Sony BDP S350 1080p Blu ray Disc Player
The BDP-S350 models support BonusView (picture-in-picture) featured on some of the Blu-ray Disc theatrical releases. The BDP-S350 models are BD-Live ready featuring an Ethernet port for an easy firmware update and access to Internet-based interactive content features. They also feature an external port for local storage, so users can add optional flash-based memory. The players feature 1080/60p and 24p True Cinema output. They are compatible with most standard DVDs and feature 1080p upscaling through an HDMI connection to capable HDTV sets, improving the picture performance of existing DVD libraries.The BDP-S350 models offer 7.1 channel Dolby TrueHD and Dolby digital plus decoding and bit-stream output, as well as dts-HD high resolution audio and master audio bit-stream output. The players support AVCHD discs encoded with x.v.Color (xvYCC) technology, an international standard for wide color space reproduction. The standard expands the current data range of video by about 1.8 times, allowing the players to output more natural and vivid colors similar to what the human eye can actually see. The players also feature compatibility with an array of video formats, including BD-R/RE (BDMV and BDAV modes), DVD+R/+RW, DVD-R/-RW (video mode), CD, CD-R/RW (CD-DA format), and JPEG on DVD/CD recordable media.
User Ratings and Reviews
4 Stars Mostly happy, but wish it had just one more feature
Generally I’m very happy with this player. I got it at a good price at Best Buy a few months ago. I don’t even have a hi-def TV yet, and I can already see a difference in the picture with Blu-Ray discs on a regular TV.
I purchased the Blu-Ray of “Amadeus”, and even when viewed on a regular TV through the BD player it looks FABULOUS!
The remote is easy to navigate with, and the menu screens on the TV (via the player) are neither too complex nor overly-elaborate.
I don’t have the player hooked up to an Internet cable yet for all the firmware updates, Blu-Ray Live features, etc, but that’s not really my thing anyway. I just want the movies I watch to look cool!
The only drawback I see is that there is no frame-by-frame advance feature. I didn’t see anything about that feature on any published or online literature for this model, so I just crossed my fingers and hoped for the best. No luck in that department, I guess.
If you’ve read a lot of reviews of BD players, you’ve no doubt heard about various “start-up times”, or how long it takes the player to read and start playing a Blu-Ray disc. Yes, it can often be slower than a standard DVD, but it isn’t so long as to be a deal-breaker.
Overall, I’m very happy with this player’s performance — even if it doesn’t have frame advance. You can REALLY tell the difference between standard DVD and Blu-Ray discs even if you don’t have a hi-def TV yet.
Christmas is just around the corner. Think I’ll buy me a plasma TV to go along with my S350. Bring some beer and you can come over and we’ll watch some Blu-Ray movies! First up — “Blade Runner” and “The Fall”. And when and if “Jaws” ever comes out on Blu-Ray, be advised that I’m taking the phone off the hook when I watch it.
5 Stars Excellent for those new to BD
I already had an HD-DVD player, so I was familiar with the “next-gen” DVDs and their 1080p/24fps qualities.
After the death of the HD-DVD format, I was in the market for a simple BD player. I looked at the Sony PS3, but as I had already invested heavily in my Xbox 360, I could not justify spending even more money on a game console that did not have too much in the way of games that I enjoyed playing.
So, I went ahead and got a BDP-S350. It works as advertised. Great sound, picture and interface (just like the PS3’s). The first movie I viewed on it was “Dark Knight” and it was everything I expected.
If you can find this player for under $200 (which is what it seems to be going at nowadays), get it. DVD players used to cost this much, and the improvement is significant over the older media.
As an aside, it is a great upconverter for older discs, so you can still hang on to those…:)
Panasonic DMP BD35K 1080p Blu ray Player
PRODUCT FEATURES:Blu-ray Disc player with PHL referenceChroma Processor Plus7.1ch lossless decode and analog outputBD-LiveVIERA linkSD card slot
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars A non-expert’s perspective: absolutely spectacular…
UPDATE: Since writing this review, I have discovered that when the Blu-Ray player is connected via HDMI, there is apparently a hand-shaking problem issue that causes our LG Plasma TV to repeatedly “power-cycle” (shut down and then come back on). After reading several internet forums, I learned that this is a fairly common problem with HDMI cables and Blu-Ray players). We have gone back to using Monster Z300SV-8M Ultra High Resolution S-Video Cable (8 meters)and this has fixed the problem with no apparent degradation in picture.
My husband is the expert on video components and technology and as a result, he makes most of the decisions about what types of equipment to purchase. When we upgraded to an Mitsubishi LT-46149 46-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV with Integrated Sound Projector upstairs and a LG 60PS80 60-Inch 1080p Broadband Plasma HDTV downstairs this year, he researched BluRay players and based on the specs, this one was among the best. At first, I wasn’t even sure we needed to upgrade our DVD player — seemed like the old one was pretty clear — especially with the new TVs.
Then we purchased this and popped in “Cars” — the only Blu-Ray disk that we had and which was given to us. I was blown away by the difference in color and clarity associated with the Blu-Ray player and disk over our regular DVD player. One of my favorite movies is Seabiscuit which has beautiful cinematography (particularly the scene in upstate NY in the fall where Seabiscuit goes galloping through the woods). While the scene has always been my favorite, it now becomes a work of art in Blu-Ray.
I confess that I also love dance movies and these also come alive like never before on Blu-Ray. Again, I was skeptical about the upgrade but having this player has made me fall in love with my favorite movies all over again… now I just have to go out and spend a small fortune replacing my DVD library to take full-advantage of the picture and technology. Oh well…
5 Stars This Blu-Ray player is flawless!
I’ve owned this Blu-Ray player for about a year now, and I must say this is truely a perfect Blu-Ray player! The colors, picture quality, and sound are amazing! Watching Blu-Ray movies on it really provides a “pop” for the movie. DVD’s also come in very well. I bought the newest Rambo on Blu-Ray and on DVD and I could’t tell the difference. I don’t know if that’s a dis towards the Blu-Ray or a plus for the DVD, but the player is awesome. Go for it and you won’t be sorry that you did!!
5 Stars Excellent BD Player And Upconverter
Yo-
Bought this unit as a refurb from “good as new” – came promptly and not a scratch nor mark on it. Plays really well both in BD and in up-converting Netflix DVDs.
Easy to learn and understand.
Be sure to upgrade firmware for best performance.
Would recommend to anyone and would recommend “good as new” as a supplier too-eh
Denon DVD 2500BTCI Blu ray DVD CD Player
The Denon DVD-2500BTCI DVD Player go beyond standard processing with the ultimate Blu-Ray/DVD/CD digital transporter for the digital purist. Combining top-of-the line audio/video standards with a rigid, multi-layered construction, this breakthrough transporter eliminates outside interference to deliver unrivaled playback from a wide range of digital sources. And all this performance is delivered to your HDTV via HDMI.
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars Denon Blu-Ray
As you would expect with any product manufactured by Denon, this is a beautiful piece of equipment that performs flawlessly.
5 Stars A good solid machine
I’ve had this machine for a about two weeks now. So far I am very happy with it. Here is my review:
Sound quality: excellent, rich and clear
Video quality:
Blue-ray: very good as compared to my expensive Pioneer Elite BDP-95FD
Standard DVD: excellent
Jpeg: good, cannot get full-screen pictures.
5 Stars Goes great with a Denon AVR-4308CI
I have a Denon AVR-4308CI bought at a bargain price (not from Amazon). Everyone said that the DVD-2500BTCI would go great with that receiver and they were right.
Connecting the DVD player to the receiver with an HDMI cable was very easy. I think that’s the ONLY way to connect the two.
People who say the 2500BTCI is built like a brick poop-house are correct; the unit is solid and feels like it will outlast the Blu-Ray format (which could be all of two years, the way technology is changing!)
What impressed me most was not the picture, which is awesome, but the way the 2500BTCI and the AVR-4308CI work together to create the best SOUND I’ve heard outside of a movie theater. And I really don’t have a fancy home theater system. I’ve got two Vienna Acoustic Haydn Grand speakers, a Vienna Acoustic Waltz Grand center speaker, and an REL Q108 subwoofer.
I feel I got a bargain buying the DVD-2500BTCI from Amazon for $279.
DVD 1080/24p Playback DVD Region: 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 PAL / NTSC Compatible Blu Ray Zone : A Playable Media: BD-R/RE, DVD-Video/-R/-RW, R/ RW, CD, USB AVCHD/MP3/WMA/JPEG Playback BD Profile 2.0 HDMI with x.v.Color(TM)/Deep Color Dolby Digital /Dolby TrueHD/DTS-HD Decoding BD Live Ready USB Host HD Everio Playback HD Audio Bit-Stream Output HDMI with x.v.Color(TM)/Deep Color Dolby Digital /Dolby TrueHD/DTS-HD Decoding MECHANISM System: PAL/NTSC BD Live(TM) Playable Media BD-ROM / BD-RE / BD-R DVD-Video / DVD-R/-RW, +R/+RW BD-ROM BD-RE BD-R DVD-Video DVD-R DVD-RW (Video/VR) +RW / +R CD / CD-R/RW Playable Formats (Image) MPEG-2 MPEG-4 AVC (H.264) VC-1 AVCHD JPEG Digital Still Playable Formats (Audio) LPCM Dolby Digital / Dolby Digital+ Dolby TrueHD DTS DTS HD MPEG-1/-2 L2 MP3 (PCM Only) WMA (PCM Only) Trick Playback Fast Play (Forward/Reverse) (BD/DVD[VR]/CD) Slow (Forward) (BD/DVD[VR]) Skip Title/Track (BD/DVD[VR]/CD) ; Chapter (BD/DVD[VR] ; Time (DVD[VR]) Pause (BD/DVD[VR]/CD) Step (Forward) (BD/DVD[VR]) Repeat Title/Track, Chapter, A-B, ALL Last Condition Memory (DVD[VR]) Resume/Stop (DVD[VR]) Random Play (CD-DA, MP3/WMA) Book Marker / Book Marker Search JPEG Slideshow with Music Quick Loading Subtitle Still Progressive Scan VIDEO Video D/A Converter 12-bit/148MHz Noise Reduction VBI (WSS / CGMS-A / Closed Caption / Macrovision) NTSC — PAL Conversion Deep Color x.v.Color(TM) 1080p Upscaling AUDIO Audio D/A Converter 192kHz/24-bit Dynamic Range Control TERMINALS HDMI Digital Out (Audio/Video) (Ver.1.3) Video Out Component Composite Audio Out Analog 2ch Coaxial Digital Output Optical Digital Output USB Host (Front) Network (Ethernet) MISCELLANEOUS On-Screen Display
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars Exactly As Hyped, Plays All Region DVD’s
This product is exactly what I was looking for. A Blu-Ray Player that also can play All-region DVD’s. The sound and video quality are excellent. I haven’t yet tried all the extra available features, I bought this mainly for watching Blu-Ray DVD’S as well as my international DVD’s. The lights on front of the unit are bright though. To me, it’s well worth it to pay the extra amount for this version of this JVC product plus remember it includes the free HDMI cable which is approximately a $40.00 value in itself. I got mine from All Region World (Amazon seller). Be careful, other sellers may be advertising this product as an all-region player but are selling the North American version instead, see the other reviews. I am very pleased with my purchase from All Region World. Although mine arrived without the HDMI cable as advertised, All Region World was quick to send me one after I contacted them about it.
If you do not need an all-region player than the slightly lower costing product of the same JVC model is probably going to be ideal for you. I don’t understand why JVC didn’t market the two different versions with separate model numbers, very strange in this regard.
5 Stars Good Player
Worked right out of the box. No problems. Good picture. Would recommend. Slightly bright display though!
5 Stars NICE BD-PLAYER
i just got this JVC XV BP1. it works international region DVD. also when i connected usb to my portable hard drive, i can watch
my backup movie. it tried to play (non-hd divx or xvid format .avi) HD MOVIE (.MKV .MP4) .MPG .MP3 .WMA DVD(CODE1,6,3,and ALL)
JPEG PHOTOS and bd. worksperfect. easy to use, nice picture and great sound. this unit DO NOT SUPPORT new format’s divx xvid and rmvb.
recommend to buy.
Buy/More Info
Sony BDP S550 1080p Blu ray Player
The BDP-S550 model supports BonusView (Picture-in-Picture) featured on some of the new Blu-ray Disc theatrical releases. This model also features an external port for local storage, so users can add optional flash-based memory. The BDP-S550 ships with a 1GB storage device.The player features 1080/60p and 24p True Cinema output. It is compatible with most standard DVDs and features 1080p upscaling through an HDMI connection to capable HDTV sets, improving the picture performance of existing DVD libraries.The model offers 7.1 channel Dolby TrueHD and Dolby Digital Plus decoding and bit-stream output, as well as dts -HD High Resolution Audio and Master Audio bit-stream output. The BDP-S550 adds dts-HD High Resolution Audio and dts-HD Master Audio decoding as well as 7.1 channel analog audio output.The player supports AVCHD discs encoded with x.v.Color (xvYCC) technology, an international standard for wide color space reproduction. The standard expands the current data range of video by about 1.8 times, allowing the players to output more natural and vivid colors similar to what the human eye can actually see. The player also features compatibility with an array of video formats, including BD-R/RE (BDMV and BDAV modes), DVD+R/+RW, DVD-R/-RW (Video Mode), CD, CD-R/RW (CD-DA format), and JPEG on DVD/CD recordable media.The new model features a slim design with reduced depth and height compared to previous models matching Sony’s new home-theater-in-a-box systems, the HT-SS2300 and HT-CT100 T-SS2300, also announced today. Optimized for Blu-ray Disc, the new component systems feature three 1080p compatible HDMI inputs making them the perfect match for a Full high-definition home theater when connected to a new Sony BRAVIA 1080p HDTV.
User Ratings and Reviews
4 Stars Purchased for multi-channel, maybe not the best option
So I’m sure everyone can look at how the picture quality stands up to other options, load times, ect. All seem just fine on this player (for a Blu-ray). I’ll never be fooled into thinking that this player loads disks as fast as a normal DVD player, but that’s a price we pay for the 1080p resolution.
I made a point to purchase this over the 350 because of the analog multichannel outputs. I have an older receiver without HDMI, so I wanted to make sure I could use this player for TrueHD and DTS-HD MA. It reads/plays the formats just fine, but I didn’t realize I’d lose the bass management using an analog signal path.
The fact that this is a limitation not really to the player, but to my receiver is probably common sense to most people that have dabbled in home theatre. The problem was that information isn’t really available in any of the technical literature for the product (either the 550 or my receiver). So, I wanted to at least give a heads up to anyone else.
Like I’ve said, it’s a great player, but I just wish it had more robust bass management features (crossover is set too high for my preference, so I’m using full range on all my fronts now). Not terrible, but probably more strain on my drivers than I’d like at loud volumes.
5 Stars -S350 / -S550 Owner Review
Just a quick review here, I have set up many Blu-ray players for friends, and these are my favorites. They work great, are full featured and have excellent remotes. Firmware updates are also very easy to apply. Unless you really want the backlit remote (not important if you use Harmony remotes like I do) or need the analog outputs you might as well save a bit and buy the BDP-S350. It’s also smaller and a bit more sleek looking. Either choice is excellent, just don’t overbuy if you don’t need to. Firmware support and the interfaces are essentially identical.
Samsung are a common alternative, but they seem to have a less appealing visual interface, more firmware issues (and the process is not as simple) and my biggest beef is that they have an unrefined, noisy mechanism and sluggish responding remote. Either of those final characteristics are either unacceptable or too frustrating to endure in my books.
Panasonic SC BT100 5 1 Blu Ray Home Theater System Black
home theater system with Blu-ray Disc player/receiver, 5 speakers, and a subwoofer * includes built-in iPod dock * Energy Star® compliant * compatible with optional SH-FX67 wireless receiver and SB-HS100A speaker pair for a 7.1 speaker system * VIERA Link technology for simplified operation with a compatible Panasonic TV (HDMI-CEC) * Deep Color support * digital video upconversion for standard DVD playback * built-in decoding for Dolby® Digital Plus, Dolby® Digital True HD, DTS-HD, Dolby® Pro Logic® IIx, and DTS Neo:6 processing * 6-channel amplifier (104 watts x 2 for front speakers, 101 watts for center speaker, 34 watts x 2 for surrounds, 95 watts for subwoofer) *
User Ratings and Reviews
4 Stars Great bang for the buck
This product delivers everything it said it would and for the price you can’t beat the performance, sound, and ease of setup. A few quirks have been found in the 8 months I have used mine. The volume will go all the way up or down on occasion. You need to power the unit down for a minute or two then restart it. Also, I tried to do a firmware update per the mfr instructions but it didn’t work. If you have a Harmony remote, you can’t place a D-In button on it easily. If you own the Harmony, you’ll find out what a pain that is. But these are all minor issues for the price point. I would have spent over 2K for the separate componants. Sure the sound and inputs would have been better, but for a budget, this system rocks.
4 Stars Great value
This system was exactly what I expected. A Blue Ray disc player with 5.1 wireless surround sound. The system was very easy to install and works flawlessly with my Panasonic Viera HDTV.
The only reason I didn’t give it a 5-star rating is the user’s manual is maddening to use. It is not very clear and it takes a lot of experimenting (trial & error) to figure out how to properly control the system with the remote.
But it sounds great!
Pioneer BDP 51FD BonusView Blu ray Player
Experience Blu-ray content in a whole new way. Open your eyes to a whole new realm of possibilities. A world unlike anything youve ever known. Where watching movies and entertainment at home will never feel the same again. And everything you see, hear and feel is more thrilling than you ever thought possible. Brace yourself for the wonders of spectacular 1080p resolution and for unrivaled image quality. A world where True24FPS ensures every movie you watch is now viewed just as the director intended. Set your sights on a single-wire connection so technologically advanced now one HDMI® digital connection is all you need to output both HD audio and video signals to your HDMI capable A/V receiver or HD flat panel. Get ready for a world where pictures and music come together in a brand new way on a Blu-ray Disc Player with HDMI control, powered from a single remote. Delivering 3 different noise reduction circuits, 7.1 channel analog audio outputs and internal audio output, this Blu-ray Disc Player brings added dimension and more stunning detail to everything you see, hear and feel. Its a world where years of technological innovation make everything youve ever seen or heard before ordinary and mundane by comparison. Where WolfsonTM Audio DACs featuring a signal-to-noise ratio of 117db provide the purest, most pristine music and movie soundtrack performance available. And an exclusive Jitter Reduction Circuit utilizes Pioneer-developed IC to digitally reshape the waveform of the audio clock. Empowering the Pioneer BDP-51FD with a stunningly impressive ability to reduce jitter in every piece of content you see or hear. All of which create a home theater experience…so unbelievably thrilling, it will move you in ways you never knew possible. Ultimately, its a world so completely different, so beyond extraordinary…it will change the way you look, listen and feel about watching movies at home, forever.
User Ratings and Reviews
3 Stars What’s wrong with this player?
I love Pioneer products and I love this blu-ray player, but it does have one major flaw. No direct method of upgrading the firmware. Let’s be frank, if you’re going to release devices with operating systems that often need to be updated they should be required to have an ethernet port and the ability to download software directly from the Net. In this day and age – and certainly at the higher price points – there is no justifiable reason to ask your customer to “check in at our website periodically” to find out whether there’s been an update recently; and then have the customer download the software and burn it onto their own CD. A CD which to be honest we’ll only use once – and which unfortunately still will not guarantee that you will be able to play all your blu-ray discs. Since upgrading my wonderful BPD-51 to update 1.25, it actually plays fewer discs from my collection than it did when I first bought it. Even after installing update 1.32 it still won’t play several mass market discs, something my cheap Samsung 1500 does with no problems. Well here’s hoping that future updates will correct the problem because until this beautiful, wonderful player can actually play my blu-ray discs it’s just an overpriced over-sampling DVD player (oh and I had one of those already).
5 Stars AWESOME PLAYER!!!
First off when you get this player is to check the firmware updates. Go to Pioneer’s website to find out more details.
I have to say how impressed I am with this player. I have it connected to my Pioneer Elite 81TXV receiver to my Kuro 111FD. Just a spectacular picture and I’m very impressed with it’s playback of regular SD DVD’s. The menu is pretty straight forward. It has all the internal decoding, so you don’t have to worry about upgrading your receiver to receive the benefits of HD sound. It has great build quality as it’s not built in China like everything else is now. The load times being a little slow is not an issue at all. Just a great all around blu-ray player.
5 Stars Blu-Ray tastic
I bought this player from 6ave thru Amazon and when I received it the Remote was missing. I called them and they said they would get me one and took 15% off the price for me. They have fantastic customer service. So after the discount I only paid $240 not bad. I don’t know what fireware update it has yet but I have tried all my Blues so far it plays them all. I have a Pioneer VSX-919 AHk receiver paired up with a Sony Bravia LCD 46″ and the video is fantastic. The Pioneer receiver is receiving a DTS-HD Master Auido signal so I guess they updated my player before I got it. The audio is amazing with both these units. The upconversion is the best I’ve seen so far. I tried some really older Dvd’s and it does a steller job with them. Newer Dvd’s look so good its had to find a reason to replace them with Blues if only for the upgrade audio. This player is very quite and loads up fast enough for me. This is a big upgrade over my Samsung player. Don’t buy Samsung there quality sucks… This is one well built player and it will service my needs for quite awhile. Not unhappy its on 1.1 profile cause BD live is worthless right now anyway. Nothing good yet. I would highly recommend this palyer for anyone, now this price is right as most places are selling these for under $300, its a great deal.
Buy/More Info
Samsung BDP3600 Blu ray Player
BD-P3600 Samsung Blu-Ray Disc Player with BD Live 2.0, Streaming Netflix & Wireless Networking.BD-P3600 Delivers HD Entertainment for the Whole Family in Contemporary Style
Buy/More Info
Panasonic TC P42G15 42 1080p Plasma HDTV with THX Certified Display and DMP BD60 1080p Blu ray Disc Player Bundle
This special Panasonic bundle includes a Panasonic TC-P42G15 42″ 1080p Plasma HDTV & a DMP-BD60 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player. Featuring all high-end materials and striking cosmetics, the Custom Entertainment Solution setup delivers unrivaled home theater performance for those who demand the very best. This entertainment bundle consists of the Panasonic VIERA TC-P42G15 42″ Full HD 1080p Plasma TV & Panasonic DMP-BD60 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player (black). This recommended system lets you enjoy all of your favorite entertainment experiences in their full glory. Panasonic VIERA TC-P42G15 42″ Full HD 1080p Plasma TV
The Panasonic TCP-42 G15 Series television is only 2″ thick and features 1080p resolution with Neo PDP Infinite Black high efficiency plasma panel, 40:000:1 contrast ratio, 1080 lines motion resolution, DCC, Viera Cast, and THX certified, and AVCHD motion playback and 3 HDMI inputs. Panasonic DMP-BD60 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player – Black
The Panasonic DMP-BD60 puts a wealth of entertainment options at your fingertips. This versatile player brings you the top-notch picture and sound of Blu-ray, lets you enjoy your DVD and CD collections, and displays photos and videos saved on an SD card or thumb drive. If you have a broadband Internet connection, you can take advantage of Panasonic’s VIERA Cast technology to watch your favorite You Tube videos or view photos from friends and family on Google’s Picasa Web Album.
Onkyo DV BD507 Blu ray Disc Player Black
Plays Blu-ray high-definition discs (selectable output resolution: 1080p signals available through HDMI output only; 720p/1080i signals available through HDMI or component video) * bitstream audio output for Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS, DTS-HD, and DTS-HD Master Audio * stereo audio outputs * Ethernet port for downloading BD-Live material and possible future updates * SD memory card slot for digital movie/music playback, and for storing downloaded BD-Live material *
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars EXCELLENT !!
I hooked this up to my Onkyo TX-NR906 Receiver and Sharp LC-46D-64U it was a seamless connection except for a few setting changes.. This Onkyo DV-BD507 is so simple to set up.. I’m not a tech freak but I do have two older Blu-Ray players Sony BDP-S1 & Sharp HP20U They both have great Blu-Ray pictures and excellent up scaling to 1080P.. But this new Onkyo BD507 to me is above excellent on the Blu-Ray movies and the up scaling to 1080P on regular DVD’s..
Thanks again Amazon !!
Insignia NS 2BRDVD Blu Ray disc player upscaling
Enjoy high-definition brilliance from all your movies with this Blu-ray Disc player that supports 1080p upconversion and features Dolby Digital and DTS decoders for enhanced audio performance.
User Ratings and Reviews
4 Stars The Insignia NS-2BRDVD Blu-Ray Player
I purchased this unit used to have a Blu-Ray player and an upscale DVD player. The first movie I put in the system told me that I may have to upgrade my firmware in order to play the new content. For giggles, I went to the Insignia Website and downloaded the latest firmware, created a CD and within just a few minutes had the unit working.
It is not the fastest Blu-Ray available of course, but it works great, sounds great through the optical port and is overall a great deal if you can find it for about $100 used or $150 new. Anything over that cost you can probably find a newer, faster version. Overall, I recommend this purchase to anyone looking to get into the Blu-Ray game for $100. Hope this helps.
5 Stars Love It
I am absolutely in love with my Insiginia BluRay disc player,
It exceededs all my expectations.
Buy/More Info
Denon DVD 1800BD Blu Ray CD Player
Offering consumers extraordinary video quality and audio excellence at a more affordable price point, the DVD-1800BD features HDMI 1.3a with deep color and bonus view support, full bit-stream output of Dolby and DTS-HD audio formats, as well as 1080p scaling from SD DVDs and 2-channel analog audio output.The DVD-1800BD allows owners of advanced A/V receivers to add Blu-ray capability to their system and enjoy high definition video. The DVD-1800BD will natively output an HD audio bit-stream to a connected receiver via HDMI. Once this signal is accepted in the receiver, it can then be decoded into its native format including Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio. For those listeners who want to use the DVD-1800BD as a step-up CD player, this unit features a dedicated 2-channel analog output, equipped with high-class Burr-Brown D/A converters and superior analog components to ensure the high level of sound quality for which Denon is renowned.
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars Excellent quality and service
Great product!!! Received in very short time and purchased at a discount. Couldn’t be happier with Denon and with Amazon!!!! The Blu Ray quality is absolutely breathtaking. I mean I feel like I’m right there – it’s that realistic. Amazon and Denon – two winners – big time!!
4 Stars Awesome player, but menus could be easier/better.
This is one awesome Blu-Ray player. It plays everything we’ve thrown at it so far.. even our home-produced DVD+R/-R videos (which the manual does not indicate it could even play)! It is also great to be able to play my .MP3 music files and .JPG slideshows from SD cards! However, just two little quirks have held me back from giving it 5 stars:
Denon really needs to either put more useful buttons on their remote, and/or make the menus easier to access, and/or make switching to/from SD cards and Discs easier. For example, after you play a DVD, if you want to play a photo slideshow from your SD memory card, you have to go into menu after submenu to switch playing modes from “Disc” to “SD card”. How ridiculous is that!!!?? It gets me mad every time I have to do it. Why not just have this in the top menu, or put a button on the remote for that? OR, BETTER YET — why not have the player DETECT if a card or disc is inserted and automatically switch to that mode!!!!! Puuuulllleeeeeaaaaze, I have an inexpensive VR3 car stereo that can do that! It will switch to disc or SD card, whichever you insert last. Now come on, why can’t Denon do that??
Also, for photo slideshows, you have to search somewhere in the menus to find the setting for how long a pause you want between photos. And, there is no option for “None”, or even a very long pause. It gives you either “5 sec.” or “10 sec”. Again, how ridiculous? When we had guests over recently, we wanted to be able to narrate each slide and then jump to the next, but we had to keep pressing the back button to go back after it jumped to the next one after 10 secs.
Ok, well I’ve vented long enough I guess. But they are the only 2 things we are unhappy about with it, especially since it is a high-end expensive player. Otherwise, the player is completely awesome — has a nice sleek look, plays well, upscales nicely, doesn’t take a very long time to load, and runs fairly quietly (although we do have it inside a closed cabinet). We have ours hooked up via HDMI cable, and the video and audio are great. No complaints there. We looked at literally EVERY brand of Blu-Ray player to find one that also has an SD card player, and at the time, this is it baby! I would say it is a worthwhile purchase.
Sony Blu ray DiscTM Player BDP BX2
Enjoy Blu-ray DiscTM movies in Full HD 1080p quality and upscale your existing DVDs to near high definition with the Sony® BDP-BX2 Blu-ray Disc player.
Connect to the Internet and access bonus interactive features on BD-LiveTM enabled Blu-ray Disc movies [external memory (sold separately) is required], and experience stunning, high definition audio with support for enhanced audio formats including Dolby® TrueHD and dts®-HD Master Audio. HDMI cable included.
Plays Blu-ray DiscTM movies in Full HD 1080p
Plays DVDs and upscales them to near high definition via HDMITM
BD-LiveTM ready (requires USB flash memory)
Dolby® TrueHD and dts®-HD Master Audio decoding
Deep color output and x.v.ColorTM support (HDMITMv1.3)
Quick start-up mode (appox. 6 seconds)
Xross Media BarTM (XMBTM) based menu system
Manage compatible home theater devices with one remote
HDMI cable included
Audio Features:
Dolby® : Yes & Dolby® TrueHD bitstream out over HDMITM (V1.3)
Dolby® Digital plus Decoding : Yes
Dolby® True HD bitstream output : Yes
Dolby® TrueHD Decoding : Yes
LPCM : Yes (multi channel decoder): Yes (HDMITM bitstream out)
MP3 Playback : Yes (BD-R/RE/DVD+RW/+R/-RW/-R/CD-R,RW)5
dts® Decoding : Yes
dts® HD bitstream output : Yes
dts® Output : Yes, & /DTS®-HD bitstream out over HDMITM (V1.3)”
Convenience:
Menu Options : XMB® inspired media bar
A/V Sync : Yes
BRAVIA® SyncTM : Yes
Bit Rate Indicator (Video) : Yes
Child Lock : Yes
Easy Setup : Yes
FL LED Dimmer Off : Yes
Multi Disc Resume : No
Parental Control : Yes
Quick Start Mode : Yes
Startup Screen : Yes
General:
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Onkyo DV BD606 Blu ray Single Disc Player Black
Plays Blu-ray high-definition discs (selectable output resolution: 1080p signals available through HDMI output only; 720p/1080i signals available through HDMI or component video) * selectable 720p/1080i/1080p video upconversion for DVD (upconverted video available through HDMI output only) * BonusView support for added bonus features with compatible discs (BD Final Standard Profile) * bitstream audio output via HDMI for Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD, and DTS-HD Master Audio * 1 set of A/V outputs (composite video, component video, and HDMI) *
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars Top Quality
I bought this unit at the Circuit City closing sale on the next to last day at a great price. This is truly a Top of the line Blu-ray player. The up convert of regular DVD’s is remarkable. I understand that the processer for this player is more powerful then the Sony play station III. If its quality you want, this is it.
5 Stars Very Pleased
I am an Onkyo fan from way back. I ordered the BD696 and the TX806. Deliver was prompt. I have a 60″ Sony SXRD rear projection TV and JBL speakers, including a pair of 35 year old L100 Studio Monitors.
The picture and sound on the Blu Ray disk of Australia and on standard DVD’s was outstanding. Very pleased. I had a friend who is an expert make all the connections and do all of the settings. It was money well spent. I think a proper set-up is critical in order to get maximum performance.
Samsung BD P1590 1080p Blu Ray Disc Player
For the best in movies and shows, you haven’t seen anything until you’ve seen it in Blu-ray(tm) Samsung’s BD-P1590 delivers the superior image detail and clarity of Blu-ray Disc(r)technology, along with a host of innovative features. Stream Netflix* and Pandora right to your HDTV. BDWise(tm) synchronizes your devices, optimizing both picture and sound. And BD Profile 2.0 means you’re BD Live ready just connect the BD-P1590 to the internet and access hours of online content.
* 1 HDMI : Transfers hi-definition (720p/1080i/1080p) video and audio from your Blu-ray player to your TV, Home Theater, or other digital AV components. Simply connect your Blu-Ray Player to your Home Theater System with a single cable for the high quality pictures and sound. * Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital+, Dolby Digital True-HD, DTS, DTS-HD HRA, DTS-HD MA, LPCM, HD bitstream output, Re-encoding, dual decoding * Multi Format Playback: BD-ROM, BD-RE, BD-R, DVD-ROM, DVD-R (V mode only), DVD-RW (V mode only), DVD+R (V mode only) DVD+RW (V mode only), Audio CD, CD-R, CD-RW * 2 Channel Audio Out * HDMI: BD: 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480p * CVBSOutput-RCA Jack: BD/DVD: 480i * Component Video Out: BD: 1080i, 720p, 480p,480i * Net Dimensions: 17.0″ x 2.13″ x 7.83″ * NetWeight: 4.85 lbs. * HDMI, the HDMI logo and High Definition Multimedia Interface are trademarks or registered trademarks of HDMI Licensing LLC. * DTS, DTS-ES, DTS Digital Surround are trademarks of Digital Theater Systems, Inc. * Dolby, Dolby Digital, Dolby Pro Logic and Dolby Pro Logic II are registered trademarks of Dolby Laboratories. * Design and specifications are subject to change without notice. Non-metric weights and measurements are approximate.
User Ratings and Reviews
4 Stars 2nd time is a charm
Pros: Standard DVD’s definately better and BluRay disks are perfect. Loads / Reads / Resumes / ejects promptly as expected
Cons: Haven’t been able to connect wireless yet in order to view added features. Additional cost to do so is disappointing but not a deal breaker.
Summary: I purchased a BD-P1590 from Sam’s Club for approx $180 after getting researching on-line reviews and comparing to the BD-P1600 (about the same). I connected to a Samsung LN-T4669F 46″LCD via HDMI cable, but had difficulty with the Allnet+.
After trying for about 10min it finally connected. I loaded a regular DVD and during previews it froze. Removed and tried again but this time it couldn’t read the disk. The display read “close”. I called Customer Service and they wanted me to send it back for repair. I decided to return for another unit figuring if the second one is bad, I’ll try a different brand. No problem with the exchange from Sam’s Club.
The second unit connected immediately without any problems whatsoever. The initial screen listed all 4 options; Blu Ray, Netflix, Pandora & YouTube. (the first unit only showed NetFlix & Pandora). I then inserted a regular DVD (same as before -Across the Universe). The previews ran perfectly and the movie played flawlessly. I then played with it by stopping, ejecting, resuming searching, etc. with no problems. I tried another movie, again no problems. Powered off unit and it immediately switched to the TV as it was supposed to. A few days later we watched a BluRay movie, Night of the Museum. It was superb, absolutely the way it was intended to be viewed, clear, precise, enjoyable. Actually it was unbelievably perfect. I am very satisfied with this unit so far. I’ve had it for a few weeks and it’s used practically everyday by my daughter who’s a movie nut. She said it’s definitely an improvement from our old DVD player.
I’m aware that Samsung’s customer service has many complaints by dissatified consumers but I preferred to get a Samsung player to minimize the remote controls. However, now that I am familiar with the features of both TV and BluRay player, both controls are somtimes needed because the disc player cannot control all of the features from the TV and Vice Versa. So don’t plan to put away the TV control permanently. On that note, brand loyalty goes out the window which helps me decide on the complimenting audio system; definitely not Samsung.
It appears that the first player purchased was defective but the second (replacement) player is good. This happens, as I recently experienced the same problem with a bluetooth notebook mouse. I don’t feel I’ve spent a lot of money for this player, comparatively speaking, so for my purposes it fits our needs and does what it’s designed to do. I recommend this unit but if the first unit seems goofy or doesn’t operate well, give it a 2nd chance. But be sure to purchase it from a place where you can return it.
4 Stars So far so good
I purchased this refurbished from a place it could be returned. So far I have watched one BD movie (Star Trek) which played fine and streamed Netflix and Pandora (both are fine). Haven’t even tried a dvd yet. First impressions: set up was fairly easy, player looks nice, very sleek. Network connected with no problems (dhcp). I’m not sure which version of firmware I have, but it is not current because it asks me to update (I have not done this!). For less than 100 clams, I am satisfied so far. Will keep testing. Had one problem with audio, which I think is my reciever rather than player. One or more channels of audio drop out intermittently in downmixed DTS mode and in Dolby PL II (PCM) mode (which has happened to me on playback sometimes with PL II from other sources). Problem solved by switching player audio output to bitstream (over optical cable). Now I have the native audio from the disk, but no secondary or effects audio 
Not sure what this will mean in the long run. I hope this player will hold up, I love the netflix streaming because I am no longer using just my laptop screen!
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Sharp AQUOS LC46BD80U 46 Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV with Built In Blu ray Player
By leveraging their technology expertise in Blu-ray Disc players, Sharp’s AQUOS TV engineers have developed Full HD 1080p LCD-TVs with a built-in Blu-ray Disc slot, enabling you to take easy and full advantage of 1080p Blu-ray titles. The slot is also backwards compatible enabling it to play DVD and CD titles. The LC-42BD80U features a screen size class of 46″. It features a 10-bit advanced super view superlucent LCD panel with Deep Color compatibility for the brightest, most vivid colors, as well as Sharp’s 120Hz Fine Motion Enhanced circuit for the ultimate in fast-motion image processing. Sharp’s proprietary Spectral Contrast Engine XD (Extreme Dark) provides high contrast ratio and deep black levels. The LC-46BD80U features 4 HDMI terminals, two HD component inputs, a PC input and RS-232C for control.
User Ratings and Reviews
3 Stars No 52″ Model Available
The industry can’t seem to find a market for ;arge format TVs with built-in DVD or blu-ray disc players. According to Sharp they never put the 52″ model into production so I don’t know how sellers can advertise it. The 46″ model has been discontinued and I suspect that the whole series has been discontinued now.
The next biggest that i’ve found is the Westinghouse 40″ LCD/DVD combo. Otherwise seems like 32″ is the largets out there.
4 Stars I would recommend this TV.
We have had this TV for 3 months now and are very satisfied with it. We aren’t high demand users and really everything about it has been fine for us. I mostly watch sports and the picture is great for basketball and baseball. Football season is just starting so I’m looking forward watching that on this TV. My only complaint (and the reason for 4 stars and not 5) is that the DVD player doesn’t seem to play very many types of files/disks, even with updated firmware. It doesn’t show things like jpg files or video files from my camera that play on other stand alone DVD players (non Blu-ray). Maybe all Blu-ray players are limited like that, I don’t know. We get around it by hooking up a portable DVD player to the side AV jacks and watching them that way but it would be easier to just be able to pop the disks into the built in drive. Overall I think this is a great TV and I would recommend it.
5 Stars Great buy!
Amazon’s service is the best… especially the free delivery. picture quality and sound was great. great vallue. minor problem is Blue ray and DVD loading time is a little long but it is negligible. I saved money on buying a separate blue ray player and additional speaker system. fits our living room very well!
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Sony BDP CX7000ES 400 Blu ray Disc Mega Changer Black
Simplify your home theater with the versatile BDP-CX7000ES MegaChanger. Store, access and enjoy up to 400 of your favorite Blu-ray Disc, DVD and CD media with the same player. At its core, this Elevated Standard (ES) MegaChanger is a fully-featured Blu-ray Disc player boasting standard features such as Full HD 1080p video output, up-scaling of DVDs to near HD quality through an HDMI connection, BD-Live interactive features, and HD audio support. There’s also a user-friendly, on-screen interface which makes it easy to sort and search by title, genre, cast and more, to quickly find the movie, TV show or album you’re looking for.
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Panasonic DMP BD605K Blu Ray disc player upscaling YouTube black
Enjoy great web entertainment on your HDTV! Panasonic DMP-BD605K is compatible with the VIERA CAST function, you can access YouTube, Picasa, and other Internet sites from the special VIERA CAST screen. YouTube lets you watch the newest video clips, and Picasa lets you view web-based photos. You can also check weather and stock information on other sites.
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars Excellent Blu-ray Machine
This is my second Panasonic Blu-ray player (I still have the first and continually use it) and I am very pleased with its performance. Having shot and edited a 65 minute high definition movie I wanted a second Blu-ray player to use with a portable projector to screen it on a 10 foot wide screen for groups. The improvements continue with each new model and this machine is slimmer and smaller than my earlier Panasonic. It loads quickly (not as fast as a regular DVD machine) and does a marvelous job. I’ve been extremely pleased with my Panasonic purchases which include an HD video camera, a 5.1 surround system and a 42″ plasma TV (which I’m thrilled with). One of my favorite features on the Panasonic players is their ability to play the SD card from the camera, making it possible to quickly screen daily footage from my camera before transferring and editing.
4 Stars Even better when used with other VieraLink peripherals
Sometimes when reading product reviews, here and elsewhere, one must take into consideration that they are open to anyone, any skill level and any degree of techno challenged. Like the G10 series Plasma I bought last month, this unit updated it’s firmware the second I had it plugged into the hub for my network and powered it up into the setup. Has performed beautifully with the VieraLink hook up, which incidentally also works with the Panasonic ATSC DVR in the same entertainment area. One plus no one seems to have noticed is that the VieraLink allows 3-4 each of different compatible DVDs, DVRs, Lumix cameras, network cameras. To use the BD Live functions U MUST INSERT A SD CARD! The other web functions I can’t speak for in that my Panasonic 42″ G10 Plasma handles all of the same so I assume it is no different- and I love it! Presently I am running this through a Sony receiver for the home theater audio, but am of the mind set to upgrade it to another VieraLink receiver, hoping one will show up with HD radio built in. Could have more connections, but really doesn’t need them. Would have been nice to have it Divx certified, but my Panasonic DVR below is and I am having trouble getting it registered, so I maybe when they make the next generation with the Divx- it will hopefully be able to do it all within its own web connection, not needing to get file from a PC – Hope this helps you decide what you want – I bought this kind of impulsively as I did more research after I bought it and felt a sigh of relief as I learned more -I made a good `gut’ choice. I would have given ti 5 stars, but there are otehr Panny units wih more features as 7.1, etc., but dollar for dollar- this is a five star in it’s league.
Philips BDP5012 F7 Blue ray Disc Player
Enjoy a movie experience worthy of your HDTV. This Blu-ray DiscTM player delivers superior HD images and plays your existing DVD library. Scenes come to life as details leap at you, movements smoothen and images turn crystal clear. Blu-ray also delivers uncompressed surround sound – so your audio experience becomes unbelievably real. The high storage capacity of Blu-ray Discs also allow a host of interactive possibilities to be built in. Seamless navigation during playback and other exciting features like pop-up menus bring a whole new dimension to home entertainment.
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars Great Blu-ray Player
Besides being a fast loading excellent Blu-ray Player. This machine plays all recordable DVDs, unlike the competition. It is available for a bargain price well under $200. Highly recommended!
5 Stars TOP OF THE LINE PHILIPS
This unit is a great unit and is superior to Sony & Panasonic models. First it plays all the DVD recordable formats. It loads DVD and blu-ray very fast. It has 5.1 analog outs as well as HDMI and standard 2 channel audio. It has distance settings for your speakers when using the 5.1 outputs. The image quality is excellent. I have compared it to both top line Sony and Panasonic models and find it superior to both. It is a great buy.
Sony BDPS1000ES Blu ray Disc Player
View movies in stunning Full HD resolution with the BDP-S1000ES Blu-ray Disc player. Along with unique video enhancements that provide superior picture quality, this Elevated Standard (ES) Blu-ray Disc player has built-in Wi-Fi and includes 4GB of external USB memory to support BD-Live enabled movies. Upscaling your standard definition DVDs to near HD quality is a snap thanks to integrated Precision Cinema HD Upscale technology. Designed for the complete HD experience, this Blu-ray Disc player is also compatible with advanced audio codecs including 7.1-channel Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus, dts-HD Master Audio and dts-HD High Resolution Audio decoding and bit-stream output, as well as analog 7.1-channel output.
User Ratings and Reviews
3 Stars Grossly Over-Priced – Sony missed the mark by not pricing it at $350
Summary:
The Blu Ray Player landscape has become increasingly competitive in the past year as players have gotten cheaper, faster, more complete and added new features like Netflix streaming or wireless connectivity. The Oppo’s emergence of a very strong purist player effectively crumpled the ceiling for mid-range players in my opinion.
Sony’s upper mid-ranged BDP-S1000ES is a very capable player offering quality DVD and BD images with the convenience of wireless connectivity. That said, I struggle to see the value proposition of this player priced at $700 to an educated consumer. It is quick, but not fast. It offers some neat features, but lacks what I consider the most meaningful non disc playback (ie Netflix). Its touted image enhancement features tend to render a synthetic image whose contrast and pop is delivered at the cost of relatively common jaggies. While some might prefer this image (especially on the smoothening engines of soem LCDs). I struggle to describe the overall image with its enhancing engines without using the word artificial or synthetic.
My biggest criticism is not with the player but with its price. At $700, this player is grossly over-priced in my opinion (this is reflected in my 6.5 value rating). The LG BD390 offers very similar dvd performance and more features at half the price. For those looking for simply quality DVD and BD playback, the Pioneer 320 is its equal in most ways at nearly a third of its price. Sony missed an opportunity to introduce a class-leading player by introducing this player as is at $300 or $400 with netflix and other video-streaming features. Simply put, there are so many better options at this price point – like an oppo and a roku or a lg 390 and a pioneer 320 – both combined at lower the cost than this player!
In the interest of comparing the 1000 against an established performer (Oppo) and a very popular player (LG), I thought I would provide some anecdotal commentary of their respective performance for SD DVDs. LG and Sony appear to use their own chipset while Oppo uses the ABT 2010. In regard to film cadence recognition, the ABT is one of the best and quickest. I noticed a rather unusual occurrence with the Sony. Unlike other second set lock-on recognition, the Sony seemed to require a few seconds to lock on in each set. This surprised me as it was relatively new to me in the repeating sequence. The Oppo requires lock on in the second sequence for 2:2 cadences, but once it locks on, it repeats without moiré. The Sony appears to repeat its recognition error on each set in a number of cadences.
The Sony must have some very active edge enhancement that threw off its performance on vertical scrolling text. There was readily apparent shakiness or hesitation in movement as the text moved up the screen. This was different from the video deinterlacing I saw in some lower performing players. This text hesitation was also visible in some DVD’s opening credits on film.
For real world material, all three players do not differ that frequently to be perfectly candid. Only seldom does an interlacing appear. The Oppo offers realistic edge enhancement and fluidity in motion. The sony’s edge enhancement is aggressive and does bring a more definitive contrast between images. That said, its enhancement does appear to come at the cost of fluidity and motion. This is probably a subjective area – some folks might like the pop it brings and might play better on the high hertz lcds that sony makes.
In the second chapter of killshot (with opening credits), I did see a minor jaggie in the bumper of the blue Cadillac with the LG and the Sony. This was not present in the Oppo (and the Marantz 7004). Edge enhancement was the strongest with the Sony in most scenes; this might be desirable for those looking for a very poppy image with a smoothening engine on an lcd. For me, I found it a bit unnatural on my plasma. Some details were enhanced at the cost of others ie the distinct lines of people against the scenery over-powered the details of their faces, predominantly in medium zoomed perspectives.
Sony PQ adjustments:
The overlaid display menu allows for +/-3 settings for the HD enhancer. It appears to have an impact on contrst and edge enhancement. I pasued a dark scene and noticed that the contrast between dark and light images was amplified with each increasing setting. The image revealed by the HD enhancer is brings out more detail as well and I think more HDish for most viewers. That said, it brings out a lot of jaggies. Back to kill shot for specific references…in the third scene after the screen door moire, Mickey Rourke walks in a house with vertical paneling. To his right (screen left), you can see very noticeable jaggies on the vertical lines with +3. At the zero setting, thereis no moire. To an untrained eye, the +3 yeilds a better image. It bothers me with the amount of jaggies it creates.
There is also a smoothening feature – I was unable to see that big of a difference, but did detect slight tearing on fast motion with it dialed off the zero default position.
Another note:
The Sony had trouble with three of my burned DVD+Rs. Both the LG and the Oppo played them without issue. I tried some of the non-playing discs on my Marantz and Onkyo HD DVD player and both played them without issue. I am not trying to indict the Sony for poor error recognition of burned media, but I do want to pt this out.
5 Stars Both video and sound are outstanding
Excellent video. The sound quality is a significant improvement over the other lower-priced Sony players. I did not expect to use this player to listen to CD music but I find myself using it very often.
5 Stars Pleasantly surprised
Nice player, big upgrade from my PS3. It starts up fast in “quick boot” mode. This is the best player you can get if you want top notch PQ and you want to bitstream.
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Denon DVD 2500BTCI Blu ray Disc high definition player
Plays Blu-ray high-definition discs (selectable output resolution: 720p/1080i/1080p signals available through HDMI output) * selectable 720p/1080i/1080p video upconversion for DVD * bitstream audio output via HDMI for Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, and DTS-HD Master Audio * rigid construction with dual-layered top shields and triple-layered bottom shields * newly designed disc mechanism protects against magnetic influences, dust, and external vibration *
Sharp AQUOS LC52BD80U 52 Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV with Built In Blu ray Player
By leveraging their technology expertise in Blu-ray Disc players, Sharp’s AQUOS TV engineers have developed Full HD 1080p LCD-TVs with a built-in Blu-ray Disc slot, enabling you to take easy and full advantage of 1080p Blu-ray titles. The slot is also backwards compatible enabling it to play DVD and CD titles. The LC-52BD80U features a screen size class of 52″. It features a 10-bit advanced super view superlucent LCD panel with Deep Color compatibility for the brightest, most vivid colors, as well as Sharp’s 120Hz Fine Motion Enhanced circuit for the ultimate in fast-motion image processing. Sharp’s proprietary Spectral Contrast Engine XD (Extreme Dark) provides high contrast ratio and deep black levels. The LC-52BD80U features 4 HDMI terminals, two HD component inputs, a PC input and RS-232C for control.
User Ratings and Reviews
4 Stars Looks pretty good
This is a replacement unit sent by Amazon since the first unit had to be returned as it was not working. When the delivery man plugged it in, the green light just kept flashing and the unit would not start. However, Amazon was very good about this – they immediately arranged for a replacement unit to be sent and the same guys also picked up the bad unit.
We are happy with the new unit. Nice picture. Have not tried the blue ray player yet as I do not have any blue ray discs.
This is my first flat panel LCD TV so I do not know if the following somewhat annoying features are normal:
1. When I turn on the TV, the first green light comes on but there is a delay of about 4 – 5 seconds before the picture comes on.
2. The screen produces quite a lot of heat. You can feel the heat even from about 3 feet away.
5 Stars The Good and the Bad
First the delivery and help was great. The picture is very clear (120Hz helps). The only problem I have with this unit is the FIRMWARE for the Blu-Ray is not up to date. This can be fixed by downloading the latest from Sharp. Problem is you either must have or must purchase a Flash/Thumb drive without any programs. If you purchase a new one check it out and delete any preloaded ones. Once the new firmware is loaded ALL of your Blu-Rays with work. I would suggest a person who is not used to PCs and downloads have a friend do it. If you call Sharp support they will tell you exactly what you need to do. Print the instructions from the site and you should have not problems. Remember if any other programs are on the drive it will not work in the Blu-Ray player. Now back to the TV itself. Love the power saving features. The on screen data is great. You know if the programs is 1080I, 720P, 480P, 480I. If you read the booklet you will find this unit has so many features to make it a unit which should last a long time and be useful for a long time. Remember one thing, if you want a TV you can tilt, it is not recommended and the Blu-Ray might not work. One last thing, no separate unit messing up the wall mounted unit looks.
3 Stars Where are the speakers!!!
We are happy enough with our Sharp t.v. Yes, loading a blu ray takes longer then one would ever think it should. Please be aware of that before you buy it. But the big problem is the sound. The speakers are in the back of the t.v. When you put in a blu ray you can turn the volume as loud as it goes and you still cannot understand what the words are. I have sent an email to sharp t.v. with no response. What a surprise. I will continue trying because there is no excuse for this t.v. Do not buy one!
5 Stars Once I got a one that worked it was great.
Unfortuntaley the first one that showed up had lines running through the screen horizontally. I got a little bit of the run around with amazon regarding replacing it. They made me call Sharp and try to troubleshoot it ect. Afterward I had to place an order for a new TV and have it delivered and the old one picked up. They credited my initial purchase. Besides that I have a TV now that is awesome. The picture is incredible and the blue ray player is great as well. Great value just a bit of headache getting one that did not work initially. I would recommend it.
4 Stars Great bang for the buck!
I bought this when Amazon had it for sale for $1380 or something. Great price for a good quality TV with a built-in blu-ray player. My only beef is with the blu-ray player. Its pretty sluggish and does not play my DVD+R discs.
I know almost all blu-ray players manufactured so far are pretty slow to load up so i guess this one is not too different.
Also appreciated the free white-glove delivery that was included in the buy. I was thinking free delivery meant that they would drop the TV off at your door so i was very happy to learn that they would set it up for me.
Overall, i’m very satisfied with the product and love the picture quality. I have the dynamic contrast feature enabled and the improvement in image quality is pronounced. The contrast improves significantly.
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Panasonic DMP BD30K 1080p Blu ray Disc Player
The DMP-BD30 is the next generation High Definition 1080p Blu-ray Disc player. It is the first Blu-ray player to be introduced with Final Standard Profile, which adds a variety of new and enhanced features to the Blu-ray arena and one that separates the Panasonic Blu-ray player from the rest of the field. Also unique to the DMP-BD30 is the inclusion of an SD Memory Card slot for playback of High Definition content recorded in the AVCHD format. The SD slot also allows for viewing of digital still images recorded to an SD Memory Card.Final Standard Profile is an advanced function added to the Blu-ray standard, which opens the door to new functions such as Picture-in-Picture (which displays a second image in a sub window) and Audio Mixing (allows the consumer to switch the sound between the main and sub windows).The inclusion of a multi-function SD Card slot is another new addition to the Panasonic Blu-ray player. Coupled with the AVCHD codec, the DMP-BD30 allows for images recorded on a high capacity HD SD card to be outputted directly from the player’s HDMI terminal in their original 1080p form. To further benefit the user, the DMP-BD30 provides an AVCHD Direct Navigator function that makes it easy to search for particular scenes. The player can also play back JPEG still images on an SD card, such as those recorded with a Panasonic Lumix digital camera. The DMP-BD30 converts the images to 1920×1080 resolution, ideal for viewing on a1080p HD Plasma and output them through the HDMI terminal.Like its predecessor, the DMP-DB30 features the EZ-Sync HDAVI Control that allows the consumer to operate their Panasonic home theater system with one remote. With one touch of the EZ-Sync button, all the components turn on, the correct TV input is chosen, the TV’s built-in speakers are muted and the home theater starts playback.
User Ratings and Reviews
4 Stars great picture
Slow load, but once loaded it is a great unit and all the loading seams to happens only when you first load the disc.
5 Stars Refurbished Panasonic DMP-BD 30 works fine!
I formerly owned a Sony BDP s300 for over a year but after reading the many excellent reviews on this unit from CNET and Home Theater, I decided to sell my Sony and cop this fine unit. So far there’s been no problem playing discs, BD or Standard, and in fact it does boot up a little faster than the Sony but where it stands out in is the sound quality and picture. I was amazed at the rich sound of this unit when I played “Amadeus-the Director’s Cut” in BD on this machine. So far I have not regretted my decision on this purchase. And at just under $200–it’s a steal!! One more thing to add that the Sony didn’t have, this machine has a memory if you stop it and shut it off—when you turn it back on, it’ll go back to where you left off—no bookmarks needed here!!
Denon DBP2010 Blu ray DVD CD Player Black
Able to play a broad range of audio and video disc types, Denon’s DBP-2010CI includes advanced design features such as the exclusive Separated Unit Structure chassis architecture, which divides critical processing stages to prevent mutual interference, providing superior audio and video signal-to-noise performance. The center-mounted advanced drive mechanism features a low center of gravity for optimum stability, and the chassis features multi-layer construction for the utmost rigidity and freedom from vibration-induced distortion. Equipped with an Ethernet port, the DBP-2010CI features Profile 2.0 BD-Live functionality with separate video and audio processors for picture-in-picture content, along with an SD card slot for memory expansion and playback of downloaded web content. For optimum video quality, the advanced ABT VRS video upconversion and scaling processor provides motion adaptive SD de-interlacing as well as digital video noise reduction functions. Disc playback options include Blu-ray, DVD-Video, DVD-R, DVD-RW, CD, CD-R, CD-RW, as well as Kodak and Fuji picture discs and DivxHD videos. For full system compatibility, the DBP-2010CI features HDMI output as well as component and composite video outputs, along with coaxial digital audio output. Analog Devices 12 bit Noise Shaped Video processing and D/A conversion Parallel HDMI and analog video outputs Exclusive Denon Separated Unit Structure chassis architecture Pure Direct mode bypasses internal video processing
Denon DBP1610 Blu ray DVD CD Player Black
Combining superlative performance and high value, Denons latest affordable Blu-ray/DVD/CD player includes features and technologies found on our higher end models, such as HDMI Source Direct and 12 bit video processing. Standard definition DVDs never looked better thanks to i/p scaling and upconversion up to 1080p, along with digital video noise reduction to eliminate compression artifacts.
The precision drive mechanism is center-mounted, and the chassis incorporates Denons Separated Unit Structure architecture, which separates key mechanical and electronic blocks into five separate sections to eliminate mutual interference. Equipped with an Ethernet port, the DBP-1610 features Blu-ray Profile 2.0 BD-Live web-enabled interactivity, as well as firmware upgrade capability. The latest specification HDMI output provides highest resolution Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD digital multi-channel audio compatibility, and the DBP-1610 is equipped with stereo analog outputs that feature high resolution Burr-Brown DACs for optimum audio purity. The DBP-1610 is able to handle a wide range of disc formats, including Blu-ray, DVD, DVD-R, DVD-RW, CD, CD-R and CD-RW discs, and features WMA, MP3 and DivxHD playback along with Kodak and Fuji picture disc playback capability for increased system flexibility.
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VIZIO VBR100 Full HD Blu ray Player
Maximize your high definition experience with the VBR100 Blu-ray Disc player! The full 1080p high definition playback gives you razor sharp images incumbent in a sleek design with an intuitive, easy-to-use remote control. Illuminated touch controls disappear when the player is off for a clean, lustrous look.
User Ratings and Reviews
4 Stars Great but be warned!
This is a great product, however make sure your firmware is up to date. I ran into a few problems with my newest blurays.
5 Stars VBR100 Review
Purchased this unit as my first BluRay player after waiting more than 2 years to purchase one due to the BluRay/HD battle and general lack of stability in the hardware and playback quality of existing units. I’ll keep this short. The VBR100 has performed flawlessly for me. I’ve watched 6 BluRay movies thus far, including Australia and a concert video by the band Rush (Snakes & Arrows – MUST HAVE for you Rush fans!). No problems whatsover. The 6 BluRay discs I’ve tried all loaded up in less than a minute. I’ve seen other units over the years take 2-3 minutes, which is just ridiculous. Like the prior reviewer, I actually bought mine at WalMart too since it was cheaper than Amazon’s price. I’ve since done a firmware upgrade, which was a piece of cake. Highly recommended!
3 Stars Ok player though former price advantage is getting squeezed
If you are a hardware manufacturer that wants to capture market share based on pricing you have to take advantage of your own lower pricing while you can because your competition normally won’t want to let you keep that advantage very long. Eventually those competitors will drop their pricing into the same area you’ve targetted and that competitive advantage will be gone as customers opt to up sell themselves on competing products with better features, better reputations, etc.
Such is the problem that would seem to be facing Vizio with their ‘entry level’ VBR100 Blu-ray player. Well, that problem and a few others as well. Read on for a run-down of my thoughts about the player (at least the thoughts that I had at the time I wrote this review, early October 2009).
First, I’ll about guarantee that these players will drop in price, just like their competition, over the not so distant future. For one, a price drop is guaranteed since I just bought myself one of these players a few weeks ago. No, sorry, not purchased through this particular web site, as a local mart that is loaded (wall to Wal) had the best pricing for the product and offered instant gratification if I wanted to pick up the product in store. As I did want the product in hand asap, I opted to buy in store rather than mail order, so I was able to take the device home the same day and start setting it up.
Setup was fairly simple, but I would note that the box doesn’t have an HDMI cable in it, nor does it have a Component video cable. Nope, there was a composite video cable (Yellow connector with the Red and White audio cables tied in) but if that cable is used the video output quality suffers as NO upscaling is done unless the connection is HDMI or Component. Considering how inexpensive HDMI cables are, it would have been nice if Vizio had included an HDMI cable in the box. At most, I’d expect the inclusion of such a cable to add a few dollars in cost per unit, even if you factor in additional shipping weight on pallets of boxes. It seems that in this area Vizio has gone instead for keeping their own costs low. Granted, many people might not be able to use HDMI anyway, or they might prefer to buy the cable separately so they get the right length or a better quality cable, etc., but it still seems silly not to have the cable in the box.
On the other hand, I have to admit that HDMI cables is one area that the big box stores love to gouge customers on when selling them HD gear. Consider the costs of buying a cable here at Amazon versus buying a cable that you would find at one of those so-called Best places to Buy from, or one of those marts of Wal’s, and you realize quickly that you can easily pay a small fortune for an HDMI cable with little or no difference at all in the audio/video quality of the end product no matter which cable you use.
Some cable manufacturers will tout their own specifications and claim that their cables are capable of carrying more data or something like that, but there’s no real difference, or at least not one that justifies paying 4 to 25 times more for the cables.
Sorry about that detour about cables and such, and admittedly, I must say that the lack of inclusion of the HDMI cable in the box is something that many other competing products has the same problems with. Just about all of the products in this category would have that problem.
The VBR100 player is a decent player but not without some nits to pick. First, it claims BD Live compatibility. Well, sure, but only if the user adds (their own, not included) USB memory stick to the unit. If you don’t add a USB flash drive with 1GB or more of RAM to the unit and properly set the unit up to use that stick for BD Live then you’ll never get BD Live working on the unit even if you hook the unit up to your own WIRED network.
That’s another of the potential problem for this product — wired networking only. Sorry, no wireless network built-in. It’s nice that the unit has a network connection available, but many customers may find that they don’t want to hassle with pulling a network cable to a location by their HDTV equipment. You can add a wireless bridge or power line adapter to your network (perhaps), but that makes the cost of using this unit considerably more expensive and puts the price into the neighborhood where you’d find the LG BD390 Wi-Fi Network Blu-ray Disc Player or even the PlayStation 3 120 GB. On the other side, if you don’t need/want BD Live features, then you don’t need to hook up to the network at all — not even for firmware updates.
Firmware updates are something that anyone using a Blu-ray player will be familiar with, as the never-ending security and content protection schemes and other ‘features’ of Blu-ray discs may require that you update the firmware on your player. In this area the lack of ability to upgrade the unit’s firmware over the wired network is a mixed blessing, though I prefer to label it primarily a failure (especially when compared to the PS3, as an example). Going back to the HD DVD players, I had a Toshiba HD-A3 720p/1080i HD DVD Player that I used (and liked) and found it very easy to upgrade firmware on. Simply use the menu option and off you went checking for, downloading, and then applying the downloaded firmware. Alternatively you could download the firmware to a memory stick or to your computer and create a ‘firmware update disc’ and be all set to upgrade the firmware with that. This last method is basically what Vizio is doing with the VBR100. Customers will have to download the firmware to their computer and then create a CD that contains the firmware. That process isn’t too difficult, but it is an added burden for customers. I suppose, though haven’t yet experienced this, that Vizio may mail out firmware discs to customers so that the customers don’t have to create their own. I doubt that will happen though as doing that would add support costs that would eventually become too expensive. (They may make the firmware available for some small ’support fee’ or something like that, but again, I know of no current plans for this to happen.)
Upgrading the firmware to the most current version, once downloaded, is a fairly simple process and only takes a few minutes, if that. If there is a problem, the system is smart enough to detect that the firmware on the disc is not good and the unit will automatically revert back to the last firmware version so you don’t break the unit by failing to complete an upgrade.
Owners of Vizio TV’s get an added benefit from these units in that the remote control will also control the volume for the TV, but otherwise the remote control that is included is for control of the VBR100 and not for controlling other devices. Owners of other TV brands are out of luck, as are owners of home theatre sound systems. (Sorry, you’d need to continue to use your own remotes for those products, or buy a Logitech Harmony or similar product.) The remote control is ok, though seems to be sluggish in responsiveness at times, and/or seems to have to be ‘aimed’ at the unit much more than should be needed. It is possible that Vizio’s design for the unit is to fault, with the shiny black face filtering out more of the infrared remote control signal than Vizio expected. Whatever the issue is, the responsiveness of the remote is somewhat lacking.
The face of the unit is, as noted directly above, a shiny black plastic. There are no buttons on top of the unit, nor for that matter even on the face of the unit. There are instead touch sensitive areas that are used to control the unit. The ‘power button’ area is marked, but not terribly easy to see when the unit is powered off, and most users will likely be looking for the remote control to turn the unit on or off with. Once the unit is powered on the other touch sensitive areas light up brightly enough that they are easy to find and make use of. Additionally, when the unit is powered on the Vizio logo will be lit as well as the unit having a blue light bar above the drive tray that lights up to let you know that a disc is loaded in the drive. When the unit is powered off the Vizio logo turns orange, though the color is a bit different than the muddy orange that is used for the logo on Vizio TV’s.
Getting back to the use of USB Flash drives on the unit, users are not limited to just using such drives for BD Live storage. Users may play content directly from a connected USB Flash drive if they wish, though using a drive for such purposes opens up another apparent design flaw: the location of the USB port (which is on the back of the unit). Given the mixed use for the USB port that port should have been located on the front of the unit. Certainly users can buy their own USB extension cables, but that shouldn’t be necessary and again adds costs to the unit that shouldn’t be there. If the port had been located on the front of the unit instead it would be very easy to swap flash drives on the unit at any time.
One last comment about the use of the USB flash drives — if you wish to use the drive for BD Live support you must run the unit without a disc in the drive (or with the drive bay open) then select USB, and finally select the option for BD Live where you tell the unit that you want the flash drive used for such purposes. If you don’t do that you’ll never get BD Live working as you have no storage for BD Live purposes. That information can be found in the manual (somewhere), but for those that never read manuals, the entire process could be more intuitive and/or simpler.
Whew, finally on to performance of the unit.
First, load times are not terribly impressive, though not out of line with the load times with other units on the market. Any time you feed the unit a disc expect it to take a few seconds to load and get to the menu. Longer on some titles, shorter on others, depending on the complexity of the menus, etc. While loading to the menu the unit seems to make a fair amount of noise, but once the disc is playing the drive is not loud enough to notice.
The video quality on the unit is good, including the upconversion capabilities. I’ve fed the unit a few DVDs and noticed fairly impressive picture quality, despite knowing that I’m using standard definition DVD and not Blu-ray. Blu-ray picture quality is as expected.
If you are looking for a Blu-ray player for your home and you have a Vizio TV this would make a nice companion to that TV. If you are using another TV and aren’t using a home theatre sound system (working on a tighter budget), this is still a decent player, though you may find competing products offer more/better features at a very competitive price. If you are looking for a higher end product then I’d expect you never read this far, if you even found the Vizio player at all.
Worth a purchase, though educate yourself before buying and check competing products for feature sets and/or price.
VIZIO Blu Ray Disc Player VBR110
Philips BDP7310 F7 Blu ray Disc Player
Enjoy the thrill of full high definition pictures delivered by the BDP7310. Indulge in every detail, silky smooth action and vivid colors with Deep Color. Current DVD favorites can also be enjoyed, with upscaling to 1080p via HDMI.
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SHARP BLU RAY DVD PLAYER MULTI REGION REGION FREE FULL DIGITAL HIGH DEFINITION 1080p VIDEO OUPUT via HDMI PLAYS DVDS FROM ANY COUNTRY MODEL BD HP21A REMOTE INCLUDED Works with a PAL or Multi system TV
Disc Compatibility BD-ROM/RE/R*, DVD video, DVD-R/RW, DVD+R/RW, Audio CD, CD-R/RW
Video Characteristics Full Digital High-Definition 1080p video output via HDMI
Audio Characteristics Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS-HD Advanced Digital Out
Format Profile 1.1, 1080p 24Hz, HDMI v 1.3 for x.v.colour
Terminals HDMI out, Component video out, Video out, Audio out L/R, Optical digital audio output
Power consumption 26W (Standby: 0.5W)
Power requirements AC 100-240 V, 50/60 Hz
Dimensions (W x H x D) 430 mm x 68 mm x 335 mm
Weight 4.0 kg
Supplied accessories Remote Controller, Battery for remote controller, User Manual, A/V cable, Power cord
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Philips BDP3010 F7 Blu ray Disc Player
Enjoy the thrill of full high definition pictures delivered by the BDP3010. Indulge in every detail, silky smooth action and vivid colors with Deep Color. Current DVD favorites can also be enjoyed, with upscaling to 1080p via HDMI.
