More Bluray questions

[L.J.]

Mr.P summed it up pretty well.

If you have plans on getting a new AVR, you could save some $$$ by getting a cheaper player that only bitstreams(no analog outs). If you go this route, you'll still get either DD or DTS via optical connection. Once you do upgrade to HDMI, the HD audio formats will be waiting for you. This is what I did with my PS3.

Go with a more expensive player that decodes and outputs over MC analog, and your gonna be at the mercy of the player for bass management.

[s dog]

Mr.P summed it up pretty well.

If you have plans on getting a new AVR, you could save some $$$ by getting a cheaper player that only bitstreams(no analog outs). If you go this route, you'll still get either DD or DTS via optical connection. Once you do upgrade to HDMI, the HD audio formats will be waiting for you. This is what I did with my PS3.

Go with a more expensive player that decodes and outputs over MC analog, and your gonna be at the mercy of the player for bass management.

My wal-mart has the sony BDP300 for $198.00 and the BDP350 for $298.00, Would the 300 be ok for now or should i spend another 100 bucks and get the 350, The money is no big deal but if im not going to gain nothing why spend it. Going to be awhile till i can afford a HDMI receiver. My denon 4800 does have the 5.1 inputs but i dont think i will use them because of the weak bass.

[L.J.]

My wal-mart has the sony BDP300 for $198.00 and the BDP350 for $298.00, Would the 300 be ok for now or should i spend another 100 bucks and get the 350, The money is no big deal but if im not going to gain nothing why spend it. Going to be awhile till i can afford a HDMI receiver. My denon 4800 does have the 5.1 inputs but i dont think i will use them because of the weak bass.

The 300 will decode TrueHD & MC PCM now, but you will lose out on DTSMA. And we're talking 5.1 analog out, so you'll have to use the player for bass management.

The 350 would be a better choice, IMO, if you have plans on getting a new 1.3 AVR eventually, since it can bitstream all the HD audio formats. There may be other options in that price range as well. Samsung 1500 comes to mind for a sweet price at Amazon with the Matrix Trilogy.

If you do plan on keeping your 4800, you should probably look into something that has MC analog out and full HD audio decoding like the Panny BD50 or Sony S550. Yes you have to rely on the player for bass management, but it would be worth the research to see if the player is capable.

And let's not forget about the PS3. This would be my first choice for a player if I was gonna get an HDMI capable AVR...Period.

[s dog]

The 300 will decode TrueHD & MC PCM now, but you will lose out on DTSMA. And we're talking 5.1 analog out, so you'll have to use the player for bass management.

The 350 would be a better choice, IMO, if you have plans on getting a new 1.3 AVR eventually, since it can bitstream all the HD audio formats. There may be other options in that price range as well. Samsung 1500 comes to mind for a sweet price at Amazon with the Matrix Trilogy.

If you do plan on keeping your 4800, you should probably look into something that has MC analog out and full HD audio decoding like the Panny BD50 or Sony S550. Yes you have to rely on the player for bass management, but it would be worth the research to see if the player is capable.

And let's not forget about the PS3. This would be my first choice for a player if I was gonna get an HDMI capable AVR...Period.

I will be getting a new 1.3 avr down the road so i better give the ps3 or the 350 a good hard look, thanks for the help.

[pixelthis]

I will be getting a new 1.3 avr down the road so i better give the ps3 or the 350 a good hard look, thanks for the help.

I have the BD-300 and its fine if you have an older receiver.
The 5.1 LPCM is awesome, as is DD HD and DTS HD.
The 5.1 output is the way to go if you want to make an older receiver last awhile, as I am trying to do.
One things for sure, ANY Blu player is an entertainment bargain,
especially if you have 1080p, and the sound is amazing.

[zepman1]

Thanks to all for the help, I think I have it all straight now! After all this discussion I did some price checking online and it made the decision REAL easy. On pricegrabber, the Sony BDP-S550 can be had for $300 and free shipping. At that price, I think this player blows everything else out of the water. At $400 I had to think twice, but not at $300.

This player covers me for everything. It decodes all the new audio formats and sends them out via 7.1 analog outputs, so that covers me for now with my old receiver. Bass management may or may not be an issue as I prefer a low crossover with my full range towers, but I am pretty flexible. And if it is really that annoying, I can hookup the optical instead and get 5.1 DD and DTS. Eventually in a few months I'll pick up a new AVR and it will all be a moot point.

Hopefully I'll be able to check it out by the end of the week. Only 720P on my display, but I am guessing the pic will still be better than HD from Time Warner, and I get lossless audio.

FYI while the price mentioned on the Samsung P1500 is a good one (including Matrix Trilogy), that player does not have analog outs and cannot read DVD+R discs for those that care. Doesn't matter for those with new AVR's I guess. Hard to beat that price if you can use the HDMI connection.

[L.J.]

I have the BD-300 and its fine if you have an older receiver.
The 5.1 LPCM is awesome, as is DD HD and DTS HD.
The 5.1 output is the way to go if you want to make an older receiver last awhile, as I am trying to do.
One things for sure, ANY Blu player is an entertainment bargain,
especially if you have 1080p, and the sound is amazing.

Isn't the 300 lacking some HD decoding? There's options under $300 that offer full decoding & analog outs.

[zepman1]

I think actually the S300 can decode DD Plus and DTS-HD internally, which would be "HD" audio I guess. It cannot decode lossless audio, DTS-Master or DD True HD, those would have to go out via HDMI and be decoded by the AVR.