What features/elements should one look for in Blu-ray DVD player

[fpnovak]

I recently purchased a new system, now that I could obtain
a HDTV; A-V Receiver; & HD-DVD player- ALL with 1.3a HDMI bandwidth technology.
I purchased a Toshiba HD-35X DVD Player (their 3rd gen. that handles 1080p).
I also bought my first Blu-ray (which I had not researched as well as everything else).
I purchased a Samsung BD-P 1400 Blu-ray player.
This was in Dec. 2007. I have already needed to do a firmware upgrade, because the new Blu-ray DVDs would no longer play. (e.g. War & the latest Bruce Willis Live Hard/Die Hard movie).
Now I start reading about Blu-ray 1; 1.1; & 2.
I know some of this has to do with picture in a picture.
CAN A MORE LEARNED BLU-RAY EXPERT EXPLAIN THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS: 1; 1.1; & 2 ?

AND TELL ME WHAT I NEED TO LOOK FOR IN A SUPERIOR BLU-RAY PLAYER? (for my next purchase, since Toshiba has had to throw- in the HD-DVD towel).
Thanks,
fpnovak

[eliwhitney]

Hi fpnovak -

You might "look-up" the many post herein regarding the latest PS 3 instead of any version of a BLU RAY Player instead !

Fully upgradable by you as new firmware comes out.

Plus, watch out for the proper 1.3a / cat-2 Certified HDMIs, too - & That does NOT mean those foolish Monsters !

Here - plus read about the "FAQ - HDMI" too -
http://www.mycablemart.com/store/cart.p ... tail&p=871

eli

[fpnovak]

I appreciate your reply, however I am not sure it applies to my situationn=.
You mention that the PS-3 has many positive attributes.
I , unfortunately have zero interest in playing video games. I've never played one.
Now I am aware that you can do other things on these game platforms, however it seems more logical for me to invest in only a DVD that plays the most clear picture (1080p) and lossless audio. I have a 7.1 Digital audio set-up.
I loved Toshiba HD-DVDs (and knew a fair amount abbout them).
Now (Unfortunately) I am going to have to join the Blu-ray crowd. (Poor software (slow) compared to HD-DVD 1.3a).
So I am still looking to learn about this new "Live" function on the Panasonic -2 generation Blu-ray player.
But , thank you for the reply.

fpnovak

[akirby]

In addition to the PS3 playing games, it also works as a regular web browser. You can download videos. It will also connect to your home media server for audio/video/pictures/etc. You can download puzzle games like sudoku. It's far more than just a BD player or game console.

I don't have a HD DVD to compare it to, but I've not experience any slowness in watching BD movies. I'd say it takes no more than 30 seconds to start playing and command responses are immediate.

[frank_mahoodpress.princeton]

I also sympathize with you about the demise of HD-DVD and in many ways I still think it was the best format. But I have had both a Toshiba A-30 and a PS3 for Blu-Ray for some time, and I can speak from experience. I am also not a game player, but from all the research I've done, the consensus is that the PS3 is the best Blu-Ray player for the money that you can buy. The 40 GB model is as cheap as any of the stand alone players, and from what I have read, is better engineered and more trouble free. It is easy to upgrade the system (I don't have mine connected to the internet but I have downloaded upgrades from their website, put them on a USB device and plug it into the USB port with no problems). However, since I am not a video game player, I found it very awkward to try to play movies with the game controller, so you will need to pay an extra $20 to $25 to get a standard remote to make it function like a regular DVD player.

[rfowkes]

As an owner of many HD players (both HD-DVD and Blu-ray) I can state from experience that the PS3 stacks up very well as an HD player in terms of start up speed, features, etc. In fact, it's the finest Blu-ray Player I own and probably the most functional. That said, I want to point out that it's still a gaming device and doesn't have the traditional profile of a rack component in that regard (although its sleek black modern look is definitely not ugly in my estimation). It depends on your personal preference. Also, since it uses blue tooth technology for the remote functions there are some issues if you intrend to integrate your system with one of the universal IR/UHF remotes available. Yes, there are blue tooth to IR converters (I have one which uses a USB "dongle") but none of these seem to address the ON/OFF feature of the PS3 which remains exclusively blue tooth. And yes, there are some ways around this issue (Universal Remote Control makes a device that can sense whether a component is "on" or "off" and tranfer that into a macro) but realistically most people would probably just end up with a separate remote (or even the game controller) to turn the PS3 on and off. That's also a personal issue. And don't worry about whether you play games or not. A couple of games came with my "first day out" bundle and most of them are still in the shrinkwrap. The only games I actually play on the PS3 are some classic PS2 titles like God of War, et. al. My early PS3 unit (the 60G HD version) incorporates the PS2 processor within - something that has been eliminated from the later models in an attempt to bring the price down. PS3 games are, for the most part, about 1-2 years behind the XBox 360 and don't offer as many options. (Of course, the non-HD Nintendo Wii is smoking both of these units in terms of new games sold).

So I fully understand your reluctance to choose the PS3 as a Blu-ray player if you are not into games. At this moment it's the most functional of all the Blu-ray players since firmware updates via Ethernet on the PS3 keep it current and (possibly) capable of all the iterations of Blu-ray "versions."

Speaking of which - here's a quick rundown on the Versions of Blu-ray players. A Version 1.0 player is a basic Blu-ray player with very little extra capability. No Ethernet and no picture in picture capability. A version 1.1 player (now showing up in numbers in the marketplace) adds picture in picture capability as its major upgrade, but no Ethernet. The version 2.0 player (soon to be introduced and the only one that a person just entering the Blu-ray fray should seriously consider) has all the features that are planned for the technology. Basic playing features, enhanced playback for picture in picture and an Ethernet connection which not only allows relatively painless firmware upgrades (they come more often than you might imagine) but also introduces the possibility of downloadable content, Internet interactivity with the titles, content enhancements and probably other features that haven't even been thought of yet. The one difference between the HD-DVD and Blu-ray "specifications" was that HD-DVD specs required all the goodies on all machines from day one (picture in picture, ethernet connectivity, etc.) Blu-ray made them optional and, therefore, it became an ugly situation. Unfortunately, an earlier Blu-ray player (version 1 or 1.1) cannot be retrofitted to become version 2 with Ethernet easily. In other words, purchasers of the first two generations of Blu-ray players can only buy new machines to get the new features. There's even a strong indication that most of the early Blu-ray releases will be re-released with the picture-in-picture and other interactive features included. This is great for the sellers but a nightmare for the consumer in a tight economy.

The PS3, as a gaming/Blu-ray device with an Ethernet port (albeit for the gaming) has the potential to migrate from a Version 1 to a version 1.1 player (already done with the recent firmware upgrades) and, it is surmised, to a full fledged version 2.0 player since it already contains the mandatory Ethernet circuitry. While this hasn't happened yet, many people say it's possible and just around the corner. My own personal feeling is that any delay is to wait until dedicated version 2.0 Blu-ray players hit the market so as not to trump the rollout of new machines.

Finally, while the PS3 is a great and probably fully capable Blu-ray player it does have a few minor quirks. As of now (unless the promised firmware upgrade has been released - there seems to be a new one coming over the internet every week or so!) the PS3 can't handle passing a 7.1 DTS-MA (for "Master Audio") HD audio codec over its HDMI cable. You still get the DTS core (5.1) but not 7.1 MA "yet." Then there's that whole blue tooth issue. But these are minor points since the PS3 offered the most functionality by far in the early days of blu-ray coupled with both the best operational performance and with the best potential for upgradability.

I hope this answers some of your questions.

[akirby]

There is an IR option for controlling PS3 power. It's not exactly a professional product but those that bought it say it works. Caveat emptor.

http://www.schmartz.com/product.sc?cate ... roductId=4

That being said - if you're watching a movie you need to insert the disc, so it's easy to turn it on, put in the disc and then use a Harmony or other universal remote to turn everything else on. Or vice versa.

It would be more useful for turning it off if you leave the disc in the PS3. If you're taking it out, you can turn it off then.