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Old 02-03-2008, 02:28
04mattstep
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i am looking to buy a cheap blu ray player

i know they will still cost a lot but i want one that is the cheapest

thanks
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Old 02-03-2008, 02:34
3dom
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go for a PS3 they seem to be the cheapest that's with the main feature as a games platform.
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Old 02-03-2008, 02:44
04mattstep
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i already have a xbox 360 and i dont want a ps3

also i don't want the HD-DVD addo on for the xbox 360 because it is no longer!
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Old 02-03-2008, 10:42
Jarrak
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The Samsung BDP-1400 can be had for under £200 thanks to it's being dumped on the market as more reliable and better spec players from Samsung and everybody else appear in the UK.

I know price can be a critical factor but just make sure you know the limitations of any player you do buy, buying cheap can sometimes be a mistake especially given the price of the media in the UK.
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Old 02-03-2008, 10:47
Lukeyboy
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i already have a xbox 360 and i dont want a ps3

also i don't want the HD-DVD addo on for the xbox 360 because it is no longer!
The PS3 really is the best BD player on the market ATM though. It's the first (possibly only) to be currently upgradeable to Blu-ray Disc Spec 2.0, for all the advanced features of the discs.

You could do a lot worse than to buy a PS3, even if you never play a game on it.
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Old 02-03-2008, 10:52
mikw
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The PS3 really is the best BD player on the market ATM though. It's the first (possibly only) to be currently upgradeable to Blu-ray Disc Spec 2.0, for all the advanced features of the discs.

You could do a lot worse than to buy a PS3, even if you never play a game on it.
Agreed, i brought mine primarily as a Blu Ray player as it's great, hardly ever play any games, and it's fully upgradeable too.
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Old 02-03-2008, 10:52
Jarrak
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Yep, the PS3 being subsidised by SONY really is pound for pound the best you can buy, it really is considered that good and you don't ever have to buy a game plus as they say it has the link to the internet and supports 1.1 and the upcoming 2.0 spec.

Saving money in the short term can be counter productive with HD movies costing a lot more than their DVD counterparts, if price is an issue then perhaps sticking to upscaled DVD for a 6 months would be a good idea.
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Old 02-03-2008, 12:41
ntlhellworld
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i already have a xbox 360 and i dont want a ps3

also i don't want the HD-DVD addo on for the xbox 360 because it is no longer!
Well the hd-dvd addon is only £39 now (from amazon), and the movies are seriously cheaap. I dont think its going to go away quickly.

-Chris

(yes, the extra 'a' is perfectly justified there).
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Old 02-03-2008, 17:24
04mattstep
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i found this one for £200 http://www.play.com/Electronics/Elec...r/Product.html

but then i also found this http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/gaming/a...ay-player.html

is the BD-P1400 future-proof?
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Old 02-03-2008, 17:45
Jarrak
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The 1400 is only a Profile 1.0 player so it won't be able to access a number of features that will become more common as well as the web features due later. These of course are only as important as the viewer considers them
The PS3 as mentioned is already a Profile 1.1 player and is just awaiting firmware to make it fully 2.0 compliant.

Amazon also sell the 1400 and has a 30 day difference refund if they then sell the player at a reduced cost.
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Old 02-03-2008, 19:23
04mattstep
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The 1400 is only a Profile 1.0 player so it won't be able to access a number of features that will become more common as well as the web features due later. These of course are only as important as the viewer considers them
The PS3 as mentioned is already a Profile 1.1 player and is just awaiting firmware to make it fully 2.0 compliant.

Amazon also sell the 1400 and has a 30 day difference refund if they then sell the player at a reduced cost.
can it upgrade though? because it says that it has an Ethernet port so i must be able to get the 2.0 firmware?
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Old 02-03-2008, 19:29
Jarrak
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can it upgrade though? because it says that it has an Ethernet port so i must be able to get the 2.0 firmware?




Nope.

Profile 1.1 and above requires secondary hardware support to decode video and audio streams and Profile 2.0 also requires 1gig of memory for storage as well as ethernet.

A lot of the players that can not meet the 1.1 and 2.0 specs are down to hardware limitations which can not be rectified after the fact. The PS3 has ethernet as standard and has plenty of local storage so it's perhaps the only player that can be upgraded from it's basic specification thanks to the flexibility of the hardware which is a jack of all trades unlike dedicated players.
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Old 02-03-2008, 20:15
04mattstep
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so is the ps3 the only player that supports 2.0?

and what does 2.0 include and do you really need it?
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Old 02-03-2008, 21:11
Jarrak
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so is the ps3 the only player that supports 2.0?

and what does 2.0 include and do you really need it?




Right now I think it is.
There are a number of 2.0 players due anytime soon and a few more later in the year although they will turn up in the US first.

Profile 2.0 basically covers the addition of ethernet to allow web based applications plus local storage for saving downloaded content and passwords plus firmware updating without the need for sending for a CD.

Do you need it?
Well I used the web features on my HD DVD but I wouldn't say they were essential however I would not buy a Blu-ray player that wasn't Profile 1.1 ready since I love the enhanced interactive/extras it allows.
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Old 02-03-2008, 21:35
04mattstep
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Right now I think it is.
There are a number of 2.0 players due anytime soon and a few more later in the year although they will turn up in the US first.

Profile 2.0 basically covers the addition of ethernet to allow web based applications plus local storage for saving downloaded content and passwords plus firmware updating without the need for sending for a CD.

Do you need it?
Well I used the web features on my HD DVD but I wouldn't say they were essential however I would not buy a Blu-ray player that wasn't Profile 1.1 ready since I love the enhanced interactive/extras it allows.

so what would you say the best blu ray player is at the moment (excluding the ps3 of course)
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Old 02-03-2008, 21:57
Jarrak
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so what would you say the best blu ray player is at the moment (excluding the ps3 of course)




I wouldn't like to say
I've been in the HD DVD camp until last month and I'm not in the market for a Blu-ray player just yet.

I like the look of the new Panasonic DPM BD30 which is a 1.1 profile for around £299 (with a couple of movies), it's big brother the BD50 is due soon and is a 2.0 player.

There is a very good section on the AVF which deals with Blu-ray players, it'll be worth your time reading
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Old 02-03-2008, 22:56
04mattstep
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is this a good blu ray player? http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-BDP-S30...4498403&sr=1-1

i'm not really bothered about the 2.0 thing!
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Old 02-03-2008, 23:00
04mattstep
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or this one? http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sony-BDP-S30...4498403&sr=1-1
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Old 02-03-2008, 23:32
Jarrak
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It's a 1.0 player so only the basics, if you are happy with that then go for it but SONY have already announced it's replacement and the S300 may tumble in price in a few months.

Again, dedicated threads on the S300 over at AVF
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Old 03-03-2008, 00:02
04mattstep
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are there any 2.0 players out now

and whats the cheapest one thats coming out?
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Old 03-03-2008, 09:25
Jarrak
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are there any 2.0 players out now

and whats the cheapest one thats coming out?





Not in the UK.

Suggested prices for as yet unreleased players can not be relied upon or their release dates which are vague.
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Old 03-03-2008, 09:43
simon69c
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so what would you say the best blu ray player is at the moment
The PS3 of course.
(excluding the ps3 of course)
Oh...

To be honest I wouldn't buy any standalone player at the moment (apart from maybe the Panasonic BD30 - and I don't know if that is technically out yet in the UK or not - I think it's imminent though). The new Sony players (S350 and S550) might be worth considering when they arrive later in the year too.

Aside from the fact that there are barely any profile 1.1 players out yet (let alone profile 2.0), most of the current standalones are very slow too (both at booting up initially as well as navigating menus). The PS3 really is the one to beat at the moment as it offers great PQ, unrivalled speed (both at starting up and navigating the discs), as well as being the only future-proof player of course. It is also a fully featured media hub and a very profficient DVD upscaler for your current DVD collection. Don't be fooled into thinking that because it is a console it will only be a half-arsed Blu-ray player - Sony really pulled out the stops with the PS3 and it is very much the class leader as a Blu-ray player.

The only weakness of the PS3 really is in its audio support - and that's really only of concern if you already have a decent surround sound system (i.e. dedicated AV amp and speakers). The PS3 doesn't have analogue outputs like some standalones do - so unless your Amp is new and has HDMI inputs (that accept PCM sound) then you'll only get regular Dolby Digital/dts rather than the snazzy uncompressed/lossless tracks found on most Blu-ray discs.
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Old 03-03-2008, 17:39
04mattstep
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well i have 5.1 dolby surround sound system which has optical out so i suppose this is alright for the ps3?

i think i will just get a ps3 seen as it will be in my bedroom so i need it to be wireless to get updates for the blu ray (2.0) and i don't think that standalone blu ray players have wireless as i dont have any ethernet ports upstairs!

thank you for all your help everyone by the way!!
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Old 03-03-2008, 17:45
Sirius
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I've got a Playstation 3, and it really is the dog's bollocks. DivX support, Xvid support, plus its a good games console!

If you want to go for the Samsung 1400 - and to be honest I can understand some people don't/rarely use 'features' it is on Play with 5 movies for £230.
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Old 03-03-2008, 19:21
simon69c
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well i have 5.1 dolby surround sound system which has optical out so i suppose this is alright for the ps3?
Oh absolutely - the PS3 has an optical port along with the HDMI so if you're only wanting Dolby Digital/dts 5.1 then the PS3 will do you absolutely fine. You'll also have the option of HD audio via HDMI should you ever decide to get a fancy AV amp to replace your current surround sound system.

Sounds like we've convinced you anyway! Don't worry - you won't regret it!
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