Blu Ray players any good at playing cd's??

[marantzfan]

I know that there are some good DVD players that can pull double duty, but what about Blu Ray players? Anyone with experience trying them out?

[marantzfan]

Anybody, anybody...Beuler, Beuler..

[mwicks]

I don't know if you'll get a lot of responses because from personal experience, not many people have a dedicated Blu Ray player (they just get a PS3). I use the PS3 for Blu Ray and it does a decent job on CDs (I'm running it with optical, so it uses my receivers DAC). It's better than any stand alone DVD player I've had transport wise.

[willyrover]

Is BluRay even catching on? It seems to be going the same route as SACD.

[marantzfan]

Is BluRay even catching on? It seems to be going the same route as SACD.

I see it catching on big time. Tons of new titles coming out on blu ray. They are front and center in all the big box stores..

[willyrover]

Ok. Maybe I just need to get out more.

[KMC45]

My Denon 3800 Player does CD's pretty well, that's the only only experience I have with BR players.

[mwicks]

Is BluRay even catching on? It seems to be going the same route as SACD.

It's just starting to pick up a bit now. Smaller companies are starting to release Blu Ray and variety is increasing. It was pretty rough there for the first bit though.

[vinylviola]

I think the bigger problem is that the up-conversion of existing DVDs has gotten A LOT better since HD became 'normal.' Honestly, I can't often tell the difference between a Blu-Ray and a DVD produced in the last two years. They've gotten much better at cramming information onto the DVDs than they were when they started.

For that reason alone, I'm not sure WHY Blu-Rays will become the norm. The industry isn't making Blu-Ray a stand out product by having DVDs that appear quite similar after up-conversion.

[andy]

Sony's first Blu-ray player couldn't even play CDs at all.

[uofmtiger]

I think Bluray looks a ton better on a large HDTV when compared to DVDs. I am not going to repurchase every DVD I own, but I disagree with the post above saying they look similar. Of course, TV size and your distance from the TV plays a large roll in how different they will look.

The PS3 is very good at playing CDs. It will even upsample if you choose to do so. Also, it will play SACDs that my Oppo 980h chokes on. I think it must have a very good buffer for error correction or something. One other benefit is that you can create your own DSD files with a Vaio computer or Korg-MR1 from a vinyl album or tape and the PS3 is one of the few machines I know that will play the resulting dsf files.

[marantzfan]

I think Bluray looks a ton better on a large HDTV when compared to DVDs. I am not going to repurchase every DVD I own, but I disagree with the post above saying they look similar. Of course, TV size and your distance from the TV plays a large roll in how different they will look.

The PS3 is very good at playing CDs. It will even upsample if you choose to do so. Also, it will play SACDs that my Oppo 980h chokes on. I think it must have a very good buffer for error correction or something. One other benefit is that you can create your own DSD files with a Vaio computer or Korg-MR1 from a vinyl album or tape and the PS3 is one of the few machines I know that will play the resulting dsf files.

Interesting. My thought was to find a good Blu Ray and use the opical out for my HT receiver, then run the audio outs to my Kenny system. I really want a blu ray but somethings gotta give before I can get one. I don't listen to alot of CD's but still would like a good player.

Financially, I could sell my Cambridge 640c and use that money towards a good blu ray player. I wouldn't mind doing that if I don't sacrifice sound quality on cd playback.

Hmm..:scratch2:

[uofmtiger]

Interesting. My thought was to find a good Blu Ray and use the opical out for my HT receiver, then run the audio outs to my Kenny system. I really want a blu ray but somethings gotta give before I can get one. I don't listen to alot of CD's but still would like a good player.

Financially, I could sell my Cambridge 640c and use that money towards a good blu ray player. I wouldn't mind doing that if I don't sacrifice sound quality on cd playback.

Hmm..:scratch2:Be aware that not all PS3s will play SACDs, so if that is something you desire, you will need to make sure you buy a model that will do so.

The PS3 is capable of handling advanced audio Codecs that are loaded on BluRay discs, so it obviously has a lot going for it related to audio. However, I have no idea how it will compare with your highly regarded CD player that only has one task it was designed for. However, the PS3 can also be used to stream music/movies/photos that are on your network or it can play files that you can burn to its hard drive. It is really a multimedia marvel.

[soundboy]

Wait for Oppo's upcoming Blu-ray player....

http://gallery.avsforum.com/data/509/0905081127.jpg

Looks like a SACD logo is on the front faceplate

[marantzfan]

Wait for Oppo's upcoming Blu-ray player....

http://gallery.avsforum.com/data/509/0905081127.jpg

Looks like a SACD logo is on the front faceplate

I went to the Oppo website and there is no mention of this player coming out? What gives with all the secrecy?:scratch2:

[mwicks]

I think Bluray looks a ton better on a large HDTV when compared to DVDs.


This is the key right here.

On my 37" HD set, the difference between Blu Ray and DVD isn't HUGE. It's there, but it's not night and day. On the 60" upstairs however, Blu Ray looks exceptional and outperforms DVD on every level.

[DC PepperPot]

UofMTiger is spot on. The PS3 makes a fantastic CD player-especially with an outborad DAC. I used one for a while and couldn't believe how good it was at making music. As a bonus, it makes a nice little media server, supports a couple lossless (and quasi lossless) codecs and runs Widows Media Player files. It also has an unbelievable picture quality that simply blew away my previous Sony 777ES DVD. I think you can play video games on them , too... :D Only the older 60GB "premium" version supports true SACD, which explains why they command higher prices than most 80GB versions (Sony pulled the plug on true SACD support on their later offerings, IIRC). The only real downside of the PS3, other than looking like a glossed hibachi, is it's noisy cooling fan. I could not unhook it without affecting startup (BTW, it's not a fun thing to take apart :no:).

Regarding OPPO- they slated a BluRay unit to be released some time ago, and the world has been holding its breath ever since. It seems like everyone and their brother wants one. I think they're really missing the boat on this- I'd buy one in an instant.

So the SHORT answer to the original poster is- Heck yea- BluRay makes for a very good player (or transport, if nothing else).

[marantzfan]

This is the key right here.

On my 37" HD set, the difference between Blu Ray and DVD isn't HUGE. It's there, but it's not night and day. On the 60" upstairs however, Blu Ray looks exceptional and outperforms DVD on every level.

I've got a 52" screen and the difference is not small. I borrowed a buddies Sony blu-ray for a weekend and have wanted to step up since.

[theophile]

Sony's first Blu-ray player couldn't even play CDs at all.
I just bought that model(the BDP-S1),and I'm totally flabbergasted that a Sony Digital-player won't play the most common digital format,which Sony co-developed. :tears::thumbsdn:
Not that I have more than 15 CDs anyway. :thmbsp: :D

I've got a 52" screen and the difference is not small. I borrowed a buddies Sony blu-ray for a weekend and have wanted to step up since.
I also love the BDP-S1's picture. :thmbsp:

[geespot]

Why does it matter. The industry has advertised DVD players as HD and alienated anybody from buyer a BR player. Most people just want to watch a movie and DVD is good enough.

Why spend $500 on a BR player when a $59 upconverting DVD player is available.

[Zeromancer]

Why does it matter. The industry has advertised DVD players as HD and alienated anybody from buyer a BR player. Most people just want to watch a movie and DVD is good enough.

Why spend $500 on a BR player when a $59 upconverting DVD player is available.
I've seen blu-ray players dip down below $200

[uofmtiger]

Why spend $500 on a BR player when a $59 upconverting DVD player is available. Why buy a nice stereo when a $11 clock radio will play music?

Answer: Some people want quality.

[Jupiter1610]

The Pioneer Elite BDP-05FD is being touted as pretty decent with audio. It incorporates Wolfson DACs which are normally seen with hifi components. I also have been passively searching for a Blu-Ray player that would do a lot of CD duty and that piece is the closest I have found.

[klama2006]

[QUOTE=vinylviola;2099787] Honestly, I can't often tell the difference between a Blu-Ray and a DVD produced in the last two years. They've gotten much better at cramming information onto the DVDs than they were when they started.

I agree with you, and disagree at the same time.

I have a a 1080p 50" dlp, and a 720p projector.

On the 50" TV, Blue ray does look slightly better but not to the same extent that it does on the projector.

The difference between the signals is much more apparent on a larger screen.

On my 10 year old 27" Sony Wega, I'm still happy with any signal I feed it.

[uofmtiger]

The main things that matter are distance from the TV and size of the TV. Obviously, it will be harder to see a difference if you are watching a 50 inch HDTV from 100 feet away, as opposed to 3 feet away. However, given the proper distance and TV size, you should see a difference between DVD and BluRay. I know there is an ISF chart out there somewhere that has the proper distances given the size of the HDTV.

Also, there is a difference between 720p and 1080p, but the distance/size ratio is still important to see the difference between the two.