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Gbcue
Premium Member
join:2001-09-30
Santa Rosa, CA

Gbcue

Premium Member

Best Budget Blu-Ray Player

As much as I hate Blu-Ray, I need to get a player that doesn't break the bank (under $100). I don't need fancy features like WiFi (I have ethernet everywher) or the ability to access Netflix, that's what my WD TV Live Plus HD box does.

I want to stick with known name brands (Panasonic, Toshiba) and NO SONY equipment.

What's the best? Available on Amazon a plus.

Thanks!

thegeek
Premium Member
join:2008-02-21
right here

thegeek

Premium Member

I wish there was a Let Me Amazon That For You site like lmgtfy.com.

»www.amazon.com/LG-BD630- ··· 4&sr=1-1

Gbcue
Premium Member
join:2001-09-30
Santa Rosa, CA

Gbcue

Premium Member

said by thegeek:

I wish there was a Let Me Amazon That For You site like lmgtfy.com.

»www.amazon.com/LG-BD630- ··· 4&sr=1-1

That only has 3.5 stars!

Looks like firmware updating is borked.

thegeek
Premium Member
join:2008-02-21
right here

thegeek

Premium Member

Do you seriously need to update the firmware? As you said, you won't be using the Netflix, etc crap. You just need a basic player. Personally, I'd just spend a little extra and get a PS3. That way you can play games too.
Happydude32
Premium Member
join:2005-07-16

1 recommendation

Happydude32 to Gbcue

Premium Member

to Gbcue
What do you expect when you want something cheap? The words 'Best' and 'under $100' bucks don't even belong in the same post.

if you want the best BD player, I'd suggest the Sony BDP-CX7000ES megachanger. But then again you seem to have something against one of the world’s leading CE manufactures. I wouldn't do business with Toshiba just for the fact they were behind that inferior failure called HD DVD. If they were willing to back such an inferior format, I’d wonder what else is inferior about them.
tcope
Premium Member
join:2003-05-07
Sandy, UT

tcope to Gbcue

Premium Member

to Gbcue
Whiloe not what you asked for (but dollar for dollar it might be), something to consider is a PS3. I bought it as I wanted a BR player and for an extra $150 or so I got the game console. Since Sony "is" BR (Sony Entertainment, etc.), the PS3 is always being updated with the latest firmware.

But I understand you many not have any interest in this... just throwing it out there as you get 2 machines in one.
BlitzenZeus
Burnt Out Cynic
Premium Member
join:2000-01-13

BlitzenZeus to thegeek

Premium Member

to thegeek
You have to update the firmware every time they update the drm.

Gbcue
Premium Member
join:2001-09-30
Santa Rosa, CA

Gbcue to tcope

Premium Member

to tcope
Yeah, I have no interest in a PS3. I thought of it in the beginning, but didn't like the inability to integrate with my Harmony remote easily and the large vertical footprint.
BlitzenZeus
Burnt Out Cynic
Premium Member
join:2000-01-13

1 recommendation

BlitzenZeus to Happydude32

Premium Member

to Happydude32
HD DVD wasn't inferior, the drm with blu-ray was the big reason the studios wanted it, and came with it the need for firmware updates to players to play the newest disks when they change the drm. They do have more capacity, but Sony has never been known for being consumer friendly with drm. Remember the cd audio rootkit scandal where they installed a rootkit without user permission, or intervention? All of those cds were recalled, and felt like they had the right to install software on computers without the users permission.

I won't buy a blu-ray player, and won't support a media where a manufacturer can brick a player from playing the latest media because of a lack/delay in a firmware update, this is why you want a name brand. In the software world they will charge you for these updates, and the hardware players might end up doing the same also.
Happydude32
Premium Member
join:2005-07-16

Happydude32

Premium Member

Like you said, any big name manufacture provide updates and thus will not brick a BD player, so that's why you stick with the big guys. If you don't want to worry about the very minute risk for not being able to play a title, just stick with the names you know from companies you know will be around when you wake up tomorrow morning.

Don't worry about not supporting Blu Ray, I’ll be buying another player soon, and I'll make the purchase in honor of you . I love my Sony S770, but it's approaching a year and a half old and its getting a bit long in the tooth, when the new S790 comes out, I'm going to get one.

Whatever negative thing you said about Sony, I’ll ignore. In December of 2010, I spent $7,000 on Sony electronics, just bought another $1000 Sony ES A/V Receiver last month, a $330 Walkman last week, and like I said when the new Blu Ray player comes out I’ll snatch that up. I’d also have a $3,000 Vaio laptop if I didn’t send it back due to it’s retarded design.

gar187er
I DID this for a living
join:2006-06-24
Seattle, WA

gar187er to Gbcue

Member

to Gbcue
large vertical footprint??!?!? its a PS3, not a toaster oven!! since when is 2.25" a large vertical footprint?

Gbcue
Premium Member
join:2001-09-30
Santa Rosa, CA

Gbcue

Premium Member

said by gar187er:

large vertical footprint??!?!? its a PS3, not a toaster oven!! since when is 2.25" a large vertical footprint?

There's a 2.25" version?

Doesn't matter. It's a Sony product so it's on my NG list.
Happydude32
Premium Member
join:2005-07-16

1 edit

1 recommendation

Happydude32 to gar187er

Premium Member

to gar187er
said by gar187er:

large vertical footprint??!?!? its a PS3, not a toaster oven!! since when is 2.25" a large vertical footprint?

For some reason, I've seen a lot of people stand their gaming consoles, be it Playstation or XBox, vertically. I like mine laying flat.


Retired6
Premium Member
join:2002-11-09
Earth

Retired6 to Happydude32

Premium Member

to Happydude32
said by Happydude32:

What do you expect when you want something cheap? The words 'Best' and 'under $100' bucks don't even belong in the same post.

if you want the best BD player, I'd suggest the Sony BDP-CX7000ES megachanger. But then again you seem to have something against one of the world’s leading CE manufactures. I wouldn't do business with Toshiba just for the fact they were behind that inferior failure called HD DVD. If they were willing to back such an inferior format, I’d wonder what else is inferior about them.

BINGO ! :+)

dvd536
as Mr. Pink as they come
Premium Member
join:2001-04-27
Phoenix, AZ

dvd536 to Gbcue

Premium Member

to Gbcue
said by Gbcue:

As much as I hate Blu-Ray, I need to get a player that doesn't break the bank (under $100). I don't need fancy features like WiFi (I have ethernet everywher) or the ability to access Netflix, that's what my WD TV Live Plus HD box does.

I want to stick with known name brands (Panasonic, Toshiba) and NO SONY equipment.

What's the best? Available on Amazon a plus.

Thanks!

no sony? guess you like the thought of having a broken title waiting for that bargain basement manufacturer to update the drm in their firmware.

jabarnut
Light Years Away
Premium Member
join:2005-01-22
Galaxy M31

jabarnut to Gbcue

Premium Member

to Gbcue
said by Gbcue:

....
It's a Sony product so it's on my NG list.

Since nobody else has, may I be so bold as to ask why no Sony products?
Was it the CD 'rootkit fiasco' several years back? Are you friends with a particular Sony executive that you can't stand?
Sorry, curiosity got the best of me.
I own many Sony products (Including a Sony Blu-Ray Player), and they've been great
Oh, and I also agree that: "the words 'Best' and 'under $100' bucks don't even belong in the same post".
Anyway, good luck.

Gbcue
Premium Member
join:2001-09-30
Santa Rosa, CA

Gbcue

Premium Member

It's the accumulation of public failures by Sony (rootkit included, laptop batteries, PSN hacking, stupid standards (MiniDisc, Betamax, Memory Stick)) and personal experiences with their stuff breaking. Their stuff would be breaking back in the 90's, when supposedly products were made to last.

ArgyleDSL
Cute and Cuddly
Premium Member
join:2002-07-04
Flushing, NY

ArgyleDSL to Gbcue

Premium Member

to Gbcue
OP stated Netfliz streaming isnt need, but I ll give another reason not to get a Sony player (or tv). Horrendous buffering when watching Netflix. It appears netflix traffic goes through Sony servers. I ended up getting a roku to stream netflix.

Anonymous_
Anonymous
Premium Member
join:2004-06-21
127.0.0.1

1 edit

Anonymous_ to Gbcue

Premium Member

to Gbcue
said by Gbcue:

It's the accumulation of public failures by Sony (rootkit included, laptop batteries, PSN hacking, stupid standards (MiniDisc, Betamax, Memory Stick)) and personal experiences with their stuff breaking. Their stuff would be breaking back in the 90's, when supposedly products were made to last.

Betamax's are worth a pretty penny.

Sony betamax will run from $300 to $600
HD-DVD players will run about $200
VHS to DVD-r burners run about $300-350


WK2
Premium Member
join:2006-12-28
united state

WK2 to Gbcue

Premium Member

to Gbcue
Heres one in the for sale forum

»[FS] 3D Wi-Fi Blu-Ray Player, Hard Drives & an LCD Monitor

dvd536
as Mr. Pink as they come
Premium Member
join:2001-04-27
Phoenix, AZ

dvd536

Premium Member

Gbcue is an above average intelligence guy.
he won't fall for a fad of which 3D is.
Happydude32
Premium Member
join:2005-07-16

1 recommendation

Happydude32 to Gbcue

Premium Member

to Gbcue
said by Gbcue:

It's the accumulation of public failures by Sony (rootkit included, laptop batteries, PSN hacking, stupid standards (MiniDisc, Betamax, Memory Stick)) and personal experiences with their stuff breaking. Their stuff would be breaking back in the 90's, when supposedly products were made to last.

Is it safe to say consumers are generally idiots? Both formats, Beta and Mini Disk failed in the consumer market, but held their niche in the professional world and they’re still being used today. And the formats have been around forever. The last Betamax hardware didn’t roll off the assembly line until I believe 2002 or 03, and I’m pretty sure MD stuff is still being produced in limited quantities for the professional market. For those that used portable CD players, you can thank Sony’s Mini Disk format for the buffer and anti skip technology. And while I have never seen content on beta, I have seen U-matic and Laserdisk though, everything I’ve ever read gives the picture quality nod to Betamax.

I was so glad that the studios had the ultimate say in the Blu Ray/HD DVD war, not the consumer. At CES when WB announced that they were going to go with BD exclusively, I knew it would take a miracle for HD DVD to survive. Shortly after that a bunch of HD DVD related events at CES were scrapped. When I read that, I started chanting to myself out loud ‘Red is dead, red is dead, RED IS DEAD!!!’. Watching the various studios and retailers like Walmart jump from the sinking ship called HD DVD was like the week leading up to Christmas and February 19 2008 was my Christmas morning. The death of HD DVD.

Not sure why no one likes the Memory Stick. The original Memory Stick was a hell of a lot better size-wise then Compact Flash and Smart Media. Some people say it was expensive, but I think I paid like $18 bucks for my 8GB Memory Stick Pro Duo last year for my camera. The problem with Sony, is outside of their Sony Computer Entertainment division which handles Playstation, they have zero marketing. The innovation that comes from Sony is astounding, a lot of technology we have today can be traced back to Sony.

Sony is top notch quality all around. Back in the day the Trinitron as big of a beast as it was, as the benchmark of video quality. Now the Bravia XBR takes care of that. My Sony DB500 2.1 PC speaker set up produces better sound quality then my Klipsch THX Certified system did. My latest toy, my Walkman Z is just phenomenal. I did not think mobile audio could sound that good. If you have the money to spend, they’re Elevated Series home theater gear is top notch and feature rich.

Sony is not afraid to experiment. There have been some successes, there have been some failures and there have been some things that just faded away. But all in all we are all better off because of the innovations from Sony. What was the iPods grandfather? The Sony Walkman.
Happydude32

Happydude32 to dvd536

Premium Member

to dvd536
said by dvd536:

Gbcue is an above average intelligence guy.
he won't fall for a fad of which 3D is.

His loss. I'm getting quite the amount of enjoyment out of my 3D set up. 3D adds a whole new dimension to content, pun intended, and allows you to truly immerse yourself into the content. When I watch a movie or event in 3D the world is dead to me.

Absolutely no regrets here about going 100% 3D.

Gbcue
Premium Member
join:2001-09-30
Santa Rosa, CA

Gbcue to dvd536

Premium Member

to dvd536
said by dvd536:

Gbcue is an above average intelligence guy.
he won't fall for a fad of which 3D is.

Yeah, 3D sucks. For those who wear glasses, who wants to wear two pairs of glasses? Not me.
Happydude32
Premium Member
join:2005-07-16

Happydude32

Premium Member

I wear prescription glasses, and have no problem with wearing 3D glasses. Not sure what the big deal is.

Hayward0
K A R - 1 2 0 C
Premium Member
join:2000-07-13
Key West, FL

Hayward0 to jabarnut

Premium Member

to jabarnut
said by jabarnut:

Since nobody else has, may I be so bold as to ask why no Sony products?

Let me count the ways

1 The abandoned the superior quality Betamax long before the end of the VCR era. When they said they wouldn't.
2 They are proprietary everything from batteries to the rediculous chewing gum stick memory.
3 Obscene restrictive licensing costs which is why no one ever adopts their crap like the gum stick. Or for that matter the Betamax.
4 Little respect for the consumer only their own interests.
5 No longer innovators... just overpriced as if they were.
6 Trinitron TVs almost always turned green after a few years.
7 VIAO the only laptop ever owned that had a not user accessible hard drive. It also didn't last long, and poor connectivity options.

I could go on many more... there is good reason they have posted major losses last couple of years, the world has wised up to them... and they are just not at all what they once were, just among the most expensive and restrictive of a large group of equals or better.
Hayward0

Hayward0 to Gbcue

Premium Member

to Gbcue
said by Gbcue:

It's the accumulation of public failures by Sony and stupid standards (MiniDisc, Betamax, Memory Stick)) and personal experiences with their stuff breaking.

I'll give you the gum stick, but silly to say Betamax as it was the original and only for a couple of years, and always had the better picture quality. MiniDisc for it time was not bad, especially as it was recordable and with good mics and environment could make surprisingly good recordings. There were no portable CD recorders.

Batamax's failure was SONY's as always restrictive licensing and poor marketing. The only partners they ever gained was Zenith and Sanyo.
Hayward0

Hayward0 to Gbcue

Premium Member

to Gbcue
To get back on topic though (while agreeing I'd never buy a SONY one) lately I have seen several in the $50+ range from the second string majors like Magnavox, some even with WiFi but not having one yet can't really speak to them qualitatively.

jabarnut
Light Years Away
Premium Member
join:2005-01-22
Galaxy M31

jabarnut

Premium Member

But, but...if it's a Magnavox, you can't say: "It's a Sony!"
Seriously? A $50 Magnavox? Sounds awesome!

Hayward0
K A R - 1 2 0 C
Premium Member
join:2000-07-13
Key West, FL

Hayward0

Premium Member

said by jabarnut:

But, but...if it's a Magnavox, you can't say: "It's a Sony!"
Seriously? A $50 Magnavox? Sounds awesome!

Yeah, and with WiFi

And I forget where I saw them...but it was searching through Pricegrabber, NexTag, or one of those, and actually a sub reference once I got somewhere I think. Could have been Amazon but I don't think so.

Likely were refurbished too, but if so as I recall full price was still under or around $100