Which Blue Ray and Why

[jcmusic]

I am thinking about getting a Blue Ray player and wanted some advice.

Jay

[White_Hawk]

Wait until they win the battle - prices will drop =)

or if you can't wait, get the PS3 - because you get an amazing gaming console with it. It also got very good reviews from CNET a while ago http://reviews.cnet.com/4321-6463_7-6509000-1.html?tag=feat

[laneza01]

yeah I have a ps3 and use it for Blu-ray and i love it, so i recommend it also. the only thing you dont get is DTS Masterless...were all hoping for Sony to include this in a new firmware upgrade eventually...but we'll see if that ever happens....

[JJkizak]

The PS3 will also play Bluray burned to standard DVD-R discs. But only about 30 minutes worth. There are many other ramifications, some players will and some players won't.

JJK

[Bill H.]

Ditto the Eariler comment................WAIT -until the format/price war in over.

[Rudy81]

Or...you can get a multi player, Blue Ray and HD-DVD. I went that route on my HTPC and it works very well. Only problem is that you can't get the HD audio from those dics in a pc.....yet.

[Guest srobak]

Or...you can get a multi player, Blue Ray and HD-DVD.

Any pay much more than it would cost to buy one of each format...

[CECAA850]

A lot of people go the PS3 route and like it. I have read however of issues with loud cooling fans on many of them. Not an issue for gaming, but HT may be another story. I was in the wait and see camp for a while. Wait till the price drops, wait till there's more movies available, wait till handshake issues are ironed out, wait till the format is finalized, etc, etc. I got sick of waiting. There will always be cheaper, newer, better faster (etc) gear coming. In the mean time, you're missing out on a great format. If you're going to jump, then find a player that has what you're looking for and take the plunge. You'll be glad you didn't wait. Oh yea, I like the Pioneer players, but I, like most people, like what I own..................big surprise.

[laneza01]

I really only notice the cooling fans on mine if i listen for them...and I sit fairly close to the unit, less then 8 feet for sure. But then again i dont consider myself to picky on that matter...

[jcmusic]

OK guys I will continue to look around until I find the right thing or the war is over. Thanks for all the advice keep it coming.

Jay

[Wrench722]

It seems to me that you would want a Sony because that is who makes BlueRay?

[Bret_Salyer]

I would look into the new Panasonic DMP-BD30 if you have a late model receiver/processor.

I heard it handles 1080P24 video and bitstreams DTS-MA. If your processor decodes DTS-MA you will have the latest and greatest.

[Hunt]

Jay,

The PS3 is really a great little machine. I was going to wait it out, but then after Thanksgiving, Walmart had an online promotion that you could get the 80gig PS3 and walk out of the store with 10 free bluray movies. With the mail-in rebate for 5 free, I ended up with 15 free movies - a deal that pushed me over the edge to make the plunge and risk winding up on the wrongside of the format wars once again. As the days pass, the deals will get more enticing. I love this PS3 and am glad I made the plunge. Besides the obvious high quality picture and sound, the gaming is unreal.

First a word about the picture and sound. I have an older Mits RPTV with no hdmi. I am using component only, so highest resolution for me is 1080i, instead of being able to view 1080p. The picture is fantastic. I don't even want to watch one of my older movies on my Denon, which I thought was pretty darn good at the time. My audio is via optical. I understand to utilize many of the new formats it needs to be via hdmi. Well even though it is optical, when I select losless dolby or whatever special options the movie has, I immediately notice the substantial improvement in sound. It is rather dramatic, compared to my Denon with standard dvds. I'm sold.

The ps3 gaming is awesome. I just have the free game (Motorstorm) which is racing, and 2 others. One is Call of Duty 4, and it is incredible. I just finished it today, and couldn't believe the realism and sound. It pushes the limits of 7.1 surround sound, as bullets and explosions immerse you in the action. I also tried the online gaming of it, and got my head handed to me for about an hour, before I had to settle down. It is really cutting edge and unbelievable if you haven't ever done it.

I have also used the hard drive to load pictures. It is really easy, and you can play some really cool slideshows of pictures, all in high def. You can connect to the internet very easily through a wireless connection. It was really easy to connect and run updates of the firmware. You can download trailers and additional gaming content, such as video for new games coming out (a la Gran turismo 5), and add ons for other games.

My point is this - I was a disgruntled consumer, and was planning on waiting for the war to end. It probably will switch to downloadable content, like Comcast "On demand" and others. However, I decided to take advantage of this while it is around and so affordable, and glad I did. At least it will be fun for a couple of years, I hope. Only you can decide what is best for you, but I can't imagine you will be disappointed with any HD movie machine you wind up getting. Good luck and have fun....

[CECAA850]

OK guys I will continue to look around until I find the right thing or the war is over. Thanks for all the advice keep it coming. Jay

Have you looked into HDDVD? (caution potential thread war ahead)

[Guest srobak]

Cooling fans... put the offending device(s) on a shelf behind a glass, plexi or wood door.

[Buckeye_Nut]

I own both BR and HD-DVD players and as cheap as players are today, it's not that big of a purchase decision. HD-DVD players are now on sale for under $200, and BR players can be owned for under $300!! Some lousy LOW-DEF upscaling players cost that much!!

Low-DEF upscaling players are now obsolete because both BR/HD players upscale Low-def DVDs anyway. Why would anyone today buy an upscaling player when the prices for HD/BR have fallen so far?

If I had to choose only one, it would be BR. The BR disc "New Release" selection is greater and many manufacturers are now building BR players. (compared to only Toshiba for HD-DVD) Most reports predict BR will eventually win the format war for many reasons, but that will take time. In the mean time..... (since both have become so cheap).......buying either/or both isn't something you will regret. By the time this format war is settled, you will have more than gotten your moneys worth out of both players. In fact, you will have probably upgraded both of them several times during that process!! LOL

Once you experience first hand how bad 480p looks compared to HD/BR in your own home, you'll have all the confirmation you need for making a HD/BR purchase decision.

[jcmusic]

Buckeye thanks for the info it helps, we have similar equipment, Mitsubishi 52 and Directv. I think I am going the Blue Ray route because of the future possibilties. Also the technical stuff that I read about it.

Jay

[Mallette]

I rarely venture out from my normal haunts, but not a lot going on there at the moment and this discussion is of interest.

Do BR players downsample to 1080i? That's the best I have at the moment and am in no rush. Even 1080p won't fool my cat (though my audio system does) as it's still flat as a pancake. I won't really start to get excited about video until we get at least the equivalent of stereo, or better still, surround. Don't see that coming for a while...

So, I am one of those who purchased an upsampling DVD player (OPPO 981HD) more for it's audio qualities than video. However, if there were a BR with equivalent audio that could output true 1080i I could be interested.

In my case, HDDVD doesn't interest me for the same reason SACD doesn't. There are no user burners available for it. If I can't burn it, I don't want it. I presume there is no visual difference between the two, but if history is an indicator it's capacity, not quality that makes the difference. Only a blind person would not have been able to see that Beta was visually far superior to VHS, but capacity won that race.

[Guest srobak]

Mallette - the info on no hd-dvd burners is incorrect. Sony has had one out since June VRD-MC5, and Toshiba has the SD-H903A. These were the ones showcased at the CES, and there are other makes and models out now too.

[Mallette]

Thanks for the info. I did not know that. I'll look into it. That really leaves only capacity as an issue.

Dave