# Let's say you only had $200. Entry level blu-ray or superb upscaling DVD?



## Rancho5 (Aug 20, 2009)

My screen is a 110" using an Epson 6100 1080p. Onkyo 705 and SVS speakers. No light at all in theater.

Right now I have a normal cheapo DVD player. A friend loaned me his PS3 and some blu rays and I was able to switch back and forth from his unit to mine on the same Harry Potter scene. Obviously the difference was amazing. Then I popped my DVD into the PS3 and I was also pretty amazed at the upscaling. Not as great as the Blu Ray disc, obviously, but pretty amazing.

PS3 is out of my price range though. Sooooo...

Would you suggest an entry level but really good Blu Ray player like the Panasonic DMP-BD60 or a superb DVD player like the Oppo DV-980H that upscales to 1080p?

Both at the same price point.

"Save for the $500 Oppo" is what some will say but let's not go there. Might as well say, "Save for the Ferrari". Not gonna happen.

Thanks guys!


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## eugovector (Sep 4, 2006)

Well, saving $500 seems a lot more reasonable for a Ferrari, and you certainly have a significant investment into the Home Theater which would seem to warrant it, but...

...if you're having trouble justifying $500 for the player, will you be able able to justify the additional purchase/rental premium that blu-ray demands that will certainly add up to much more than $500 over the years? I think you are a much better candidate for the Oppo DVD player.


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## Rancho5 (Aug 20, 2009)

With the BR player, it is "all at once", whereas buying/renting the BR's is incremental. I'm not too worried about the additional cost of the BR's. But that is neither here nor there.

My MAIN reason for either is the upscaling. With a 110" PJ screen it matters.

So which would give better picture? Entry level Blu Ray upscaling a DVD, or a premium DVD player upscaling a DVD?

So we have one in the "Oppo DVD Player" camp.

I'd love to hear from as many as possible.

Does anyone actually own the Oppo upscaling DVD player?


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## eugovector (Sep 4, 2006)

Best Picture = Blu-ray. Can't argue with resolution, and no matter how good the upscaling is, native 1080p _should_ always have more detail and clarity (even with an entry level player).

Also, I've owned an Oppo 981.


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## ironglen (Mar 4, 2009)

eugovector said:


> Best Picture = Blu-ray. Can't argue with resolution, and no matter how good the upscaling is, native 1080p _should_ always have more detail and clarity (even with an entry level player).
> 
> Also, I've owned an Oppo 981.


Did you see a notable difference in the Oppo vs a cheapo :heehee: (standard dvd player, that is)


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## eugovector (Sep 4, 2006)

51" 1080i RPTV at 6.5 feet vs. Philips 5690 (could be wrong on the philips model number) I did see a difference, but it's hard to quantify. Certainly, on the HQV tests, the Oppo scored higher, but in viewing, it was better color and edge detail that made the video seem more "3D" or lifelike...the images just popped off the screen more.

Was it noticable...yes. Was it worth the money vs a blu-ray? If you can stomach the additional cost of ownership of the Blu-ray, the improvement will be much more noticeable.


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## ironglen (Mar 4, 2009)

I'm kind of with Rancho on this situation. I have a 720p plasma and almost exclusively watch netflix movies, along with select owned dvd's. Among the netflix movies, many are older, non-blu ray so I really question the benefit to having one just yet. I do sometimes wonder if it would be worth getting a better dvd player if the picture would really improve (and also when it has trouble loading a disc)


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## eugovector (Sep 4, 2006)

What DVD player do you have now?


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## ironglen (Mar 4, 2009)

I'm using a $50 sanyo player that has component out and digital coax sound. I have more expensive Liteon dvd recorder/player too, but it had trouble playing some discs that the sanyo surprisingly played, so it's used for cd's on another stereo.


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## Rancho5 (Aug 20, 2009)

I guess what I am looking for, and to get back to the original post, are upscaling numbers, or experience, for a budget Blu ray player vs. a renowned DVD player like the Oppo.

All they ever say in their stats are "up to 1080p". And I don't know what that really means: Every disc, every time, what?


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## eugovector (Sep 4, 2006)

Yes, every disc is scaled to 1080p, but that doesn't mean the quality is the same as Blu-ray. You can't magically make more pixels out of thin air, just interpolate to get better perceived detail on larger screens/shorter viewing distances.

The closest thing you'll get to numbers, which only tell half the story, is at Secrets of Home Theater: http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/cgi-bin/shootout.cgi

In the end, Blu-ray vs. DVD Upscaling is really a little apples to oranges. No matter how good the scaling is, 1080p native will almost always trump 1080p upscaled from 480. The only time it won't is in the case of a bad transfer, or if your screen is too small/seating distance too great to see the difference.

In the end, I think other factors such as cost of ownership, screen/seating, availability of Blu-ray titles that you want to watch, etc. will play into your decision more.


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## umr (Oct 6, 2009)

The best BD player for real world DVD and BD video that I have seen is strangely an LG BD390. These are relatively inexpensive, fast and do a glorious job with both. I have seen all of the $$$ Denon, Oppo, Sony and Pioneer players and this is my current favorite.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## tonyvdb (Sep 5, 2007)

Get a BluRay player regardless of the fact that you may not buy Bluray movies. Netflix uses way to much compression and you loose the benefit of upconversion. The difference between even displaying BluRay on a 720p or 1080i/p display it looks MUCH better than upconverted DVDs. A good upconverting DVD player will run you around $200 the new Toshibas are very good at that. We use a inexpensive Philips DVD player that upconverts just fine on the kids 32" 720p LCD. The larger the display the more noticeable it will be.


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## akan101 (Sep 14, 2009)

check out Sony's BDP-S300 Blu-ray player for under $200


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## ironglen (Mar 4, 2009)

Personally, I'd need a player with pre-outs along with netflix streaming capability, and the best I've seen are the aforementioned lg and a samsung; streaming/music is something to think about if you're looking at players.


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## Lordoftherings (Feb 8, 2009)

You can get the Panny DMP-BD60 for less than $200 street price.

* And by Christmas they're will be blu-ray players (brand new) for only $49.


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## usrsld (Feb 3, 2009)

Get a Samsung Blu-Ray, which have excellent DVD upscaling. It's the best of both worlds and can be purchaed for your $200 price tag. I have the Samsung BD-P2500 and it's a great machine.


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## Rancho5 (Aug 20, 2009)

I think that si what I am going to do. I had it down to either a Samsung 2500, as I read it had excellent upscaling, or a PS3. I am not interested in gaming at all. Now I am waiting for Black Friday.


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## recruit (May 9, 2009)

You could also consider the new Sony players, I believe the S360 is excellent VFM and BD is so much better than DVD anyway, although I know a lot of people still have lots of DVD's but the Sony players are not too shabby with DVD playback either, I had the older S350 and it was excellent for the money, I prefered it over the Samsung 1400 that I had before it...also the Sony does have the same GUI as the PS3 which is one fo the best IMO...


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## usrsld (Feb 3, 2009)

You can get a factory refurbished Samsung BD-P2500 online at Best Buy for $170.


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## recruit (May 9, 2009)

usrsld said:


> You can get a factory refurbished Samsung BD-P2500 online at Best Buy for $170.


There is certainly some bargains to be had with BD player prices coming down by quite a lot, could be a good xmas then for some looking at getting into BD :T


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## Lordoftherings (Feb 8, 2009)

usrsld said:


> You can get a factory refurbished Samsung BD-P2500 online at Best Buy for $170.


That one has the HQV Reon VX video processor in it, excellent VP, with great picture. :T


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## steiny93 (Jan 8, 2009)

any comments between the samsung 3600 and 2500? ie, is there any benefit of the 2500?

note on the ps3,
getting the ps3 to play well with existing universal remotes can be a pain in the tail, i'm not knocking the ps3's performance, only that if you buy one and plan on it 'just working' via your current universal remote your out of luck unless you get the add on ir device for the ps3


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## Lordoftherings (Feb 8, 2009)

I really believe that both players are excellent (3600 & 2500), according to several reviews on both these two great players. I wouldn't worry for one bit. Besides, the 3600 is a newer model with more features, and still with an excellent picture quality. I don't think you'll be able to notice a difference between these two players. If I'll have to pick one, I'll be hard press at which one to choose. I guess money could influence my final decision, and also the set of features.

Cheers,
Bob


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## tiggers97 (May 13, 2008)

Costco has a nice selection of blu-ray players for under $200. Have you looked there yet?


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## SteveCallas (Apr 29, 2006)

I have to second eugo's first question - are you going to be purchasing blue ray discs or dvds? Blue ray discs are priced ridiculously high in my opinion. Do you have a large dvd collection? Most any dvd player will be faster and more responsive playing dvds than a blue ray player, and you can probably pick up a good upscaling dvd player for less than $100.


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## Rancho5 (Aug 20, 2009)

I ended buying a Costco Panasonic 605 and the picture is awesome. Problem is that sometimes the sound works, sometimes not. Plugged in the old DVD player and I had sound via HDMI, so it is the BR. 

With Costco's return policy, I will probably purchase either the LG 390 or the Samsung 2500 depending on what prices I see on Black Friday, and then return the Panny to Costco.


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## Lordoftherings (Feb 8, 2009)

Rancho5 said:


> I ended buying a Costco Panasonic 605 and the picture is awesome. Problem is that sometimes the sound works, sometimes not. Plugged in the old DVD player and I had sound via HDMI, so it is the BR.
> 
> With Costco's return policy, I will probably purchase either the LG 390 or the Samsung 2500 depending on what prices I see on Black Friday, and then return the Panny to Costco.


Hi Rancho,

You probably meant the Panasonic DMP-BD60, right?

I will simply exchange it for the same model (if yours is defective). The BD60 is a great player, perhaps you just got one that is defective, I'm surprised though. Did you make sure that your HDMI cables were properly connected?

Also, the Panasonic is a solid brand and reliable too (firmware, customer service, performance...).

* If you insist on changing brand, then the Samsung BD-P2500 would be my second choice.
And the LG 390 ain't to shabby either.

On Black Friday, any of these three players should be well below your original target price, and would satisfied you, I'm sure.

Happy trail,
Bob


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## Rancho5 (Aug 20, 2009)

My hope is the Samsung 2500, but I was wondering if it is a "new" model or if it will be replaced soon.


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## Lordoftherings (Feb 8, 2009)

Rancho5 said:


> My hope is the Samsung 2500, but I was wondering if it is a "new" model or if it will be replaced soon.


No, it ain't new, but it's very good (has the HQV Reon video processor). :T Recommended for sure.

* The newest one I believe (goes so fast now), is the BD-P3600 & also the BD-P1600.

** But just for your info, the Panasonic DMP-BD60 can be had for only $130, and it is one of the very best blu-ray player on the market. I know you already had it, but I will exchange it for the same on Black Friday (you said you have an audio problem with it, right?).

That is my humble opinion.


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## Rancho5 (Aug 20, 2009)

Lordoftherings said:


> No, it ain't new, but it's very good (has the HQV Reon video processor). :T Recommended for sure.
> 
> * The newest one I believe (goes so fast now), is the BD-P3600 & also the BD-P1600.
> 
> ...


Soon after buying the Costco version of the BD-60 (BD-605) I subscribed to NetFlix, something I never thought I would do. The Panasonic does not have NetFlix streaming and the 2500 does.

I am open, however, to all arguments convincing me to stay with the BD-60. I appreciate your input.


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## ironglen (Mar 4, 2009)

Earlier today I saw a sony player with netflix playback ability which I was unaware of, I think it was $220 so it may be just what you're looking for, especially with a seasonal price drop...you might take a look


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## lsiberian (Mar 24, 2009)

Rancho5 said:


> Soon after buying the Costco version of the BD-60 (BD-605) I subscribed to NetFlix, something I never thought I would do. The Panasonic does not have NetFlix streaming and the 2500 does.
> 
> I am open, however, to all arguments convincing me to stay with the BD-60. I appreciate your input.


Why not get a Roku? They cost 100 bucks and have all the features and streaming.


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## ironglen (Mar 4, 2009)

Roku's $100 streamer is not a blu-ray player, no?


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## lsiberian (Mar 24, 2009)

no it's not but combined costs of the BDP-60 and roku is 230 and there isn't a wifi capable blu-ray player at that price point yet.


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## Lordoftherings (Feb 8, 2009)

Mmm... Entry level blu-ray player for $200.

Is it for the picture, or is it for Netflix?

* Well, personally I pick picture quality first, why my choice with the Panny BD60. It's an entry blu-ray player ($130 street).

** If you want Netflix HD movie on-demand streaming, with also great picture quality, and the price is also right, then go with the Sammy P2500 (it does have Netflix, right?). And it has a great VP. And it's a great blu-ray player, for less than $200.

*** All in all, you made a smart choice with the 2500. :T And I know that the price is also amazingly low.

))) Did you knew that the other model #, the 2550 adds Pandora music streaming?

P.S. lsiberian suggestion ain't a bad idea at all. The BD60 with the Roku cost only $230 right now, but who knows on Black Friday... I bet your target price of $200 will finally be reach with that combo. What da ya think now?


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## Rancho5 (Aug 20, 2009)

I just read about Roku, thanks. I've never seen them before.

How do I hook it to my PJ and Onkyo 705? There is only one HDMI out on my 705.

Do I get decent sound?


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## Lordoftherings (Feb 8, 2009)

Rancho5 said:


> I just read about Roku, thanks. I've never seen them before.
> 
> How do I hook it to my PJ and Onkyo 705? There is only one HDMI out on my 705.
> 
> Do I get decent sound?


The Roku has an HDMI output that you connect to your Onkyo TX-SR705 HDMI input.
You don't need two HDMI outputs from your 705.
-> There is also an Ethernet port to connect to your PJ. Plus there is Component out, and a digital Optical out also.

Decent sound? You'll have to try for yourself to see if you're please.

* May I suggest that you Google 'Roku reviews' to find out eveything there is to know.
They're several reviews all over about Roku, and about the connections and the sound and picture quality.
There is one at PC mag, another one at Audioholics, C-Net, and a whole lot more all around.
I don't want to give you links, as I'd like to stay on topic with the title of this thread.

Cheers,
Bob


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## Andysu (May 8, 2008)

Well considering I had far less than your predicted budget I saw Philips BDP3000 at ASDA store yesterday for £97.00 pounds. I did hesitate at first going back and have another look and then decided the time is right.

Prices have come down and all the flame wars that generated so much heat and negativity including myself, where I was once cynical about this format war.

I’m not sure if I noticed the up-scaling of DVD I’d have to take another close look.

I did however notice the blinding difference (Bluray Terminator 3 Rise of The Machines) on my LCD video projector with settings on the Philips set at 1080i (wow nice looking).

Shame about the bed sheet that I’m using thou LOL at least the sound matches the visual onscreen action with x5 JBL behind it.

Other than that I’m fairly pleased with this entry budget model. I can’t believe HMV was selling the same model at £112.00 sigh well that’s just typical of HMV. 

http://www.consumer.philips.com/c/blu-ray-dvd/bdp3000_05/prd/gb/


I was kinder disappointed that this model didn’t support optical output or six channel RCA phone but it works with my old Kenwood KRF-X9050D THX select (9 years old) the audio has noticeable difference.

Its like the DVD is heavily increased with loudness and the Bluray seems to play at different level.

Same film same player same AVR.

With Terminator 3 Rise of The Machines the level needs to be far less on the AVR (in –db level) where the Bluray its more natural sounding and the level needs to go up!

Too bad my AVR doesn’t support a way of reducing the level on DVD Dolby digital down by some many db (although I have just hammered out and idea on how to do it).

If I had DVD player with 6 channel output on the player I could patch that into the AVR 6 channel in and reduce the levels on the DVD player down by so many db. There sorted!


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## steiny93 (Jan 8, 2009)

i'm confused about the suggestion around the bd60 and the roku at $230

wouldn't one be better off going with the samsung 3600 for $220 [ame]http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-BD-P3600-1080p-Blu-ray-Player/dp/B001TK3D4K[/ame] for example

then you would get wifi/netflick/blu ray all in one


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## Rancho5 (Aug 20, 2009)

OP here. After seeing the quality of the netflix streaming, and giving that I have a 110 inch PJ screen, which just exacerbates poor quality, I am going with a stand alone, no internet BR player. Just the best picture. Period. No fancy stuff.


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## Lordoftherings (Feb 8, 2009)

steiny93 said:


> i'm confused about the suggestion around the bd60 and the roku at $230
> 
> wouldn't one be better off going with the samsung 3600 for $220 http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-BD-P3600-1080p-Blu-ray-Player/dp/B001TK3D4K for example
> 
> then you would get wifi/netflick/blu ray all in one


Hey, that's another excellent option. :T


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## Lordoftherings (Feb 8, 2009)

Rancho5 said:


> OP here. After seeing the quality of the netflix streaming, and giving that I have a 110 inch PJ screen, which just exacerbates poor quality, I am going with a stand alone, no internet BR player. Just the best picture. Period. No fancy stuff.


Right on. I'm all in with that idea. :T


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## lsiberian (Mar 24, 2009)

steiny93 said:


> i'm confused about the suggestion around the bd60 and the roku at $230
> 
> wouldn't one be better off going with the samsung 3600 for $220 http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-BD-P3600-1080p-Blu-ray-Player/dp/B001TK3D4K for example
> 
> then you would get wifi/netflick/blu ray all in one


The 3600 doesn't have onboard wi-fi and 3 stars on Amazon. It costs a lot of cash to get the dongle. 

Plus you get a hard drive in the Roku which means more space. I'm a firm believer in separates for electronics it's much easier to fix or replace one component than the entire unit.


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## eugovector (Sep 4, 2006)

No Harddrive in the Roku Netflix Streamer, but all your other points are true.


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## styels (Nov 17, 2009)

Sony's BDP-S300 Blu-ray x1


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## Gelinas (Apr 3, 2009)

entry level blu ray player for sure.


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## steiny93 (Jan 8, 2009)

lsiberian said:


> The 3600 doesn't have onboard wi-fi and 3 stars on Amazon. It costs a lot of cash to get the dongle.
> 
> Plus you get a hard drive in the Roku which means more space. I'm a firm believer in separates for electronics it's much easier to fix or replace one component than the entire unit.


from the amazon page "Connect wirelessly for BD-Live content or streaming services using the included USB Wi-Fi dongle"

additionally my inlaws just received one from amazon and it came with the dongle

I get the separates concept but.
I'm not getting the advantage of a separate device for streaming netflix, that feature is pretty simple and benine. I'd be ok with it being in a player, , right now I'm leveraging xbox 360's or mce for all of our netflix streaming.


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## Lordoftherings (Feb 8, 2009)

lsiberian said:


> The 3600 doesn't have onboard wi-fi and 3 stars on Amazon. It costs a lot of cash to get the dongle.
> 
> Plus you get a hard drive in the Roku which means more space. I'm a firm believer in separates for electronics it's much easier to fix or replace one component than the entire unit.


1. The 3600 has Wi-Fi capability, and the dongle is inexpensive, or even comes with it.

2. See below, in the second quote.



eugovector said:


> No Harddrive in the Roku Netflix Streamer, but all your other points are true.


Thanks Marshall for this precision. :T



steiny93 said:


> from the amazon page "Connect wirelessly for BD-Live content or streaming services using the included USB Wi-Fi dongle"
> 
> additionally my inlaws just received one from amazon and it came with the dongle
> 
> ...


1. You are absolutely right (about Amazon).

2. Very true too (dongle included).

3. Also true, the blu-ray manufacturers are putting all their energy on Streaming from their players big time.
That's what people demand nowadays.

* By the way, there is also the Samsung BD-P4600 with Wi-Fi also, and much more... 
And of course there is also the excellent LG BD390.
And now the PS3 for $299, with a big hard drive.
Well, there is also the Oppo BDP-83, but that one is $499.

** But to keep in line with the subject of this thread, which is an entry level blu-ray player, with superb upscaling DVD format, and for less than $200; I recommend the Panasonic DMP-BD60, for $130 now.

Pick your poison... according to your pleasure; performance, features, and budget, and of course efficiency. :bigsmile:


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## Blktre (Sep 11, 2008)

It came down to the LG 390 and the BD80 for me. The Netflix feature set is what made the LG look good. The looks of the unit is classy. But, i have a problem with the whole Netflix streaming thing. I saw a stream at BB yesterday using the Sammy. Sure didn't look all that great compared to an actual disk. I also wonder how well HD Audio comes thru on a stream too. 

I sure would like to hear what Netflix streamers look and sound like from those that have used it in comparison to a actual BR disk. Maybe this could change my mind since its such a unknown to me.

The BD60/80 has been reviewed to upscale SD Dvd's and image BR disks better than the LG390. So right off the top of my head for HT guys, im thinking the Panny seems like the best choice right now. Ive been following the latest FW updates as well. Starting to look like load times are comparable and the pause on BR disks has almost been eliminated.


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## Lordoftherings (Feb 8, 2009)

Blktre said:


> It came down to the LG 390 and the BD80 for me. The Netflix feature set is what made the LG look good. The looks of the unit is classy. But, i have a problem with the whole Netflix streaming thing. I saw a stream at BB yesterday using the Sammy. Sure didn't look all that great compared to an actual disk. I also wonder how well HD Audio comes thru on a stream too.
> 
> I sure would like to hear what Netflix streamers look and sound like from those that have used it in comparison to a actual BR disk. Maybe this could change my mind since its such a unknown to me.
> 
> The BD60/80 has been reviewed to upscale SD Dvd's and image BR disks better than the LG390. So right off the top of my head for HT guys, im thinking the Panny seems like the best choice right now. Ive been following the latest FW updates as well. Starting to look like load times are comparable and the pause on BR disks has almost been eliminated.


The LG BD390 is Wi-Fi (wireless), streams all sort of stuff, and better than the Sammy BD-P2500.
But the BD-P2500 has an advantage, picture wise, with its HQV Reon VP chip.

Now, The Panny DMP-BD80 is also an excellent player, with a slightly better picture from DVDs and Blu-rays, but not by much. But it is not Wi-Fi and does not stream as much as the LG BD390.

* There is a firmware udate just released for the Panasonic DMP-BD60/BD70V and BD80 players, version 2.2
-> Here: http://www.bigpicturebigsound.com/forum/3747-post1.html

** And if your receiver is equipped with HDMI version 1.3, you don't need the multichannel analog outputs of the Panny DMP-BD80, you'd be better off with the much less expensive ($120) Panny BD60.

*** Also, all these Panasonic players do upconversion of Standard DVDs to not only 1080p/60, but ALSO to 1080p/24fps, which is not common in blu-ray players (a rare and very welcome feature), but a very nice touch indeed, as it is the standard frames per second from standard DVDs; so you'll get less artifacts in the timing, taking advantage of removing the judder that's associated with 3:2 pulldown. The Panny does a very good job at this, with smooth pannings and no frame drops.

))) Last but no least, I'm not a big supporter of Sony products, but as previously mentioned by recruit (John), the Sony BDP-S360 is another excellent performer, picture wise, with both formats, DVD & Blu-ray discs.
This player can be found for only $125, or even less. It scores a high 121 out of a perfect 130 in the HQV Benchmark for standard DVD, the highest score I've seen so far for such a low price player. On the HD portion, it scores 70 out of a perfect 100, with a very detailed picture.
Here's the review: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2346416,00.asp

Cheers,
Bob


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## Blktre (Sep 11, 2008)

Hey Bob, Nice post.

All my research came up with the same thing. I may add that there has been some consumer reviews that the LG390 has a very hard time connecting using the wireless feature. These people stated that eventually the LG390 would connect, but was very slow. Regardless, its a feature rich unit.

As far as the BD60/80 comparisons, your right. I just happen to have a older Processor so I need the analog connections the BD80 offers. And I already have Cat5 behind my gear rack. I also think there is some improvement in video quality on the BD80, but probably not enough to justify the extra expense if you already have a HDMI 1.3 capable Receiver or Processor.

And thanks yet once again for reminding everyone of the new FW update for the Panny's! This one is exciting. Now its fast and should have no occasional pauses!


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## Lordoftherings (Feb 8, 2009)

Picture wise, there is no difference between the BD60 & BD80, they both used the exact same video processor.
So if you have a Pre/Pro or Receiver with inboard decoders for the new high resolution audio codecs, then the Panny DMP-BD60 is all you really need to bitstream these codecs through HDMI 1.3 digital audio/video output, straight to the Pre/Pro or Receiver.

* And yes indeed, it is very good news about the new firmware update version 2.2 from Panasonic. 
I know that a lot of people are going to rejoice. :jump:

** And I appreciate your thanks for my posting, it is encouraging indeed. :T


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## John N (Jan 2, 2007)

Do all of the blu-ray players have problems ? I'd like to pick up a (under $200) player for my dad for Christmas, hate to give him a gift with problems...


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## recruit (May 9, 2009)

John N said:


> Do all of the blu-ray players have problems ? I'd like to pick up a (under $200) player for my dad for Christmas, hate to give him a gift with problems...


No not necessarily as the BD format is still quite new most of the companies offer firmware updates if any problem discs appear, but to also improve the machines performance...the majority of bargain players work just as well seeing that performance wise the native 1080p24 should ideally be the same for all BD players.


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## Blktre (Sep 11, 2008)

Make sure you pick a machine that has active FW updates with it, then actually update it when you take possession. Id still say the Panny BD60 is the best one out there in your price range and probably competes with higher priced machines SQ wise. It just doesn't have any of the other features that has been discussed earlier in the thread. The latest FW update for the Panny supposed to have fixed the occasional pause the machine was reported to have by some.

Here is an example of FW History for the B60..
http://panasonic.jp/support/global/cs/bd/download/bd60/bd60_na.html


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## John N (Jan 2, 2007)

Thanks for the info , maybe I'll try out a the panny.


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## lsiberian (Mar 24, 2009)

Blktre said:


> Make sure you pick a machine that has active FW updates with it, then actually update it when you take possession. Id still say the Panny BD60 is the best one out there in your price range and probably competes with higher priced machines SQ wise. It just doesn't have any of the other features that has been discussed earlier in the thread. The latest FW update for the Panny supposed to have fixed the occasional pause the machine was reported to have by some.
> 
> Here is an example of FW History for the B60..
> http://panasonic.jp/support/global/cs/bd/download/bd60/bd60_na.html


I replaced my PS3 with one(due to my anger at the firmware bomb nonsense) and have loved it. It's a little slow on opening and closing, but it's solid. I personally have no need for Netflix streaming. I use their blu-ray/dvd service instead.


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## recruit (May 9, 2009)

The Panasonic BD players are certainly solid units, the BD30 I had was a great player and was my first, imported one from the US and was faultless apart from the disc loading times, which tbh has affected nearly all players when they first came out...


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## selden (Nov 15, 2009)

Sherwood's BDP 5004 is about ~$200.


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

Hello,
I would absolutely get a Blu Ray Player. Ideally you would have a modern AV Receiver with HDMI Video Processing. In this case, so long as the BDP has Source Direct, the Receiver will determine the picture quality of the DVD.

Between the superior picture quality and the excellent lossless codecs (True HD and DTS-MA), there is just too much to gain to advocate a quality DVD Player over a budget BDP.
Cheers,
JJ


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## fibreKid (Apr 20, 2006)

Anyone that is in the Market for a decent BD player that does very nice upscaling of std def DVDs should give the panny DMP-BD605K a look. The panasonic website will tell you where they are available. It also comes with a HDMI cable. I purchased one the week prior to tG. It's well under the pricepoint out the door including tax.

-john


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

Hello,
OPPO is about to release a new BDP that is cheaper than the 499 Dollar BDP-83. It is expected to drop after New Year's.
Cheers,
JJ


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