FocusCanada Forums

Just figured this is as good a place as any to ask about this, as I know there are some other HT schmee's on here too.

My mother in law is going to be buying us a Bluray player as a late christmas present in the next few weeks. Knowing this, I've been doing boatloads of research on them, and came up with a startling revalation...that obviously not all bluray players are the same...and that 75% or more of them are not remotely compatible with HT gear that pre-dates HDMI (only by a year...sigh). So, I've been searching for ones that should work, and my search criteria includes:

1. BD Player must have component video output (my TV's have both this and HDMI, but the HDMI port won't work/handshake with anything I've tried, including after doing a manual reset to the port itself), so I can at least output 1080i or 720p into the tv (JVC I'Art Pro 16:9 HDTV CRT).

2. BD Player must have at least 5.1 or 7.1 Discrete Analogue outputs so I can use the 7.1 input on my receiver.

3. BD Plater must have onboard decoders to send the correct codecs to my receiver, and hopefully attain lossless audio, and some version of DD and DTS that is as good as, or a little bit better than on DVD's.

I am reluctant to sell my receiver just to have HDMI switching (it's an $1800+ Marantz). I've been watching Rogers HD Cable on my Tv, and 720p actually looks fantastic, so I'd be satisfied with 720p movies for the time being until we get a flat panel (yes, we still don't have one, but why bother when we bought a 2nd JVC HDTV CRT for $100 recently in almost brand-new condition, because we like the performance of the 1st one so much?).

I am pretty sure that using the analogue outs and the component video sockets, will give us pretty decent performance right off the bat. Is this right? I know that most of the higher end BD players that ARE legacy compatible, are also future compatible too, what with 1080p output, Firmware updates from manufacturer, internet streaming (which I actually don't give a crap about if my computer is in the same room).

So far, we've tried to get our hands on either a Panasonic DMP-BD85, or a Toshiba BDX3000 (both are highly rated), which has proven difficult. We (read, I) don't want a Sony, LG, or Samsung (I don't plan to buy a TV from them either).

Can anyone give me some techie advice on if the discrete analogue route is gonna work with my old Marantz?

Thanks!

I've always been a Fan of LG Blu-Ray Players.

I do know the LG has a model called BD-390, which has componenet analog HD video out, which supports 1080p, and also has 7.1 Analog audio outputs it does also say decoders too in the review.

I also suggest reading some reviews such as this one: http://bluray-players.net/lg/lg-bd-390-review/ I do not know if this model is still available for sale, perhaps you can still find it somewhere, but it may not be top of line any more, its been out for over a year now from what I can remember.

(01-13-2011, 12:42 AM)Drivesthebeast Wrote: [ -> ]Just figured this is as good a place as any to ask about this, as I know there are some other HT schmee's on here too.

My mother in law is going to be buying us a Bluray player as a late christmas present in the next few weeks. Knowing this, I've been doing boatloads of research on them, and came up with a startling revalation...that obviously not all bluray players are the same...and that 75% or more of them are not remotely compatible with HT gear that pre-dates HDMI (only by a year...sigh). So, I've been searching for ones that should work, and my search criteria includes:

1. BD Player must have component video output (my TV's have both this and HDMI, but the HDMI port won't work/handshake with anything I've tried, including after doing a manual reset to the port itself), so I can at least output 1080i or 720p into the tv (JVC I'Art Pro 16:9 HDTV CRT).

2. BD Player must have at least 5.1 or 7.1 Discrete Analogue outputs so I can use the 7.1 input on my receiver.

3. BD Plater must have onboard decoders to send the correct codecs to my receiver, and hopefully attain lossless audio, and some version of DD and DTS that is as good as, or a little bit better than on DVD's.

I am reluctant to sell my receiver just to have HDMI switching (it's an $1800+ Marantz). I've been watching Rogers HD Cable on my Tv, and 720p actually looks fantastic, so I'd be satisfied with 720p movies for the time being until we get a flat panel (yes, we still don't have one, but why bother when we bought a 2nd JVC HDTV CRT for $100 recently in almost brand-new condition, because we like the performance of the 1st one so much?).

I am pretty sure that using the analogue outs and the component video sockets, will give us pretty decent performance right off the bat. Is this right? I know that most of the higher end BD players that ARE legacy compatible, are also future compatible too, what with 1080p output, Firmware updates from manufacturer, internet streaming (which I actually don't give a crap about if my computer is in the same room).

So far, we've tried to get our hands on either a Panasonic DMP-BD85, or a Toshiba BDX3000 (both are highly rated), which has proven difficult. We (read, I) don't want a Sony, LG, or Samsung (I don't plan to buy a TV from them either).

Can anyone give me some techie advice on if the discrete analogue route is gonna work with my old Marantz?

Thanks!

What about a PS3?

Though it has HDMI, I'd assume it would work with your TV. My sister has a HD-Ready CRT as well and it's on HDMI.
Then, it has digital out which I should assume your receiver would work with.

They're not so pricey anymore and from what I remember, someone correct/confirm, PS3's have consistently been one of the top rated blu ray players out there.

I had thought of a PS3 right off the bat, but my wife wouldn't go for it, as we still have a Sega Saturn and Sega Dreamcast, and some PC games on my laptop, so another game console would be a waste in her opinion. As a multi-media machine, I know that they are quite capable, but I've read they have limitations on the overal quality of the picture and audio output when compared to a standalone BD Player.

I may have to just try to convince the mother-in-law to try online vendors from the states if I HAVE to have the Panasonic or Toshiba.

I will also take a closer look at some of the LG models, and perhaps Philips as well, to see what's available for discrete connectivity.

Thanks for the responses!

Oh yeah, I wonder if DTS HD MA or True Audio and DD HD Audio will be transmitted through the analgoue from the BD player to my receiver without any troubles...

L8tz!

I'd say go with a PS3 also...

You don't have to use it for games

It is wifi and will stream videos, movies, music right off your PC

yeah, I don't really use my PS3 for games.

as a media centre, it's awesome. now that it's been perma-cracked, soon you'll be able to install Linux on it (with the freedom of a standalone computer, most likely. especially now that restrictions have been basically nulled)!

Ditto on the PS3, I don't have one, but I see the value beyond games.
I doubt the BD player will ever tax the system the way gaming would.
Add the wifi, internet surfing, Netflix support (if you want) and media player it's a great package.