# blu ray advice



## peakdom (May 23, 2012)

so im getting more and more into learning what other stuff my stuff can do, so i thought id make a post here regarding my blu ray player.

i picked it up in a trade from a client of mine. he works as a manager at a retail store locally, and as such he gets mad discounts on stuff. needless to say, when it came time to pay his bill, he asked if i was interested in anything electronic. he walks to a closet, opens it, reveals tons of random electronics.

says 'hey you want a blu ray player? 40 bux off my bill and its yours. the player he gave me was a panasonic bdt100. ive only used it once, played my movie great. honestly, it sits around and collects dust, as i have my computer hooked up to my LCD (bravia 46") and usually watch movies off its internal DVD player.

good deal for 40 bux?


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## wgmontgomery (Jun 9, 2011)

First, welcome to HTS!!

FWIW-I did a quick check and found this (Panasonic DMP-BDT100) model selling from ~$69 used to $135 new. Also, it is a very good unit; Panasonic BDPs are recommended all the time around here. I own 3 BDP; 1 of them is a Panasonic. :T


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## Kal Rubinson (Aug 3, 2006)

peakdom said:


> good deal for 40 bux?


Not if you don't use it.


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

Hello,
That is decidedly a good deal. Just a few years back, you would be lucky if your Sales Tax was $40 on a Standalone BDP. And as has been said, Panasonic makes probably the best Entry Level BDP.
Cheers,
JJ


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## peakdom (May 23, 2012)

Kal Rubinson said:


> Not if you don't use it.


touche. the thing was BNIB also. guy says he buys the damaged box stuff for their cost and resells it on his own time.

works for me, the thing works like a charm. i suppose i *should* use it more often, but the truth is my BRD collection consists of 2 movies i've seen already


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## wgmontgomery (Jun 9, 2011)

The Panasonic is also one of the few BDPs that will stream Netflix in 5.1.


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## peakdom (May 23, 2012)

wgmontgomery said:


> The Panasonic is also one of the few BDPs that will stream Netflix in 5.1.


this is why i made this thread: finding out neat stuff about my stuff :T


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## wgmontgomery (Jun 9, 2011)

peakdom said:


> this is why i made this thread: finding out neat stuff about my stuff :T


...and we are here to help! 

Since it's a new unit, you should also be eligible for a $5 credit from Vudu. They have tons of movies in HD 5.1 and a few in 7.1. Their $1 movies are a great deal, too. Be sure to check the "more info" section on each movie; not all are available in 5.1, and you usually have to rent the HD version to get 5.1. Also, the credit expires after 30 (??) days, so I'd wait until I found a movie that I wanted to watch before I activated the account.

Netflix offers a free 30 day trial, too. I absolutely love Netflix and consider it as/more important than my cable TV!


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## peakdom (May 23, 2012)

wgmontgomery said:


> ...and we are here to help!
> 
> Since it's a new unit, you should also be eligible for a $5 credit from Vudu. They have tons of movies in HD 5.1 and a few in 7.1. Their $1 movies are a great deal, too. Be sure to check the "more info" section on each movie; not all are available in 5.1, and you usually have to rent the HD version to get 5.1. Also, the credit expires after 30 (??) days, so I'd wait until I found a movie that I wanted to watch before I activated the account.
> 
> Netflix offers a free 30 day trial, too. I absolutely love Netflix and consider it as/more important than my cable TV!


ditched traditional cable in favor of OTA HD broadcasts + netflix eons ago.

i download whatever tv eps i miss, or watch them on hulu.


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

peakdom said:


> ditched traditional cable in favor of OTA HD broadcasts + netflix eons ago.
> 
> i download whatever tv eps i miss, or watch them on hulu.


With OTA HD, you also get the best possible PQ as Cable/Sat Providers employ a good amount of Compression to support 100's of Channels and On Demand. I foolishly have every Premium Channel, Netflix, Amazon VOD, and there is a decent bit of content on the Windows Media Center. I was watching Star Trek Cartoons earlier this week. They utterly cracked me up.


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## Tonto (Jun 30, 2007)

I thought most of the streaming sites did not offer blu ray quality. I get the bulk of my movies from the rental machines like Red Box. You get all the features of the disc because it is the disc. I love the rent online & pick up on the way by.


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

The Streaming Websites do not offer the same PQ as Blu-Ray. I will say Wal-Mart's Vudu probably comes the closest with 1080p Resolution, but you have to really rely on the quality of your Internet Network. Also, I do not think even Vudu offers 24FPS on Movies like BD offers.

All this being said, we are getting closer and closer to an era when Physical Media is a thing of the past. The Content Providers win by saving a fortune by not having to pay for Packaging, Disc Manufacturing, etc while simultaneously gaining even more control over how the Media is consumed. Already we are at the end of Movie Theaters actually showing Film. Rather, they are getting the Movies from a Wireless Server from the Movie Studios. Saves them a fortune in not having to ship Movie Prints and to safeguard them.


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