Looking for a new DVD/CD and perhaps Blue Ray player

Forums › Home Theatre (including HTPC and EPG Collector) › Looking for a new DVD/CD and perhaps Blue Ray player

Technofreak

6656 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 3474

Trusted

#311604 30-Jan-2024 22:33

Just bought a Yamaha RX-V6A AVR to interface with a Samsung S90C.

While setting things up I discovered my old CDX-500U has died. Looks like the laser has failed. Can't find a replacement part, not least at a reasonable price. Also the old DVD player we have won't interface with either the TV or the RX-V6A.

Looks like it's time for a new DVD/CD player. As much as I like Yamaha it seems they don't do DVD/CD players nor Blue Ray players anymore.

Is it worth getting a Blue Ray capable device?

Do I just go el cheapo and get something in the $120 or less price range or get something like the Sony UBP-X700 or the Panasonic DP-UB450GN?

Sony Xperia XA2 running Sailfish OS. https://sailfishos.org The true independent open source mobile OS
Samsung Galaxy Tab S6
Dell Inspiron 14z i5

Movieman

Movieman
3830 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 2526

ID Verified

Lifetime subscriber

#3188677 30-Jan-2024 22:59

Not sure if you are pulling my leg, but anyway...

You have a pretty decent receiver (I'm a Yamaha fan too) and a great 4K TV to pair with it. I would recommend that you go for a 4K Ultra HD player such as the Sony UBP X700 or preferably, the Panasonic DP-UB450GN which is capable of playing Dolby Vision and HDR10+ discs. Samsung don't support DV but they are pushing HDR10+ as their go to 4K viewing experience. You may not own any Blu-ray or 4K Ultra HD discs, but at least you will have the capability to do so. Plus, it will play your DVD's and CD's as well. $322 at Noel Leeming.

If you want the absolute best to go with your excellent TV and receiver; The Panasonic DP-UB820 is a brilliant player of all discs.

It would be a shame to limit your 4K TV to DVD quality 😬

MAN CAVE: 2025 TCL C7K 75" QD Mini LED TV - Apple TV 4K 32gb (2nd Gen) - Samsung HW Q990F Soundbar - Panasonic DP-UB820 4K Blu-ray Player - Apple Airpods Max - LIVING ROOM: 2021 Sony 75” X95J LCD/LED TV - Apple TV 4K 32gb (1st Gen) - 2 x Apple Homepods Gen.2 (paired) - TECH: iPhone 15 Plus, iPad Gen. 10, Apple Watch SE.

Technofreak

6656 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 3474

Trusted

#3188693 31-Jan-2024 06:00

I had been learning towards the Sony, mainly I like Sony gear as well and it seemed a good ll round unit for the price.

Will have a look at the Panasonics. The 820 is probably more than I want to spend.

The main reason I stretched to the RX-V6A over the RX-V4A was because it had a phono input for my turntable.

Sony Xperia XA2 running Sailfish OS. https://sailfishos.org The true independent open source mobile OS
Samsung Galaxy Tab S6
Dell Inspiron 14z i5

robjg63

4161 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1425

Subscriber

#3188709 31-Jan-2024 08:21

Well - Just as a wild card....

https://www.pbtech.co.nz/product/DVALAS7883/Laser-BLU-BD4000-Blu-Ray-Player-with-Multi-Region

$178.12, CD/DVD and Blu-ray. Can play all region DVDs and Blu-Ray discs. That makes it pretty unusual.

While unlocking DVD has been around a long time - It is pretty hard to find a DVD that lets you freely change the Blu-ray zone and play discs from anywhere.

It does appear that its limited to 1080p though.

Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn't have to do it himself - A. H. Weiler

Movieman

Movieman
3830 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 2526

ID Verified

Lifetime subscriber

#3188725 31-Jan-2024 08:52

Technofreak: I had been learning towards the Sony, mainly I like Sony gear as well and it seemed a good ll round unit for the price.

Will have a look at the Panasonics. The 820 is probably more than I want to spend.

The main reason I stretched to the RX-V6A over the RX-V4A was because it had a phono input for my turntable.

Sony doesn’t support HDR10+. Read some reviews

Technofreak

6656 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 3474

Trusted

#3188807 31-Jan-2024 12:28

Movieman:
Technofreak: I had been learning towards the Sony, mainly I like Sony gear as well and it seemed a good ll round unit for the price.

Will have a look at the Panasonics. The 820 is probably more than I want to spend.

The main reason I stretched to the RX-V6A over the RX-V4A was because it had a phono input for my turntable.

Sony doesn’t support HDR10+. Read some reviews

Thanks for the heads up.

I was in a hurry when I replied this morning and forgot to mention that was precisely why I was going to look at the Panasonic as you recommended.

Thanks again.

Sony Xperia XA2 running Sailfish OS. https://sailfishos.org The true independent open source mobile OS
Samsung Galaxy Tab S6
Dell Inspiron 14z i5

Technofreak

6656 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 3474

Trusted

#3188808 31-Jan-2024 12:28

robjg63:

Well - Just as a wild card....

https://www.pbtech.co.nz/product/DVALAS7883/Laser-BLU-BD4000-Blu-Ray-Player-with-Multi-Region

$178.12, CD/DVD and Blu-ray. Can play all region DVDs and Blu-Ray discs. That makes it pretty unusual.

While unlocking DVD has been around a long time - It is pretty hard to find a DVD that lets you freely change the Blu-ray zone and play discs from anywhere.

It does appear that its limited to 1080p though.

Yep, saw that but was put off by the specs.

Sony Xperia XA2 running Sailfish OS. https://sailfishos.org The true independent open source mobile OS
Samsung Galaxy Tab S6
Dell Inspiron 14z i5

Samsung

Shop now on Samsung phones, tablets, TVs and more (affiliate link).

rb99

3505 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1830

Lifetime subscriber

#3188815 31-Jan-2024 12:40

I put all my media on the main PC then it can be played by anyone in your family on multiple devices.

“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” -John Kenneth Galbraith

rb99

Technofreak

6656 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 3474

Trusted

#3188839 31-Jan-2024 14:30

Movieman:
Sony doesn’t support HDR10+. Read some reviews

That takes you down a few rabbit holes.

Perhaps I should expand on my original post

This started out as finding a replacement for a CD player with the added ability to play DVD's and possibly Blue Rays.

Right now the CD player function is the one which will be the most used. We don't have a lot of DVD's and currently no Blue-Rays though having the ability of play them is perhaps a good idea from a future proof point of view.

I've spent a bit of time reading

From the reviews I've read the Panasonic UB450 is a pretty decent Blue-Ray player whereas the Sony UBP X700 is a better CD player.

The Panasonic DP-UB820 has good reviews too, but at double the money of the other two??????

There seems to be an issue with the Sony freezing while playing certain disks.

I need to do other things with my time today and will get back do some more reading later.

One question I have is there seems to be some debate about whether or not the player needs to be able to support some of the various formats as the information is read off the disk and passed through to the AVR via HDMI for processing and then sent onto the TV. The argument from some is that the player doesn't actually do any processing when connected to an AVR via HDMI therefore it doesn't need to support a format/feature. Thoughts/comments?

Sony Xperia XA2 running Sailfish OS. https://sailfishos.org The true independent open source mobile OS
Samsung Galaxy Tab S6
Dell Inspiron 14z i5

JimmyH

2898 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1554

#3191153 5-Feb-2024 15:04

Get a USB optical drive and a NAS. Rip all the optical media to the NAS (and store in garage in case of calamity). Now your material is instantly available, anywhere in the house, without having to rat though piles of disks.

Installing software like Plex or Jellyfin to serve up the content will make things even better. High WAF, parental controls if you have kids, and many more viewing/listening options.

afe66

3181 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 1678

Lifetime subscriber

#3191782 7-Feb-2024 12:33

I've ripped all my cd dvd to synology and plex as needed but couldn't be bothered ripping the blue rays although I have a blue ray drive.

Has it got any easier to rip them. Dvd were easy using a Ubuntu box which ignored all region codes but blu ray looked too time consuming.

I just play the 4k discs on my x800.

I do like my x800 having two hdmi ports so audio to my non 4k amp and video to 4k tv (Sony A1)

Technofreak

6656 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 3474

Trusted

#3192193 7-Feb-2024 23:30

I had a look at the NAS option and ripping the disks. In the end it meant spending at least $400 to do the NAS properly plus a whole chunk of time ripping all the disks. On top of that the other half wasn't keen on using the NAS option.

We ended up stumping up the dollars for the Panasonic DP-UB820. So far so good. 👍

I can see some uses for the NAS option. I may start down that track in the future when we have a need to upgrade our current NAS. In the meantime we can watch and listen to what we have without first having to rip the disks.

Sony Xperia XA2 running Sailfish OS. https://sailfishos.org The true independent open source mobile OS
Samsung Galaxy Tab S6
Dell Inspiron 14z i5

Dyson

Shop now for Dyson appliances (affiliate link).

Handle9

11924 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 9675

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#3192217 8-Feb-2024 03:29

If you’re only spending $400 on a NAS you didn’t take the red pill.

That’s a whole different complex of rabbit holes to go down.

I’m sure you’ll enjoy your CD/Blu Ray Player. I kind of miss physical media. It always looked nice sitting on the shelf.

Technofreak

6656 posts

Uber Geek
+1 received by user: 3474

Trusted

#3192360 8-Feb-2024 11:39

Handle9: If you’re only spending $400 on a NAS you didn’t take the red pill.

That’s a whole different complex of rabbit holes to go down.

I’m sure you’ll enjoy your CD/Blu Ray Player. I kind of miss physical media. It always looked nice sitting on the shelf.

I try to stay away from those pills. Note, I said at least $400.

Rabbit holes? Most definitely. I decided to have a play with our NAS and set up media playing capabilities on that to see how well it might work. The first decision, do I use the native media player apps or do I use Plex? Might as well try them both and see what the differences are. Then I discovered that Cayin Media Sign Player was necessary to play some formats. Next discovery was the NAS needs 2 Gb of RAM to run Cayin, ours doesn't. And so it goes and so does the time spent (wasted some might say).

Where I see a use for the NAS is if you want to play music uninterrupted for an extended period. You can make up a playlist and let it run.

Like you I like physical media, I have a turntable and a good selection of LP's, and a pretty decent Yamaha Tape Deck (which gets little use). I'm sure we'll enjoy the CD/Blu-Ray player.

Sony Xperia XA2 running Sailfish OS. https://sailfishos.org The true independent open source mobile OS
Samsung Galaxy Tab S6
Dell Inspiron 14z i5