What 3D Blu Ray player is best with my Onkyo TXSR608 Amp?

[admin_exported]

I have an Onkyo TXSR608 amp & am buying a Samsung 3D T.V. I need to know what is the best blu ray 3d player to buy? I heard that the Panasonic DMP-BDT210 is good, but wondered if I need it's big brother (DMP-BDT310) with the 2 HDMI sockets. I don't mind the extra cost but would the "310" be a waste of money? Would it sound better with the extra HDMI connected to the amp? Please help.

 

[bigboss]

Panasonic 220 & 320 are the latest models. Your Onkyo receiver is 3D capable. The 2nd HDMI in the Panasonic 310 is useful only if the receiver wasn't 3D capable. So I see no advantage here. Go with 210 /220.

 

[stevebrock]

I was considering the BDT 220 to go with new GT50 tv, in the end went for the BDT120 which is exactly the same but without WIFI - 3D blu ray looks fantastic!

I went for the John Lewis deal at £99.99 inc 2 year warranty (not forgetting the 3D blu ray redemption)

 

[Benedict_Arnold]

Panasonic 220 & 320 are the latest models. Your Onkyo receiver is 3D capable. The 2nd HDMI in the Panasonic 310 is useful only if the receiver wasn't 3D capable. So I see no advantage here. Go with 210 /220.

I bought a Panasonic BDT320 here in the US last year. US$142 (about 80 quid?)* from Amazon. The main reason for buying it was that it had built-in wireless internet (for watching Netflix, for example) for not much more than the price of a pukka Panasonic wireless dongle to plug into the unit it replaced.

For:

Good picture, plays 3D Blurays, apparently. I don't like 3D for a variety of reasons, so I can't comment on how good or bad it is at 3D.

Panasonic brand should mean it's bulletproof.

Against:

It only has a single HDMI output, which is a pain if you want the option of putting signals through your receiver and directly to the TV for quieter (or simpler) listening.

Biggest PITA as they say around here, however, is the remote.

It has a kind of touchpad like you find on laptops for controlling most functions of the Bluray. It is EXTREMELY ANNOYING to try and use.

Because of the remote alone, we've just replaced it with an Onkyo BD-SP809. Physically, it''s a bigger unit, don't know why, probably just to justify the price. It has twin HDMI outputs, visually matches the Onkyo TX-NR717 its hooked up to, and doesn't have the stupid touchpad remote. Downside, it takes a long time, just enough to be irritating, not long enough to go and put the kettle on, mind you, to spin up a Bluray, and the price here in the US (Amazon again) is 400 bucks (about 250 quid?)*. We haven't got the wireless LAN dongle plugged into it yet, got to try that tonight.

* Prices = in the US if you buy on line you can usually avoid sales tax, which in Texas is 8.5%, but UK prices should only be 20% higher (for the VAT) at most, except, of course, for the "rip off Britain" factor.

 

[strapped for cash]

I was considering the BDT 220 to go with new GT50 tv, in the end went for the BDT120 which is exactly the same but without WIFI - 3D blu ray looks fantastic!

I went for the John Lewis deal at £99.99 inc 2 year warranty (not forgetting the 3D blu ray redemption)

I couldn't agree more. As per my whining on other threads, I've been going through something of a system overhaul this past month. The one item I've had no issues with whatsoever is the BDT120. It performs flawlessly with 2D & 3D Blu-ray discs, is quick to load discs, and upscales DVDs in a manner approaching BDPs costing five times as much. It's not even particularly noisy in operation.

If you don't need wireless connectivity and can cope with the relatively cheap looks (and there are certainly tackier looking more expensive BDPs around), it's a no brainer.