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A few basic questions...
Here's where my ignorance really stands out. :)
We have a Toshiba upconverting DVD recorder. We use it for both watching DVDs and playing CDs. But more for playing CDs...we don't watch a lot of DVDs in general.
In the last few days, we've noticed that the sound coming from the player sounds distorted. But not all the time. Everything will sound fine then suddenly the sound will get kind of garbled then it'll smooth out again. It sounds like when you aren't quite on the radio station and you get that fine line of white noise underneath the music.
Anyhow, after a few CDs last night, the bad sound became more frequent so Hubby went to turn the player off and we switched to my iPod. He said that the DVD player was really hot.
Could the heat be affecting the sound?
What would cause the DVD player to heat up this way?
Can this be fixed or do we need to replace it?
I've never liked this player, from the day I bought it. So I'm happy to replace it if I have a reason to do so. We needed the DVD recorder for a one-time use when we changed cable providers and had to save what was on our PVR, but we don't have a use for the recorder option anymore.
If I have to replace this unit, should I switch to Blu-ray?
Can I play regular DVDs on Blu-ray?
Can I play CDs on Blu-ray?
Since we use the player more for audio than for video, would I be better off getting separate CD and DVD/BR players?
Thanks.
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I had a Toshiba upconverting DVD player and shortly after the warrranty expired it chose to not read about one out of three disks, at random. The only thing i initially liked about it was it's price and when the problems started, that became a moot point.
My guess is that repairing it woud cost more than it's worth.
If I were in your shoes I would go for a Blu-ray player.
Yes, Blu-ray players play (and up-convert) regular DVD's and also play CD's as well.
Some combo units also play SACD as well but these are not usually entry level units.
SACD playback requires an analog 5.1 connection to your receiver but the good thig is that these generally also pass the new hi-glitz Blu-ray audio through that as well. With one of these you'll have the best of both worlds.
the big buzz now is the Oppo 83 (or whatever). It plays anything you can throw at it and it does it well. Rickster has one and, come this spring, so will I.
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I agree with Mark. I too am considering Blu-Ray. Consider this though, where do all of the T.O.T.L. DVD players go when their owners upgrade? Blu-Ray aside, you can now buy a used Oppo DVD/CD/SACD player for a song on Ebay/Audiogon. I'm talkin not even a hundred bucks!
Sure, it won't play Blu-Ray, but it will play EVERYTHING else. It would play CD's much better than your Toshiba, that's for sure. Just an idea if you don't care about Blu-Ray and want to hold out. Otherwise, if you see yourself getting a BR in the near future, sounds like a good time to do it.
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I looked up the Oppo 83. At that price, I'd rather get one of those $78 BR players and invest in a separate CD player. As mentioned before, we don't watch a lot of movies so I see no reason to drop $600 or $700 on a Blu-ray player.
One of the issues that I would have with buying a BR player off of ebay is that the warranty would likely not be valid in Canada. It would have to be a really good deal to offset the cost of shipping and no warranty.
What else ya got for me? And...further to my other post here, regarding my brother's issues, what's the deal with Sony?
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ForeverAutumn
I looked up the Oppo 83. At that price, I'd rather get one of those $78 BR players and invest in a separate CD player. As mentioned before, we don't watch a lot of movies so I see no reason to drop $600 or $700 on a Blu-ray player.
One of the issues that I would have with buying a BR player off of ebay is that the warranty would likely not be valid in Canada. It would have to be a really good deal to offset the cost of shipping and no warranty.
What else ya got for me? And...further to my other post here, regarding my brother's issues, what's the deal with Sony?
FA, there are many Bluray players in the $120-170 dollar price point on Amazon that are quite good at CD, DVD, and Bluray playback. There is no use in staying at the same or lower technology for disc playback when some of the cheaper major manufacturers do all of that plus Bluray. It will give you the opportunity to rent Bluray's and experience 1080p HD content.
Read my response on the other thread about Sony and your brother's Bluray player
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sir Terrence the Terrible
FA, there are many Bluray players in the $120-170 dollar price point on Amazon that are quite good at CD, DVD, and Bluray playback. There is no use in staying at the same or lower technology for disc playback when some of the cheaper major manufacturers do all of that plus Bluray. It will give you the opportunity to rent Bluray's and experience 1080p HD content.
Read my response on the other thread about Sony and your brother's Bluray player
Thanks Sir T. Much appreciated.
Any thoughts on this one? I can get it price matched at $199.
Remember, these are Canadian prices so they may seem a little high to you, in comparison to the US prices.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ForeverAutumn
Thanks Sir T. Much appreciated.
Any thoughts on this one? I can get it price matched at $199.
Remember, these are Canadian prices so they may seem a little high to you, in comparison to the US prices.
Hey FA,
I got that Sony unit for Christmas along with a $150 LG model that Futureshop also has...my wife got me the cheaper one, and my new favorite uncle got me the Sony. The picture quality and feature set of the Sony is nice. I have it hooked up to my 32" TV.
To be honest, I find the LG just as good for BluRay, when connected to just a TV. if there's a difference I can't really tell, but I've only watched 1 full movie on each player and went through several scenes of some other discs I have. The Sony has a built in DTS-MA and Dolby True HD audio decoder if I read the manual right, which is nice if your receiver has 5.1 inputs. My LG requires an HDMI cable to pass the new fancy lossless audio tracks BluRay has. That's probably not a big deal to you if you don't watch a ton of movies.
Anyway, first impression is favorable for both units.
I haven't tried a CD in either yet to be honest...
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kexodusc
Hey FA,
I got that Sony unit for Christmas along with a $150 LG model that Futureshop also has...my wife got me the cheaper one, and my new favorite uncle got me the Sony. The picture quality and feature set of the Sony is nice. I have it hooked up to my 32" TV.
To be honest, I find the LG just as good for BluRay, when connected to just a TV. if there's a difference I can't really tell, but I've only watched 1 full movie on each player and went through several scenes of some other discs I have. The Sony has a built in DTS-MA and Dolby True HD audio decoder if I read the manual right, which is nice if your receiver has 5.1 inputs. My LG requires an HDMI cable to pass the new fancy lossless audio tracks BluRay has. That's probably not a big deal to you if you don't watch a ton of movies.
Anyway, first impression is favorable for both units.
I haven't tried a CD in either yet to be honest...
Thanks Kex. That's great to know! My husband has a pre-concieved notion that LG products are crap given that LG used to be Goldstar. So I'd rather go with the Sony just to keep him happy. I'm going to head over to BB and Future shop in a little while to check things out.
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If you are using a digital connection (optical/coaxial) for audio to the receiver there shouldn't be any difference in sound between players, or very little between players as the receiver will be doing the decoding. The difference in sound quality comes into play when using analog connections.
If you get a cheap player for movies and interested in good CD sound for cheap look at the ERC-1 at www.emotiva.com this was on sale but may be regular price now that the holidays are over. You have a 30 day return window and you should be impressed by what you will hear. Use analog connections for listening to this.
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I'm here baby! I'm the only one you need!
Now come over here, kiss me and I'll tell you what you need to do. ;)
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You don't have to buy the Oppo BD83. In the next week or so, Oppo Digital will be releasing the replacement player for the 980H ($170), but it will be a universal player with Blu Ray capabilities. If you can hold your water, I'd wait for that to drop before purchasing the Sony BDP.
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Thanks for the heads-up.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BadAssJazz
You don't have to buy the Oppo BD83. In the next week or so, Oppo Digital will be releasing the replacement player for the 980H ($170), but it will be a universal player with Blu Ray capabilities. If you can hold your water, I'd wait for that to drop before purchasing the Sony BDP.
this is indeed good news...
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I ordered the Sony today on-line. It was on sale and I didn't want to miss the sale price. But I have 30 days to return it. So I can shop around.
I'll look into the Oppo, but remember that I'm in Canada. That can often affect availability of new models and price. Thanks for the info.
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Walked right on by as if I didn't even exist. :incazzato:
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rich-n-Texas
Walked right on by as if I didn't even exist. :incazzato:
If you really want someone's attention, you need to whisper.
Your post was too loud.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rich-n-Texas
Walked right on by as if I didn't even exist. :incazzato:
One would think you would be used to that by now...
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I was trying to keep this thread on topic and informative. If you want to play, meet me in the Off-topic forum.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by markw
One would think you would be used to that by now...
I lol'd...and dispensed the appropriate Greenies...
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ForeverAutumn
I was trying to keep this thread on topic and informative. If you want to play, meet me in the Off-topic forum.
Whoa..!..?...
(covering eyes & ears) la la la la la la la la la.......
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And that's ME she wants to play with GM, not you. :p
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rich-n-Texas
And that's ME she wants to play with GM, not you. :p
I noticed.:eek6: Looks like a changing of the gaurds:mad5: . Have fun.:nono:
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ForeverAutumn
Here's where my ignorance really stands out. :)
We have a Toshiba upconverting DVD recorder. We use it for both watching DVDs and playing CDs. But more for playing CDs...we don't watch a lot of DVDs in general.
In the last few days, we've noticed that the sound coming from the player sounds distorted. But not all the time. Everything will sound fine then suddenly the sound will get kind of garbled then it'll smooth out again. It sounds like when you aren't quite on the radio station and you get that fine line of white noise underneath the music.
Anyhow, after a few CDs last night, the bad sound became more frequent so Hubby went to turn the player off and we switched to my iPod. He said that the DVD player was really hot.
Could the heat be affecting the sound?
What would cause the DVD player to heat up this way?
Can this be fixed or do we need to replace it?
I've never liked this player, from the day I bought it. So I'm happy to replace it if I have a reason to do so. We needed the DVD recorder for a one-time use when we changed cable providers and had to save what was on our PVR, but we don't have a use for the recorder option anymore.
If I have to replace this unit, should I switch to Blu-ray?
Can I play regular DVDs on Blu-ray?
Can I play CDs on Blu-ray?
Since we use the player more for audio than for video, would I be better off getting separate CD and DVD/BR players?
Thanks.
BLU players will play CD mostly, but if that is your primary function you need a dedicated
CD players, video disc players are not optimum for CD playback.
As for your current player, its a Toshiba, and that is probably its main problem.
Wouldnt buy a clock radio from these guys.:1:
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rich-n-Texas
And that's ME she wants to play with GM, not you. :p
Too bad you don't play well with others.
DOES HAPPY ACRES know your on the loose?
Or did you bribe some shrink to certify you sane?:1:
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Quote:
Originally Posted by poppachubby
I agree with Mark. I too am considering Blu-Ray. Consider this though, where do all of the T.O.T.L. DVD players go when their owners upgrade? Blu-Ray aside, you can now buy a used Oppo DVD/CD/SACD player for a song on Ebay/Audiogon. I'm talkin not even a hundred bucks!
Sure, it won't play Blu-Ray, but it will play EVERYTHING else. It would play CD's much better than your Toshiba, that's for sure. Just an idea if you don't care about Blu-Ray and want to hold out. Otherwise, if you see yourself getting a BR in the near future, sounds like a good time to do it.
These are coming from upgraders to BLU, and there is a reason for that.
If you get something obsolete its no bargain, especially with decreased prices on
OPPO universal players.
Now is the time to go BLU BTW, they are really cheap, very good bargain for what you get.:1:
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pixelthis
BLU players will play CD mostly, but if that is your primary function you need a dedicated
CD players, video disc players are not optimum for CD playback.
It's all so confusing! So do I consider something higher end like the Oppo unit, or am I still better off with designated BD and CD players?
Quote:
Originally Posted by pixelthis
As for your current player, its a Toshiba, and that is probably its main problem. Wouldnt buy a clock radio from these guys.:1:
I bought it because I needed a DVD recorder for a one-time use and it was cheap. Now I know why. :frown2:
So, if I don't watch many DVDs...would I be better off just getting a new DVD player and putting off the BD player purchase?
Do you think that BD player prices will still come down or that the technology will get better?
If I don't really care whether I have blu-ray or DVD....am I jumping the gun by going blu-ray? Or will a new DVD player be obsolete in the short term and I'll be forced to upgrade in a year anyway because movies will only be released as blu-ray?
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pixelthis
These are coming from upgraders to BLU, and there is a reason for that.
If you get something obsolete its no bargain, especially with decreased prices on
OPPO universal players.
Now is the time to go BLU BTW, they are really cheap, very good bargain for what you get.:1:
Oops, it looks likes you answered my questions while I was still writing them. :)
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FA, if you have to replace the player I'd recommend a BD player, then you are ready for the future. Besides if you have a HDTV I think you will like what you see and hear.
Did you see my earlier post? If you use a digital connection, optical or coaxial, from the player to the receiver, it won't matter what you get in regards to audio because the decoding of audio will be done by your receiver. What ever player you get will just be feeding the digital signal into the receiver. If wanting good CD playback, in order to hear an improvement you'd have to buy a CD player with better sound than your receiver can reproduce. When using this player, you'd connect via analog outputs, red/white(L/R). It's important that you understand where the decoding takes place so you don't spend money on a good player not to benefit from it. If you buy a better CD player you'd use the analog to allow the decoding to be done by the CD player.
How was the Toshiba connected? By the way, I have one of Toshiba's original DVD players and it still works today. I've had much better luck with Toshiba than I've ever had with Sony. For some reason no matter how bad Sony gets they can't seem to do no wrong. With that being said, Tosh is late to the BD game and I'd go with a different brand until their product with BD has been proven.
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The DVD player is connected via analog outputs. Should we change to digital outputs when we get the BD player? Here's the specs to our current receiver if it helps. Click on the picture to get the specs.
I had a Sony 5-disk CD player for years. In fact, we might still have it...I'm not sure. Back in the days when we had both DVD and VHS components, I had to replace the Sony CD player with the new DVD player because we didn't have room for all three. I've never had a problem with anything Sony. This is the first Toshiba product I've owned and I haven't been happy with it from day one.
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By having the Toshiba hooked up via analog you never got 5.1 audio from DVD's. Digital would have been better.
It's hard to tell on paper how something will sound. When you get your new unit, I'd use a digital hook up for movies to be sure. It's worth comparing the analog to the digital to see which is better sounding for music though.
Not meaning to confuse you further, if you get a Blu-ray player that has the multichannel output and built in HD audio decoding, utilizing this multichannel analog hook up would be the best way to go. Providing the BD player had speaker adjustments built in, similar to what your receiver has in the settings menu. Your receiver shows it has the multichannel input. You will be impressed with a BD concert video, not to mention movies with all Lossless soundtracks.
Usually for a decent CD player analog connection is best. With DVD or BD, it depends on which unit has the best DAC's and analog circuits afterward, in short you just have to compare for music sound quality the analog and digital connections to see which you prefer.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr Peabody
By having the Toshiba hooked up via analog you never got 5.1 audio from DVD's.
Um, I'm pretty sure we did.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ForeverAutumn
Um, I'm pretty sure we did.
If you only had 2 channels going into your receiver, then your receiver may have simulated 5.1 but it was just a simulation. Did you have 6 cables going from the DVD to the receiver or just 2?
In any rate, I'd go with the BR player and use the 6 analog cables for 5.1 or I'd use an HDMI cable.
The 6 analog cables would be better if the DAC in your BR player is better than the DAC in your receiver.
The HDMI cable would be better if the DAC in your receiver is better than the one in the BR player.
Either will sound great, and the BR player will have you enjoying movies and SACD's more.
A dedicated CD player could be an improvement, but you would have to spend more on a better receiver (or separates) to actually notice the improvement.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ForeverAutumn
Um, I'm pretty sure we did.
No, not possible. Your receiver may have gone into Pro Logic or Pro Logic 2 which would have allowed some rear speaker content but it would not and could not be 5.1 with out a digital connection. In fact, if the Toshiba problem is in the analog section it may still work for you with a digital connection, just possible, depends on what the issue is. With a digital connection the Toshiba would basically be just a transport, reading the disc and outputting a digital signal to your receiver. You might want to give it a try in order to milk it a little longer.
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GM, you posted while I was writing mine :) Check FA's link earlier to her receiver. It doesn't have HDMI. Looks like a decent unit from JVC though, has discrete output section.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr Peabody
GM, you posted while I was writing mine :) Check FA's link earlier to her receiver. It doesn't have HDMI. Looks like a decent unit from JVC though, has discrete output section.
Oops.
FA,
Just change what I wrote to say "digital cable" instead of "HDMI".
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Really? It's not true 5.1? Boy, I really do feel stupid now. It always sounded pretty good to me. Not so much on the Toshiba, but we used to have a Sony DVD player that I always thought had pretty good 5.1 sound. It was also connected with analog cables though.
The Sony BD player arrived today. Even if I can fix the Toshiba player, I'm still going to keep the BD and I'll use the Toshiba in another room. As I said before, I've never liked it and I'm happy for this excuse to replace it.
So, since I can't afford to upgrade the receiver right now...tell me what cables I need to buy to set up the BD player correctly.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ForeverAutumn
Really? It's not true 5.1? Boy, I really do feel stupid now. It always sounded pretty good to me. Not so much on the Toshiba, but we used to have a Sony DVD player that I always thought had pretty good 5.1 sound. It was also connected with analog cables though.
The Sony BD player arrived today. Even if I can fix the Toshiba player, I'm still going to keep the BD and I'll use the Toshiba in another room. As I said before, I've never liked it and I'm happy for this excuse to replace it.
So, since I can't afford to upgrade the receiver right now...tell me what cables I need to buy to set up the BD player correctly.
One of these for sound http://www.monoprice.com/products/pr...seq=1&format=2
A set of these for video. http://www.monoprice.com/products/pr...seq=1&format=2
Or these if you need more length. http://www.monoprice.com/products/pr...seq=1&format=2
Surprisingly, you can use the cables you have now until your new cables arrive. One RCA cable (like for audio) can be used for a digital coax cable. It works fine. And the cheap composite cables you probably have for audio and video can be used as component cables for video. (colors won't match. Just be consistent on both ends) I have done this in the past, but the resistance is not the same and would not want to leave it that way. Besides, they are cheap as h.ll.
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The least complex would be as GM stated, run a digital audio connection with a component video connection.
However, if you want the best possible sound you will need six RCA cables. I'm assuming you have a sub. Carefully connect the multichannel output of the Blu-ray to the multichannel input of your receiver. Yes, you have one on the receiver. Which Sony did you buy? Careful, to make sure left to left, center to center etc. The Sony will then be doing the decoding and should have the HD audio decoders built in so you can receive Dolby Tru-HD and DTS-MA when viewing a Blu disc . These will not pass via a coaxial or optical digital connection and you don't have these decoders in your receiver. To further complicate things using the MC analog ins/outs will bypass your receiver's internal processing, meaning, no speaker set up. You'll have to go into the Sony's set up menu and adjust your speaker settings.
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Thanks guys. I'll probably have some questions when its time to actually set this all up.
But now I have another question... my husband works for JVC so we, obviously, buy JVC stuff whenever possible. I didn't think that JVC had BD players so I ordered the Sony. But Hubby told me today that they do have a couple of BD players. So now I have to decide whether to keep the Sony or get the JVC player for a few bucks less.
Do you think that it matters which one I get? The Sony has Wi-Fi capability and the JVC does not. Otherwise, they look pretty similar.
JVC
Sony
Any opinions? Thanks.
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Unless the savings were significant I'd keep the Sony. Much to my surprise neither of these seem to have multichannel analog out. At least on the feature lists I dug up. So you'd have to use an optical or coaxial digital audio connection. It looks like the Sony will show you photos from your computer on the TV via Wyfi. The Wyfi would be handy for firmware updates. This maynot mean anything if your player sits by your modem.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ForeverAutumn
Really? It's not true 5.1? Boy, I really do feel stupid now. It always sounded pretty good to me. Not so much on the Toshiba, but we used to have a Sony DVD player that I always thought had pretty good 5.1 sound. It was also connected with analog cables though.
Doesn't sound the least bit stupid to me. The 2-channel program does sound good on a 5.1 receiver.
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