Any PQ benefit in blu ray upgrade ?

[basshound]

My TV is a Panasonic TX-P42G30B 42 " plasma and Blu Ray is a Pana BD75. Would I get an appreciable difference in PQ/SQ by upgrading my player ? Pretty happy with the picture I currently get but just wonder could it be improved a bit more ? Budget would be up to £250. Not into 3D at all but suppose all players are now 3D anyway,as you go up the price scale are you paying for all the bells & whistles or does PQ/SQ improve as well ?

Any suggestions/comments welcome

 

[bigboss]

For blu ray pictures, no. I haven't found an improvement in players at different price points.

 

[BigH]

According to tyhe AV Forum there is little difference in PQ on blu-ray palyers, I suggest you ask there as more focussed on that sort of gear than here. They do tests as well. SQ can change as some are more focussed on that like Oppo 105 and CA752 but in your budget I don't think you will get much.

 

[Cookie Monster]

I had a Panny DMP-BD80 and sold and upgraded to a Sony BDP- S370.

Huge difference!

Much cleaner, far better motion, colours and upscaling.

However! I upgraded to a Sony S790 recently and the difference was, well, minimal. Bit cleaner.

So i think there is benefit in updating, but buy what you need. A Sony S490 would probably have been a better purchase for me and £120 less.

 

[ellisdj]

Depends on how good your tv is and how good it is setup.

I personally have found quite big differences in Blu Ray PQ - and I have owned a fair few - mostly from Pioneer.

If you dont have your TV setup properly then you may not see the difference - simialr to how sound systems dont sound their full potential when the room doesnt allow it - that stops much better gear sounding much better.

And depends what you think is better / against the cost of buying new.

The Marantz UD7007 the more I watch it the more it impresses me for Blu Ray Picture - its in different league to what I have previously seen, however you might not see that with your screen / where you sit and without it being calibrated so it might not warrant the cost - but there is big difference I strongly disgaree with BB on this one, like a few other things

 

[bigboss]

We will agree to disagree.

AV Forums calibrates all its TVs & projectors when reviewing, & its views on blu ray picture quality difference between different players is well known.

I haven't found a difference even with the Oppo 105.

 

[basshound]

Depends on how good your tv is and how good it is setup.

If you dont have your TV setup properly then you may not see the difference

I set my TV up using a Spyder 4 TV HD and other people have commented on how good the picture is so I think that side of it is ok,might just spend the cash on more Blu Rays/rentals or maybe buy a very expensive HDMI cable >)

 

[ellisdj]

I think its commented that you dont have to spend hundreds and hundreds of punds to get great picture sound from a blu ray player - good budget decks give excellent performance.

What hifi rate the new Oppos as only just better than budget decks which probably is true - that stopped me buying one outright.

If you have a calibrated display then you will likely get the full benefit of a better player over another - depending on your calibration of course - no insult intended. You ahve to tach cheap calorimeters they drift over time and if you calibrate with a drifted metre your cal will inevitably be off - speaking from experience.

See if you can get a home demo of a UD7007 - its a really cracking BD Player and I find clearly better than the budget decks and more expensive I have seen

 

[bigboss]

or maybe buy a very expensive HDMI cable >)

:wall:

 

[GSB]

Upgrade-itous >)

 

[Pistol Pete1]

Here are my ffindings started with a Sony bdp s350 in 2008. Great machine.

Moved to the Sony bdp s370....great improvement over the s350. Colours more vibrant, improved detail that was instantly noticeable on my hd ready screen.

Brought a panasonic bdt320 today (£99.99) and the sound is an improvement, but picture similar so far. I will be doing some a/b comparisons over the next week but giving the new machine time to warm up.

Just my opinion, take it or leave it as you will. :dance:

 

[themovierooms]

Player differences can be subtle. In my experience big differences can be had with a move from a PS3 to a dedicated player even at £200. I tend to find players between £400-£1000 have big differences in sound and build quality more than anything else. Above that at let’s say Primare BD-32 level is a different kettle of fish altogether, the first time I saw one of these was a complete revelation for both picture and sound.

 

[AnotherJoe]

. I tend to find players between £400-£1000 have big differences in sound and build quality more than anything else.

So your lossless studio quality sound is better than my lossless studio quality sound...

 

[BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW]

Blu Ray PQ, little, or no difference.

DVD upscaling, this will vary on different players.

SQ, I've not noticed any difference.

Spend your money on something that will make a difference, and that doesn't include expensive cables (IMO).

 

[GSB]

I don't believe there is a difference in pq comparing my oppo 105(£1000)and my previous panasonic 310(£170),could be wrong tho picture maybe abitt sharper,colours abitt brighter but not much in it,imho.

Dvd upscaling is by far superior on the oppo,an old 80's dvd i have looks like its in HD!!

Since i use bitstream for film soundtracks there is no difference in sound.

The oppo is much better to use however,offering faster loading times and is totaly silent...there are other features such as playback resume and backlite remote control,zoom modes and i'm sure there are a few more features iv'e neglected to mention aswell.

The 105 is a universal disk spinner,the panasonic isn't

 

[strapped for cash]

Sorry to sound like a stuck record; but if you're wondering how to best spend £250 to gain a notable picture quality upgrade, you should get your TV professionally calibrated, rather than spending the same money on a new BDP.

My view on 1080p performance, having watched the same material played on a high-end BDP and a budget BDP, is that you won't see any difference, unless one or both players is doing something it shouldn't (by which I mean adding undefeatable processing). DVD performance differs quite a bit between players, depending on the onboard processor.

Getting your television calibrated improves image quality with all content, making it something of a no-brainer if you're looking to spend £250 to improve your system.

 

[Dan Turner]

If you get an upmarket blu-ray player such as one of the Cambridges, then the on-board picture adjustments of the more advanced video processor can be the difference between being able to set your picture up perfectly or not. On its own my TV had neither sufficient range of adjustment or finely graduated enough steps, depending on the parameter, to get it set-up perfectly. With the additional adjustment available on my CA, I've got it pretty much spot on - something I would not have been able to do with a cheaper player - and the difference is notable. I have a Digital Video Essentials Blu-ray calibration disc by the way, which I was using to do the set-up.