What kind of Blu Ray Player should I buy?

Question

I am not a tech geek (no offense to those who will likely provide me with the best answers) so I don't know if it is worth it to spend the extra money on a better player or not. I'm sure someone will ask me what I will use it for, and with what products so I'll answer that ahead of time. I would be using it just to watch movies. I am not a gamer nor would I be if the answer here was PS3 but I could be talked into it for its blu ray capabilities. I have an Insignia LCD 26 or 27 inches. I own a lot of regular dvds and I want them to look their best when played on my new blu ray player. I use my tv's speakers, I don't have surround sound set up as of yet. Though I do have an old (7yrs) Panasonic 5 disc stereo that could be hooked up if I was told that it would make my movie experience that much better. I also don't want to spend a lot (go figure right?) but I also don't want to have to buy a new one in 4 years. I've read that the PS3 is quite possibly the best player out there though it is $200 more than an insignia or cheap magnavox. The range in price is astonishing, $200 - $1000, I can't figure out why the range in price. Even if I don't use surround sound now, that doesn't mean I won't when my youngest is done crawling around and breaking everything in sight. I've heard that the main difference in players is their audio capabilities, is that true? If it is or isn't really doesn't matter, what matters is this; is it important enough to spend 100%-400% more just for better sound? Why would I need an sd slot on my blu ray player? Why would that be important? Do all or any players come with all the connections I need? I already have HDtv so I have the hdmi cables from my tv to my cable box. Also ease of set up is important, as you may have been able to tell, electronics isn't my thing. I like it to work easy and and look good. Cost is important but not the only thing. Quality is most important, but I'm still a frugal (husband and father of 2) man trying to make his xmas budget go as far as possible. Thanks ahead of time to those who have informed opinions and boo hiss to those who give one line answers for points.

Answer 1

The PS3 is the best all-around player. But that's because it's more than just a player. It's a media hub (you can watch videos, pics, listen to music that are on your PC), has wireless internet (good for online gaming and firmware updates) and plays games. The #1 stand-alone Blu-Ray player is the Panasonic DMP-BD35. This has the ability not just to play Blu-Ray but also to decode HD audio. That way if you ever want a 5.1 surround sound system in the future, you'll be able to play all the HD audio soundtracks (Dolby TrueHD, PCM, DTS-HD MA). And this player is around the same price as the Sony and Samsung.

Answer 2

Ok, there's a lot to cover in this question:

With a TV that size, you could save a bunch of money with an up-converting DVD player. It will give you a better picture than the regular DVD resolution without the big bucks (about $50). A Blu-ray may look a little better, but probably not worth the extra money. They will be going down in price eventually anyway. Oh, and you have to buy the more expensive Blu-ray discs for that better picture too. You won't get it with the DVDs you have now. But if you're set on a Blu-ray player, you'll probably want to go with one of the older models. They're dropping in price and will give you just as good of a picture, just not all the latest bells and whistles.

TV speakers have pretty much always been the basic sound setup. Basically _anything_ you add to your TV for sounds will be better. You don't have to go all out 'latest and greatest' to get good sound. Even a used 2-4 year old receiver with a couple of speakers will be an improvement. If you can swing surround sound, even if it's not the latest, it'll be good and will improve the movie experience. I'd be willing to bet that most people with a surround sound setup won't notice much (if any) difference in the newest sound technology.

The bottom line is how important it is to you and how much you're willing to spend.

Answer 3

I'd suggest the PS3. I'll tell you why:



-Even if the Upconverting DVD player will have just as good, it still can't play Blu-ray discs, so eventually when DVD's are phased out, you'll be screwed and have to buy a Blu-ray player anyway.

-The PS3 is the only future-proof Blu-ray player because it can update to accomodate new features, and it has the added feature of games, internet browser, and being a media hub that you can put downloaded movies/tv shows on

Answer 4

Panasonic, Samsung, Or Sony.