[SilverFox2]

Hi all,

Looking for advice.

Want a Blu Ray Player for Blu Ray PQ only.

Not interested in its upscaling of DVD's or its audio capabilities, whether its got wireless or not, just its ability to take a 1080p Blu Ray disc and give me that original PQ via its output to my TV.


Any help would be appreciated.

[ney]

I have been looking at the to LG in Argos to go with my LG tv in my bedroom and I may get one of them. http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Browse...s%7CLG%7C1.htm
Do you fancy any of them.

Darren

[tempcontrol]

For the best that Bluray can offer I should go for Panasonic or Sony.

Budget makes like Samsung and LG will cut corners somewhere.

If you want to be able to play Bluray from the US without worrying about region coding try Multiregion Magic who can offer region free players and non multiregion players both at good prices

[Bester]

Sony BDP-350.

[tempcontrol]

I've tried Panasonic and Sony and the Panny was far better - although the Sony 300 is a notoriously slow machine in every way.

I know the OP says he does not care about upscaling but the upscaled dvd's on the Panny are in a different league to the Sony 300 which was not even as good as the PS3

[ney]

I just looked at LG as its the same make as my 22inch lcd tv in my bedroom that I got just under 3 weeks ago.

Darren

[SilverFox2]

Originally Posted by tempcontrol

I've tried Panasonic and Sony and the Panny was far better - although the Sony 300 is a notoriously slow machine in every way.

I know the OP says he does not care about upscaling but the upscaled dvd's on the Panny are in a different league to the Sony 300 which was not even as good as the PS3

Reason I dont need upscaling is because I have an EDGE scaler and Oppo 980 for DVD's.

So really looking for Blu Ray PQ with minimum of interference by player (source direct ideal but expensive) to feed to scaler.

[ney]

Originally Posted by tempcontrol

For the best that Bluray can offer I should go for Panasonic or Sony.

Budget makes like Samsung and LG will cut corners somewhere.

If you want to be able to play Bluray from the US without worrying about region coding try Multiregion Magic who can offer region free players and non multiregion players both at good prices

Not sure if I would call Samsung and LG budget makes.
Goodmans/Bush and companies like that yes but not sure if Samsung and LG are classed as budget makes. Sony and Panasonic are good makes.
As I posted above I was just looking at LG blu ray players in Argos as my tv in bedroom is an LG.

Darren

[soulboy77]

Originally Posted by Bester

Sony BDP-350.

Now replaced by the Sony BDP-360.

SilverFox2 you didn't give any indication of budget but I would suggest you read the reviews on the What Hi-fi website to help make your shortlist.

[markelliott]

Originally Posted by tempcontrol

Budget makes like Samsung and LG will cut corners somewhere.

Get your facts right mate! Samsung and LG are not budget makes (Samsung especially not), they are competitors to Sony and Panasonic.

[titcaptain]

Originally Posted by markelliott

Get your facts right mate! Samsung and LG are not budget makes (Samsung especially not), they are competitors to Sony and Panasonic.

Don't make me laugh.
You've obviously fallen for the PR crap dished out by LG.
In the 80's and 90's LG were formerly known as Goldstar and sat alongside Bush and other cheap trash in Woolworths but in an effort to improve their image they went on a PR blitz which included changing their name so we know it's worked on some people but some of us who have been into video and home cinema for 30 years have long memories.

While Samsung may not be as cheap and cheerful as LG it's certainly an insult to Panasonic and Sony to compare them with Samsung.

As an installer and user of home video gear for a few decades I know a bit about what can be classed as budget makes.

[ney]

Originally Posted by titcaptain

Don't make me laugh.
You've obviously fallen for the PR crap dished out by LG.
In the 80's and 90's LG were formerly known as Goldstar and sat alongside Bush and other cheap trash in Woolworths but in an effort to improve their image they went on a PR blitz which included changing their name so we know it's worked on some people but some of us who have been into video and home cinema for 30 years have long memories.

While Samsung may not be as cheap and cheerful as LG it's certainly an insult to Panasonic and Sony to compare them with Samsung.

As an installer and user of home video gear for a few decades I know a bit about what can be classed as budget makes.

LG are still a little better than some of the other cheap brands that are out there.

Darren

[SilverFox2]

Originally Posted by soulboy77

Now replaced by the Sony BDP-360.

SilverFox2 you didn't give any indication of budget but I would suggest you read the reviews on the What Hi-fi website to help make your shortlist.

Thanks for info.

Not really thought about a budget but as I say I am only interested in getting as close to original disc PQ as possible with minimum ''enhancement'' by player. My scaler will adjust PQ if necessary.

A player with ''source direct'' would be ideal but this seems to be offered less and less these days.
Also where it is offered it is seen as a specialised feature even though the player has less to do.
The players that do offer it also offer the features I do not require.

Dont object to having features on the player its just that I won't use them.

So to try to answer your question, the lowest priced BD player (in whatever form) that will give a close reproduction of the original disc PQ.
Financially £100 to £400

Does a Blu Ray player that just specialises in original PQ exist ?

[paulr2006]

Originally Posted by tempcontrol

I've tried Panasonic and Sony and the Panny was far better - although the Sony 300 is a notoriously slow machine in every way.

I know the OP says he does not care about upscaling but the upscaled dvd's on the Panny are in a different league to the Sony 300 which was not even as good as the PS3

The Sony 300 is an old machine & has been replaced by S350 & recently the S360 so it not really relevant anyway.

In terms of PQ you will not see any difference in BD output between any of the manufacturers.

[bobcar]

Originally Posted by titcaptain

Don't make me laugh.
You've obviously fallen for the PR crap dished out by LG.
In the 80's and 90's LG were formerly known as Goldstar and sat alongside Bush and other cheap trash in Woolworths but in an effort to improve their image they went on a PR blitz which included changing their name so we know it's worked on some people but some of us who have been into video and home cinema for 30 years have long memories.

While Samsung may not be as cheap and cheerful as LG it's certainly an insult to Panasonic and Sony to compare them with Samsung.

As an installer and user of home video gear for a few decades I know a bit about what can be classed as budget makes.

Your memory is too long, what a company was and what they were making then is completely irrelevant to what they do now. I would go as far as to say in this respect your years of experience are a disadvantage rather than an advantage (by the way I'm an old fogey too).

On the whole I would prefer Panasonic or Sony (most of the kit I own) but I would treat everything on an individual basis. As a general rule if a technology is new I'd rather go with the top brands but for something well established I'd consider it less of a risk getting a cheaper brand.

[grimtales1]

I have a Panasonic player (the BD60) and its very good. Seems a little slow in loading up though.

[ppaupy]

Originally Posted by grimtales1

I have a Panasonic player (the BD60) and its very good. Seems a little slow in loading up though.

I have recently bought this too,to go with the new panny plasma,both seem fine.

at my partners house we have the sony300 got it couple of years ago and you can really notice the difference in both my one is much faster and has lan cable etc for downloads.

i would deff always only use panasonic or new sony.

[soulboy77]

Now that I understand that the OP's prime requirement is a Blu-ray player with a source direct mode, the only player I'm aware of that has this (other than high end players) is the Oppo BDP-831.

[titcaptain]

Originally Posted by ney

LG are still a little better than some of the other cheap brands that are out there.

Darren

Undoubtedly.

I'm not placing LG alongside the real bottom of the barrel brands that Argos and supermarkets sell , LG are just a standard budget brand which is not to say their gear is poor quality ,but they are still lower on the scale than Sony , Panasonic etc.

Along with their PR blitz LG have over the years improved their product a great deal compared to what it was in the early days , I was just correcting the guy who placed them in the same league as Sony etc.

Samsung too have improved a lot over the years and their flat screen tv's are very good , but they still remain a budget brand.

I think some people confuse the term "budget brand" with meaning cheap and crappy rubbish

[titcaptain]

Originally Posted by grimtales1

I have a Panasonic player (the BD60) and its very good. Seems a little slow in loading up though.

The Sony 300 offered an additional feature.
You pressed "open" for the tray and it allowed you to go away and make a cup of tea while it was doing its stuff.

I have a Panasonic which is still pretty slow but faster than the 300 ,but the PS3 was best as it has no tray and it also loads up onscreen quicker too

[paulr2006]

Originally Posted by soulboy77

Now that I understand that the OP's prime requirement is a Blu-ray player with a source direct mode, the only player I'm aware of that has this (other than high end players) is the Oppo BDP-831.

Agreed the Oppo 831 is a great player but at the end of the day the BD PQ will be no better did you see the recent "Shootout" on AVF; the prefered player ended up being the Sony S350 even up against the expensive Denon.
At 1080P output from the BD player there's very little if anything that can be done to improve the picture

[paulr2006]

Originally Posted by titcaptain

The Sony 300 offered an additional feature.
You pressed "open" for the tray and it allowed you to go away and make a cup of tea while it was doing its stuff.

I have a Panasonic which is still pretty slow but faster than the 300 ,but the PS3 was best as it has no tray and it also loads up onscreen quicker too

You can have the disc loaded on the latest Sony in 6 seconds which is a lot faster than my kettle boiling

[shrek]

LG used to be budget when they were Goldstar but that was years ago

I think they got better over the years

Certainly there latest blue-ray player is cutting edge and beats many well known brands in terms of features. Just ordered one and many peeps on avforums that are big audio fans have ordered one

http://www.lge.com/uk/tv-audio-video/video/LG-BD390.jsp


Blu-Ray
Enjoy superior home entertainment with Blu-ray discs that have more than twice the resolution of standard DVDs, not to mention superior sound.
YouTube
Stream YouTube videos from the internet* *Broadband connection required, speeds and availability varies across regions, check with your broadband provider for details.
BD-Live
BD live - download extra content from the movie you are watching** **Selected titles only
Wi-Fi
Wirelessly connect to your broadband and home network

[SilverFox2]

Originally Posted by soulboy77

Now that I understand that the OP's prime requirement is a Blu-ray player with a source direct mode, the only player I'm aware of that has this (other than high end players) is the Oppo BDP-831.

Not sure I said exclusively ''source direct''.
My point about having the EDGE is that I would be duplicating the chip and video capabilities with the Oppo BD831.

However there is also a Denon Transport with this facility but surely something out there that provides a good PQ without having to pay for all the whistles ?

What about the Curtis ?

[grimtales1]

Originally Posted by ppaupy

I have recently bought this too,to go with the new panny plasma,both seem fine.

at my partners house we have the sony300 got it couple of years ago and you can really notice the difference in both my one is much faster and has lan cable etc for downloads.

i would deff always only use panasonic or new sony.

I have the player to go with my new Panny 32" LCD which is fine for my room I think
I think theres a way to make it load faster but it uses more power. in its current state if you switch it on, the display says "Hello" and it takes a few seconds at least to get to the start up screen and open the tray.