Blu-ray: Player vs Drive?

Planterz

Planterz

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It took me a while, but I've finally entered the world of HDTV. So now I need a Blu-ray player. But I don't necessarily need to buy a player, since I have my TV hooked up to my laptop, which has a regular DVD drive.

Is there any advantage to getting a regular Blu-ray player over getting one for my laptop? Frankly, I can't think of one, unless it's something I don't know about (which is why I'm asking. I don't need digital sound, and anything a regular player might offer as far as special features (internet/wi-fi, Netflix, etc) I can just do through my computer.

And please don't say "just get a PS3". I've already weighed that option.
 
I don't think there's any advantage to going either way, but I'd personally get a ps3 or a shelf unit just because i think it would look better and integrate a little bit more aesthetically with whatever your set up already is. if you hook up to your laptop, that's just one more gadget hanging out on your desk or table taking up space. :)

for what it's worth, i have a ps3, but i had that BEFORE i ever got my hdtv.
 
I have a C2D Mac Mini that I use as a media PC and was running an external Blu-Ray but have recently moved to a stand alone Sony player. Imho, it integrates and looks better. The Mini is now mainly used for rips and iTunes....
 
The dedicated player appliances are not very expensive now. They are less versatile, true. But there's a lot to be said for the ease-of-use of just putting the disk in and pressing play, no booting, no "missing or incorrectly-configured driver" error messages, no hand-to-hand combat with windoz, no popup announcements about java updates, just your movie playing... at least until HDCP looses its sync... but that's a different problem.
 
Just get a PS3. :D They're great. I use mine as a Blu-ray player all the time. Why would you not want a PS3? :confused:
 
Blu-Ray players have come down in price considerably. Most units play several different formats. In all honesty though I don't see that much of a difference between B-R and DVD as far as playback and picture quality is concerned. I'm actually quite content with my DVD only player.
 
Can't answer your specific question, but I will say this,
if you do end up getting a BluRay player, steer clear of
the Vizio brand ones. My wife surprised me with a nice flat
screen and a blu ray for Christmas, both Vizio. The tv is great,
but the player was buggy from day one, and was dead by march.
From what I've read online, that's a fairly common occurrence
with that brand.
 
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Check out the new apple TV . It's only $99 and does almost everything ( Netflix , YouTube , rentals , ect.... ) Plus it plays media from your computer or iPhone/iPad !!! Def worth the asking price IMO !!!
 
jbob24 said:
I don't think there's any advantage to going either way, but I'd personally get a ps3 or a shelf unit just because i think it would look better and integrate a little bit more aesthetically with whatever your set up already is. if you hook up to your laptop, that's just one more gadget hanging out on your desk or table taking up space. :)
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My apartment isn't exactly expansive, and my TV will be right next to my computer desk. My "laptop" is set up as a PC, meaning I have a 23" monitor, full keyboard, and mouse connected to the laptop, which sits to the side on a cooling pad. It's literally just a couple feet from the computer to the TV, so an HDMI connection is simple and doesn't require me moving anything around. Having the Blu-ray in a portable laptop would be the advantage, since I can just take it with me.
moonwilson said:
Just get a PS3. :D They're great. I use mine as a Blu-ray player all the time. Why would you not want a PS3? :confused:
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Blu-ray player/drive is ~$100-150. A 160GB PS3 is $300. Plus I don't game much anymore, and when I did, I was a PC gamer, not a console gamer. One question I did have though; does the PS3 upconvert regular DVDs like a Blu-ray player will?

Shrodinger's Cat said:
This message is hidden because Shrodinger's Cat is on your ignore list.
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softrockrenegade said:
Check out the new apple TV . It's only $99 and does almost everything ( Netflix , YouTube , rentals , ect.... ) Plus it plays media from your computer or iPhone/iPad !!! Def worth the asking price IMO !!!
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From what I was told by my neighbor at work, it only plays media on your computer through iTunes, and when it comes to video, it's fairly limited (720p max, no 1080p). Plus, it's wi-fi, and I don't have or need wi-fi in my apartment. Since my computer will already be hooked up to the TV, I can get any streaming content like Netflix (which I don't have, but I might get) through the computer.
 
How big is your tv? Im not sure I understood, u have the laptop running into a moniter and a tv? Or you use a tv that's 23in for everything?

What kind of video card is on your pc laptop? Can it support 1080p output?
 
O yeah, I don't know how good upconversion technology can really be, but I'm happy with the way my old DVDs look on a ps3 going into a 53in lcdtv. Clearly not hd but still very nice, better than a DVD player :)
 
I just have to say one thing about the PS3(sorry Planterz, you can look away now)

The PS3 is compareably priced to equal quality stand alone units, and it performs other tasks......AND the most important, Sony is constantly updating it's firmware for FREE.

Yes it upscales regular DVD's

So yeah, the PS3 is the best option for non-home theater nuts who want a blu-ray player, imo
 
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Player. Hands down. Better tech than a PS3, better read, less artifacting, better color processing. as mentioned - OPPO makes a few great players - in fact, they make a "refrence player" that is essentially the best blu ray player on the market. I did a fair bit of research and I landed on a SAMSUNG wi-fi model which i like.
 
jbob24 said:
How big is your tv? Im not sure I understood, u have the laptop running into a moniter and a tv? Or you use a tv that's 23in for everything?

What kind of video card is on your pc laptop? Can it support 1080p output?
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Well, the TV I have right now, which I got last Wednesday is a Panasonic 42" 1080p plasma. I have to return it though, as I somehow neglected to notice that the only audio output is a digital audio. No RCA plug outputs, not even a headphone jack. The built-in speakers are wimpy, like my old TV, so my plan was to plug this 40 watt computer speaker system (4x5 watt satellites, 20 watt subwoofer) that I've had my old TV plugged into. It's not exactly a theater system, but it sounds far better than the built-in speakers, and it's got enough balls to piss off the neighbors if I'm not mindful.

The TV I'm looking to get instead is this LG. I got the other one at Best Buy, and even though it's "cheaper", I can get the LG through Amazon, and with free shipping, no tax, and a less expensive (but comparable) service plan, it's about the same cost in the end.

The way I was setting it all up is that I have my laptop on the right side of my desk (where a printer would normally go), with everything else set up like you would have a PC set up. I have a 23" monitor (1080p) hooked up to the VGA output on my laptop. I realize HDMI would be better, but it looks pretty damn good even with VGA (1680x1050 resolution). For reference, my old TV was a 20" low-def tube TV (my 23" monitor has more screen area, especially if the show/movie is in widescreen). This setup leaves the HDMI port on my laptop open to plug the TV into. I can either use the TV as a monitor (which disables the 23" monitor), or I can set up the TV as an extended desktop. Switch the input on the TV to the correct HDMI with the remote, switch the screen setup to extended desktop, then simply drag the movie player or browser window over to the TV, maximize it, and I can enjoy a DVD, video file, or youtube video on the TV in full resolution. Or I can set up the TV as the main monitor and browse the web or whatever from across the room with my wireless keyboard/mouse. Either way the resolution of the TV is full 1920x1080. Plus since HDMI also carries audio, the sound gets transferred to the TV, so it's coming from the direction you're watching. Now I just need to get a TV that lets me plug better speakers into it.

Pretty cool, huh?

One thing I wish I could do is run duplicate desktops, but my video card isn't powerful enough. I can do it, but only at extremely low resolutions.
 
Yeah, I hear ya, I suffered through a year of barely being able to hear my tv before I could save up and throw down on some towers and a receiver :)

The only advantage I can see to having a laptop bluray drive would b if you needed to take it with you to hook up to other tvs, most of the blu rays I buy come with a DVD and a digital download so I don't need to take the blu ray disc with me, I can just watch the DVD or download it to my laptop. I still say get a unit dedicated to your tv bro :)
 
I have a very terrible habit of streaming and buyin movies online lately, so I don't even need a physical drive except for blu rays of my favorite movies ... The future is only going to get worse... :)
 
jbob24 said:
Yeah, I hear ya, I suffered through a year of barely being able to hear my tv before I could save up and throw down on some towers and a receiver :)
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I did the same thing for my brother and his new bride for their 1st anniversary. They have a big-ass TV, but had weak-ass sound. Rather than messing around with a receiver and speakers and whatnot, I just bought them a 160W computer speaker system that simply plugs into the headphone jack. Again, not a theater quality setup, but it's 10000% better than using the built in speakers. Most big TVs these days have built-in 2x10W speakers, but have less bass than some 5W computer speakers, simply because the thin design of the TVs doesn't allow for deep resonance. It doesn't matter how much power/volume they can put out if all they're doing is making the crap sound louder.

The only advantage I can see to having a laptop bluray drive would b if you needed to take it with you to hook up to other tvs,
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That, and it's less junk to hook up, since the computer will be hooked up to the TV regardless. And I kinda like the idea of controlling it all from my computer - more familiar that way.
 
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