# Is it worth paying for a Blu Ray DVD player?



## Slash (29 Apr 2009)

Our DVD player seems to have packed up. It just won't play DVDs any more. It's about 5 years old. I opened it up but could not see anything obviously wrong with it. Used a cleaner also, which did not make any difference. Probably not worth repairing, since DVD players are pretty cheap now. So, looks like we'll have to buy a new one.

So, my question is: should I go for a conventional DVD player, or a DVD play and record machine, or go for a Blu Ray player (I don't think there are Blu Ray play/record machines).

Anyone got any opinions on this? Thanks.


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## Smashbox (29 Apr 2009)

There are. I have a Philips DVD Recorder that plays blu ray. Very happy with it, great quality, you just have to be prepared to pay more for DVDs.


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## gebbel (29 Apr 2009)

I'm assuming you already have a High Definition LCD or Plasma TV, because if not then a Blu-Ray player is no use to you (they require a HDMI connection). The quality of images from a Blu Ray player are quite stunning as opposed to normal DVDs. Importantly however, they can still play normal DVDs. Sony are giving them free with selected high end LCD TVs. They can be bought for around €170 now, but shop online for the best prices. Are they worth it? I would call them a non-essential luxury that really enhance your home cinema experience. I must admit I love mine!


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## meatmonger (29 Apr 2009)

Content is the key thing here (assuming your TV is already HD) oh and a decent HDMI cable is expensive enough.

Do you see yourself buying quite expensive blu-ray discs (worth pricing on line) or checking out in local rental store.  I have a good TV/AV/Satelite system and opt for sky HD instead.  Great range of content, although sky aren't cheap either.  The PS3 is a blu-ray player too!

The quality of HD is amazing and worth the investment


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## keithrf900 (29 Apr 2009)

Get yourself a sony playstation 3. It has a blue ray player and it plays music cd's and you can hook it up to your internet,play stuff off a usb fob. along with play games. Its a super piece of work.


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## Latrade (29 Apr 2009)

Echo all the comments, you have a couple of choices really. If you've a large enough DVD collection, you can get a Blue Ray player that upscales these to HD(ish) quality.

Generally for price the Playstation 3 isn't a bad buy. You'll have to get a separate remote control etc, but you get a fully functioning Blue Ray player and one that is "future proof". New features have been added, and will continue to be added, to Blue Ray, the PS3 automatically updates the firmware. A lot of the current Blue Ray players can't be updated. And example is the Blue Ray Live, which is really just a feature to access additonal bonus material beyond the extras on the disk. Probably only a major feature if you watch all the bonus stuff though.

There's still a possibility current BR might become redundant more quickly than dvd did though. There are increasing developments on the amount of information stored on the disk and this may not be compatible with current players (so requiring a new machine each time). Also, there's a view that HD movie downloads will take off (as long as digital rights can be sorted out) especially as broadband speeds increase and HDD storage increases and gets cheaper. A 1TB external drive could store upto 1000 HD movies, which is a hell of a lot, and would also mean the PS3 might be the better buy as (I think) you could connect an external drive to it or stream HD videos to it from your PC.


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## tiger (29 Apr 2009)

Latrade said:


> ...There's still a possibility current BR might become redundant more quickly than dvd did though....


 
The other element is streaming/downloading HD videos. e.g. something like xbox live or .
Might be sometime before these come to IRL, plus you need decent broadband...


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## Squonk (30 Apr 2009)

I bought a Sony Blu-Ray Machine ~€230 at Christmas and I have a Sony 40" LCD. Watching a blu-ray disc like David Attenbough's Planet Earth is simply amazing...jaw dropping. Go for it. (Also, the blu-ray machine does an outstanding upscaling job on regulard DVDs).
Links : 
) 
http://www.play.com/DVD/Blu-ray/4-/3388938/Planet-Earth-Box-Set/Product.html?cur=258


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## DaveD (1 May 2009)

Just remember that if you have any standard DVDs that are not Region 2 (western europe etc) then you'll have to get a Blu Ray player that can be made multiregion for the normal DVD's. You can't get any that play different region Blu Ray discs but some can play multiregion standard DVD. Can't remember which can be made multiregion for DVD though!


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## Leo (1 May 2009)

meatmonger said:


> ...oh and a decent HDMI cable is expensive enough.


 
HDMI is a digital interface, expensive cables are a waste of money and will give no performace improvement.
Leo


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## meatmonger (1 May 2009)

Leo said:


> HDMI is a digital interface, expensive cables are a waste of money and will give no performace improvement.
> Leo


 
cheap HDMI cable are expensive if you would like me to say it another way.

interesting opinion all the same techo


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## Leo (1 May 2009)

meatmonger said:


> cheap HDMI cable are expensive if you would like me to say it another way.
> 
> interesting opinion all the same techo


 
As with most things, shop around. You'll get 1.5m cables from about €5.

The HDMI specs were designed so that standard copper cables would be more than capable at lengths of up to 10m. Most shops are pushing really expensive OFC, etc. cables that make no difference. An analogue signal will suffer from attenuation and interference which is where the high quality copper and sheilding come in to play. The same doesn't hold for a digital signal.


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## gebbel (1 May 2009)

I think it is worth mentioning also that the true worth of Blu ray players becomes apparent on Full HD (1080p) panels, rather than the lesser HD Ready ones.  Also, it is really only larger panels (i.e. > 32 inches) that can display the images in all their glory. Anything less that those, and any normal upscaling DVD player will do the job just fine.


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## npgallag (1 May 2009)

Any opinions on this player



or would i be better going for this blue ray player



would like a hard drive though to record tv...I have a 47" Tosh Regza full HD tv. Thanks


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## Squonk (1 May 2009)

Try this site [broken link removed]


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## Locke (1 May 2009)

The quality is amazing with the Blu-Ray. But make sure tyour TV is up for it!

Can't go wrong with SONY


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## sfag (1 May 2009)

Disposable media is obsolute. This is a last ditch effort by the media and electronics companies to get you to re buy something that have. 

Jaw dropping viewing is all down to content - not quality.!


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## Smashbox (1 May 2009)

My Philips one was cheaper than those, will have to see if I can find it anywhere


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## Squonk (1 May 2009)

sfag said:


> Jaw dropping viewing is all down to content - not quality.!


 Ah stop the messin! I'm talking about the pure visual and aural experience.


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## glic83 (20 May 2009)

gebbel said:


> I think it is worth mentioning also that the true worth of Blu ray players becomes apparent on Full HD (1080p) panels, rather than the lesser HD Ready ones.  Also, it is really only larger panels (i.e. > 32 inches) that can display the images in all their glory. Anything less that those, and any normal upscaling DVD player will do the job just fine.



its actually up towards the 46" mark before you will notice any difference between 720p and 1080p


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## offshore (18 Aug 2009)

Buy a PS3 and you won't be disappointed


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## packard (18 Aug 2009)

keithrf900 said:


> Get yourself a sony playstation 3. It has a blue ray player and it plays music cd's and you can hook it up to your internet,play stuff off a usb fob. along with play games. Its a super piece of work.


 Completely agree, you get two for the price of one with it.


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