(Part 2) Best blu-ray players & recorders according to redditors

https://www.amazon.com/Sony-BDP-CX960-Blu-ray-MegaChanger-Black/dp/B002M78J70

I’m guessing you were talking about this. But no, nothing for UHD discs. If you don’t want to get up and change out disc after disc, using a NAS with quality copies (say half bitrate, so ~18GB-20GB a movie, not using fast compression), then you can do that.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ICDAAX4/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_bmuZtb1PFVC0Z

This is a really good one that I use. here's my previous "review" of it

>Copy/Pasted from another comment reply:

>>This Region free Blu ray player I've recommended a few times on this sub. For the price I think it can't be beat. It's what I got when I upgraded my tv setup, and I have had no problems so far. Though, its the only non-PS3 bluray player I've ever had, so I'm by no means an expert.

>>>It plays all DVD's regardless of region. And you can change it's blu ray region on the fly using the remote control. Meaning if you put in a British blu ray it'll say "sorry wrong region" but then you go to the menu, type a code, and select the appropriate region and re insert the blu ray. I can't recommend it enough. I've had no problems so far and I've watched it literally at least 8 hours a day since October. It also supports USB media drives (all files including mkv's) and 3D blurays, though I've never tested that because my world is still two dimensional.

Laziness leads to me copy/pasting, don't take it as lack of interest in responding.

This is what I've been using lately, works great. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00BFEF9N8/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1427424915&sr=8-1&keywords=ivid+bd780+3d+multi+region+free+blu+ray+dvd+player+ntsc+pal

not op but I got mine here and absolutely love it! Not oppo but works great and is relatively cost effective

The player is a Sony BDPS1200 Smart Blu-ray Disc Player. Currently, Kwaidan is the only Region 2 DVD that I have, but I plan on picking up more Region 2/B discs in the future. I currently have this nice, steelbook release of Nausicaa Of The Valley Of The Wind ordered.

The DVD is the Masters of Cinema release of Kwaidan. The Criterion release is actually missing 20 minutes of the film, while this one is not. The middle BD is The Magnificent Seven Collection. It includes all four movies. And the last BD is the complete series of Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water, a pre-Evangelion series directed by Hideaki Anno. I ordered it back before Christmas when it was half-off during Right Stuf's big sale. It was on backorder for months.

Oh I know about the troubles of regions on them. I suppose if region locks are a thing you encounter often, a region-free blu-ray player would do the trick?

I have this one, it works pretty goods.

it was actually recommended to my by a fellow redditor, i purchased from amazon, Here is the link, althuogh i bought mine for 126. i havent had a chance to use it yet but from how it was explained, the regions are changed using a code you put in with the remote and then it should play flawlessly.

I recommend this one to anyone that asks. Runs about $250 whether you buy direct from 220 or from Amazon. Had mine since Christmas and runs like a gem.

Something like this ?

https://www.amazon.com/Sony-BDPS1700-Streaming-Blu-Ray-Player/dp/B01AT6B14S/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1527723158&sr=1-1&keywords=bdps1500

Samsung H5900
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00ICDAAXO/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1421559188&sr=8-1&dpPl=1&dpID=31Cx-PbM5lL&ref=plSrch&pi=AC_SX200_QL40

PS3 won't play MKV files

So I am an up-and-coming Home Theater installer and recently got myself my first decent home theater setup. This is leaps and bounds better that what I had before (a 32" and a soundbar), which is now my bedroom setup. I am very happy with this setup and enjoy it almost daily.

My current configuration includes the following:
92" Pull Down Screen
Epson 2030 1080p 3D Projector (ISF Calibrated)
Polk Audio TL250 + Polk Audio PSW10 Sub
Yamaha RX-V477
Samsung BD-F5900
Chromecast

With some vendor deals and discounts, I was able to get this entire setup for just shy of $1500.

So my question is, how did I do? Could I have done better within this budget? Are there any components to this system that stand out as poor choices? Are there any cost effective ways to help control the levels of light in the room? When I move into a house in about 5 years, which components should I upgrade?

Thanks in advance for your input.

For $300 to $400 for music and possible use with a TV, an AV receiver and a pair of bookshelf speakers will be much better.

Then you also have HDMI switching as well as onboard crossovers and the option of adding more speakers for surround sound later if you want to. Just as easy to setup as a system in a box.

Receivers:

• Denon AVR-S540 $150 refurbished 5.2, one year factory warranty, with HDMI 2.0B and HDCP 2.2 for 4K video switching.
  
• Denon AVR-S640 $200 refurbished 5.2 adds Audyssey MultEQ room correction / speaker calibration.
  
• Denon AVRX1400 $250 refurbished 7.2/5.2.2, adds the excellent Audyssey MultEQ XT, or new half price for $300 with a 3 year factory warranty.
  
  For a CD player add one for $100+ or for a low budget a $35 DVD player or a $65+ Blu-ray player or a Ultra 4K player for $160+. Also very easy to find a used CD or DVD player at thrift shops for $10.
  
  Speakers:
  
  Bookshelf $100 to $250:
  
  
• Airmotiv B1 Pair $230, great deal and recently reduced from $300.
  
• Big Infinity Reference R162 $175 refurbished.
  
• Wavecrest Audio HVL-1, and order on sale here at Ascend $80 each + shipping.
  
• Polk S15 $185.
  
• BIC Venturi DV62si 6-1/2" 2-Way Bookshelf Speaker Pair $120.
  
• Polk Audio Monitor 40 $100
  
  Towers:
  
  
• BOSTON ACOUSTICS A250 5.25" $225
  
• Pioneer-SP-FS52 $200
  
  Speaker wire:
  
  
• Pure copper oxygen free 16 Guage and self adjusting wire strippers or basic.
  
• Or get pre-cut and terminated with Banana Plugs Micca. Or KK for the Denon 540.
  
  Home Theater Guides:
  
  r/HTBuyingGuides FAQ • How to Set Up a Basic Home Theater System - Lifewire • How to Set Up Your Home Theater Receiver • Speaker Placement for Home Theater
  
  Home Audio Guides:
  
  Intro to home stereo systems • Zeos Tutorials, Diagrams and Videos • r/Audiophile Getting Started • Beginner's Guide to Home Audio • AverageJoeAudiophile's Guides • Speaker Placement for Stereo Music Listening.

It took me like ten seconds to find one on Amazon for less than eighty soooooo

https://www.amazon.com/Sanyo-Ultra-Blu-Ray-Player/dp/B07931LR92

As far as I can tell this should take care of your blu-rays, USB & Netflix. Though I just glanced quickly... read it more thoroughly to be sure.

Edit: For anyone in the US looking for a blu-ray player this seems to do all of the things listed above as well... Again, be sure to read everything thoroughly.

LG BD570 Network Blu-ray Disc Player

Samsung BD-C6500 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/742302-REG/Teac_CD_P650_CD_Player_with_USB.html

https://www.amazon.com/Sony-BDPS1700-Streaming-Blu-Ray-Renewed/dp/B07M865YMJ

.

https://www.shopgoodwill.com/Listings?st=Sony%20CD%20player&sg=&c=&s=&lp=0&hp=999999&sbn=false&spo=false&snpo=false&socs=false&sd=false&sca=false&caed=9/17/2019&cadb=7&scs=false&sis=false&col=0&p=1&ps=40&desc=false&ss=0&UseBuyerPrefs=true

LPT: spend a couple of extra bucks (or maybe save a few) and get a 4K player (not just "4K upscaling;" that's a trap). Sure it's overpowered now, but you'll be able to use it for another couple of decades and you'll have it in-hand when you see a cheap 4K TV you want in a few years (they're bonkers cheap now, compared with just a couple of years ago).

$15 more: https://www.amazon.com/LG-Blu-ray-Compatibility-Upconvert-Ethernet/dp/B077KXYTGG

$20 less (it's a refurb, but hey, it's new to you): https://www.amazon.com/Sanyo-Ultra-Blu-Ray-Player/dp/B07931LR92
(I just noticed they say this one doesn't have Netflix and Amazon streaming apps; which is kind of a downer if you have no other source for those, like built into your TV, or on a Chromecast/Roku/Fire/AppleTV dongle...)

Sony BDPS1700 Wired Streaming Blu-Ray Disc Player with 6ft High Speed HDMI Cable (Renewed) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07M865YMJ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_-dknDb1WW3E3D

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AWKC0EC/ This is the one I got. Works great!

I second this one. Our Sony bluray player has a dedicated Netflix button on the remote. It also has WiFi built in along with a number of other apps like Hulu+, Vudu, etc. (no HBOGo though). This is similar to the model I have:

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-BDP-S3100-Blu-ray-Player-Wi-Fi/dp/B00AWKC0EC/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1426271475&sr=8-10&keywords=sony+bdp+wifi

I think we got it on sale for $50 at Best Buy 2 years ago.

A couple things.

1. In my experience ripping your entire collection is a giant pain in the ass but it will serve as a back up of your physical media. Unless you plan on keeping the physical media offsite you really aren't "disaster" proof. Have you considered a Blu Ray Jukebox piece of hardware? http://www.amazon.com/Sony-BDP-CX7000ES-Blu-ray-Changer-Black/dp/B002JIMRFC/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1346752152&sr=1-1&keywords=blu+ray+changer
   
2. You will need storage and redundancy in case a drive fails. I currently use 3 1.5 TB drives in RAID 5.
   
3. I don't care what anyone says wireless can't handle streaming HD content. If you must use wireless you may see some shuddering while watching HD videos.
   
4. If you intend on downloading new content consider a "media sever" to host the content on a wired connection. Create network shares to allow access from remote devices.
   
5. Other devices exist now that can take the place of a HTPC. Check out a roku box or boxee box.
   

I've had this one for quite a while. I really only use it for Netflix, Revision3, and Youtube. I just find remote controls are horrible ways to interact with apps. Also, connected to the same TV is a Roku and a PC.

I rarely use the Roku. The remote and UI are shit. It's just a pain to deal with.

It seems to be out of print from North American licensors. Like others have mentioned, the series is available on Blu-Ray from Madman in Australia. You'd have to find a way around the region locking though (like getting a region free Blu-Ray player for example). It's a lot easier to get around the region locking with DVDs since any computer or laptop with a DVD drive, can play a DVD from any region, be it with the help of special software or not. The series is available on DVD in Europe for a good price.

If you're willing to, you can wait until the 20th anniversary of the series to see if it will be rereleased on Blu-Ray in North America. However, if that doesn't happen, consider the options that I mentioned earlier in this comment.

Hope this helped.

EDIT: Anime Works has the North American license and will release the series on DVD on December 3rd this year.

I have this one
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BFDHVAS/ref=wms_ohs_product?ie=UTF8&psc=1
very similar. only complaint is when watching netflix HD, on occasion it would stutter and become unwatchable for about 30 seconds. come to think of it, this hasn't happend in a while.

I'm in Australia so I came across the issue of needing a region-free player as well. I've been using this one since February:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0089KJPM2/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Absolutely no problems yet.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075VCYRG4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

​

Bought this one and its working really well. This one came with all the plugs so you can just use the outlet in your home.

Between the PS3, and now the PS4 and Xbox One, and all the standalone players that are now in the $100 range or less, most people have them. Anyone that doesn't have one, doesn't really care and probably wouldn't use the feature on Wii U much.

Amazon is currently selling a Samsung Blu-Ray Player for $59.54. That's cheap, not terribly different to what DVD players cost when the PS3 came out. If somebody was interested in owning one, there's no excuse not to by now.

http://www.amazon.com/OREI-BDP-M2-Blu-Ray-Player/dp/B0089KJPM2/ref=pd_sim_sbs_e_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=03D1KQAWF40N2TXWZ3FN

Another thing to add to this is if you don't have a fancy cable box or what not then the xbox basically becomes one as well, like the google tv. And if the xbox takes up that role for you, then it basically just became a 150 dollar console. Also just keep an open mind, I'm personally going for both with the xbox first but to be completely honest they are both going to be extremely successful and provide a good gaming experience for anyone who uses them.

I don't really want to buy stuff from ebay. And I don't really know what PAL/SECAM refresh rates are. Would it be better to spend a little more and get this or something like this... http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-BD-F5100-Upgraded-Region-Player/dp/B00GSZ5ISK/ref=sr_1_2?s=tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1410907550&sr=1-2

what you are describing is standard in pretty much any blu ray player sold today.

http://www.amazon.com/Samsung-BD-H5900-Blu-Ray-Disc-Player/dp/B00ICDAAXO/

I think there are region free blu-ray / dvd players available on the market. here's one. But they seem pretty expensive (150$+) so I am looking for recommendations on cheaper ones

I know this is more than what your target price was, but I would suggest picking this player up. It’s region free AND 4K, so it’d be worth the extra $100 (imo) for the 4K capability

LG 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Player DVD Player UP870 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0795CJ3XH/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_6cSYBbM0AYCWT

I had a 3 disk DVD player, it broke. My guess is that with such a low cost of players now people wouldn't spend the money on a player that holds 100 discs. That wouldn't even be my whole collection and my collection in my mind is pretty small.

They had them. Guess Sony didn't sell enough to keep selling them. http://www.amazon.com/Sony-BDP-CX960-Blu-ray-MegaChanger-Black/dp/B002M78J70

With $500 a 5.1 is very possible. Let's see if we can do a shopping list.

• AVR - Denon AVRS500BT-R $200
  
  
• BDP - Sony BDPS5200 $75
  
  Speakers - This is the hard part. You have several options that I see take a look as ask questions.
  
  

1. Dayton Audio HTP-2 $200 This would be a good set to look at because of the sub. The Dayton 10" is more than capable for a small to medium sized room.
   
   
2. JBL Cinema 510 $200 This set should be for smaller rooms only. The ultra small sat size could be a good or bad thing.
   
   
3. Monoprice 108247 $105 Cheaper of the monoprice sets...it's cheap.
   
   
4. Yamaha NS-SP1800BL $130 Small stats with a decent sub. Should provide you with a nice base to start with.
   
   
5. Build your own set - 3 set of Micca COVO-S $120 + a Dayton Sub 800 $110. Puts you right at the upper limit with no wire/cables/stands.
   
   

• MISC - Speaker wire $10, optical cable $6, HDMI Cables $10, and sub cable $12 if you get the Dayton set or the make your own with the Dayton sub. You could also add in some stands $40 if you wanted to get the speakers to the right height.
  
  
• Edit to get the links right

I got a ps4 pro mostly just for 8 exclusive games and some older remastered ps3 games. But the lack of UHD support still burns me to no end. EVEN ON THE FREAKING PRO!!

Xbox one X ate their lunch on that one i feel, but I absolutely hate the Xbox interface (the newest one), its just ugly windows 8 metro ui I feel like. Its the best UHD blu-ray player on the market sadly but I can't bring myself to buy a standalone player either. freaking sucks as a videophile. Hell Sony hasn't even made a UHD jukebox blu-ray player like this older one Sony BDP-CX7000ES from 2009. Seriously one of the big factors about having a disk collection is having to get up now and put them in I don't get why no one has made a new one of these.

>Which would be better for someone that knows pretty much nothing about computers, and absolutely nothing about viruses?

I'd go standalone blu-ray/streaming player box + Chromebook. For non-computer people the options for linux blu-ray playback aren't great, don't get full menu support, install process is a bit annoying as you've got to install the decryption software separately, new discs may not play if the keys haven't been leaked yet. The sensible solution if it must be on a computer is run Windows + PowerDVD, which adds quite a bit to the price, and the Blu-Ray drive alone is more expensive than a standalone player that can also do netflix/hulu/youtube/etc such as this https://www.amazon.com/Sony-BDPS1700-Streaming-Blu-Ray-Player/dp/B01AT6B14S/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1503280509&sr=8-5&keywords=blu-ray+player.

If they care about 4K Blu-Ray, I'd go Xbox One S.

I was thinking about getting the Sony Bluray player with Gtv.
http://www.amazon.com/Sony-NSZ-GT1-Wi-Fi-Enabled-Blu-ray-Featuring/dp/B004D4917W/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1345814936&sr=1-1&keywords=sony+blu+ray+player+with+google+tv

It's a little pricey but I kind of want to have that bluray option even though it's dieing.

I use this one. Its small and works great and it automatically adjusts to the region required.

I have been researching blu-ray players for the past few months. I am leaning towards the LG BD-570.

http://www.amazon.com/LG-BD570-Network-Blu-ray-Player/dp/B0036WT1RW/ref=sr_1_3?s=tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1289494957&sr=1-3

Why limit it to a set-top box? Many BD players have what she's looking for, plus the benefit of playing BD, DVD, CD. Price difference is negligible.

Here's an example from Amazon - there are cheaper; this one is highly rated:

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-BDP-S3100-Blu-ray-Player-Wi-Fi/dp/B00AWKC0EC/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1381259895&sr=1-1&keywords=Blue+ray+hulu+netflix

Edit: Search field pre-populated for hit list of appropriate player.