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Author Topic: recommended Blu-Ray players Scott Norwood Film God Posts: 8146 From: Boston, MA. USA (1774.21 miles northeast of Dallas) Registered: Jun 99 posted 03-07-2011 05:38 PM                        Blu-ray is Not My Favorite Format (tm), but it seems to be increasingly popular for theatrical screenings. What player is everyone using now? I finally found one that I like: the Panasonic DMP-BD30. This is apparently discontinued, but still available new on Amazon and elsewhere. Its on-screen display can be disabled, it will stay in "pause" mode indefinitely, it has a six-channel discrete audio output, and it has both component and HDMI outputs. It is fast (not as fast as the Oppo, however), and has played every disk that I have tried. The main disadvantage is that it is region-locked, and a separate region-free DVD player is still necessary to play non-local DVDs. Are there any other good options that are still in production? Are there any that are or can be made region-free? Can any of them have an HD-SDI output added?  |  IP: Logged Mike Blakesley Film God Posts: 12767 From: Forsyth, Montana Registered: Jun 99 posted 03-07-2011 06:43 PM                        The Oppo that we have works great except you can't disable the onscreen display icons. For that reason I might be in the market for something different...will have to watch this thread!  |  IP: Logged Chase Pickett Expert Film Handler Posts: 142 From: Irving, Texas, USA Registered: Nov 2010 posted 03-07-2011 07:12 PM                     There are electronic outlets (primarily online) that modify Blu-ray and DVD players to be region free. I'm sure you can even find that specific model Blu-ray player converted to be region free.  |  IP: Logged Bobby Henderson "Ask me about Trajan." Posts: 10973 From: Lawton, OK, USA Registered: Apr 2001 posted 03-07-2011 09:57 PM                     If you need component output from a Blu-ray player you better be sure to buy a 2010 model player or earlier. My understanding is the "analog sunset" is being applied to any Blu-ray players made after Dec. 31, 2010. Component output on players made after that date will be limited to 480p.  |  IP: Logged Brad Miller Administrator Posts: 17775 From: Plano, TX (36.2 miles NW of Rockwall) Registered: May 99 posted 03-07-2011 11:06 PM                     Scott, the DMP-BD30 was my preferred blu-ray for a few years. The only thing I did not like about it was the fact that the discrete 6 channel analog outputs sounds like the new iPods, meaning "awful". If you want quality sound, you have to use one of the digital outs, but still the player was/is very good and would play anything we threw at it without annoying on-screen displays.  |  IP: Logged Carsten Kurz Film God Posts: 4340 From: Cologne, NRW, Germany Registered: Aug 2009 posted 03-08-2011 11:49 AM                     http://www.film-tech.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=16;t=000410#000004 http://www.film-tech.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=16;t=000635#000008 We have the Sony BDP-S550. You still get it from ebay. One of the few good players with all the necessary features. If you want or need to buy new, I'd go with Oppo. Good idea to also buy a HDMI switcher or Splitter + a 1080p24 capable preview monitor. - Carsten  |  IP: Logged Kevin Markwick Film Handler Posts: 43 From: Uckfield East Sussex England Registered: Sep 2004 posted 03-08-2011 06:05 PM                        Does anyone have an opinion on optimal settings for Blu Ray with the combination I have? I'm using the aformetioned Panasonic BD-30 via an HDMI to DVI cable into the Geffen AV Cinema Scaler Pro II (DVI 2 Input)that feeds into an NEC2000C. The picture is wonderful but video is laggy. Output set to 1080p or 2K seem to give the same results. I suspect it's a combination of settings in the Geffen and the BD player but I'm going round in circles. Pictures from my two Satellite receivers play fine. Both via HDMI to DVI. Any help gratefully recieved. Kevin  |  IP: Logged Mike Olpin Chop Chop! Posts: 1852 From: Dallas, TX Registered: Jan 2002 posted 03-08-2011 11:42 PM                     Another vote for the Sony BDPS550. I've deployed three of them theatrically. The screen artifacts can be disabled, as well as the screen saver, allowing you to pause in black indefinitely. The 8 ch out can be attenuated on a per channel basis, and it can fold the back surrounds into the side surrounds for 6ch out.  |  IP: Logged Steve Guttag We forgot the crackers Gromit!!! Posts: 12814 From: Annapolis, MD Registered: Dec 1999 posted 03-09-2011 08:17 AM                     I have the S550 at home and I don't have too much against it. We have a customer that loves them. We have run into HDCP issues with it, however. -Steve  |  IP: Logged Paul Mayer Oh get out of it Melvin, before it pulls you under! Posts: 3836 From: Albuquerque, NM Registered: Feb 2000 posted 03-09-2011 11:22 AM                        I have the Panny BD-85 going via HDMI into our living room 34" Olevia LCD. Still going analog for the sound until I can swap in the new Denon HDMI-ready receiver to replace our current ancient Kenwood. So far I'm quite happy with the -85's picture and sound, though there doesn't seem to be a way to defeat the on-screen displays during playback. I'll be looking for a chance to play with it some more during down time via HDMI-DMI adapters on some series 2 D-Cinema gear next week over at Caesars.  |  IP: Logged Per Hauberg Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 883 From: Malling, Denmark Registered: Jul 2000 posted 03-18-2011 08:59 AM                        I have ordered a Philips BDP 9600, being one of the only ones on the local market, able of producing a CinemaScope-picture with subtitles in-frame rather than in a black barral underneath. My screen is very small (15 feet), and running Scope cropped would look very poor. Well - Philips Denmark had promised the player to be delivered two weeeks ago, but nothing happened yet, so I'm this week for the first time running a BluRay for public performances on a lend Panasonic DMP BD-65, which is doing a nice job, allthough half of the subtitling is under frame. A little off the picture size, and it works. (not optimal, but what the... -It will be better next week) Right now, a storm of hurricane proportions goes over the danish movie business. A couple of small film distributors, specialized in "narrow stuff" movies only, have offered a couple of titles for cinema use on bluray, and the organisations are not amused. I've got one of them running now, with a picture quality on my small screen that fully equalizes my 35mm scope. This will not, for me to see -as claimed by critics, ruin the cinemas good name, but on the contrary make possible the fast distribution of films, normally only circulating in Denmark in one or two prints, being half a year or more making their way around, and being pretty worn and dirty before getting to me. I will not be hesitating, if I'm offered more of this kind. Is this being practised in the homeland of movies, too - or are You only using BluRay on special occasions ?  |  IP: Logged Bajsic Bojan Expert Film Handler Posts: 190 From: Ljubljana, Si, Eu Registered: Aug 2008 posted 03-18-2011 05:37 PM                     dp  |  IP: Logged Bajsic Bojan Expert Film Handler Posts: 190 From: Ljubljana, Si, Eu Registered: Aug 2008 posted 03-18-2011 05:38 PM                     we're using Sony BDP350 + screen messages can be disabled + 6ch analog out - slow as s*** (1min to boot up, 20sec to load a DVD/BD) - cannot get it to pause indef - randomly does/doesn't supply 720p on component out - region 2 locked Similar situation to Denmark, but we're against BD distribution as we'd start to get force-fed the format if we accept it even once! (we are an art-house type cinema) we use it for one-off presentations/previews, rental screenings, semi-pro movie showings, trailer presentation,...  |  IP: Logged Tony Bandiera Jr Film God Posts: 3067 From: Moreland Idaho Registered: Apr 2004 posted 03-18-2011 08:24 PM                     quote: Paul Mayer .....I can swap in the new Denon HDMI-ready receiver to replace our current ancient Kenwood. NOOOOOOO!!! Do NOT buy the Denon!! It is a piece of crap...the outputs WILL go to black on the slightest signal glitch, HDCP handshaking is flaky, and I had one brand new out of the box that didn't work at all...no audio or video outputs in any mode. The older Denons from Japan were great, but the new one (Made in you-know-where) sucks ass!! I am not sure if Marantz is M-I-C, but it is functionally very close to Denon and outperforms it in the quality department. As for the players, I avoid Sony like the plague..slow boot-up and load times, piss-poor reliability, very touchy on marginal quality discs, and no indefinite pause. Stick with Panasonic, OPPO, or maybe Samsung if all else fails.  |  IP: Logged Paul Mayer Oh get out of it Melvin, before it pulls you under! Posts: 3836 From: Albuquerque, NM Registered: Feb 2000 posted 03-18-2011 11:56 PM                        Oh well, the Denon is sitting on top of my "to install" pile (open box special). It looks as if it had been dropped (nice crease across the top of one side of the case cover) - so it could indeed turn out to be a "project" when I fire it up. If it does give me grief at least I won't have paid all that much for it. Back on topic, the Panasonic BD-85 has been great on the small living room display. Hoping to get some time to try it out on a 4K projector next week.  |  IP: Logged

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