Topic: Top 5 Blu-ray players...

[Pugnate]

The PS3 is right up there... nice

http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2008/moneymag/0811/gallery.blueray_players.moneymag/index.html

[Cobra951]

I'm trying to express how little I care about Blu-ray.  If I had $300 burning a hole in my pocket, I'd spend it on a lifetime supply of sweat socks before a Blu-ray player would even cross my mind.  Does that come close?

[scottws]

I'm with you on that.  I was warming up to Blu-ray a bit until I read about the complete screwup on the PC side.  I mean I don't watch DVDs on my PC and I doubt I would ever watch Blu-rays, but come on.

[idolminds]

Which is funny, since I watch most of my DVDs on my PC. So they messed up blu ray on PC? Good job...

[Pugnate]

Well... I realized the screwed up the 7.1 HD audio on the PC... but honestly, I'd never watch it on a LCD monitor in a million years.

[Cobra951]

If my finances ever bounce back, I imagine I'd be getting one by default when I pick up a PS3.  My problem with the format is more fundamental than draconian (sorry, Pug) DRM or poor standards implementations.  DVD was a huge improvement in quality over VHS, to the point where it still looks damned good, even on 16:9 content.  That it replaced VHS after 20+ years is quite understandable.  Subjectively, the improvement from Blu-ray (and HD-DVD, for that matter) is too small for me to care.  We have an established home video standard, it's still fairly young, it's more than good enough, and I already have a library of content in that format.  That's DVD, and I want to continue supporting it, so I do my part in promoting its deserved longevity.  I hate new formats being rammed down our throats every few years by these self-serving huge companies.

[Pugnate]

sorry, Pug

haha well you are above the internet.

As for adopting the format, I just don't have the money to take full advantage of it myself (sound, huge screen etc)... at the same time I found the article interesting in that the best Blu-ray player out there was actually the PS3.

[sirean_syan]

For me, having a PS3 and a nice TV is like an invitation for very pretty movies and I'm occasionally tempted to buy a Blu-Ray version rather than the usual DVD for movies I really like. The new Nightmare Before Christmas release almost had me, but what finally won me over was Wall-E. I have the gear and the movie is gorgeous, so why not? Odds are I will still pick up Nightmare at some point and lord knows if/when stuff like LotR gets releases I'm going to be all over it.

That said, for most things the price and ease of DVDs still can't be beat. Aimee and I are planning on finishing up the Battlestar Galactica series as they come out and those will most likely be on DVD. The same goes for most movies we'd want to own as well.

[iPPi]

The PS3 remains one of the best blu-ray players, but some of the new standalone players that are coming out are starting to rival the PS3.  The primary reason for this because the PS3 does all of the audio decoding on board, which means if you've got yourself a really expensive receiver, it's not getting good use.  And that's only if you're after like Dolby TrueHD and DTS-MA lossless audio stuff.

Otherwise, it is trivial, and most people won't realize it.

I haven't purchased a DVD movie in a while now, and have been purchasing solely HD content.  I have yet to purchase a blu-ray movie though, but that won't last long.  I'm planning on picking up Wall-E and The Dark Knight on blu-ray.

I also have no problems with this push toward HD.  The format war made me a little bitter, but I think the difference between SD and HD content is noticeable enough to warrant the cost, especially since I've got an entire home theatre set up.

[Quemaqua]

Actually, Cobra and Sy both sum up my thoughts on this issue perfectly.  Like Cobra I'm dismayed and have been sort of against the whole thing from the start, but since I now have the gear, like Sy I occasionally splurge and get a Blu-ray disc just because it does look better and for some movies that can be kinda' fun.

[Ghandi]

I hate new formats being rammed down our throats every few years by these self-serving huge companies.

I wouldn't worry too much. Blu-ray won't take over anytime soon - it's too expensive. Other than PS3 owners, the only people who own a Blu-ray player are people with money to burn. The step from VHS to DVD was sharp, but necessary. This seems more gradual.

[Antares]

I'm seriously considering investing in a new home theater after the holidays.  I've been waiting for the blu-ray players to come down to earth as far as price is concerned for a while now.  I'm pretty surprised to see the PS3 is still the best option out there.

[Xessive]

In Asia Sony have a deal on their 40" TV's.. Buy one and get an 80GB PS3 free. Kinda cool but I already have a PS3.. Any disadvantages to having more than one?

[scottws]

Does the PS3 have a fan that runs all the time?  I remember the PS2 was the first DVD player I had and the fan really annoyed me.

[Xessive]

Does the PS3 have a fan that runs all the time?  I remember the PS2 was the first DVD player I had and the fan really annoyed me.

I'm not entirely sure if it's on all the time becuase I feel the venitlated air but it is silent. The only times I do notice some sound is on boot-up and even then is barely noticeable. In fact I only noticed because I was sitting right beside it intently waiting for the sound.

The PS3 is an ideal media player. It reads Media Servers too (including Windows Media Centre or Vista Media Share) which can be handy. Better yet you can load your media on a USB and plug it in. It has various card readers too. The one downside is the f'ing DVD region bullshit.

According to the initial article Pug posted, the downside they claimed was the universal remote control needs an adapter, which is not a big issue, it's just a little USB dongle. You can always just get the PS3 remote control if you're uncomfortable with the gamepad.

[iPPi]

My speakers drown out any sound made by my PS3, Xbox, or my receiver. 

[Pugnate]

hahah...  iPPi, check your inbox.

[Cools!]

I just setup a new plasma TV and blu-ray player for my dad over the weekend and I have to say it's pretty sweet.

It's not as striking a difference as going from VHS to DVD, but if you have a good screen the difference is definitely there and, in my opinion, worth it.

As far as the original CNN article. I'm always amazed at how little reviewers usually know about the subject. For example, for the Pioneer Elite player, they mention: "there's no Ethernet port for upgrades", when in fact you can simply upgrade by burning a disc and playing it in the player...