best seller Here's a link to circuit city's best selling DVD players. #2 right behind the $36 SD dvd player is the A3. Now how can this player consistantly outsell any other bluray player and still HDDVD comes up short in player sales every week according to the "ratings polls" Are they not counting internet retailers or something?http://www.circuitcity.com/rpsm/catOid/-12872/Ns/accm_num_unts_sld|1/N/20012866+20012872/rpem/ccd/categorylist.do best seller Here's a link to circuit city's best selling DVD players. #2 right behind the $36 SD dvd player is the A3. Now how can this player consistantly outsell any other bluray player... » Read More best seller Here's a link to circuit city's best selling DVD players. #2 right behind the $36 SD dvd player is the A3. Now how can this player consistantly outsell any other bluray player and still HDDVD comes up short in player sales every week according to the "ratings polls" Are they not counting internet retailers or something?http://www.circuitcity.com/rpsm/catOid/-12872/Ns/accm_num_unts_sld|1/N/20012866+20012872/rpem/ccd/categorylist.do « Show Less
589428
i really don't understand why circuit city (and best buy) would want to be in the business of not selling high-definition video disc players because when they push the more expensive format because it has higher margins for the store, it is causing the whole adoption of high-definition video discs to stall. people will buy high-definition video disc players for a slight premium to an upconverting dvd player, but they don't want to pay 5-10 times as much money on a high-definition video disc player (versus a standard-definition upconverting dvd player).
589429
i totally agree with this. i think the adoption of hd movies are stalling because the friggin players are costing as much as the hdtv themselves. if the retail stores are pushing blu-ray for its higher margin then they will lose in the long run-by that time ppl will forget about blu-ray or hd dvd and jus move on to downloads and what not.
589430
The HD-A3 is now #1 at CircuitCity.comhttp://www.circuitcity.com/rpsm/catOid/-12872/Ns/accm_num_unts_sld|1/N/20012866+20012872/rpem/ccd/categorylist.doThe SuperBowl advertisement may be paying off!
589431
the hd-a3 is back up to #2 best-selling of all dvd players at circuitcity.com!http://www.circuitcity.com/rpsm/catOid/-12872/Ns/accm_num_unts_sld|1/N/20012866+20012872/rpem/ccd/categorylist.do
589432
un-believable Circuit city pulled the a3 from their best seller list. The A20 is down around 30 or so. They're definitely pro bluray!
1748156
Did they just forget these features when they made Blue ray players? I doubt it, they just left room for improvement so we would have a reason to buy newer models. The proof in this is to ask yourself how many DVD players you have boughtt over the years, and how many of them were bought because the old one stopped working, versus you just wanted some of the cool upgraded features they offered?
478277
I hear the Oppo is a great DVD player (although I do not have one myself). There are several models and I think you can find them here at Amazon quite easily. They are standard DVD players (not HD DVD or blu-ray) who do up-conversion of your DVDs to 1080p.The up-conversion on the Toshiba HD DVD players are also regarded as being among the best (if not the best)... but the DVD playing is region locked. Try the Oppo, then.Also, Onkyo announced their first HD DVD player due next Fall. It will probably be the best HD player on the market by then. However, I'm not sure if the DVD playing will be region locked or not. I hear the Oppo is a great DVD player (although I do not have one myself). There are several models and I think you can find them here at Amazon quite easily. They are standard DVD players (not HD DVD or blu-ray) who do up-conversion of your DVDs to 1080p.The up-conversion on the Toshiba HD DVD players are also regarded as being among the best (if not the best)... but the DVD playing is region locked. Try the Oppo, then.Also, Onkyo announced their first HD DVD player due next Fall. It will probably be the best HD player on the market by then. However, I'm not sure if... » Read More I hear the Oppo is a great DVD player (although I do not have one myself). There are several models and I think you can find them here at Amazon quite easily. They are standard DVD players (not HD DVD or blu-ray) who do up-conversion of your DVDs to 1080p.The up-conversion on the Toshiba HD DVD players are also regarded as being among the best (if not the best)... but the DVD playing is region locked. Try the Oppo, then.Also, Onkyo announced their first HD DVD player due next Fall. It will probably be the best HD player on the market by then. However, I'm not sure if the DVD playing will be region locked or not. « Show Less
2214378
Panasonic came out with a portable DVD Burner to go along with the HDC-SD5 camcorder. The model # is VW-BN1. It just came out and so far only a few are available on Ebay from people who pre-ordered their HDC-SD5 with the burner and just received it (but don't want the burner). I haven't seen it available anywhere else, but you should see it in retail stores or Amazon in a month or two. You can transfer video directly to the DVD Burner (on a normal DVD-R disc) from the camcorder, and you can play the discs through the player on your High Definition tv (so you don't necessarily need a PS3). Panasonic came out with a portable DVD Burner to go along with the HDC-SD5 camcorder. The model # is VW-BN1. It just came out and so far only a few are available on Ebay from people who pre-ordered their HDC-SD5 with the burner and just received it (but don't want the burner). I haven't seen it available anywhere else, but you should see it in retail stores or Amazon in a month or two. You can transfer video directly to the DVD Burner (on a normal DVD-R disc) from the camcorder, and you can play the discs through the player on your High Definition tv (so you don't necessarily... » Read More Panasonic came out with a portable DVD Burner to go along with the HDC-SD5 camcorder. The model # is VW-BN1. It just came out and so far only a few are available on Ebay from people who pre-ordered their HDC-SD5 with the burner and just received it (but don't want the burner). I haven't seen it available anywhere else, but you should see it in retail stores or Amazon in a month or two. You can transfer video directly to the DVD Burner (on a normal DVD-R disc) from the camcorder, and you can play the discs through the player on your High Definition tv (so you don't necessarily need a PS3). « Show Less
2281196
I mostly use HDTracks, but there are ay least a couple of others, including a new one called something like ProStudios that I have yet to try. I stick to 96/24 and on this player they sound great! Yes, they are more expensive, but I usually wait for a sale, 10 - 15% off, and the usual price for popular music is around 18 bucks, before discount. If you want to burn these to disc, you have to use a program, at least as far as I know, that burns them to DVD. I think that program is called Cirlinca HD - Audio Ultra. Have fun!
916403
I agree with Weld Tech on this.The BD65 is a nice, solid BluRay DISC player, but it has a serious omission with the lack of being able to play files such as DIVX - which is a basic staple in today's market!Since I have had 2 older DVD players which were capable of playing DIVX from disc and/or USB, I never imagined this updated player -- which boasts USB and SD inputs -- would lack basic DIVX capability.This might not be an issue for some, but it would have been a deal-breaker for me. It also greatly reduces the value of this player and makes me question Panasonic products, now. I agree with Weld Tech on this.The BD65 is a nice, solid BluRay DISC player, but it has a serious omission with the lack of being able to play files such as DIVX - which is a basic staple in today's market!Since I have had 2 older DVD players which were capable of playing DIVX from disc and/or USB, I never imagined this updated player -- which boasts USB and SD inputs -- would lack basic DIVX capability.This might not be an issue for some, but it would have been a deal-breaker for me. It also greatly reduces the value of this player and makes me question... » Read More I agree with Weld Tech on this.The BD65 is a nice, solid BluRay DISC player, but it has a serious omission with the lack of being able to play files such as DIVX - which is a basic staple in today's market!Since I have had 2 older DVD players which were capable of playing DIVX from disc and/or USB, I never imagined this updated player -- which boasts USB and SD inputs -- would lack basic DIVX capability.This might not be an issue for some, but it would have been a deal-breaker for me. It also greatly reduces the value of this player and makes me question Panasonic products, now. « Show Less
277069
I wish I could help but I bought mine brand new on Amazon about a year and a half ago. The unit is a nice one and I have not had any problems with it. It plays all formats and getting a 5 or 6 dvd changer that also has HD upscaling is getting pretty hard to find.Realistically, I cannot see ANYONE selling a dvd player WITHOUT a remote since it is almost useless without it.
421372
Heads up, I ordered the Samsung LCDTV that had the free blue ray player. Now, Datavision has charged my credit for the full price of the player. They say they are unaware of any Promo. Amazon.com has not responded to my email and the LCD HDTV is due to arrive today. My advice, any promos you see, you better print off the screen because that is the only proof you are going to have that it ever existed at all.
1330459
Peter, can you share names / websites of these independent sellers of blu-ray disc players? I'd like a blu-ray disc player that plays PAL and NTSC blu-ray and DVD discs from all regions (if such players are available). Thank you.
2065827
These players are originally region one. They are actually then modified to be region free by a third part or by the seller. If done correctly they player would be working 100% perfect and there would be no loss in picture quality. It will be up to par as expected. However you must check the sellers background, see how long they have been around and if you can contact them after the sale by phone for support. Most legitamite companies have been around for years I've seen some for 2-3 decades. I did a search on google for region free blu-ray player and purchased mine. It's works great. I had a snag with one disc, and the company sent me some software to fix it very quickly. These players are originally region one. They are actually then modified to be region free by a third part or by the seller. If done correctly they player would be working 100% perfect and there would be no loss in picture quality. It will be up to par as expected. However you must check the sellers background, see how long they have been around and if you can contact them after the sale by phone for support. Most legitamite companies have been around for years I've seen some for 2-3 decades. I did a search on google for region free blu-ray player and purchased mine. It's works great. I had... » Read More These players are originally region one. They are actually then modified to be region free by a third part or by the seller. If done correctly they player would be working 100% perfect and there would be no loss in picture quality. It will be up to par as expected. However you must check the sellers background, see how long they have been around and if you can contact them after the sale by phone for support. Most legitamite companies have been around for years I've seen some for 2-3 decades. I did a search on google for region free blu-ray player and purchased mine. It's works great. I had a snag with one disc, and the company sent me some software to fix it very quickly. « Show Less
1811378
Retailers will always try to tell you that Monster is best because they make such an enormous amount of profit if you buy that $99 cable. Think about it, if you owned a retail store, would you rather sell a $10 cable, or a $99 cable. You can't blame them for trying but "buyer beware" is in order. Lifetime Warranty? Seriously, for $99? Considering they are 10x the price of what a quality cable should cost, the lifetime warranty is irrelevant. If you would be willing to pay 10x the price of a blu-ray player or any other product, I'm sure they would offer a offer you a lifetime warranty on those too. Monster has the retailers sucked in because of how much potential profit there is to be made. "buyer beware"! It's all Monster marketing. And they are super good at it. As to your second question, there is no such thing as a 1080 cable. The only differences in cables are Standard Speed (Category 1) and High Speed (Category 2). The difference between Standard Speed and High Speed is that High Speed is guaranteed to throughput 1080p. Standard Speed may also throughput 1080p but it is not guaranteed to do so. As to "Hertz" or more accurately "refresh rates", the refresh rate is done inside the TV. The cable has nothing to do with it so long as it is capable of throughputting enough information so that the TV can receive enough information to refresh at the specified refresh rate. That said, any High Speed HDMI cable is capable of the refresh rates of any TV currently being produced. While that may change in the future, to my knowledge it is simply an irrelevant consideration. @Russell, you should not accept a distorted picture. It unacceptable and, assuming you have confirmed its the cable and not the dvd player or the settings, clearly you should call the people that sold you the cable and get it replaced free of charge.
203908
I purchased an extended warranty on my Sony BD player. It is 18 months old and has completely died. I purchased it at Circuit City which is of course now defunct. I have been trying to deal with the warranty company that took over from CC - and it has been a nightmare.I will never purchase an extended warranty on a BD player again!
1082378
all players come with remote control's and manuels, if they are brand new, if you buy used like on ebay it's a 50/50 chance on both, rebuilt is also a 50/50 chance on remotes and manuels. in my opinon get a sony blue ray bdp-2185/bx18 I have had no trouble with it. I told myself I would never get one, when it dropped down in price at walmart or amazon I couldn't refuse the price. but you have watch, there are normal blue rays and 3d blue rays. it's a decision you have to make shop around, but make sure on any dvd player or dvd burner it plays dvd-r and dvd +r and dvd-rw and dvd +rw and dvd +dl and dvd-dl and same way with blue rays. all players come with remote control's and manuels, if they are brand new, if you buy used like on ebay it's a 50/50 chance on both, rebuilt is also a 50/50 chance on remotes and manuels. in my opinon get a sony blue ray bdp-2185/bx18 I have had no trouble with it. I told myself I would never get one, when it dropped down in price at walmart or amazon I couldn't refuse the price. but you have watch, there are normal blue rays and 3d blue rays. it's a decision you have to make shop around, but make sure on any dvd player or dvd burner it plays dvd-r and dvd +r and dvd-rw and dvd +rw and dvd... » Read More all players come with remote control's and manuels, if they are brand new, if you buy used like on ebay it's a 50/50 chance on both, rebuilt is also a 50/50 chance on remotes and manuels. in my opinon get a sony blue ray bdp-2185/bx18 I have had no trouble with it. I told myself I would never get one, when it dropped down in price at walmart or amazon I couldn't refuse the price. but you have watch, there are normal blue rays and 3d blue rays. it's a decision you have to make shop around, but make sure on any dvd player or dvd burner it plays dvd-r and dvd +r and dvd-rw and dvd +rw and dvd +dl and dvd-dl and same way with blue rays. « Show Less
174937
Brit ... do you watch non-Region 1 DVDs? If you watch DVDs from other regions, the Oppo DV-980H is a good buy. If you watch only Region 1 DVDs, and do not need the DV-980H other capabilities (SACD, DVD Audio, High Res. JPEG, DivX, etc.), consider getting the Toshiba HD-A30 or the HD-A35 HD DVD player. These two models are actually HD DVD players but upscale SD DVDs (slightly) better than the DV-980H. These 2 models have the same ABT video processor used in the DV-983H, but sells at a lower price as HD DVD has been discontinued. Boot up time of these 2 models is longer than the DV-980H (its about a minute) but you have the added capability of playing HD DVD movies which are now heavily discounted, some selling for less than SD DVDs. I have both the DV-980H and the DV-981HD, and both are very good models. I am certain that the DV-983H is as well built as the 980 and 981, with a bit more improvement on the video as well as the audio. I have both the HD-A30 and the HD-A35. Both are very good HD DVD players. Both are also very good DVD players. Were it not for the discontinuation of the HD DVD format, these 2 models would sell for much more. I understand that Toshiba's production cost in mid-2007 for the HD-A30 was for approx. $400, while the HD-A35 was for approx. $500. Both are built like a tank. Getting the HD-A30 for less than $200 is a very good bargain. The HD-A35 with its more advanced audio capability is also a good bargain despite its premium over the HD-A30. That said, the DV-980H has capabilities that the Toshiba HD DVD players do not have. If you have need these or have some use for these, then you can't go wrong with the DV-980H. Good luck. Edit: The price of the Toshiba HD-A35 has gone up from $230 to $300 shortly after the post above so its no longer as good a bargain as before. The HD-A30 however remains a good buy under the conditions described above.
1506759
William: As far as Blu-ray picture quality is concerned, it's doubtful you'd see a difference between the Oppo and any other Blu-ray player that isn't a piece of junk. And yes, $500 it a lot of money to spend, so the Oppo will NEVER become a best-seller. And since you already own an Oppo upconverting player, there is no need to purchase this unit (unless you have a lot of SACDs and DVD-Audio discs). However, the Oppo loads a Blu-ray disc faster than almost any player out there, except for the PS3.A. Franco: While I don't own the PS3, I have read that the Oppo upconverting capability is second to none. You might check with the AVS forum, I'm sure there are detailed discussions of these two premier products. William: As far as Blu-ray picture quality is concerned, it's doubtful you'd see a difference between the Oppo and any other Blu-ray player that isn't a piece of junk. And yes, $500 it a lot of money to spend, so the Oppo will NEVER become a best-seller. And since you already own an Oppo upconverting player, there is no need to purchase this unit (unless you have a lot of SACDs and DVD-Audio discs). However, the Oppo loads a Blu-ray disc faster than almost any player out there, except for the PS3.A. Franco: While I don't own the PS3, I have read that the Oppo upconverting... » Read More William: As far as Blu-ray picture quality is concerned, it's doubtful you'd see a difference between the Oppo and any other Blu-ray player that isn't a piece of junk. And yes, $500 it a lot of money to spend, so the Oppo will NEVER become a best-seller. And since you already own an Oppo upconverting player, there is no need to purchase this unit (unless you have a lot of SACDs and DVD-Audio discs). However, the Oppo loads a Blu-ray disc faster than almost any player out there, except for the PS3.A. Franco: While I don't own the PS3, I have read that the Oppo upconverting capability is second to none. You might check with the AVS forum, I'm sure there are detailed discussions of these two premier products. « Show Less
871060
Thanks for the excellent suggestion! This was not available as an option when I was looking at alternatives to the (out-of-production) BD55 a year ago. It's got what I need - analog 7.1 out (why I am not interested in the BD60...) and BDLive (because why would you buy a player that wasn't internet-ready?). The SACD is a BIG plus in my book... I never said I wouldn't pay $500 for a player - I just said I wouldn't pay $500 for a $250 player...I notice the Oppo doesn't 'do' Amazon streaming media - but that's Amazon's problem, not mine... (I don't think the world is ready for streaming HiDef video, and when it is, there will be better choices than we have now...) Thanks for the excellent suggestion! This was not available as an option when I was looking at alternatives to the (out-of-production) BD55 a year ago. It's got what I need - analog 7.1 out (why I am not interested in the BD60...) and BDLive (because why would you buy a player that wasn't internet-ready?). The SACD is a BIG plus in my book... I never said I wouldn't pay $500 for a player - I just said I wouldn't pay $500 for a $250 player...I notice the Oppo doesn't 'do' Amazon streaming media - but that's Amazon's problem, not mine... (I don't think the world is ready for... » Read More Thanks for the excellent suggestion! This was not available as an option when I was looking at alternatives to the (out-of-production) BD55 a year ago. It's got what I need - analog 7.1 out (why I am not interested in the BD60...) and BDLive (because why would you buy a player that wasn't internet-ready?). The SACD is a BIG plus in my book... I never said I wouldn't pay $500 for a player - I just said I wouldn't pay $500 for a $250 player...I notice the Oppo doesn't 'do' Amazon streaming media - but that's Amazon's problem, not mine... (I don't think the world is ready for streaming HiDef video, and when it is, there will be better choices than we have now...) « Show Less
1895962
Thanks. Seems like each of these makes has its quirks. I just gave away on old (4 years) Toshiba DVD recorder that did OK for its time, but the menus were very unintuitive, and the manual was in broken english. I guess I could always pick up a D-R410 at Fry's and if I don't like it, return for the Panny when it's in stock. Fry's also has a Sony RDR-GX360 for the same price as the Panasonic, and it seems to have the same ins/outs and upconversion, but I can only find one user review out there and it was bad. I hear that Sonys are picky about the DVD brand you use, plus they're the "source" for the industry restrictions on recording HD, so I don't want to support them. Thanks. Seems like each of these makes has its quirks. I just gave away on old (4 years) Toshiba DVD recorder that did OK for its time, but the menus were very unintuitive, and the manual was in broken english. I guess I could always pick up a D-R410 at Fry's and if I don't like it, return for the Panny when it's in stock. Fry's also has a Sony RDR-GX360 for the same price as the Panasonic, and it seems to have the same ins/outs and upconversion, but I can only find one user review out there and it was bad. I hear that Sonys are picky about the DVD brand you use, plus they're the... » Read More Thanks. Seems like each of these makes has its quirks. I just gave away on old (4 years) Toshiba DVD recorder that did OK for its time, but the menus were very unintuitive, and the manual was in broken english. I guess I could always pick up a D-R410 at Fry's and if I don't like it, return for the Panny when it's in stock. Fry's also has a Sony RDR-GX360 for the same price as the Panasonic, and it seems to have the same ins/outs and upconversion, but I can only find one user review out there and it was bad. I hear that Sonys are picky about the DVD brand you use, plus they're the "source" for the industry restrictions on recording HD, so I don't want to support them. « Show Less