, preferably with built-in WiFi. (Otherwise you would need to be able to hook the player up to your home router with an ethernet cable or use an ethernet bridge.) You will also want a player that offers the streaming service that you want to use.

What kind of sound system do you have?
If you have a surround system with an HDMI-capable receiver, any BD player would suffice. If you just plan to hook it up to the HDTV speakers, any BD player would suffice. If you want to hook it up to an older HT receiver with six or eight channel analog inputs you will need a player with good analog output capability.

Do you have, or plan to get, a 3D capable HDTV?
If so, you will need a 3D capable player and that could present issues for your HT receiver if it is an older model.

Do you plan to watch BDs from regions other than North America/Japan?
If so, there are region-free BD players available. (However, many studios put out region-free BDs so it is possible to buy many movies overseas that will work in a USA model BD player.)

Other than that, most of the issues with early model BD players have been solved, such as boot-up and disc-loading times. And most players will handle 1024p/24 movie BDs and export the signal to the display that way. And regular firmware updates have become much less necessary for players to handle recent release BDs. Not to mention that the high prices have come down to the point that a good player can be had for $100 or less.

Ropes Pierre

thank you for taking the time to type all that. I also ended up stumbling across some info on Cnet, so once i process all this i should know what to look for.

milo bloom

Old post, but do you remember what system this was? Our PS3 gave us the yellow ring of death and my brother in law is currently trying his hand at repairing it. In the meantime my wife wants to get a standalone Bluray player, but she wants the features like Netflix streaming, and maybe even being able to plug in other USB devices to play videos and music and such. Maybe sub $200?

thanks

Mr. Cinema

It was a Panasonic I believe. I don't have that specific unit anymore, but I do have 2 Panasonic BDT210s and are fantastic players. In addition to Netflix, you also get Amazon's service, which isn't featured on most players. I love them and the wireless works very well.

They're $145 on Amazon and you still get the free Avatar 3D disc.

milo bloom

Okay, we were at Costco and the wife saw the Samsung BD-D6100C for $129. It's 3D capable and does all the Netflix and stuff so we got that, but it's still in the box because I can't confirm if it has optical out for the audio. Does pretty much any player nowadays have optical for the audio?

Mr. Cinema

It's possible some of the newer players have dropped the optical out, but I'm not sure. My Panasonic does have the optical connection.

I wouldn't go near a Samsung. Their players generally score lower than Sony and Panasonic. I'd even take an LG over Sammy.

milo bloom

It has the optical. We got it set up, and we're really liking it. It has all these built in things for streaming Netflix and such, and it will power on our Samsung TV when you turn on the player. I think it will work out for us for now.

Ropes Pierre

Finally got my first blu player:

http://www.magnavox.com/p/index_player.php?id=92
"MBP5220F Blu-ray Disc™ Player - Built-In Wi-Fi for Streaming"

69.98 walmart, free ship and a matrix blu thrown in as bundle.

Streams netflix, has profile 2.0 (and i assume 1.1) wi fi built in. DLNA certified.

i don't have a fancy audio, nor would know audiophile good from eh acceptable.

Is there something i could have gotten that i should have? I guess the only other thing i know of missing, is amazon on demand capability.

i think this is a fair entry to blu and don't think i missed anything really necessary. am i wrong?

cine

I am considering buying a BD player and would like to know if there are multi-region capable players (e.g., using firmware or remote-control-code hacks) that are available in US which I should consider.

TIA.

milo bloom

Okay, we've had this a while now, and it's not so great. The built in Netflix is great, but stutters and hangs all the time, and it's not our internet connection because our computers work fine. We've played the new Winnie-the-Pooh Blu a few times, and always takes forever to load, and hangs up while loading. It's already done a few firmware updates on its own, so I don't think that's it.

How's Costco's return policy?

Mr. Cinema

I think they have 90 days now on electronics.

I'd opt for the Panny 210. They are much more stable than any Samsung and are always rated higher.

milo bloom

Thanks, we'll try to swap that out this weekend.

milo bloom

Looks like Costco has their own branded player to prevent price-matching wars, which they call the Panasonic 215. Very good price, and much better Bluray and Netflix performance.

Thanks for the help!

Dining Dead

I want to get my dad a blu ray player for under $150. He's a very casual movie/television viewer. He does not want/need anything super high end. His television is a 42" LCD LG. I cannot recall the model number. He does not use external speakers. Like I said, just movies every once in a while.

Things he does not need in a player:
Netflix or any other online apps
An abundance of USB ports

Things he does need in a player
Solid DVD upconversion
Solid High Def picture
Relatively quick load times (do not need to be lightning fast)

Any suggestions would be very much appreciated!

Cellar Door

I haven't shopped for blu-ray players recently so I don't know if they even sell players today without at least an ethernet port, but just a note on internet connectivity: Even if he doesn't use any "blu-ray live" features or internet-only extras that some discs have, it is still useful to have the option of occasionally connecting the player to the internet to get firmware updates.

Dining Dead

True. I doubt they are even sold without some sort of connectivity. I should be clearer and just say that he won't be using it for any online services such as Netflix.

Mr. Cinema

9 new players announced by Panasonic:

http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/09/p...layers-at-ces/