Best BD Player $300 or less

[mzpro5]

My brother has finally decided to go BD. he is willing to spend up to $300. I have not kept up with players in that price range but in looking around it seems the Sony BDP S-790 gets good marks.

3D is not needed, good streaming capabilities a plus.

Any suggestions?

 

[Towen7]

Tell him to save $200 and buy some killer BDs to start his collection. The Panasonic DMP-BDT220 sells for $99.99 at Amazon.

:text-link:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bQ0ZExAyWA[/youtube]

The good: The Panasonic DMP-BDT220 has built-in Wi-Fi, 3D compatibility, and the Viera Connect suite of streaming-media services, which includes Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant, Pandora, and Vudu. The user interface for the streaming-media apps is straightforward, plus you can jump right to Netflix with the dedicated Netflix button on the remote. There are a few other minor perks, including Skype compatibility, a front-panel SD card slot, and a superfast quick-start mode.

The bad: Viera Connect doesn't support any subscription music services (like MOG, Rdio, or Spotify) nor does it have Flixster for UltraViolet support. The DMP-BDT220 also doesn't play back DivX or Xvid files.

The bottom line: The Panasonic DMP-BDT220 is the best Blu-ray value of 2012, with built-in Wi-Fi, tons of streaming-media apps, 3D compatibility, and a simple user interface.

 

[-B-]

I don't think you need to spend much more than $100 to get a decent player. I like my Sony better than my Samsung, but probably because the interface is like the PS3 which I'm used to. I paid $39 for it from Sony.com.

 

[Orbison]

I second Towen's Panasonic recommendation. This is a very good buy at $99.

 

[jomari]

interesting, this might replace my bdt-310!

mine isnt broken or anything, its just frustrating when streaming via netflix, the screen 'blacks out' when switching resolutions. anyways, thanks towen, will try to see if i can use my $125 on this.

is this a sale only price right now?

*edit*

this one apparently has addressed the black out screens on netflix when streaming... man! what the hell will i do with my bdt 310!!!

crap this is tempting. thanks tho towen, appreciate it.

 

[heeman]

I agree with T7 also..................

 

[Haywood]

I honestly don't think there's a BD player out there that can compete with the Roku for streaming, but that one is way better than most and looks like it has enough services to keep most people happy. I should also point out that lack of Ultra-Violet support is not an issue as Vudu is an Ultra-Violet partner. All you have to do is link you Ultra-Violet account to your Vudu account and you're ready to go.

 

[Doghart]

Black Friday should see some sweet deals on BR Players

D

 

[danzeb]

I picked up the Panny 220 for $110 on amazon awhile back. It has been everything the reviews state. Fast, clean picture, easy to access streaming services. I only use amazon on demand and pandora so I can't speak to others, but a very stable and simple to use interface.

 

[mzpro5]

Thanks guys. My brother will be glad I saved him some money .

 

[PaulyT]

I got a used Sony 370 for $50 on ebay probably a year ago, still going fine. I pretty much had to go with Sony because SACD was a requirement (and oppo would be way overkill).

 

[yromj]

Yep, $100 for the player $140 for movies and $60 for bourbon...that's my recommendation.

John

 

[Botch]

Yep, $100 for the player $140 for movies and $60 for bourbon...that's my recommendation.

John

Just don't use the retractable cupholder on the player to hold your bourbon.

 

[mzpro5]

Yep, $100 for the player $140 for movies and $60 for bourbon...that's my recommendation.

John

Just don't use the retractable cupholder on the player to hold your bourbon.

:laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling: :laughing-rolling:

 

[yromj]

...Just don't use the retractable cupholder on the player to hold your bourbon.

Now who would be dumb enough to do that...on the first one?








hic...current...hup

 

[jomari]

quick !

deal of the day or hour shows this blu-ray player 20 dollars off! i couldnt resist, i didnt need one, but i just got it to replace my defunct blu-ray player in the bedroom!

Quick!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/goldbox/ref=cs_top_nav_gb27

 

[DIYer]

I've got Panasonic DMP-BDT220P for Christmas and wanted share what I've found out when compared to my Sony BDP-S570.
- They are both about the same size.
- Sony has cooling fan but Panasonic doesn't and that's a plus for me in terms of possible noise problem.
- Disc spin noise is little less from Panasonic than Sony.
- Picture quality from what I can gather (very rudimentary and subjective) is about the same but Panasonic has more options to adjust such as fine detail levels which is good.
- Sony has slow motion reverse when paused but Panasonic doesn't. No big deal since it's trivial.
- Sony's interface is little more intuitive than Panasonic.
- Audio quality? Uh... no difference I can tell from my limited use but I do notice Panasonic's analog out has little bit higher voltage than Sony. Again, trivial point.

Now the biggest difference that I do want to rant about.
- How it interacts with my preamp (Onkyo PR-SC885) when signal is fed, made a big difference between these two units: Sony always had a pause and black screen when movie from bluray disc is about to start. For example, when movie rating is shown on the screen at the beginning and then the main content starts, there is mute on audio and black screen on video for a few seconds while Sony's HDMI signal is being engaged with my preamp. The preamp's display panel flashes digital signal label when this happens. Then when the video comes up on TV screen, there's first few seconds of audio content missed because of that pause/delay during HDMI engaging process. Granted, it's only the beginning few seconds which doesn't have the movie's important content but it still bothers me. Well, with my new Panasonic, none of this happens and I'm happy with it. :dance:

 

[Towen7]

Great insight DIYer thanks for the review.

I wonder how MZ's brother is getting on with his...

 

[jomari]

just to add on here, i purchased this recently, during the sale i mentioned in the previous posting.

things i like on this one compared to my bdp310 unit
- no flippin netflix blackout problems. THIS made me move the bdp310 to the bedroom unit, and is now collecting dust.
- the usb plug is at the front, and i can watch any format movie i want, which was a major selling point i wanted from an LG unit, but lo and behold, got it from this one. very very happy about that.
- AQ and PQ are relatively the same with my recent unit, but more flexibility as to changing picture settings.

very happy with this unit as well, and love the fact that it didnt 'change' as much as with my flippin $300 unit. not bad tho, but man, at $70 or so this was a steal. like i coulda got a murder rap sheet for this.

thank you for suggesting the purchase.