Looking for inputs on Blu Ray Plyers

saumitra

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Looking for a budget (10-20 k, lesser the better) Blu-ray Disc Player (BDP) not sure if any such BDP exists in the Indian market today. I can try to get one from the US with my friends/colleagues, but then because of the region coding I am not sure if it would be wise doing so. I am very clear that I dont want a Reg A BDP from the US. Do you know if region-free (or Reg C coded) BDPs are available in the US within the 15k range?

Ideally, I would like to buy a BDP locally with proper warranty/ service support etc., but not sure if anything is available within my budget. I saw an old thread here with BDP pricing details, but that was closed. Can someone share the current street price details of the locally available BDPs from major brands like Sony, Panasonic, Samsung, LG. etc.?

I know one obvious answer for my 1st query (BDP less than 20k) is PS3 slim. And I surely have my eyes set on that. However, I personally think with the kind of hardware PS3 is loaded with and considering the amount it costs to buy the PS3 games, unless we can use it as a gaming console + media/blu-ray player + full-fledged PC (albeit for internet surfing/ light usage only) we are not taking full advantage of it. And as I understand, unlike the earlier PS3, the PS3 slim doesnt support Linux OS. In that case how can one use this as a light-weight PC?
 
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Looking for a budget (10-20 k, lesser the better) Blu-ray Disc Player (BDP) not sure if any such BDP exists in the Indian market today.

Ideally, I would like to buy a BDP locally with proper warranty/ service support etc.,

I know one obvious answer for my 1st query (BDP less than 20k) is PS3 slim.

Hello dear,

I was in the same position as you are now.I also don't like the PS3 route for bluray and DVD movies.As far as i know PS3 can't be easily made region free for both.

I got the LG BD370 Bluray player for Rs 16,680/-(MRP 19,990/-) from LG exclusive store, with bill/warranty+0% finance.It can be easily made region free for DVD's.

The LG BD370 doesn't have wi-fi support, its image quality is good, sound quality is too good,can re-encode DD to DTS, can send LPCM as well as bitstream.

Only "what hifi" magazine have given it 3 stars, but elsewhere you will find it rated at-least 4 to 5 stars, its the best budget solution.

Regards:)
 
Re: Looking for inputs on Blu Ray Players

Hi Mandeep,
Thanks.
Slowly but steadily, I am becoming more hopeful on getting a good quality BDP for less than 15k. I actaually saw another thread started by kaushik where he quoted Sony & Pana BDPs available for less than 15k ...
Anybody knows about the Samsung BDP-1600 model? I read it is the best available in India though it was priced quite high (about 26k) when I last enquired.
 
The Player prices which Kaushik has discussed are all Grey market Quotes and they are mostly region A/3 and comes without any warranty. The best solution in your case could be a US import Panasonic BDP BD-60 which is avaliable at 8.5K and if you want to buy it online then you could do the same through Shop in the US from India @ 20North - Millions of products, Thousands of brands. After aquiring this player you will need to buy a step down convertor which comes for around 500 bucks and then a multiregion Hard MOD kit from the sites like Stegen Electronics or Blu-rayMods- Home, on these sites choose the DIY kit options and they are sent to your doorsteps for you to modify your players and make them multiregion for both DVDs as well as Blu rays. If you go through the thread started by Aneelr for Panasonic BDP BD60, there a lot of guys from our forum have gone through the above route and they are more than satisfies on Performance per money basis. Otherwise in your budget you could buy a Philips BDP3000 or the LG BD player discussed above from Indian showrooms with Bill and Indian Warranty.
 
The Player prices which Kaushik has discussed are all Grey market Quotes and they are mostly region A/3 and comes without any warranty. The best solution in your case could be a US import Panasonic BDP BD-60 which is avaliable at 8.5K and if you want to buy it online then you could do the same through Shop in the US from India @ 20North - Millions of products, Thousands of brands. After aquiring this player you will need to buy a step down convertor which comes for around 500 bucks and then a multiregion Hard MOD kit from the sites like Stegen Electronics or Blu-rayMods- Home, on these sites choose the DIY kit options and they are sent to your doorsteps for you to modify your players and make them multiregion for both DVDs as well as Blu rays. If you go through the thread started by Aneelr for Panasonic BDP BD60, there a lot of guys from our forum have gone through the above route and they are more than satisfies on Performance per money basis. Otherwise in your budget you could buy a Philips BDP3000 or the LG BD player discussed above from Indian showrooms with Bill and Indian Warranty.

Thats the Route I took and I am TOTALLY satisfied, got an Awsome BR player DB 60 made it region free all this for just 14K. In india DB 35 itself is 25K.
 
A few questions on importing the BDP/ mod-kit:
1. I read the other thread that described the procedure to order the BDP and the mod-kit online. But I was not sure how easy or difficult the hardware mod was. How did you get that done? Are there easy instructions that come along with the mod-kit that make it easy? Can a TV/ DVD repair technician do it w/o much trouble/risk? Is there anyone in Bangalore who has got this mod done and if yes how/ by whom?
2. Does this mod make the BDP region-free for both BDs and DVDs?
3. Panasonic BDP BD-60: does it have a USB port? Can I connect a external HDD to it and play the movies?
 
A few questions on importing the BDP/ mod-kit:
1. I read the other thread that described the procedure to order the BDP and the mod-kit online. But I was not sure how easy or difficult the hardware mod was. How did you get that done? Are there easy instructions that come along with the mod-kit that make it easy? Can a TV/ DVD repair technician do it w/o much trouble/risk? Is there anyone in Bangalore who has got this mod done and if yes how/ by whom?
2. Does this mod make the BDP region-free for both BDs and DVDs?
3. Panasonic BDP BD-60: does it have a USB port? Can I connect a external HDD to it and play the movies?

The Mod kit comes with the detailed instructions and photographs and it will be an easy task for any TV/Radio Mechanic, quite a few of them have done it in Bangalore and if you go through the entire thread then you will have no difficulty in finding the person. The Mod kit requires just 5 wires to be soldered on the main board of the player, and yes it makes it region free for DVDs as well as Blu Ray (Remote Selectable).
Yes Panasonic BDP BD60 does have a USB port but whether you can play contents through external HDD is left to be answered by its present owners.
 
A few questions on importing the BDP/ mod-kit:
1. I read the other thread that described the procedure to order the BDP and the mod-kit online. But I was not sure how easy or difficult the hardware mod was. How did you get that done? Are there easy instructions that come along with the mod-kit that make it easy? Can a TV/ DVD repair technician do it w/o much trouble/risk? Is there anyone in Bangalore who has got this mod done and if yes how/ by whom?
2. Does this mod make the BDP region-free for both BDs and DVDs?
3. Panasonic BDP BD-60: does it have a USB port? Can I connect a external HDD to it and play the movies?

All questions answeres by Ashish, I will just put a confirmation stamp as an owner.

1. Its not that difficult to do the mod yourself, but yes the soldering part is very delicate and so advisable to go to a repair tech (preferably a person who is been doing mod jobs like that of an Xbox 360.......which is what I did) and get it soldered, as ashish said just 5 wires to be soldered from the chip to the main board and yes all instructions are provided in a 3 page manual that comes with the kit.

2. Yes makes it Region free for BR and DVDs, but the only thing is the player does not do it automatically, you have to do it manually from remote. All discs then plays perfectly. (No big deal if you ask me, but just thought to point this out)

3. Yes the player has a usb port, infact it also has an SD/MMC card slot, though I have not tried it and probably would never will, coz I already have WD Media Player so never felt the need to.

Apart from this the player also has ethernet port for network connection. You can download latest firmware (very important to do this) also you can watch youtube directly and also browse albums from Picasa. The customizable slide show was very smooth with a decent auto audio background that added to the viewing experience. You can also checkout weather for your local city and add few to your fav.
 
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