Sony BX-57 BluRay Player Recommendation

[Artisan Fan]

I picked up for just $140 the Sony BX-57 which is exactly like the S570 but with included HDMI cord at my local Costco. This thing is really amazing value. The picture quality is stunning. Noticeably better than my $300 Samsung and the CD and SACD sound quality is surprisingly good.

Quality color rendition, fine detail, very few motion artifacts. Loads the discs fast. Handles 3D and wifi. It's really impressive what a budget BluRay player can do these days.

If you need a good BluRay player this should be on your short list unless you want to spend more and get the $500 Oppo 93.

 

[jakejake]

Netflix capable?

 

[Artisan Fan]

Originally Posted by jakejake

Netflix capable?

Yes!

 

[indesertum]

why not just buy a ps3?

 

[Artisan Fan]

Originally Posted by indesertum

why not just buy a ps3?

Can't find one for $140 for starters.

 

[Rambo]

Also good on the cheap: Refurbished Insignia players from the Best Buy outlet on Overstock.com Auctions. Got one for $40 with wireless, Netflix, and pretty good playback.

 

[Artisan Fan]

Originally Posted by Rambo

Also good on the cheap: Refurbished Insignia players from the Best Buy outlet on Overstock.com Auctions. Got one for $40 with wireless, Netflix, and pretty good playback.

Thanks. I know Vizio uses the Sony chips and they can be found cheaper too.

 

[BrianVarick]

Here is a guy selling them on ebay for cheap if anyone wants one. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=263602_304652

 

[haganah]

The 570 had a lot of complaints from people who were streaming netflix...major buffering problems or something.

 

[Artisan Fan]

Originally Posted by BrianVarick

Here is a guy selling them on ebay for cheap if anyone wants one.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...=263602_304652

Damn good price.

 

[ter1413]

Originally Posted by indesertum

why not just buy a ps3?

not everyone is a gamer...

 

[indesertum]

i would imagine it being useful to entertain guests, but besides that

are there such things as blu ray players that give out better video or audio quality? like with audio/video quality of a ps3 be less than a dedicated one?

 

[Artisan Fan]

Originally Posted by indesertum

i would imagine it being useful to entertain guests, but besides that

are there such things as blu ray players that give out better video or audio quality? like with audio/video quality of a ps3 be less than a dedicated one?

Compared to an Oppo 93 or 83 then the PS3 loses out. Compared to the current Sonys which are surprisingly close to the Oppo then I'm not sure.

The PS3 is a solid recommendation - I was just going for something less expensive. The PS3 can offer, depending on the model:

**SACD playback, sometimes with the ability to play DSD data discs which are home brew SACDs for needledrops
**High Quality Video
**Gaming of course

 

[Ambulance Chaser]

CNET thinks the PS3 is a pretty good Blu Ray player.

 

[A Y]

Originally Posted by indesertum

are there such things as blu ray players that give out better video or audio quality? like with audio/video quality of a ps3 be less than a dedicated one?
There are only a few situations where different BD players can have different video quality: 1. You're using the analog video outputs. 2. You're using HDMI into a TV whose native resolution is different than the disk's. 3. You're playing back material shot with interlaced cameras. An example of 2 would be playing a 1080i disk into a 720p TV. The player or TV has to do scaling. Playing back DVDs is another example. Oppo 93 has really good scaling. PS3 is OK. An example of 3 would be a live concert or sporting event which are usually captured with an interlaced camera. Not all disks marked as 1080i end up interlaced --- some are shot on film, and the original 24p signal can be reconstructed exactly, like most Hollywood films. You will see the quality of the deinterlacer here --- the Oppo 93 has one of the best deinterlacers I've ever seen. The PS3 is OK. There are smaller, more subtle things that a player can do like noise reduction, but for the most part, if you're playing back a movie shot on film, which hasn't been too mangled in the mastering or editing process, all BD players will look pretty much the same when connected through HDMI to a TV whose native resolution matches the disk's. For audio, different players have different jitter measurements, different DACs, and emit different kinds of EMI. Depending on the quality of your receiver or whatever's receiving and playing back the audio data, there can be no to huge differences. If you use the player's analog outputs, there can be big differences. FWIW, I use a PS3, but I have an external DVDO scaler/deinterlacer that runs a Pioneer 150FD at its native resolution. --Andre