Blu-ray and 1080pHD, a nerds review and advice.

As many people did this last weekend we went and raided Best Buy because of their Memorial Day sales. Low and behold the wife turned me loose in the Blu-ray players and said "Pick us a good one". :banana::banana::banana: Now having done my research there were some things I looked for; Built in WiFi, DNS compatible, networkable and netfilx streaming ability. I settle on the Samsung BD-c6500 it has everything I need minus the 3D pass through.

We then had to get some of the newest Blu-ray Movies out to test the 47" LCD HD in 1080p T.V. we have. So we got Avatar (naturally), Star Trek, Gi-Joe, Transformers: 1-2.

After getting it home and getting the WiFi set up, calabrating the monitor again (because I always unplug any thing electronic when I'm adding or removing peripherals) we plug in Star Trek.. :O:O:O:O:O:O Holy smokes that's all I can say. With the 10gb Monster HDMI connections the bandwidth transfers are flawless.

Some things to know before you buy a Blu-ray player.
1: Internet is a must have. Most people don't know that these players do require Firmware updates in order to play the newest movies due to the way these movies are converted.
2: WiFi Capable or WiFi enabled is not the same thing as WiFi installed or WiFi embedded.
3: GET THE HDMI CABLE!!! Yes they are 60.00 for a 4' cord..but why spend the money on and HD 1080P tv, Blu-ray player, Blu-ray disk and then not get the most information transfer you can from player to monitor?

Over all I'm totally impressed with the level of quality of the image and sound that I'm getting from this changed from DVD to Blu-ray..If you can make the change now you wont be sorry.

We have that same Blu-Ray....and yeah....it's all that and a bag of chips, too! :D

You aint wrong. :D

I only recently made the switch myself and love it. :bow:

I bought Avatar and Hellboy II at the time and borrowed Star Trek and Horton hears a who from a friend last weekend. :gj:

If you are just looking for something to blow you away with the quality watch Baraka - it's not a film in the conventional sense but it looks utterly incredible in picture quality. :O

I ended up buying the LG BD390 to go with the samsung LE32B650 TV ( I'm sitting within 3 feet of the screen as I type so larger would have been a pain :rolleyes: ) - the wireless limited what I could stream from the NAS so I am using wired at the moment.

I do like the idea of the 3D though - maybe next year. :please:


dr del

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Originally Posted by Freakie_frog

3: GET THE HDMI CABLE!!! Yes they are 60.00 for a 4' cord..but why spend the money on and HD 1080P tv, Blu-ray player, Blu-ray disk and then not get the most information transfer you can from player to monitor?

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Just to add: 99% of people won't see any difference between the $60 Monster HDMI cord and a $10 HDMI cord off Amazon. Yes HDMI cord is a must (a waste to not use one!), but one doesn't have to shell out $60 for a decent cord.

Pretty much everything you read will confirm this, and for anecdotal evidence I compared a cheap $10 HDMI cord and a $125 Monster cord from a buddy of mine who swears by them. There was noticeable difference between the two when I used them to hook up my Xbox.

Just my :2cent:

On a side note, glad you're enjoying yours! I was going to use Blu-ray as an excuse to get a PS3, but they're dropping in price so fast probably can't justify it. Will probably wait to get one this X-mas on super sale (maybe a new TV, too! Mine is old(er) and only does 720p :().

Wait, what?

I have a tube:D

36 inch and 300 pounds:salute:

Yeah those Monster cables are a huge ripoff, we have a $4 one from Menards. We don't have blu ray at the moment though, our ps3 died a couple weeks ago. Gotta buy a new player, at least they are cheap now.

HDMI is definitely a must. I don't buy Monster cable anymore as I honestly don't notice the difference. I'd rather put that extra cash toward the player. If anyone here loves movies and hasn't seen blu ray in action it's pretty sweet for sure.

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Originally Posted by Blue Apple Herps

Just to add: 99% of people won't see any difference between the $60 Monster HDMI cord and a $10 HDMI cord off Amazon. Yes HDMI cord is a must (a waste to not use one!), but one doesn't have to shell out $60 for a decent cord.

Pretty much everything you read will confirm this, and for anecdotal evidence I compared a cheap $10 HDMI cord and a $125 Monster cord from a buddy of mine who swears by them. There was noticeable difference between the two when I used them to hook up my Xbox.

Just my :2cent:

On a side note, glad you're enjoying yours! I was going to use Blu-ray as an excuse to get a PS3, but they're dropping in price so fast probably can't justify it. Will probably wait to get one this X-mas on super sale (maybe a new TV, too! Mine is old(er) and only does 720p :().

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I totally agree for the everyday tv watcher going on amazon and finding a good base HDMI cable is 100% fine. It's simply personal preference.

However I returned a Dynex HDMI cable because when running a full 1080p movie in full screen on a 1080p 47" monitor with 240Hz refresh. There was some pixelating in area's of movement during different movie's. This is caused by a lack in transfer speed between the player and the monitor. It's simply a choice I made to buy the best I could afford to make sure that I was getting the most out of my system.

I'm one of those crazy people I know I am..Anyone reading this make sure you check with your cable maker to make sure that it offers everything your looking to get out of your blu-ray player, T.V or sound system. Some Bargain HDMI cable do not support THX 7.1 sound and if you have that kind of sound system it won't run it to it's fullest, or "Deep Color" in 1080p, there are some that do mind you. You might notice that there is some distortion in the image due to transfer rate if so make sure your cable is rated at 10gbs.

Again while for the average everyday user they are a great why to enjoy HD I have a cheap-o HDMI cable running from my cable box it works and I really don't care if there is distortion. I'm the Techie in the family, it's anal retentive I know, but its my OCD thing to know that our picture or sound isn't going to lack even a little..it's nit picky yes! But that's me.

P.S. Make sure your cable says HDMI certified..there are knock off's out there that have the HDMI connections but are not produced with the standards required to be HDMI certified.

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Originally Posted by Freakie_frog

As many people did this last weekend we went and raided Best Buy because of their Memorial Day sales. Low and behold the wife turned me loose in the Blu-ray players and said "Pick us a good one". :banana::banana::banana: Now having done my research there were some things I looked for; Built in WiFi, DNS compatible, networkable and netfilx streaming ability. I settle on the Samsung BD-c6500 it has everything I need minus the 3D pass through.

We then had to get some of the newest Blu-ray Movies out to test the 47" LCD HD in 1080p T.V. we have. So we got Avatar (naturally), Star Trek, Gi-Joe, Transformers: 1-2.

After getting it home and getting the WiFi set up, calabrating the monitor again (because I always unplug any thing electronic when I'm adding or removing peripherals) we plug in Star Trek.. :O:O:O:O:O:O Holy smokes that's all I can say. With the 10gb Monster HDMI connections the bandwidth transfers are flawless.

Some things to know before you buy a Blu-ray player.
1: Internet is a must have. Most people don't know that these players do require Firmware updates in order to play the newest movies due to the way these movies are converted.
2: WiFi Capable or WiFi enabled is not the same thing as WiFi installed or WiFi embedded.
3: GET THE HDMI CABLE!!! Yes they are 60.00 for a 4' cord..but why spend the money on and HD 1080P tv, Blu-ray player, Blu-ray disk and then not get the most information transfer you can from player to monitor?

Over all I'm totally impressed with the level of quality of the image and sound that I'm getting from this changed from DVD to Blu-ray..If you can make the change now you wont be sorry.

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HDMI 1.3 (the new standard) increased its single-link bandwidth from 165MHz (4.95 gigabits per second) to 340 MHz (10.2 Gbps) over the old 1.2 standard. This being said when shopping for an HDMI cable you dont have to buy monsters rediculously overpriced cables, as long as its 1.3 standard certified the 10.2 Gbps bandwidth will be there.

There are other alternatives out there that will more than satisfy without spending an arm and a leg, even a trained eye in the A/V industry (myself) will have an almost impossible time trying to tell the difference between a reasonably priced hdmi cable and a monster cable.

Good call on all the blu-ray tips their spot on!

Freakie since you seem to be a tech geek at heart you should google search hdmi 1.3 standard when you get a chance. You will find a complete list of specifications on the 1.3 standard , its very interesting. You may even find a bit of info on the 1.4 standard that will be implemented in the future.

When you were having issues with your old hdmi cable I think it was most likely because of the 240hz refresh rate. Refresh rate, contrast ratio,"deep color" etc. are some of the reasons why the standard keeps being updated. You most likely had a 1.2 standard cable before which couldnt handle the 240hz. The fluid motion on the 240's is amazing, you have a very very nice display :gj:

I've been reading up on the 1.3 and the 1.3a standards.. One of the things that I'm really looking forward to seeing 21:9 Cinema displays. :D

congrats on the blu ray, when it comes to the 1080p they need to do more with it when it comes to tv shows too. its like they dont take advantage of it only ones that do are you news shows. i mean colbert and the local news looks GREAT but other shows should jump on board too.

on the hdmi cables look around online and you can find anything i got my with a couple discounts for $3.99 retail $50 gotta love those work discounts. :D

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Originally Posted by Freakie_frog

I've been reading up on the 1.3 and the 1.3a standards.. One of the things that I'm really looking forward to seeing 21:9 Cinema displays. :D

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plus one on that!!! :D

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Originally Posted by Freakie_frog

I've been reading up on the 1.3 and the 1.3a standards.. One of the things that I'm really looking forward to seeing 21:9 Cinema displays. :D

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Ohh and another thing that very few people are aware of, higher resolutions in the future. Im bored with 1080 haha!

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Originally Posted by 771subliminal

congrats on the blu ray, when it comes to the 1080p they need to do more with it when it comes to tv shows too. its like they dont take advantage of it only ones that do are you news shows. i mean colbert and the local news looks GREAT but other shows should jump on board too.

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The equipment for HD isn't cheap. So it will be a while before everything is in HD. But progress is being made. When I first got my HD TV a five years ago, there were maybe a dozen HD channels, and the majority of programming on the HD channels wasn't even HD. Its come a long way.

Also just to add, broadcast is in 720p - AFAIK there are no immediate plans to make it 1080p. The only true HD content will be movies and video games. Though someone correct me if this has changed.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Blue Apple Herps

The equipment for HD isn't cheap. So it will be a while before everything is in HD. But progress is being made. When I first got my HD TV a five years ago, there were maybe a dozen HD channels, and the majority of programming on the HD channels wasn't even HD. Its come a long way.

Also just to add, broadcast is in 720p - AFAIK there are no immediate plans to make it 1080p. The only true HD content will be movies and video games. Though someone correct me if this has changed.

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I'm not sure if it's native ratio or not but the HD channels I get through comcast are supposed to be in 1080i, now whether they are just 720p zoomed in I'm not sure but I know my T.V. shows it a s being 1080i.

HDMI cables are all about the standard they use and the bandwidth they are tested for. Monster is definitely a rip off but that doesn't mean that a 4 dollar cable is the same as a 12 dollar one that you research. Blue Jean Calbe is a great site that has some good info on the standards and testing and also sells some very affordable long cables. As for pixelation with the cheaper cables, if you are a geek about it I hear you, but for most people you won't see anything but the crisp goodness of the HD when watching a movie. Even the 1080p is compressed and each movie is compressed with different standards so some are better than others. Personally I fully enjoy a 720p movie with a fair amount of compression but what I must have is good crisp audio. For that I am even more of a geek and I do 7.1 discreet channels from my computer to my stereo.

http://www.bluejeanscable.com/

it's a digital signal..... you either have a 100% or 0%... that is why monster is just a name.

however, monster makes a great product... i have monster guitar and audio cables that are 15 years old and still work perfect. other brands just don't last like that.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Freakie_frog

I'm not sure if it's native ratio or not but the HD channels I get through comcast are supposed to be in 1080i, now whether they are just 720p zoomed in I'm not sure but I know my T.V. shows it a s being 1080i.

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Right, you're correct. Some HD content is 1080i. But that is interlaced and isn't true 1080p.