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Bluray player & soundbar

Alan007Alan007
in General Discussion Posts: 406
Can someone recommend a bluray player and soundbar. Got a Samsung has tv a couple of years ago and still using a cheap dvd player through the scart and just wanting a cheapish but good upgrade. Would like a soundbar as well, I know surround sound would probably be better but I've a 5 month baby girl and don't fancy wires lying around the room. Budget probably no more than £200

Comments

  • sunsanvilsunsanvil Somewhere in Canada....somewhere.
    edited February 2016 Posts: 260
    There is only one BD player worth considering, and that is the OppoDigital. Not going to get one for £200 though.

    I'm not a fan of soundbars on principal, but if you must, Paradigm makes a half decent one but again, your budget precludes.

    I'd sincerely recommend saving up a bit more rather than dropping a couple hundred on throwaway gear.
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    edited February 2016 Posts: 9,020
    I got a LG soundbar.
    This one:

    it's ear-shatteringly good, if you can turn the volume up, but also on lower volume level just great and clear sound! and of course, unlike most soundbars, this one looks beautiful too.

    <iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5n4K0JZNl9M"; frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
  • ThunderpussyThunderpussy My Secret Lair
    Posts: 13,384
    http://www.sony.co.uk/electronics/blu-ray-disc-players/bdp-s3500
    I have a Sony bdp-s3500, and love it as it plays everything Bluray, DVD, or
    Divx. Also has a USB for playing downloads etc and it's got wireless connection.
    I got mine for£75. Don't know much about soundbars, I got a demo model off
    Of eBay ( Alba 20 watts) for£25. So far was me kitted out for £100.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    edited February 2016 Posts: 23,883
    I'm not an expert on this, but I purchased a Samsung soundbar a few years back. I was not impressed. The sound was directional and the 'surround' feature messed up dialogue somewhat. After trying it for a little while, I returned it and purchased a Sony Home Theatre package (just as it was being discontinued so it only cost me a little more) instead (similar to the one below). Couldn't be happier.

    27193

    Regarding blu ray players, I didn't think there was much between them to be honest. I have an LG & a Sony and I can't tell the difference. They both upscale dvd's. If I could do it again, I'd get a 'region free' blu ray player, so I'd be able to pick up discs from any region/country without worrying about whether they would play.
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    Posts: 9,020
    I have this blu-ray player, which is fabulous.
    Here a video I found of it.
    <iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-puSk7j5JEU"; frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
  • sunsanvilsunsanvil Somewhere in Canada....somewhere.
    Posts: 260
    bondjames wrote: »
    Regarding blu ray players, I didn't think there was much between them to be honest.

    When you look at the output at the pixel level, there can be enormous differences. Whether one can "see" them or not is more of an academic question of how educated the viewer is in the area of video display technology and performance, as well as the capabilities of the attached display device.

    For my part, I like to see people into equipment which is categorically "correct" as opposed to "ok".

    Back when DVD was into 3rd generation players the press and public at large were still waxing poetic about how awesome it was...until a small group exposed the CUE (Chroma Upsample Error) inherent to the video decoder in (almost) every player at the time. It was so embarrassing that to save face people, especially the press and manufacturers, tried to downplay it but once people took the two seconds to learn exactly what constituted a good picture, they of course demanded better. Point being: not all video players, including today's BD players, are "the same".

    Sorry for the little sidetrack there but this is a subject I am particularly passionate about.
  • bondjamesbondjames You were expecting someone else?
    edited February 2016 Posts: 23,883
    sunsanvil wrote: »
    Sorry for the little sidetrack there but this is a subject I am particularly passionate about.

    I can see that @sunsanvil. Not being all that versed with this, it all seems French (which I can understand but am not all that great with speaking) to me.

    Bottom line, to my simplistic eyes at least, my two players are similar in the way they display content.

    Where I can see a noticeable difference is when it comes to the discs themselves. For example, I had the older version of the Terminator blu ray and it was horrid. Not much better than DVD. When I purchased the newer remastered version, I noticed a world of difference.

    Same thing applied to the 4K version of Godzilla (1998) vs. the original issue (big difference). However, it didn't apply to the 4K Angels and Demons version vs. the original issue, where I couldn't tell the difference at all. Moreover, I preferred the original version because it had the extended version of the film itself.
  • tanaka123tanaka123
    Posts: 4,325
    I'd try and go full 5.1 if you can, of course that might not be practical for everyone. Sony do good home theatre in a box setups as mentioned by bondjames above. If you can afford it though I would recommend home cinema separates.
  • BondJasonBond006BondJasonBond006 on fb and ajb
    Posts: 9,020
    I like to add this:

    Important is that you have a good quality tv-set, a good quality blu-ray player and a good-quality soundbar/surround system.

    There is no sense in owning a great tv-set when your dvd/blu-ray player is crap and vice versa.

    So if you own a good tv-set, it makes sense to buy a good quality (=expensive) blu-ray player. But if you have an average tv-set, why spent 200 USD for a blu-ray player, then get one for 50, it'll do.

    If you plan to buy a new TV soon, then get a high quality blu-ray player, because nowadays TV's are 4K and have spectacular picture quality.



  • Alan007Alan007
    Posts: 406
    Thanks for the tips. In my old house i had my tv playing through my hifi but cant get it placed beside the tv in my new house.
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