Any reccomendations for buying a blu-ray player?

Forums › Home Theatre (including HTPC and EPG Collector) › Any reccomendations for buying a blu-ray player?

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727 posts

Ultimate Geek

#461405 21-Apr-2011 17:49

LookingUp:How bizarre - the link you've found is for their non-region free BluRay version, but navigating through their site you can get to the fully region free version at the URL listed. The URL doesn't work if you just try to go to it though.

Mystery solved. Your link did not include the final "/" in the actual target URL, and without that, you get a 404 error.

andrew027

1286 posts

Uber Geek

#465162 4-May-2011 09:47

Sorry - a bit late to this forum as I've been away for a while.

There were some questions in the thread sbout blu-ray players being region free for DVD. I'm pretty sure that all Sony BD players sold through Sony stores are region free for DVD. When I bought mine from Sony Style in Wellington last year the guy in the store told me the set them up this way when they arrive in the country.

RunningMan

8955 posts

Uber Geek

#465168 4-May-2011 10:03

andrew027: I'm pretty sure that all Sony BD players sold through Sony stores are region free for DVD.

Thanks for that info. Does that mean if it's bought from a non Sony store (i.e JB, Harvery Norman etc.) it won't be region free, or is it done to all products coming through the official Sony channel in to NZ?

70mm

80 posts

Master Geek

#465374 4-May-2011 18:42

RunningMan:
Dunnersfella: When you say region free, are you wanting it to be for DVD or BluRay playback?

DVD only - I'm quite possibly incorrect, but i didn't think you could go region free with with BD?

You can get Zone Free for blu-ray but the player does need to be hardware modified. The Oppo BDP-93 is sold in NZ as two models, unlike those from Oppo in the USA.

It is way outside your budget but knowing you can get Zone Free for BD is still important.

1. BDP-93 Region Free for DVD and Locked to Zone B for Blu-ray (NZ)
2. BDP-93 Region Free for DVD and Zone Free for Blu-ray, these players are hardware modified and any firmware updates will not afect the code free chip.

http://www.rapalloav.co.nz/category/3/oppo-blu-ray-players/

If you dont need a player that will do everything and do it really well, dont waste your money on an Oppo BD player.

ilovemusic

1439 posts

Uber Geek

#466377 7-May-2011 01:36

Time to update your signature ?

Batman

Mad Scientist
29763 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#466378 7-May-2011 02:19

ilovemusic: Time to update your signature ?

+1 bdp 93,95 mmmmmmmmmm

Oubadah

676 posts

Ultimate Geek

#468053 11-May-2011 20:58

I'm looking for a DBP, although my requirements are very basic as it isn't to be my primary unit.

It's so hard to find decent info on these things as actual *Blu-Ray players*. All anyone seems to care about these days is all those damned web applications. Every review is netflix this, youtube that. With an HTPC I couldn't care less.

I just want:

- Internal decoding of the HD DTS and Dolby signals to STEREO analogue. Competent downmixing of channels.
- Fast loading Blu Ray disks.
- Quiet disk mechanism
- 24fps output (I guess every BDP has this now, but do some have better implementation than others? I mean, what happens if you watch a 24fps Blu Ray and then put in a DVD - does it revert to normal operation automatically, or do you have to change something?)
- Maybe some reasonable upscaling ability for DVDs?

It'll be with the Panasonic V20 initially, but then moved to a secondary system.

I was looking at the new Sony BDP-S380

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RunningMan

8955 posts

Uber Geek

#468161 12-May-2011 09:12

Oubadah: I just want:

- Internal decoding of the HD DTS and Dolby signals to STEREO analogue. Competent downmixing of channels.
- Fast loading Blu Ray disks.
- Quiet disk mechanism
- 24fps output (I guess every BDP has this now, but do some have better implementation than others? I mean, what happens if you watch a 24fps Blu Ray and then put in a DVD - does it revert to normal operation automatically, or do you have to change something?)
- Maybe some reasonable upscaling ability for DVDs?

It'll be with the Panasonic V20 initially, but then moved to a secondary system.

I was looking at the new Sony BDP-S380

Well, I ended up getting the S380 a couple of days ago, and so far, it's doing what I want. Loads reasonably quickly, DVD upscaling looks fine, and it automatically changes the output frame rate to match the source. Haven't had time to really have a play with it yet in depth...

imd6662

119 posts

Master Geek

#468397 12-May-2011 17:39

Have had the Sony 370 for a few weeks and really like it... and I haven't even tried a BD in it yet!

Oubadah

676 posts

Ultimate Geek

#470043 17-May-2011 11:56

This S380 has some real potential - it can play ripped DVDs (VIDEO_TS folder format) from USB devices, and I was taken aback by how well they were up-scaled to 1080p, considering this is only a $200 unit. The problem is it doesn't seem to be able to handle the menus - I got to the menu screen, but there was no way to select any menu items. You can get directly to certain stages of the DVD buy selecting a VOB file, but then the skip finction is really erratic, to it's difficult to start from the beginning of the video...

Does anyone know how to get this function working properly? This player really shows promise. Blu-ray looks great on my HD monitors, and operating noise is acceptable - I was expecting much worse.

Lurch

1061 posts

Uber Geek

#470067 17-May-2011 12:37

http://dicksmith.co.nz/product/GH7022/philips-blu-ray-player-bdp2700

$179 :-)

DVD Region free hack...

1. Make sure there is no disc in the tray when you switch on.
2. Press "home" key on remote control.
3. Enter number "1389310" on the remote control. Wait 10 seconds
4. Switch off using Power Button on front display. Wait 10 seconds
5. Switch on using Power Button on front display. Will boot as normal but will be region free.

Plays MKV files with (h264/AC3), subtitles work as a separate Srt file with the same name as the MKV file.

Dunnersfella

4086 posts

Uber Geek

#470082 17-May-2011 12:59

The BD85 is the better player to my eyes, the BTD100 is $300 all over the place - so if you wanna go 3D that could work for you?

Lurch

1061 posts

Uber Geek

#470155 17-May-2011 16:19

Also the Philips player works with my USB portable Hard Drive that is formated NTFS and the audio can be output bitstream audio through the HDMI cable.

Think I'm talking myself into buying one.. can I afford it.. hmm...

ilovemusic

1439 posts

Uber Geek

#470345 17-May-2011 23:17

The Phillips is cheap but you get what you pay for.

Performance is good but build quality is poor and it's simply not very nice to use.

For $150 a Panasonic BD45 is a nicer machine.

Oubadah

676 posts

Ultimate Geek

#470347 17-May-2011 23:19

ilovemusic: For $150 a Panasonic BD45 is a nicer machine.

Are there any outstanding issues with the BD45 - by brother is looking for really cheap BDP.

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