Archive for November 2009
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Blu-ray Player Review. Don’t Buy The OPPO BDP-83 Until You Read This.
0 Comments | Posted by Alan in Blu Ray Players, Oppo
The mission of this blog is to provide consumers looking to take the dive into the Blu-ray experience with information on quality and “affordable” Blu-ray players. With that being said I think I am doing anyone in the market for a Blu-ray player an injustice by not informing them on the OPPO BDP-83 Blu-ray Disc Player. From the moment you open the box you will see how Oppo is committed to quality (see the video below). Now I know it may not be “affordable” for everyone but this thing is like the Cadillac of Blu-ray players.
Update: This Blu-ray player is currently on sale through this link here on Amazon.com
What does it play? The OPPO BDP-83 Blu-ray Disc Player will play pretty much any disc that you put in it. It will of course play Blu-ray discs. But it will also play DVDs, CDs, SACDs, AVCHD, DVD-Audio discs and even Kodak Picture CDs! Basically you’re getting a Blu-ray player a CD player and a regular DVD player all in one package. By consolidating all of these players into one you will save space, remote confusion and also reduce some of those messy wires.
How many times have you wanted to play your media files from your computer on your HDTV. Well go ahead and burn those video, music, or photo files to a CD or copy them to a USB flash drive and the BDP-83 will play them without a hitch!
Now lets talk about the awesome video quality! The OPPO BDP-83 Blu-ray Disc Player uses an award-winning processing chip made by Anchor Bay that provides outstanding picture quality that is clean and true to life. The player provides full 1080p HD output it can also output all other video formats like 480i, 480p, 720p, and 1080i. Want cinema quality viewing? It also supports Blu-ray discs that are recorded at 24 frames per second so you can enjoy that cinema quality experience.
Bring new life to those standard DVDs with DVD Up-conversion. That same Anchor Bay chip that provides the Blu-ray processing also provides up-converting of standard-definition DVDs. By de-interlacing and scaling, the chip will make your DVDs look great on your HDTV!
Now lets talk High-Fidelity Audio. You will not only be impressed by the OPPO BDP-83’s visual quality; you will also love the cinema quality audio that the BDP-83 creates. With support for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, you’ll experience loss-free sound that is studio-master quality. The player supports bit-stream output via HDMI 1.3, and it can decode TrueHD or DTS-HD audio into LPCM and yield sound via HDMI or 7.1-channel analog outputs.
How many times have you wished that component had more connections? The OPPO BDP-83 has plenty of connections to interface with your home theater system and HDTV. On the rear, there is a USB port, along with outputs for HDMI, component video, composite video, 7.1 analog audio, analog stereo output, and optical and coaxial digital audio. On the front of the player, there is yet another USB port that lets you quickly connect a flash drive to view movies, music, or photos. Whether you have a high-end home theater system or one with regular analog connections, the BDP-83 won’t have any problems interfacing with your equipment. There is also an Ethernet jack for use with BD-Live, as well as a hardwired IR in-and-out jack.
The OPPO BDP-83 also Converts Between PAL and NTSC it offers support for both NTSC and PAL systems, providing disc playback and video output. It also allows you to watch the content of one system in the output of the other; for example, you can watch a PAL movie on an NTSC TV (please note that this is subject to DVD and BD region restrictions).
The OPPO BDP-83 supports Blu-ray Profile 2.0. This means that it has special hardware, like an audio/video decoder and one gigabyte of internal storage. This allows for support to BD-Live (requires internet connection) features like Internet chats, scheduled chats with the director, Internet games, and more.
Here’s another little bonus the folks at OPPO have included is a universal power supply, making it compatible with the AC power of every region, so you won’t have to worry about damaging your player with incorrect voltage.
As you can see the OPPO BDP-83 Blu-ray disc player is made for the person who appreciates the highest quality electronics. Having the BDP-83 amongst your A/V gear is like having that Cadillac in the garage. It shows that you appreciate high quality and you are willing to pay a little more for that higher quality.
If you would like to buy this Blu-ray player you can get in on sale through this link here on Amazon.com
Let me show you what owners of the Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray disc player have to say about it.
Mark says,
Wow! I didn’t think high quality was available any longer in today’s world. This player was very professionally packed Then taking it out of the box you immediately notice how well built this unit is. It includes the best quality power cord I have ever seen and an equally high quality HDMI cable. The play back of DVD and Blu-ray disks is by far the best I have come across in a player.
Review paraphrased for size.Click here to read the full review
Rone says,
My Oppo Bdp-83 came today! I just have to add is, the player comes with the power cable, HDMI cable, Spears & Munsil Blu-ray dicc etc but what a surprise I also got a AIX Records audio Calibration Blu-Ray Disc/HD Music Sampler too?! Overall i am absolutely happy with this purchase. Worth every cent and by all means I feel like i just bought a Ferrari/Lexus of bluray players.
Review paraphrased for size. Click here to read the full review
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The Magnavox nb500 Blu-ray Disc Player Reviews and Information
0 Comments | Posted by Alan in Blu Ray Players, Magnavox
As we all know Black Friday is only a couple days away and everyone has been scouring the internet to get the heads up on all the great deals. One of those great deals that everyone has probably come across is the Magnavox nb500 Blu-ray Disc Player that Walmart is selling for $78.
Update: Black Friday is over but you can still get some sweet deals on some awesome players. Click here to check out some nice deals.
I have probably been asked at least 10 times this week by friends and family if i think they should go to battle at 4am at Walmart to try to get their hands on one of these nb500mg9 Blu-ray Disc Players. All i could tell them was that it’s a great price for any Blu-ray player and try not to get their hopes up.
Well i have done some research and finally found some useful information information for anyone willing to trade a busted lip or black eye for a cheap Blu-ray player.
Here is what you are getting with the Magnavox nb500 Blu-ray Disc Player:
* Blu-ray movies in Full HD 1080p. Ok good! so it will play your Blu-ray movies in 1080p via an Hdmi cable like it should. The Magnavox NB500 can also play BD-RE and BD-R, and CDs.
* 1080p upconversion for DVDs through HDMI output. Basically it will take your regular DVDs and make them look much clearer on your HDTV by up-converting them to as close to 1080p as you can get.
* Front SD memory card reader. Supported Memory Cards: Secure Digital (SD) Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC) MiniSD (adapter required) This means you can plug your memory card into the front of it and view your digital photos on your HDTV.
* Dolby Digital DTS Digital Surround Sound. This means that when you connect it to your surround sound receiver via a digital input that you will get crystal clear sounding digital audio.
Ok so there’s the scoop on the Magnavox nb500 Blu-ray Disc Player. In my opinion this thing seems like a basic, no frills Blu-ray player. It doesn’t offer a lot of the cool features like Netflix access, BD live, or You Tube videos because it doesn’t have an Ethernet adapter. But if you are simply looking for a Blu-ray player that will play Blu-ray movies and DVDs, go ahead and set that alarm clock and get refreshed on how to choke someone out, and go get the Magnavox nb500 Blu-ray Disc Player!
Now if you are looking for a Blu-ray player the offers a ton of awesome features and selling for under $130 at Amazon right now then you need to check out the LG BD370 Network Blu-ray Disc Player. I bought mine 6 months ago for $230 and let me tell you this thing rocks! You can read my full review of the LG BD370 Blu-ray Disc Player here.
It’s no surprise that a blu-ray player is going to be one of the hottest holiday gifts this year. Since blu-ray disc has been named the industry standard for high definition movie playing the cost for a quality blu-ray player has come down tremendously over the past year and since most people have high definition televisions in their homes these days it’s only fitting that it’s time to start enjoying movies in HD as well!
As we all get ready to kick off our holiday shopping on Black Friday, we have all started browsing the internet for the best upcoming Black Friday deals. I have noticed there are a number of blu-ray players that are going to be on sale for between $75.00 and $150.00.
So far the big news is that Walmart is going to sell the Magnavox NB500MG1F Blu-ray player for $78.00. This is one of those items that they probably lose money on but it gets people to get up at 4am and shop.
Now lets face it this is a great deal for any blu-ray player but from what I have read they are going to be of limited quantities and you better go take some jujitsu lessons because you’re going to have to probably fight someone to get you hands on one of these things!
Ok, so if you don’t want to go to battle for the cheapest blu-ray player you can possibly find then there are still plenty of great deals on quality players that actually offer more features than the Walmart $78 special.
Here are 3 high quality blu-ray players to consider:
The Sony BDP-S360 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player. Most places on sale for $149.00
Click here to read my full review of the Bdp-s360
The Samsung BDP-1600 Blu-ray Disc Player. Most places on sale for $149.00
Click here to read my full review of the Bdp-1600
The LG BD 370 Network Blu-ray Disc Player. This is probably the best deal on this list. Its currently only $145.00 at Amazon and im not sure but the price may drop more on Black Friday. Click here to read my full review of the BD 370
I will guarantee you that these 3 players are far superior to that $78 Walmart special but if you do win the wrestling match and get your hands on one of them or if you already own one I would love to know how it performs so feel free to leave a comment.
Can my Blu-ray player play Hd Dvd discs? The answer is absolutely not! Don’t even try it because it’s not going to happen so forget it!
Here’s a little story for you. My company recently installed a Samsung UN46B8000 46 inch LED TV (great t.v. by the way) in a clients bedroom and along with it we installed a Lg Bd 370 Network Blu-ray disc player. When the guys were done installing it we proceeded to demo everything and show them how everything worked as we always do. I informed the customer that I needed to run down to my car to get a Blu-ray disc to play for them. The client says to me “oh, no need to go get one we have a ton of them. I will go get one” So he returns a couple minutes later with the disc and you guessed it. It was in fact an Hd Dvd disc! So I inform him that what he had “a ton of” was in fact an obsolete Hd Dvd disc that would not play in his Blu-ray player.
By the look on his face I could tell that he was not very happy at all! This guy had probably been told at some point that Hd Dvd was the latest and greatest before the Blu-ray vs. Hd Dvd battle was over. Any way, after answering all of his “why not” questions I went to my car and got the Blu-ray disc (The Dark Night) and demoed it for him and I saw that look of disappointment turn around very quickly. In fact he was so impressed with the Blu-ray player that he even ordered another one to replace the Hd-dvd player he had in his family room. So now the question was, what is one to do with a large collection of Hd Dvd’s? My suggestion was to sell them on Ebay and start building a Blu-ray collection.
Of course there is one more solution for those people who just can’t get over the fact that they had prematurely built up a huge collection of Hd Dvd’s and just can’t get over it. The solution is to buy a Blu-ray Hd Dvd combo player.
The best one on the market is probably The LG BH200 Super Blu Blu-Ray HD DVD Combo Player.
Here are some specs on The LG BH200 Super Blu Blu-Ray HD DVD Combo Player.
- Super BluPlayer Plays both Blu-Ray and HD DVD High Defintion Disc Formats with more than Twice the Resolution of Standard DVD Discs
- Full HD 1080P Output Provides Wide Compatiblity with Full HD 1080P TV’s and Up-Scales Standard DVD’s to Full HD TV’s
- HDMI 1.3 with Deep Color Improves Color Tones to Achieve Finer Color Gradations and Delivers Smoother And More Brilliant Video Output
- QDEO Advanced Video Processor for Superior Up-scaling Accuracy And Noise Reduction and Color Precision
- Advanced Interactivity for Access to Rich menus and Extra Features Available from Many Blu-Ray and HD DVD Discs
Ok, so there’s the specs on The LG BH200 As of the date of this post (11/18/2009) this thing is listed on Amazon from $250 to $1699.00 and im not sure why it’s such a broad price range. You can see the most recent price below.
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Can I still play regular Dvds in a Blu-ray player?
0 Comments | Posted by Alan in Blu Ray Players
As an A/V tech I get asked this question almost every time we install a Blu-ray player.
The answer of course is Yes! And not only will all Blu-ray players play those regular Dvds some will enhance the picture by doing what is called Dvd up-conversion.
Dvd up-conversion will basically take your standard Dvd disc and make it as close to a high definition image as it can possibly get. As a matter of fact on an Hdtv that is 32 inches or smaller you can barely tell a difference between a Blu-ray movie and a Dvd that is being up-converted. Now once you start going up in size like on nice 52 inch Lcd you can certainly tell the difference between the up-converted Dvd and the Blu-ray disc but the Dvd will still look a lot better than it did with your standard Dvd player.
Here are a few quality Blu-ray players that offer Dvd up-conversion:
The Lg Bd 390 Network Blu-ray Disc Player. Click here to read my review
The Sony BDP-S360 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player Click here to read my review
The Samsung Bd-p3600 1080p Blu-ray Disc player. Click here to read my review
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Lg bd 390 network blu-ray disc player adds Vudu option
0 Comments | Posted by Alan in Blu Ray Players, LG
As if the Lg Bd 390 network blu-ray disc player did’nt already blow us away (click here to read my post about the Lg bd 390) LG decided to make this machine even better by adding an option for accessing Vudu movies!
What is Vudu? Here is what they offer. (Per their website)
Access over a vast library of movies and TV titles from all Hollywood studios and leading independent distributors directly from your HDTV.
Watch newly released movies the same day the DVD becomes available. No worrying about it being in-stock at the video store, or having to queue it up online. Even watch the trailer before you decide to rent or buy.
Only VUDU offers the highest quality internet-delivered format, HDX, featuring true 1080p HD, Dolby Digital Plus 5.1 surround sound.
With over 2000 HD titles VUDU has the largest collection available anywhere, physical media included.
Access millions of free videos and photos from popular Internet sites like YouTube, Flickr and Picasa, free On-demand television and games, plus free Internet radio from Pandora.
Having VUDU means that you don’t need to plan anymore. With a large catalog of new releases and library titles available instantly you will never need to drive or wait for the mail again.
VUDU is available without a monthly subscription or contract. Rent or buy high definition and standard definition movies whenever you like — only pay for what you watch.
I think Lg adding Vudu to the Bd 390 blu-ray disc player really just goes to show us how committed LG is to providing its customers with high quality products at great low prices. Click here to check out my full review of the Lg bd 390.
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The Lg Bd 370 Network Blu ray Disc Player Review- Wow!
2 Comments | Posted by Alan in Blu Ray Players, LG
The lg bd 370 network blu ray disc player is way more than just a blu ray player. This thing is a complete entertainment device! How many times have you finally had a couple hours to chill out in front of the t.v. only to be disappointed because as usual “theres nothing on”. No fear folks the Bd 370 comes fully loaded with the most exciting entertainment technology available here without the fully loaded price! Among the awesome extras you will get access to are NetCast Entertainment Access, Cinema Now, Netflix, and You Tube. Click here to read more on these features.
Oh yeah I almost forgot this thing plays blu ray discs too! Using the next generation optical disc format to bring you the highest Full HD 1080p experience. That means it allows you to get the best picture quality available from your Hdtv and don’t worry about the hundreds of standard Dvd discs you already own. The Lg Bd 370 improves old Dvds with 1080p Up-Scaling, improving standard Dvd picture quality so they look their best in Full Hd.
Update: This Blu-ray player is on sale right now. Click here to check it out!
If that’s not enough for you then lets talk about some of the other great features the Lg Bd 370 network blu ray player offers. Lets face it we all love going to the theater to watch movies and we wish watching movies at home looked like they do at the theater. Good news! The Bd 370 offers Lg’s Cinema mode. Lg’s Cinema mode precisely displays 24p source frames on your screen, the same as on a movie screen. If you love movies at the theater, you’ll love Lg’s Cinema Mode.
What would cinema quality picture be without its partner in crime: theater quality sound! If your one of those audiophiles who absolutely cannot watch a movie without everyone in the neighborhood wondering why your house is shaking then you should have no worries! The Lg Bd 370 lets you enjoy the best sound available from your movies and shows. It Supports surround sound up to 7.1 channels with Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHd and Dts-Hd Advanced Digital Out technologies. When connected to your home theater system you will not just hear your movies you will feel them!
For a while now one of the biggest knocks on a lot of blu ray players has been the fact that they take forever to load a disc. Problem solved! With Express Reaction Startup, the quick start-up and quick opening tray will have your movie loaded and ready to play before you even hit the couch!
Believe it or not this thing does even more cool stuff! Imagine being able to show your family and friends your vacation photos on your big screen Hdtv instead of having to all huddle around that small laptop screen. More great news! With the USB 2.0 Media Host you will not only bring your digital library to life on your television but you can also watch videos and listen to music from USB storage devices. Check out the video below of the complete menu walk through.
If you’re looking to get into the awesome world of Blu ray technology or even upgrade your first generation blu ray player I would highly recommend checking out the Lg Bd 370 network blu ray player this thing packs an entire entertainment world into one little black box all for around $150.
Here is what recent buyers of the Lg Bd 370 Network Blu ray Disc Player had to say:
Jim R.
Of the new model year ‘2009′ Blu Ray players, we own the LG BD370, Samsung BD-P1600, and a PS3. By far, the BD370 is the nicest for Blu Ray content. Loading is FAST and the drive is completely silent (this is not the case on the BD-P1600 by Samsung). Piano Black finish on the face is plastic, and looks good. We have found that it does not scratch easily too! The rest of the case is black-ish metal and sturdy……….Click here to read the full review
Mike C
Had a Samsung upconverting DVD player that worked extremely well with my Samsung HDTV. Was not really looking for a Blue-Ray player but I buy alot of stuff on Amazon and decided to look at Blue-Ray players to see if the prices had come down. Was surprised to see this LG Player at $214 and eligible for Amazon Prime. The kicker was the streaming Netflix option. I had been watching Netflix “Watch Instantly” titles on my HDTV through my laptop using a D-Sub cable and headphones connected to my laptop. Watching Netflix through this player is so much better……….Click here to read the full review
