LG BD560
The LG may be one of the more pricey players here, but it's impressively well equipped, packing in internet connectivity which brings access not only Blu-ray's BDLive online content, but to YouTube too. Alas, unlike the similarly priced Sony BDP-S370, there's no BBC iPlayer support, but there is plenty of external connectivity, including component video as well as HDMI, plus many digital and analogue options. It'll connect to DLNA sources. Its USB port pumps out enough power to drive an external HDD. The optical drive was far from silent when running, but shouldn;t bother anyone sat on the sofa, watching a movie. The UI's cute, and I had no complaints about the layback picture quality, though spit a disc out mid-play and you'll not be returned to that point when you re-insert the disc. From standby to a playing disc takes 32s.
Reg Rating 80%
Price £100-120
More Info LG
Panasonic DMP-BD45EBK
The BD45 is a solid machine with an equally solid remote. The price is nice and low, but that means no internet connectivity and few ports: HDMI, analogue RCA audio and optical digital audio. For plenty of folk, that's sufficient, and the Panasonic does provide SD - SDXC-compatible - and USB connectors too. The UI is clean, if spartan - you don't get a chapter read-out when skipping through discs, for instance. Out of all players here, I liked the Panasonic's picture best, but there's very little in it. It'll come out of stand-by quickly. It takes 30-odd seconds to get a disc playing, which is average, but there's a slightly tardy feel to its actions. It didn't remember the pause points on discs I played and ejected, either.
Reg Rating 75%
Price £85-100
More Info Panasonic
Next page: Philips BDP3100
COMMENTS
Asda bargain
Philips BDP2700 £57 at Asda Penryn and they still had some left yesterday. Very happy with it. It supports NTFS and upscales from DVD and wmv very nicely.
composite output
It has composite output so you just need a cable with a scart plug on one end and 3xphono connectors (red, white and yellow) on the other.
Ah... how about the PS3?
PS3. Typically about $80 to $100 more than a decent blueray player (one that comes with built-in Wifi). But it's a better blueray player than almost any blueray player. And it's also a better DVD player than almost any blueray player. And the firmware gets regular updates and will continue to do so into the distant future (long past the point where other blueray players are being ignored). And it's extremely fast power-on and disc-to-play time too (as compared to most blueray players, some of which are simply annoying).
I bought another PS3 at Xmas for Cdn$250 (about UKP 160). Plus another $20 for the proper "dvd" remote control. YMMV.
DLNA
Less "suck it and see", more "It sucks, you will see".
Does anyone actually read these articles before publishing?
Sony BDP-S370
From standby to disc play took 21s, the fastest time recorded.
Samsung BD-C5500
the standby-to-play time is short, faster - just - than the Sony.
