New bluray player suggestions

[admin_exported]

Hi all,

Having just joine the forum I thought I'd ask for some advice on a new Bluray player.

I have a Panasonic TH42PZ70 TV with a 1st gen PS3 running as a 1080p bluray source.

I have just "invested!" in a new Pioneer vsx920 AV receiver and some Linn Komponent speakers and also refreshed the HDMI/Interconnects/speaker cables (QED ref and XT silver anniversary) so is sounding really nice.

I have had no complaints over the 18months or so that I've owned the TV but I borrowed a Samsung Bluray player from my Dad and there is a definate difference in the PQ of the bluray player compared to the PS3 (both Bluray and upscaled DVD)

I have been looking at the Pioneer BDP320 as it has 5 stars on this site but one comment complained about jittery panning if running on 24fps (albeit on a HD ready 1080i Panasonic TV) Will I notice this on my TV as it is Full HD and accepts 24fps? (not sure if it upscales to 50/60hz though)

I like the look of the Pioneer and it would be nice to match but it isn't the end of the world (I also have a NAD cd player sat with them) so can anyone suggest a suitable bluray player to match this system?

Pioneer RRP is £400 but I can easily get it for sub £200 and overall budget is £350-400 max really (unless I will see a CONSIDERABLE improvement)

Thanks in advance....

 

[Anonymous]

Very good question, I'm looking to buy either the Panasonic DMP 85 for £209.00 or the Pioneer BDP LX 52 for £275 but which is best? The Pioneer cost £550 only a few months ago.

Would you consider either of these for your set up?

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the prompt reply - just had a look at the BDP LX52 and looks pretty tasty - I'll have a read. I'm not sure if I will still get the jittery panning or not in the 24fps mode though...?

 

[Anonymous]

My current 40'' LCD tv is only 720p and not 24fps, although I will be upgrading this fairly soon.

From what I have read in October 2009 review of the Pinoeer LX 52 it looks great, but the Panasonic 85 being best buy up to £600 makes me think that with it being the latest generation of blu ray players. it may be better than the more expensive Pioneer :S

Help please

 

[john1000000boy]

Facing the same problem. I have no player- dvd or blu ray and just cannot decide on what would be best.

The 52 looks excellent and would match my 82 amp with pqls perfectly.

My tv is not full hd but is 24fps.

Quite like the idea of a universal player and not sure whether to wait for the new lx54 due out by christmas. Does it do sacd??

SOMEONE JUST TELL ME TO BUY THE 52!!!

 

[Anonymous]

I think I will buy the Panasonic BD 85 as it is a little cheaper it also has wifi connectivity.

Will let you know how I think it compares to my old PS3

 

[Anonymous]

Hmm....

I was pretty much set on the BDP320 and now having looked at the BDP LX52 reviews and specs I'm very tempted (half price helps too!)

I'm gonna have a look at them in person on Thurs so will prob buy then.

I'll report back too!

As an aside, having done some research online before posting on here, I have changed some of the setup settings on my TV (overscanning to off - which made a massive difference) and forcing the PS3 to play 24fps with DTS HD which I didn't know it decoded! I am much happier with the PS3 PQ. Happily the TV is playing the 24fps in raw format too as it's playing at 48htz - Yay!

I'll take it with me to compare in Moss of Bath on Thursday

 

[Anonymous]

Well,

Went to Moss of Bath today and auditioned the 320 and LX52.

Both players are an improvement on the PS3 I had. Used Watchmen and Casino Royale (BR) and American Pyscho (DVD) to test the players.

Chose the BDP LX52 which I managed to get for £280 (brand new boxed) which I was really happy with.

At home:-

The opening scene in Watchmen is great as there are so many tests for a
Bluray player. Lots of dark colours, smashed glass, and fighting which
shows the panning qualities off perfectly.

Casino Royale is much brighter, 3rd scene where the girl gets out of the water on the yacht was rendered perfectly, and a few seconds later all the yachs are in the port and lines are crisp against the water.

American Psycho actually looked HD when the Pioneer was upscaling. Pat Batemans apartment at the beginning of the film is a very modern slick apartment with lots of white hard edges. They are all rendered beautifully and very sharp.

I changed my TV settings to "Cinema" and the colour contrast to "warm" Having done some research this shows the greyscale perfectly and has definitely improved the pictures I have seen since.

Overall - very happy and thanks to Fujineg for the original suggestion.

Right, what can I start researching next to buy......!!!

 

[Anonymous]

Great news prkprk1!

I have also decided to choose the Pioneer LX52, I'm waiting for my local store to take delivery.

Will let you know what I think of it soon.

 

[markyd]

I wouldnt rule out the Sony 370/570's. They might have rubbish build quality, but the network features take the players to a whole different level. I nearly bought the Panasonic BD-85, but the Panasonic net features are not in the same leauge, even if picture quality is equivalent. Being 'last gen' - I cant imagine the Pioneer LX-52 has much to offer in this dept, despite the ethernet port.

I have a s570, and I use the nework features more than the blu-ray/DVD transport. I didn't think that would be the case, but online content is rapidly changing the way I view. From a picture quality point of view - to my eye iplayer HD on the sony looks significantly better than off-air broadcasts. Go figure.

 

[Anonymous]

I will still have my PS3 for online content, I have played a little with BD live and BBC iPlayer but very rarely. The main purpose of upgrading is for pure picture quality and HD sound through my great new amp.

 

[markyd]

Fairplay re: the internet content - but the sony's still have great picure + sound quality too!

I could be wrong, but the Sony 760 won What Hi-fi £300-£600 blu-ray product of the year 2009 (Sony 760) - the same year the LX52 was released (at £550, so same category)

Then the 370 demoted the 760 to 4 stars on account of its notable superior sound and pic reproduction (Sony 370).

So dont rule it out!

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the advice, it is so difficult to get one straight answer as all images and sound quality measures are purely based subjectivley by the person/s reviewing.

I'm sure I have made the right decision for me, plus getting a 5* product at half price sweetend the deal for me, I'm sure if the Pioneer had been priced at £275 in said review, there may have been a different outcome thanks to performance per buck ratio lol.

I look forward to seeing and hearing the improvements. My personal review of new LX52 aginst old PS3 coming soon....

Jon

 

[Ronald Archiebald]

JohnBoy,

Go get that BDP-LX52!

Ronald

 

[grdunn123]

prkprk1:
Hi all,

Having just joine the forum I thought I'd ask for some advice on a new Bluray player.

I have a Panasonic TH42PZ70 TV with a 1st gen PS3 running as a 1080p bluray source.

I have just "invested!" in a new Pioneer vsx920 AV receiver and some Linn Komponent speakers and also refreshed the HDMI/Interconnects/speaker cables (QED ref and XT silver anniversary) so is sounding really nice.

I have had no complaints over the 18months or so that I've owned the TV but I borrowed a Samsung Bluray player from my Dad and there is a definate difference in the PQ of the bluray player compared to the PS3 (both Bluray and upscaled DVD)

I have been looking at the Pioneer BDP320 as it has 5 stars on this site but one comment complained about jittery panning if running on 24fps (albeit on a HD ready 1080i Panasonic TV) Will I notice this on my TV as it is Full HD and accepts 24fps? (not sure if it upscales to 50/60hz though)

I like the look of the Pioneer and it would be nice to match but it isn't the end of the world (I also have a NAD cd player sat with them) so can anyone suggest a suitable bluray player to match this system?

Pioneer RRP is £400 but I can easily get it for sub £200 and overall budget is £350-400 max really (unless I will see a CONSIDERABLE improvement)

Thanks in advance....

I woud go for the Sony BDP-S570 which this magdescribes as the best sub £400 B player.....bargain at a lot less than £400, spend some on discs,cables etc

 

[tlspuds]

prkprk1: Pioneer RRP is £400 but I can easily get it for sub £200

From where?, I'd take someone's hand off for less than 200.

 

[john1000000boy]

Great thread this..... Still not purchased the 52 yet. Does anyone see a huge difference with blu ray over a hd ready set like my pioneer 4280 I was previously using a denon dvd 1920. I guess this was upscaling dvd. Am i right in saying the picture quality will be a huge step up??

 

[Anonymous]

Well great news!!

Picked up my new Pioneer BDP LX52 yesterday, man in shop suggested allowing new player to run in for 24 hrs, run a cd on repeat, to help it.

As soon as I got it home, I got it plugged in and set up very quickly, no problems. Stuck Quantum of Solace on Blu Ray in, was blown away by the sound! I honestly didn't think that I would notice any difference, my amp now displays DTS Master Audio and OMG was there a substantial improvement!

Image clarity wasn't a significant improvement at first, but as the film progressed colours seemed incredible, true, bright and realistic, blacks were inky black, fabulous sharpness to edges.

I then had to watch the whole film as I was watching as if I had never seen or heard it before!

I then tried The Dark Knight on Blu Ray, this is where I found a mssive improvement to the picture quality over my old PS3. I swear the picture was getting better and better. I also tried it for CD playback by listening to Rhianna, I was very impressed and feel it sounds clearer and fuller than my Iphone through my Arcam irDock connected to my amp.

I finally settled on the sofa to watch Australia on Blu Ray.

I am so happy with my new player. 100% recommended

Jon

 

[Anonymous]

I bought a BDP-LX52 some 3 months ago and while I am very impressed with the quality of the player, I am looking at changing to a Sony BDP-S570 as it has the features that I require; internet connectivity for playing films from Love Film, youtube and Iplayer etc. as well as the ability to stream my networked media through the player. I ultimately need a more feature rich player and the LX52 just isn't doing it for me. I just home I can recoup most of what I paid for it on flebay to fund the S570 and hopefully have some cash left over...

 

[tlspuds]

dougolada: I am looking at changing to a Sony BDP-S570 as it has the features that I require. I ultimately need a more feature rich player and the LX52 just isn't doing it for me.

I can see what you'll gain with the Sony, but do you think you might be losing on picture and sound quality? I'm interested in both of these players and as much as I'd like the Pioneer its slow loading and lack of features is making me look at the much cheaper Sony's.

 

[Anonymous]

tlspuds:
I can see what you'll gain with the Sony, but do you think you might be losing on picture and sound quality? I'm interested in both of these players and as much as I'd like the Pioneer its slow loading and lack of features is making me look at the much cheaper Sony's.

I think that may be the case, but to be honest, if I want a player with the features of the Sony and the picture & sound quality of the Pioneer, it would be looking at spending more money than I really want to right now... From what I have read, the quality of the Sony is very good. Perhaps not as good as the Pioneer, but I reckon it will be as good as I need for the time being...

 

[Anonymous]

Well I can confirm that the Pioneer does take a little longer to load Blu Ray, no way near as long as I was feared it may take.

During those moments of loading, I feel reasuringly comforted that I will marvel and enjoy whats to come

As soon (if ever) the Sony BDP-S5000ES becomes available at half price (£600) That will be my next Blu Ray player.

Jon

 

[tlspuds]

I wish there was an area here for members to sell their old kit.

 

[Anonymous]

Why, what are you wanting to buy/sell tlspuds?

 

[tlspuds]

A general comment on members being allowed to advertise their old hardware to like minded individuals and avoid the fleabays of this world. I'm still looking for a deal on the LX52, with a fallback plan to get the Sony your after @ £175 or less.

I'm wondering when the replacement for the Pioneer will be out, as its almost certain to have network features and there should be clearance bargains on the LX52.