What's the best blu-ray player?

imaTfan

My family & I are thinking about purchasing a blu-ray player. Problem is, we don't know what brand or model to get. We were leaning towards maybe a Sony or a Panasonic but since we don't really know that much at all about blu-ray players, I was wondering if I could get some advice on which is one of the best to have.
The specific things we're looking for in a player is: reliability (durability), good video & sound quality, one that reads blu-rays & DVDs quickly, & one that won't cost huge $$$. Also, we'd only use this player for watching movies, not really any of that wi fi, internet, netflix movie downloading thing, so a player that's known for having those internet problems wouldn't bother us.
So, all in all, could you tell me which blu-ray players out there best fit the things I listed above, which ones to avoid, etc.
Thanks! : )

Answer
The 'best' is arguably the Oppo BDP-95, but since it's $1000 I suspect you mean what is the best for your needs.

Panasonic Blu-ray players have a good reputation for performance and reliability (recognizing that any brand can have a few duds!). In reality any of the basic models from name brand manufacturers like Sony, LG, Pioneer, Samsung or Panasonic will probably fit your needs.

ALL Blu-ray players will play Blu-ray and DVD movies ... although the speed with which they load and play the disks varies widely (from 10 seconds to over a minute). They all play Blu-ray disks with essentially the same quality, but vary somewhat in how well they upconvert and play DVDs.

Note that to benefit from Blu-ray (vs a DVD player) you a) must have a ~40" or larger HDTV, b) ability to connect via HDMI (or at least Component) cables, c) sit close enough to the TV to see the improved resolution.

With current prices for Blu-ray players starting around $80 they are no longer an expensive item.

Which would be a higher quality blu ray player?

The Grox i

A high end blu ray player or a $4000 high end desktop computer?
The computer would have the fastest processor, dual GTX680 graphics cards, the best sound card for music/movies, and overheating will not be a problem.
@Ryan Slow it down? I'm talking a $4000 computer.
@connor Even with software like PowerDVD?
And there are ways to eliminate most programs that will slow down the video.

Answer
I would say if your majority purpose for the computer would be to watch movies then I would get the blu ray player and I would get this one the Oppo Bdp-93 or BDP-95 499.00 999.00 respectively. They are the 2 blu-ray players on the market. If you are going to actually need a 4000$ computer and have other uses for it then go that route. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Delectronics&field-keywords=oppo+bdp-95

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3D Blu-Ray player on normal tv?

Holy Crap

I have a normal LCD 1080p tv.
If I buy a Blu ray that plays 3d movies will I be able to watch them as they were intended on my tv or do I need a 3d tv?
(I also have a plasma tv. They are both 42" if that means anything)

Any suggestions on what Blu ray I should buy?

Answer
Keep in mind to watch in 3D you will need the following: 3D HDTV, 3D blu ray disc player, 3D blu ray disc movie and 3D glasses. I just purchase an OPPO 93 blu ray disc player and it is a 3D player along with being a universal player. It is one of the very best player in the market. The price of the player is $499 (you are not going to find it for less money), I purchase my online at Audio Advisor for the price of $509.95 that includes free sales tax and free shipping. It replaced my Pioneer and Panasonic blu ray disc player for my home theater. Go online to Home Theater Magazine and read the reviews on the player. If the price is to high, then I would recommend the Panasonic 3D player. Hope this will help you out.

Best blue-ray player for upscaling and audio?

mike s

Just looking to get the best dvd player that will give my normal dvd's the best picture quality and the best possible audio as well, does anybody know what is supposed to have the best rating for that? THanks

Answer
The PS3 is, at best, a mediocre upscaler for DVDs. The best (reasonably priced) Blu-ray player all round are made by OPPO (See link and read reviews). Exceptional DVD upscaling, great audio and video processing (audiophile quality in the Model 95, but the 93 is excellent too), universal player (plays almost anything) ... just not the cheapest. Many believe that Panasonic makes the best "normal" Blu-ray player.

EDIT: Another response recommended not bothering to upconvert DVD. Not very useful if you have a collection of DVDs, and not acknowledging that there are big differences in how well DVDs can be upscaled. While all Blu-ray players do essentially identical jobs on blu-ray disks, there are BIG differences in how well DVDs look on different players. The Oppo and a few other Blu-ray players (some Pioneers come to mind) do a great job on DVDs. No, it's not as good as Blu-ray, but they can look pretty darn good.

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3D Blu-Ray player on normal tv?

Holy Crap

I have a normal LCD 1080p tv.
If I buy a Blu ray that plays 3d movies will I be able to watch them as they were intended on my tv or do I need a 3d tv?
(I also have a plasma tv. They are both 42" if that means anything)

Any suggestions on what Blu ray I should buy?

Answer
Keep in mind to watch in 3D you will need the following: 3D HDTV, 3D blu ray disc player, 3D blu ray disc movie and 3D glasses. I just purchase an OPPO 93 blu ray disc player and it is a 3D player along with being a universal player. It is one of the very best player in the market. The price of the player is $499 (you are not going to find it for less money), I purchase my online at Audio Advisor for the price of $509.95 that includes free sales tax and free shipping. It replaced my Pioneer and Panasonic blu ray disc player for my home theater. Go online to Home Theater Magazine and read the reviews on the player. If the price is to high, then I would recommend the Panasonic 3D player. Hope this will help you out.

Best blue-ray player for upscaling and audio?

mike s

Just looking to get the best dvd player that will give my normal dvd's the best picture quality and the best possible audio as well, does anybody know what is supposed to have the best rating for that? THanks

Answer
The PS3 is, at best, a mediocre upscaler for DVDs. The best (reasonably priced) Blu-ray player all round are made by OPPO (See link and read reviews). Exceptional DVD upscaling, great audio and video processing (audiophile quality in the Model 95, but the 93 is excellent too), universal player (plays almost anything) ... just not the cheapest. Many believe that Panasonic makes the best "normal" Blu-ray player.

EDIT: Another response recommended not bothering to upconvert DVD. Not very useful if you have a collection of DVDs, and not acknowledging that there are big differences in how well DVDs can be upscaled. While all Blu-ray players do essentially identical jobs on blu-ray disks, there are BIG differences in how well DVDs look on different players. The Oppo and a few other Blu-ray players (some Pioneers come to mind) do a great job on DVDs. No, it's not as good as Blu-ray, but they can look pretty darn good.

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Which blu-ray player is best?

oppo blu ray player 95 image

bob356

I'm looking at upgrading to a 26" or a 32" new LCD 1080p flat screen tv for my bedroom. I want a really good quality long lasting blu-ray player to go with it. I'll be using it for blu-ray DVDs of course and also my 300ish regular DVDs. Which one is best for me?

Answer
The best Blu ray players are made by Oppo, the BDP 95 always gets top ratings; but the BDP 93 is also very good....

Is Blu Ray necessary for Home Theater?

Q. How big is the visual and audio upgrade from DVD?

Answer
Blu-ray is certainly not necessary (most consumers are still quite happy with DVDs). Whether you would benefit significantly from Blu-ray depends on many things. Many consumers don't see or hear huge improvements.

First recognize that movies are generally not going to look like the crystal clear images you see in some store demos. Movies tend to be much more grainy, washed out or have strange color pallets (as part of the Director's vision). Blu-ray will be as close to the theater version as it's currently possible to be ... but not necessarily crystal clear, etc.

On a large screen HDTV (>37") and relative to a standard DVD player many Blu-ray movies will look noticeably (but NOT "night and day") sharper than DVD. However, some Blu-ray or upscaling DVD players (e,g, Oppo) do a better job than others on making DVD look really good on even a big screen, so under optimum conditions DVD can look almost as good as Blu-ray (particularly when the Blu-ray is not super sharp anyway (e.g. District 9).

Whether sound is better depends on your audio system, but even on a good system difference is incremental rather than great. Many won't even notice.

Whether to buy Blu-ray ... and if so, which one ... depends on your situation. And recognize that players and movies cost more than DVDs so it rarely makes sense to pay more than a few $ more for Blu-ray.

If you don't have at least a 30" HDTV forget Blu-ray ... put the money into a larger TV and/or HT system first.

If you currently have a large collection of DVDs and need a new player ... look for a Blu-ray player with excellent DVD handling capability (read reviews). Then play Blu-ray for films that justify it (or you can access at reasonable price), but enjoy your DVD library (or newer films that don't justify Blu-ray prices) played back as sharp as possible on the Blu-ray player using it as a top notch upscaling DVD player.

If you don't have DVDs and rent movies... buy almost any Blu-ray player and enjoy.

If you have a smallish HDTV (37" or less) and don't have a good sound system ... stick to DVDs and buy a sound system. You'll get more benefit from improved sound from DVDs than you would from improvement by moving to Blu-ray from DVD.

For other situations, extrapolate from the above.

FYI, I watch DVDs and Blu-ray on a 1080p projector and 110" screen and have a top end 7.2 sound system. DVDs usually look about 85-90% as good as Blu-ray and normal 5.1 DD sound is 90-95% as good as HD audio on Blu-ray. But I have a Blu-ray player that does a better than average job on DVDs.

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Best blue-ray player for upscaling and audio?

oppo blu ray player 95 image

mike s

Just looking to get the best dvd player that will give my normal dvd's the best picture quality and the best possible audio as well, does anybody know what is supposed to have the best rating for that? THanks

Answer
The PS3 is, at best, a mediocre upscaler for DVDs. The best (reasonably priced) Blu-ray player all round are made by OPPO (See link and read reviews). Exceptional DVD upscaling, great audio and video processing (audiophile quality in the Model 95, but the 93 is excellent too), universal player (plays almost anything) ... just not the cheapest. Many believe that Panasonic makes the best "normal" Blu-ray player.

EDIT: Another response recommended not bothering to upconvert DVD. Not very useful if you have a collection of DVDs, and not acknowledging that there are big differences in how well DVDs can be upscaled. While all Blu-ray players do essentially identical jobs on blu-ray disks, there are BIG differences in how well DVDs look on different players. The Oppo and a few other Blu-ray players (some Pioneers come to mind) do a great job on DVDs. No, it's not as good as Blu-ray, but they can look pretty darn good.

What is the Best Blu-ray Player?

PhutureSou

Is there a better blu-ray player in terms of picture quality than the Denon DVD-2500BT? Must be under £500.

Answer
I can't say whether it's BETTER picture quality but the Oppo BDP-93 is an impressive machine (or for better audio the £1000 BDP-95) and at £500 is a steal relative to the Denon (which is somewhat dated now). Many consider the OPPO to be the best player going, at least for the price. Another highly recommended model is Cambridge Audio's Azur 751BD but it's more expensive (£800). The link lists Blu-ray players ranked by review "score" and the Denon is far down the list (overall). Judged solely on video quality it may rank much higher, but it's impossible to tell without an A/B comparison ... which I can't find).

Note that "better" depends what you want to compare. Blu-ray performance doesn't vary as much as DVD performance and the Oppo players excel at both BD and DVD video performance. For those with DVD collections this can be an important consideration.

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