Which Bluray player?

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tecmo04
tecmo04 Posts: 421
edited February 2008 in Electronics
Does anyone know the difference between the BDPS300 and BDPS301 besides the 300 is sold at bb and cc and the 301 at costco?

Also, what advantages do i get from upgrading to the BDPS500 or BDP-S1 besides adding the true hd sound?

Do they all have the same picture quality?

One more question, do i need a new reciever to play the HD sound?

Thanks for the assistance!
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  • rskarvan
    rskarvan Posts: 2,374
    edited December 2007
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    I have the BDPS300 and it work just fine. Highly recommend.
    The 1080p video is absolutely stunning on a bluray disc. Use the 6 coax audio interconnects (output) to get the HD sound. Also, don't forget to upgrade the firmware - it fixes a few bugs from the original release.
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  • Sherardp
    Sherardp Posts: 8,038
    edited December 2007
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    you dont need a new receiver if your current one has analog connections on the back, if thats the case you will need a player with analog out. I would recommend the S-1 which is built on the same spec as the 2000ES flagship. If not that then the 500.
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  • millerman 3732
    millerman 3732 Posts: 1,488
    edited December 2007
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    I would have to recommend the Panasonic DMP-BD10A that I have for sell in the FS forum, :o
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  • fireshoes
    fireshoes Posts: 3,167
    edited December 2007
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    I would probably look at the Samsung 1400 instead. The Sony seems to be slower loading, buggy with some discs, and no True HD/DTS HD. Samsung is the same price and gets you the advanced audio codecs, plus two more free movies by mail (8 total versus 5 by mail and 1 in the box for Sony).
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  • MikeC78
    MikeC78 Posts: 2,315
    edited December 2007
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    Check out the new Sharp BD-HP20.

    http://www.valueelectronics.com/avstc.htm

    BTW, Merry Christmas!
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  • Dave38
    Dave38 Posts: 101
    edited December 2007
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    fireshoes wrote: »
    I would probably look at the Samsung 1400 instead. The Sony seems to be slower loading, buggy with some discs, and no True HD/DTS HD. Samsung is the same price and gets you the advanced audio codecs, plus two more free movies by mail (8 total versus 5 by mail and 1 in the box for Sony).

    How does the 1400 compare with the Toshiba A35?
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  • MikeC78
    MikeC78 Posts: 2,315
    edited December 2007
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    Dave38 wrote: »
    How does the 1400 compare with the Toshiba A35?

    :confused:You are comparing apples to oranges.

    The 1400 is a BR player and the A35 is a HD DVD player.
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  • Dave38
    Dave38 Posts: 101
    edited December 2007
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    Whoops. Disregard. :o
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  • Ferres
    Ferres Posts: 310
    edited December 2007
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    I don't know if this was ever fixed in the BDP300-301 series, it did have a tendency to hang if you 'stop' a disk instead of 'pausing' it. Will only be an issue if you take breaks during a movie.
    Gear: Rotel RC 1082, Rotel RSP 1068 pre/pro, Rotel RMB1077 amp, Cayin CDT 15a CD player, S301 bluray.

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  • ruf993turbo
    ruf993turbo Posts: 39
    edited December 2007
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    BDPS300 if you're looking for a very basic player. The load time is pretty slow though and it does not not support 1.3 so if you don't mind losing the new special features coming on on Bluray, go for it. You can get the BDPS300 for 269$ which is a great deal. I'd recommend spending $130 more and get a PS3 since you can update it to the latest firmware to support the newest technology..
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  • malikarshad
    malikarshad Posts: 527
    edited December 2007
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    ruf993turbo wrote: »
    BDPS300 if you're looking for a very basic player. The load time is pretty slow though and it does not not support 1.3 so if you don't mind losing the new special features coming on on Bluray, go for it. You can get the BDPS300 for 269$ which is a great deal. I'd recommend spending $130 more and get a PS3 since you can update it to the latest firmware to support the newest technology..

    I second that opinion as I was very frustrated by the load times on the Samsung 1400. I'm happy with my PS3 now.
    The only downside to PS3 is it does not decode DTS-HD and the stand alone player has an edge in audio over the PS3.

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  • Serendipity
    Serendipity Posts: 6,975
    edited December 2007
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    I would think the PS3 is a good choice too.
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  • tecmo04
    tecmo04 Posts: 421
    edited December 2007
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    ive been concidering a ps3 but id rather buy a xbox 360 if im going that route. Am i missing a lot by not having the 1.3? Remember, my reciever is a little older too, h/k avr320...
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  • millerman 3732
    millerman 3732 Posts: 1,488
    edited December 2007
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    If you go the PS3 or X-box route you would be missing all of the new Hi-def audio formats, which to me is half of what HDM is about, since you don't have an HDMI AVR and neither the PS3 or X-box have analogs to pass the new formats that way.
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  • ruf993turbo
    ruf993turbo Posts: 39
    edited December 2007
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    tecmo04 wrote: »
    ive been concidering a ps3 but id rather buy a xbox 360 if im going that route. Am i missing a lot by not having the 1.3? Remember, my reciever is a little older too, h/k avr320...

    PS3 and Xbox are two totally different things. One supports BluRay and the other support HD-DVD (with an add-on player that you have to buy for it), in the end the Xbox360 w/ HD-DVD player will cost your more than a PS3 40GB...but you're talking about two totally different formats.
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  • tecmo04
    tecmo04 Posts: 421
    edited January 2008
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    So i was walking through Costco tonight and i said my self "why not!?!?" and bought the S301!!! i cant wait to buy some blu-ray movies tomorrow! I cant wait to demo this thing. hooray for blu-ray!
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  • zx_toth
    zx_toth Posts: 417
    edited January 2008
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    Enjoy the upgrade!

    Just edited my message, didnt realize I was asking in the wrong thread. Sorry.
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  • rskarvan
    rskarvan Posts: 2,374
    edited January 2008
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    tecmo04 wrote: »
    So i was walking through Costco tonight and i said my self "why not!?!?" and bought the S301!!! i cant wait to buy some blu-ray movies tomorrow! I cant wait to demo this thing. hooray for blu-ray!

    You'll like it. Make sure you update the firmware. Go to the Sony website and order the free update disc. The S301 is a great player!!!
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  • Rike255
    Rike255 Posts: 131
    edited January 2008
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    millerman 3732 wrote: »
    If you go the PS3 or X-box route you would be missing all of the new Hi-def audio formats, which to me is half of what HDM is about, since you don't have an HDMI AVR and neither the PS3 or X-box have analogs to pass the new formats that way.

    A littlte now but this isn't really true. The PS3 can decode Dolby TrueHD internally so you're only missing out on the less popular DTS HD-MA codec. Rumor is that the PS3 will have support for this eventually although we still don't know.

    I think the biggest upside to a standalone player is the ability to bitstream high def audio. The PS3 can't do this which is too bad (although if it gets support for HD-MA then it really doesn't matter).
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  • tecmo04
    tecmo04 Posts: 421
    edited January 2008
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    before i get to crazy with moving stuff around to wire the thing i should ask here first,
    Whats better for sound, the 5.1 channel outs (which my h/k accepts) or optical?
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  • Rike255
    Rike255 Posts: 131
    edited January 2008
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    Optical only allows for PCM 2.0 and Dolby Digital sound while the other will allow for PCM up to 7.1 channels.

    When your player decodes the HD codecs (TrueHD or DTS HD-MA) it'll send out a PCM signal. With optical you can only extract the core audio from these codecs (IE Dolby Digital or DTS). So if you want true high def audio, use the analogs.

    In other words, optical is not for the high def world.
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  • mantis
    mantis Posts: 17,637
    edited January 2008
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    tecmo04 wrote: »
    Does anyone know the difference between the BDPS300 and BDPS301 besides the 300 is sold at bb and cc and the 301 at costco?

    Also, what advantages do i get from upgrading to the BDPS500 or BDP-S1 besides adding the true hd sound?

    Do they all have the same picture quality?

    One more question, do i need a new reciever to play the HD sound?

    Thanks for the assistance!
    I believe with out confirming with my Sony rep they are the same exact player. I also believe the Sony xbr4 and xbr5 is the same exact tv.

    I wouldn't buy it. I perfer the Ps3 over all stand alone players.
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  • Rike255
    Rike255 Posts: 131
    edited January 2008
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    mantis wrote: »
    I believe with out confirming with my Sony rep they are the same exact player. I also believe the Sony xbr4 and xbr5 is the same exact tv.

    I wouldn't buy it. I perfer the Ps3 over all stand alone players.

    QFT, the only difference between xbr4 and 5 is the warranty provided I believe. The PS3 is the most future proof system out there and is also the best value for your dollar. Once it gets DTS HD-MA decoding capabilities (or rather "if"), then there will be no features it lacks as bitstreaming will not be needed anymore. As far as we know the PS3 will never be able to bitstream high def audio...i've made my peace with that.
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  • rskarvan
    rskarvan Posts: 2,374
    edited February 2008
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    Rike255 wrote: »
    Optical only allows for PCM 2.0 and Dolby Digital sound while the other will allow for PCM up to 7.1 channels.

    When your player decodes the HD codecs (TrueHD or DTS HD-MA) it'll send out a PCM signal. With optical you can only extract the core audio from these codecs (IE Dolby Digital or DTS). So if you want true high def audio, use the analogs.

    In other words, optical is not for the high def world.

    I tend to agree. However, the analog doesn't allow for 7.1. Analog is 5.1 only. Anyway, my S301 is hooked up with the six analog cables to my Denon's "EXT IN". Works great. No complaints at all.
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  • mantis
    mantis Posts: 17,637
    edited February 2008
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    Cool man. My problems with the S300 is I have seen a few fail. Also the loading time is the slowest out of all current Blue player with the Ps3 being the fastest.

    Other then that it's a fine player.

    Congrads on the new player and welcome to Blue.

    Dan
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  • millerman 3732
    millerman 3732 Posts: 1,488
    edited February 2008
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    Rike255 wrote: »
    A littlte now but this isn't really true. The PS3 can decode Dolby TrueHD internally so you're only missing out on the less popular DTS HD-MA codec. Rumor is that the PS3 will have support for this eventually although we still don't know.

    I think the biggest upside to a standalone player is the ability to bitstream high def audio. The PS3 can't do this which is too bad (although if it gets support for HD-MA then it really doesn't matter).

    The PS3 doesn't have 5.1 analogs and his AVR doesn't have HDMI inputs, so yes the PS3 will decode some of the newer formats but he has no way of getting them from the PS3 to the AVR with out upgrading his AVR. He would only be able to get the lossy core from the newer formats via the optical output.
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  • Rike255
    Rike255 Posts: 131
    edited February 2008
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    millerman 3732 wrote: »
    The PS3 doesn't have 5.1 analogs and his AVR doesn't have HDMI inputs, so yes the PS3 will decode some of the newer formats but he has no way of getting them from the PS3 to the AVR with out upgrading his AVR. He would only be able to get the lossy core from the newer formats via the optical output.

    Ah I thought you were referring to the PS3 in general. Sorry my bad. In his case it won't work.
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  • djc9
    djc9 Posts: 37
    edited February 2008
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    This is a helpful link

    I have a Samsung BD-P1000 which is a first-generation player. PQ is great, load times are...well it loads eventually. Advanced audio codec support is nil, except for movies that have uncompressed PCM, which are quite a lot actually. For what I paid, it has been a solid performer, but looking to the future...

    Since I do not have a 1.3 compliant receiver, I am waiting for the Panasonic DMP-BD50 or Samsung BD-P1500 which should be on in Q2-Q3 because they are reported to decode all advanced codecs and output to my receiver as PCM. This is most important to me for the DTS-MA tracks that are on a lot of Fox titles but also because of the frequency of TrueHD tracks on newer releases.
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  • Rike255
    Rike255 Posts: 131
    edited February 2008
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    djc9 wrote: »
    This is a helpful link

    I have a Samsung BD-P1000 which is a first-generation player. PQ is great, load times are...well it loads eventually. Advanced audio codec support is nil, except for movies that have uncompressed PCM, which are quite a lot actually. For what I paid, it has been a solid performer, but looking to the future...

    Since I do not have a 1.3 compliant receiver, I am waiting for the Panasonic DMP-BD50 or Samsung BD-P1500 which should be on in Q2-Q3 because they are reported to decode all advanced codecs and output to my receiver as PCM. This is most important to me for the DTS-MA tracks that are on a lot of Fox titles but also because of the frequency of TrueHD tracks on newer releases.


    If your receiver isn't HDMI v1.3 are you even able to pass audio through HDMI? Unless yours is 1.2 or better (which it could be) I don't think you can do it, you'll be limited to optical for audio. In which case the best you can hope for is PCM 2.0 or Dolby Digital and alike.
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  • djc9
    djc9 Posts: 37
    edited February 2008
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    Absolutely. It's HDMI 1.2a (Yamaha HTR-6090) and can accept multi-channel PCM through HDMI. I don't remember whether earlier HDMI versions can do the same.

    This is why I want one of the newer generation blu-ray players because they can both bitstream and decode the advanced codecs, which eliminates the need for me to upgrade to a 1.3 receiver.
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