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Toshiba BDX2000 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player for $99.95

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We bought this player a month or so ago, understanding very well that it has no wireless receiver to access Netflix, Pandora, etc. and firmware updates and nor does it have a USB port. That said, it is a pretty solid entry-level player that we picked up for <0 at Conn's. However, it does come with a caveat. If you don't already have a SD card in the slot provided, then IT WILL NOT LOAD YOUR BLU-RAY DISK PROPERLY. I was very eager to play my first ever BD movie and without a SD card, all I could see was a small rectangle in the middle of our TV which showed the video, with the audio playing in the background. I called Toshiba and they said that the player lacked sufficient internal memory and that a SD card with 8GB-32GB capacity should fix the issue. I must say that considering that this model was Toshiba's first foray into the Blu-Ray realm, they could have included a SD card or at least asked their retailers to convey this very important requirement to their buyers. I have not gotten around to reading the manual, but I'm going to assume they did not mention it there either. Anyway, we ended up spending on a SanDisk 8GB Ultra SDHC card, and once we loaded the card, it worked perfectly. Maybe it is the quality of the SD card or maybe it is the player itself, but the loading time for a BD iss less than 30 seconds. Impressive! The up-conversion of DVD's to 1080p via HDMI is fantastic, and the BD performance was even better with crisper images and sharper sound without lags, freezing, or skipping of any kind, that I've heard being reported about other BD players. I still haven't figured out how the Regza link works (I have a Toshiba Regza 46SV670U) and am a little skeptical about reviews that mention the player dying out shortly after the warranty period. However, for now, things are as simple as they get with this BD player and we love it!



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Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray Disc Player (Black) for $110.00

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Unlike many others out there, I have not experienced any of the freezing problems. I purchased this about 6 months ago and have never updated the firmware because right out of the box, the player has worked beautifully. I got this to supplement my PS3 as a BluRay player when I quickly realized that my wife would want to watch movies as often as I'd want to play a game. Since I had already spent a chunk of money on the PS3 I didn't want to spend another small fortune on a stand-alone plain BluRay player. So I did some research and this player came up several times. After reading everything I could on it, I decided it fit the bill. It has better than average up-conversion and BluRay playback, has VieraCast for Amazon and Youtube and Netflix (if you're into that), and wouldn't break the bank. Now that I've had it for 6 months, I can say everything I read about the player is true. It performs like a champ and my movies look great. My only complaint is that the player is SLOW. Granted, my experience with BluRay is limited to this player and my PS3. But my PS3 starts up quickly, and seems to load and play my movies pretty snappily. Whereas the Panasonic takes 30 seconds just to start up when I hit the open/close button. Once it powers up and opens and takes my movie, it will be another 30-90 seconds while it loads the movie. It might just be that most BluRay players are like that. I'm only used to PS3, and before that, my DVD players (which were all machine gun fast compared to BluRay). So that's my only complaint. As far as it goes, it does annoy me, but honestly for the quality of the player and the price, I can learn to be patient with it.

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JVC XVBP11 Blu-ray Player for $137.77

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There is a significant amount of mixed press on this player but I've had good luck with JVC in the past and decided to give the XVBP11 a try. I am not disappointed. The DVD upconvert is very good, comparable with my friend's Sony player. Where this unit really stands out is the audio. Using a digital coax cable out to connect to my receiver produces sound that impressed even my wife (who is still upset I spent money on a Blu-Ray player...) I did update the firmware based on some of the reviews I'd read. This process is very easy - you just download a file from JVC's website and install it using a USB flash drive plugged in to the front of the unit. Give this unit a good look when you are shopping for Blu-Ray players.

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Samsung BD-P1500 - Blu-ray disc player - upscaling

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Yes, if you research, you'll find conflicting reviews, but this Refurbished Blu-ray player I purchased via TigerDirect from Amazon.com is absolutely amazing; in fact, the "upconverting" of regular wide screen DVDs brings new life to the films; the colors (on my plasma display) are superior to many *theater* experiences I've endured (of course the best quality is Blu-ray].

In this economic environment, I can recommend a refurbished product from Samsung via TigerDirect; you can download the manual and software from Samsung's website. The product was shipped with a manual on CD, but I had already downloaded it before I received it.

One final note: I read elsewhere that a purchaser returned his Blu-ray player because "bands" were still visible on wide screen movies. Yes, this player doesn't have a zoom function. However, the television should have (as my plasma does) functions to adjust "H Size", "H Position", and "V Position", where H and V mean Horizontal and Vertical. With the resolution of Blu-ray, blowing up the image doesn't really "degrade" the picture quality. So, check your television manual.

I note no heat or other issues.

Incidentally, TigerDirect dropped the price after I purchased but it was a few days after their price guarantee. I tried to get a .00 coupon good towards a future purchase; it was like dealing with a government agency, forget it! Amazon.com is more flexible; so if TigerDirect has the lowest price at the time you wish to buy, go for it but I was surprised they wouldn't give me, after a .00 price drop a .00 coupon. Cheap, cheap, cheap! Not a good idea when it's The Return of the Great Depression!!!

2010 Update: Please make sure to go to Samsung site (or Google "BD P1500 firmware") for Firmware upgrade, software you download to a blank flash drive. On my Panasonic VIERA S1 Series TC-P54S1 54-Inch 1080p Plasma HDTV, Black picture quality is fantastic with new films. Better than most theater experiences I've had, although the Panasonic's zoom function is not as flexible as the old Vizio plasma previously used. Also, connect with HDMI cables, such as Mediabridge Ultra Series - 6ft High Speed HDMI Cable - Category 2 Certified - Supports 3D - Audio Return Channel - 4Kx2K - 1440p - 1080p - Blu-Ray - PS3 - XBox 360. Lastly, it is sensitive to fingerprints on discs; make sure your Blu-ray discs are clean, handle by the edges, etc. From the main menu, I selected 24fps (24 frames per second], which Blu-ray is designed for and "keep same resolution", i.e., 1080p, which you select from the menu. I see no flicker, only blurring as in a movie theater from rapid motion. Note that there is an April 2010 firmware upgrade. Both Red Cliff International Version - Part I & Part II [Blu-ray] and Avatar (Two-Disc Blu-ray/DVD Combo) [Blu-ray] are breathtaking. Even the wides screen The Taming of the Shrew looks fantastic. So, at of June 2010, it's working great, no issues, picture is beautiful. Yes, with the latest firmware upgrade it plays James Bond Blu-ray Collection Three-Pack, Vol. 3 (Moonraker/ The World is Not Enough / Goldfinger) just fine.

I wouldn't be surprised that Wal-Mart sells new Samsung Blu-ray players for less money but I find the refurbished products have been "pre-disastered", so to speak.

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Samsung BD-P2500 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player for $349.99

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I've had the BD-P 2500 for over a year now, w/ no problems. (None of the problems that many others have had: no difficulty updating the firmware; no problem w/ the initial netflix registration, no particular problem being finicky about reading discs.) Picture quality great (as I'd expect from any blu-ray player).

One very frustrating thing though: rewinding and fast-forwarding aver very time consuming: If you're watching a disc and miss a word or two and just want to zip back 30sec, it takes me an add'l 30sec or so all together. Maybe I'm spoiled by how well DVRs rewind, but it's quite frustrating. For example, every press of Rewind and FastForward take about a second to take effect (and you're not sure if it actually noticed your button-press). [This is distinct from tedious FF/Rew on netflix, which is also a pain but that the fault of netflix's streaming protocol.]

As others have noted, the remote has some weird buttons (no big deal), but there are other little issues: If you power up the player to watch netflix, and there happens to be a disc already in the player, it will take its time to start up the disc, and there aren't any button-presses to get you out of it, not even "stop" or "bring me to the main netflix-vs-dvd menu". (I even had one disc where I had to wait through one entire preview (30sec) before it would let me press 'stop' on the disc, so I could fire up netflix. Sigh.)

Overall: good basic player, but a better FF/Rew would've gone a long way for an extra star. If I were buying a new player, I'd probably take one with quicker response on those buttons.


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VIZIO Blu-ray Player with Wireless Internet Apps - Black (VBR210) for Too low to display

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JVC XVBP11 Blu-ray Player for $137.77

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There is a significant amount of mixed press on this player but I've had good luck with JVC in the past and decided to give the XVBP11 a try. I am not disappointed. The DVD upconvert is very good, comparable with my friend's Sony player. Where this unit really stands out is the audio. Using a digital coax cable out to connect to my receiver produces sound that impressed even my wife (who is still upset I spent money on a Blu-Ray player...) I did update the firmware based on some of the reviews I'd read. This process is very easy - you just download a file from JVC's website and install it using a USB flash drive plugged in to the front of the unit. Give this unit a good look when you are shopping for Blu-Ray players.

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Vizio VIZIO VBR220 Blu-ray Disc Player with Wireless Internet Apps (VBR220)

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Samsung BD-P1500 1080p Blu-Ray Player With A 1-Year Extended Warranty Service Plan & High Speed HDMI Cable (2 meters)

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Because I don't own an LCD or plasma television, and instead own a five-year old HDTV projection set, I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to tell the difference between the Blu-Ray technology and regular DVDs. I was wrong. The Samsung Blu-Ray delivers extraordinary clarity on any 1080p high-def set. While the picture might not be as sharp as on an LCD, the difference is noticeable.

The Samsung is a great entry in the mid-price category of Blu-Ray players. It has an ethernet connection in the back (you may have to update the firmware) for BD Live, the special feature option that requires an internet connection. Although you don't have to hook this player up to the internet to enjoy the high-def technology of Blu-Ray, those who want to unlock their discs' full capabilities (not on all discs) will want this. In addition to Blu-Ray discs, it can play regular DVDs, DVD-R/RW (as long as they are finalized), and CDs.

The front of this player is solid black, with no display, and a circular control pad for basic operation. As with most electronics these days, you can only access the full range of features from the remote control. The biggest drawback I see with this unit is the audible noise when it seeks the disc. I didn't hear anything during playback, so it didn't interrupt viewing. So far, I haven't noticed any glitches in either audio or video. It read the disc fairly quickly (much more quickly than my Panasonic DVDR does, but that's easy to accomplish), although true videophiles may want a higher end player for even faster reading.

The unit comes standard with a remote control, batteries, and composite cables. This particular vendor includes an essential HDMI cable for plasma and LCD sets, and an extended warranty. If you don't have HDMI on your set, you may need an HDMI to DVI cable -- check your connections. Although the composite cables will work for quick set-up, but they won't fully utilize the player and its high-def capability.

If you are in the market for a Blu-Ray player but don't want to spend a lot of money, this may be the player for you. However, if you're a hardcore videophile with a larger budget, definitely look up to the next price range for a quieter, quicker player.

UPDATE: If you want to stream Netflix to your television, get the next level of Samsung Blu-Ray, the Samsung BD-P2500 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player, which is Netflix-ready.

-- Debbie Lee Wesselmann

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