Old Vs new blu ray players

[jaybee6000]

Hi I have owned a pioneer bdp-450 blu ray player for a number of years which is now on its last legs. It was a very highly regarded machine in it's day about 10 years or so ago in the £200 range of players. How have you found new players compare to older machines? modern players often look a bit small and unsubstantial unless you start paying higher prices for a 4k machine which I don't really have a desire for.
What hifi gives great ratings for the Panasonic DMP bdt180 at around £100. Has technology moved on so cheaper players compare with ones like mine or is it a case of it's a dying technology so manufacturers don't put much effort in?

Thanks for any comments

 

[bigboss]

Hi I have owned a pioneer bdp-450 blu ray player for a number of years which is now on its last legs. It was a very highly regarded machine in it's day about 10 years or so ago in the £200 range of players. How have you found new players compare to older machines? modern players often look a bit small and unsubstantial unless you start paying higher prices for a 4k machine which I don't really have a desire for.
What hifi gives great ratings for the Panasonic DMP bdt180 at around £100. Has technology moved on so cheaper players compare with ones like mine or is it a case of it's a dying technology so manufacturers don't put much effort in?

Thanks for any comments

If you're using HDMI to connect to your TV, then the player doesn't really matter as the quality will be the same. The Panasonic will serve your purpose well, so will equivalent Sony. As bruiser said, you can can look at additional features if that is what you're looking for.

 

[abacus]

The 450 was a universal disc player (It did SACD & DVD Audio as well) whereas most players aren't, however if you don't use these formats then players in the £200 range will be a perfect replacement.
Don't bother with a standard Blu-Ray as good quality 4K players are reasonably priced and thus more future proof.
Yes, players are limited in number as manufactures are not prepared to put a lot of work in for such a small customer base.

Bill

 

[jaybee6000]

Thank you for the replies, I thought of the 4k ones but would I just be paying extra for 4k capability which doesn't really interest me as I want it to play my large collection of dvd/ blu rays rather, I'm not looking to buy a large amount of new 4k discs. Although they do often have upscaling if that is worth it.

 

[davidf]

Thank you for the replies, I thought of the 4k ones but would I just be paying extra for 4k capability which doesn't really interest me as I want it to play my large collection of dvd/ blu rays rather, I'm not looking to buy a large amount of new 4k discs. Although they do often have upscaling if that is worth it.

Players usually have better upscaling than TVs. There was quite a difference between the upscaling of my old Sony X700 to my current Sony X800m2, particularly noticeable if watching a DVD.

Even the entry level players look good, but there will be a difference in the amount of noise they make - the 800m2 is far quieter playing 4K discs than the X700 was as there’s much more to the casework. When the player is a few feet away from you, it’s important!

 

[leemccann1]

Old players look a lot more cool than the plasticky new ones. Very few manufacturers even make 4K ones, no denon for eg and they made some great Blu ray players.

Think it’s a sign of the times that 4K players are so cheap.

But undoubtedly newer players will perform better. Faster loading times too