Blu-Ray Player selection help: Panny vs Sony

djseafood

Hi All,

From the research I've done, I've narrowed my selection down to the following:
Panasonic DMP-BD85K -
http://www2.panasonic.com/consumer-electronics/shop/Video/Blu-ray-Disc-Players/model.DMP-BD85K_11002_7000000000000005702
Sony BDP-S470 - http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921666104167

From what I can tell, they seem fairly compatible in specs but I turn to you, the experts, to help me differentiate and make the better choice.

I went over to AVS Forum and read every post in this thread:
http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921666104167

The main complaint seems to be about Netflix streaming over wireless on the Panny. We will actually be planning to use this feature quite a bit. My question on that is, can you preload a Netflix movie? In other words, let the movie buffer completely (say, load it then hit pause and walk away for an hour?) We are using ATT DSL. Not sure of the connection speed but probably the lower end of their package.

I'll be hooking the winner up to my Onkyo TX-SR506 via HDMI for video and coaxial digital audio (since my AVR only does HDMI passthrough)

I have no aspirations (or budget) to worry about the 3D upgradeability of the Sony so that is no factor in my decision.

I've heard lots of great things about the Panny's for quality and reliability but am not hearing as much about that on the Sony.

Big thing for me on the Panny is that it includes the WiFi adapter in the price, but if it doesn't work very well than that's no bonus.

So, let me know what you think!

As always, thanks so much for the help!

danger boy

I know it's not on your radar but I have been very happy with Netflix and Pandora streaming with my Samsung BD3600 player. it's always going on sale too.. i paid $229 one week when they dropped the price at Best Buy, buy $70 it's been a really good player.

I have only owned a Panny player, never a Sony... the Panny I had was very nice too.

schutz2106

I just received a sony bdps370 blue ray last week. I was going to go with the 470 but the ONLY difference is the 3d capability that is coming in the future. I just bought my tv a few months ago which is not 3d so I thought I would save the $ 20 over the 470. Most of my reason for buying was netflix streaming and also wanted some good reference material since for some reason I feel like buying some new speakers. Player works great, easy to use. Streaming works great. I am hardwired into my router though. I have wireless but if possible I like running a cable. I can run 13mb out of my router ethernet and just dont get that fast wireless. From what I was told is that you cant buffer the whole movie. I dont know how long is held but supposably a small amount.

gdb

The Panasonic is debuting a "tube sound" setting in the 85, that alone is a big reason for me to want one. The AVS people seemed to indicate that a hard wire connection will work better for streaming from the web. The BD-85 player is out of stock at a lot of places right now. here's a thread where I got some correct, and incorrect info on hooking up to the Web.Good luck!:)


http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=98619

djseafood

danger boy, thanks for the input. I haven't considered the Samsung because I haven't found consistently good reviews. It seems hit or miss. Although it's very tempting to go after the open box one they have on Newegg.com right now for $188 with $9 shipping!

schutz2106, that's good info on the Sony's! Didn't realize the only difference is the 3D option. I'll have to look into that some more. Thanks for the info on Netflix buffering too. Good to know.

djseafood

Does anyone know if there is a difference between the Panasonic DMP-BD85K vs the DMP-BD85?

Some websites have one and some the other ... hard to compare.

gdb

I'm not 100% sure but, I think they're the same machine.
Best price I've found is from J&R:

http://www.jr.com/panasonic/pe/PAN_DMPBD85/

djseafood

I emailed Panasonic about the difference between the 85 and 85K and got this response:

"Thank you for your inquiry.
The units are the same different distributors. We hope this information is helpful to you. Thank you for contacting Panasonic. "

So, no difference for those of you wondering like I was.


******EDIT TO OP******
Just realized I gave the wrong link to the review at AVS Forum:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1230391

That should be the right one now.

Danny Tse

I am very tempted to pick up the Sony S470 simply to have one player for DVD, CD, Blu-ray, and SACD. Yes, the new Sony Blu-ray players will play SACD.

jemrey81

I had a Samsung and returned it due to freezing while playing blu ray... it was fine with dvd and streaming netflix, but would freeze when I put the blu ray in.... I researched it and found that it is a common issue with some Samsung models. I bought the Sony BDP-N60? and I love it. It isn't wireless, but I have the LAN line right there to plug into so I don't need the wireless feature. I can't help too much in regards to how they perform streaming wirelessly (is that a word?), but I can't imagine that Panny is going to be any better.... I think a lot of it comes from the wireless router / distance and your service, the little differences between Sony & Panny in that aspect won't really matter. You should decide which one has all of the features you will actually use and go from there, you will enjoy either one. Everywhere I went when I was looking for a blu ray player, they all said to get the Sony Playstation 3 first... I don't want a gaming unit. They all said that it has the most features and the best player. I figured that if the Sony PS3, is sooo great that their other blu ray players should be up there too.

Anyways, I love my Sony unit and it's not very often that I would recommend Sony over another brand. I am sure you'll be happy with whatever you decide.... Oh, if you buy local, you can always buy one return it and get the other one if you're not happy.

digitalvideo

djseafood, make sure you also checkout the LG and Sharp models. Sharp just released their 2010 models and are getting very good reviews. Sharp and Pioneer collaborated to make their players. Sharp is also known for having the most powerful laser diode's.

Sharp launches two new Netflix-ready Aquos Blu-ray players:

http://www.sharpusa.com/AboutSharp/NewsAndEvents/PressReleases/2010/January/2010_01_06_Blu-ray.aspx

http://ces.cnet.com/8301-31045_1-10427203-269.html

http://www.hdtvlounge.net/blu-ray/sharp-bdhp70u-bdhp24u/

danger boy

just get an Oppo and call it a day.

djseafood

I guess I should have also mentioned I'm trying to keep it under $250 total. With the Sony that will be hard since I need the Wireless dongle. Which, by the way, does anyone know where I can get one of those outside of the Sony Style store? I can't seem to find them anywhere else.

Thanks for all your inputs!
AJ

djseafood

Given that my AVR is HDMI passthrough only and I cannot pull the audio from the HDMI, what is my best option for audio hookup? Will the 7.1 channel analog be better than the Digital Coax? If so that becomes a clear choice for me to go with the Panasonic over the Sony. And no, I won't be upgrading my AVR soon so that's not an option!

Thanks all!

danger boy

optical and coaxial will not give you the new high def audio tracks.. it will only give you core DD and DTS. to get full HD sound you will need to use the analog outputs from the blu ray player.

djseafood

Thanks danger boy! That's all I needed to know. Guess I should have ordered 5 more cables from Monoprie

djseafood

...since I have more questions.

In order to take advantage of true HD audio, what kind of setup do I need? Can it be accomplished with a 5.1 setup and my current AVR?

Also, what can I expect from just the Coaxial audio? I honestly don't think I'm refined enough to tell the difference. Also, given the setup of my room, I'm not really configured optimally as my center stage is in an angled nook in the corner of my room. As long as I get something as good or better than the output of my current Samsung DVD player I'll be happy for the time being.

I'm finding that the Sony has much better internet content and, yes sadly enough, this is of some importance to me (and the wife). Panasonic's Viera Cast seems lacking in this department and future content seems iffy. I found I can pickup the Sony BDP-S570 from JR for only $224 shipped. If the time comes, I can always upgrage my AVR and regain the True HD audio with the Sony via HDMI. I've been happy enough with the sound of CD's played on my old Sammy DVD so I think I'll still be seeing improvement over that with the new Sony.

Thoughts? It is a path forward to justify an AVR upgrade down the road

ViperZ

I've been picking between Panny and Sony too, when I was buying my first Blu-Ray (55 vs 550 at that time). My friend got Panny, I got Sony - we ran them head to head for a while. Did not notice any difference between video and HT audio output. Musically, panny sounded very slightly better.

At the end of the day, I went out and got a PS3, so I could stream the movies from the computer too (not for games).

For HD Audio (Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA) you need a receiver with either full HDMI support OR 6-channel analog input. With 6-ch analog input, the player will decode the audio track and stream to your AVR. You WILL hear the difference between DD/DTS and DTS-HD MA / DTHD. The difference is simply amazing.
If you will be using optical/coaxial, all you will be able to stream is stripped audio signal (stripped down to DTS).

djseafood

Copied this from my manual for the Onkyo TX-SR506:

Processing
• Dolby Digital Plus
*1
(TX-SR576)
• Dolby Digital EX and Pro Logic IIx
*1
• DTS and DTS-ES, DTS 96/24 and DTS Neo:6 Processing
*2
• Pure Audio Mode (On models other than the North
American model)
• Direct Mode
• Music Optimizer
*3
for Compressed Music
• CinemaFILTER
• Non-Scaling Configuration
• A-Form Listening Mode Memory
• 24-bit/192kHz D/A Converters
• Powerful and Highly Accurate 32-bit DSP Processing

So, it doesn't look like it supports Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA even though it has 6-channel analog inputs.

gdb

danger boy wrote: »

just get an Oppo and call it a day.

Last time I checked the Oppos, none of them would do Netflix or Amazon on demand etc. Have they added this recently?

ViperZ

You receiver does not have to support high-def audio, as long as it has 6-ch analog inputs. Your player will do all the work and just stream decoded sound to the receiver.

djseafood wrote: »

Copied this from my manual for the Onkyo TX-SR506:

Processing
• Dolby Digital Plus
*1
(TX-SR576)
• Dolby Digital EX and Pro Logic IIx
*1
• DTS and DTS-ES, DTS 96/24 and DTS Neo:6 Processing
*2
• Pure Audio Mode (On models other than the North
American model)
• Direct Mode
• Music Optimizer
*3
for Compressed Music
• CinemaFILTER
• Non-Scaling Configuration
• A-Form Listening Mode Memory
• 24-bit/192kHz D/A Converters
• Powerful and Highly Accurate 32-bit DSP Processing

So, it doesn't look like it supports Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD MA even though it has 6-channel analog inputs.

digitalvideo

djseafood, is there a reason why you're limiting your options to just the Sony or Panasonic? There are many others out there just as good if not better for price/performance like the LG's, Sharp's etc. But I would wait for the new 2010 models coming between May-July which will be HDMI 1.4 compliant and 3D. You should also consider a PS3, which everyone seems to like and is dead reliable, it's going to be 3D compliant in a soon firmware update, it's also got faster loading times.

http://www.netflix.com/NetflixReadyDevicesDetails?pdid=105

digitalvideo

I personally wouldn't use Netflix or any online streaming to watch bluray movies because the picture and sound quality isn't as good, the whole point of 1080p flatscreen tv's and bluray is for excellent picture and audio. The problem with streaming online videos is the bandwidth allotted to carry both audio and video presentations. There isn't enough of it yet, and compression runs ramped in the video and audio. The end result is a video and audio presentation with a significantly less bit rate than that found on a disc. Streaming Netflicks HD is usually worse than DVD quality, and sometimes a little better than DVD depending on the show but its never anywhere near BD quality or even HD tv cable/satellite quality. I personally would stick to renting bluray discs if I were you if you can manage.

ViperZ

digitalvideo wrote: »

djseafood, is there a reason why you're limiting your options to just the Sony or Panasonic? There are many others out there just as good if not better for price/performance like the LG's, Sharp's etc. But I would wait for the new 2010 models coming between May-July which will be HDMI 1.4 compliant and 3D. You should also consider a PS3, which everyone seems to like and is dead reliable, it's going to be 3D compliant in a soon firmware update, it's also got faster loading times.

http://www.netflix.com/NetflixReadyDevicesDetails?pdid=105

LG and Sharp are better than Sony and Panasonic? LOL. I guess to each is his own.

kuntasensei

The way I look at it... if you're not gonna step up to something like the Oppo, Sony created Blu-ray, so they're your safest bet for compatibility. But there are lots of good players out there.

djseafood

From the research I've done, I keep coming back to these two brands as having the best performance and reliability. Plus, these two I was looking at have all the features I want within my price point. I've looked at all of the above...trust me, my wife will tell you how OCD I am!

To each his own. Pick anything and you can find someone who raves about it. It's like the Ford/Chevy debate....it will never end

Anyway, I went ahead and ordered the Sony BDP-S570 from JR.com yesterday. Doesn't have the 7.1 analog output (which I now understand would have worked with my AVR thanks to ViperZ) but I only have a modest 5.1 setup with a crappy configuration so I think I'll "suffer" through regular DTS until I can upgrade my AVR down the road.

Thanks to everyone for your input and support. It's very much appreciated! :cool:

ViperZ

Why didn't you just pick up one of the player's in the flea market?
http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=99100

djseafood

Is there a Sony BDP-S570 for sale? I'm pretty particular on what I'm looking for.

digitalvideo

kuntasensei wrote: »

The way I look at it... if you're not gonna step up to something like the Oppo, Sony created Blu-ray, so they're your safest bet for compatibility. But there are lots of good players out there.

Sony didn't create blu-ray, they collaborated with multiple companies to design it snf offered input as did other companies and were one of the more aggressive pushers of it for their PS3 to counter Microsoft's Xbox HD-DVD. Pioneer originally helped design the laser and disc.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blu-ray_Disc_Association

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blu-ray_Disc

The "Blu-ray Disc founder group" was started on May 20, 2002 by nine leading electronic companies: Sony, Panasonic, Pioneer, Philips, Thomson, LG (Lucky GoldStar) Electronics, Hitachi, Sharp, and Samsung.

Sharp's laser diode is far superior to Sony's or any other company. Sharp also collaborates with Pioneer on bd technology.

http://www.electronicstalk.com/news/srp/srp166.html

Sony is not really into the manufacturing business anymore, they are into the marketing business and today are paying more for a name than anything. If you can show me what a Sony bd player does that a Sharp, LG, Samsung, Toshiba doesn't? Sony doesn't even make their tv's anymore either.

ViperZ

The problem with sharp (my opinion) is their reliability. I've seen waaay too many failed things that shouldn't have failed from them. I'm repairing things for myself and friends a lot of times, and I wouldn't touch Sharp products - poor internal design, poor construction, cheap parts.

digitalvideo

What I meant was Sony's stand alone bd players are not better than any others. but their PS3 is very good and I would buy the PS3 if it wasn't for the Oppo. Have you thought about the Oppo bdp-80?