brokentusk16 0 Report post Posted February 18, 2009 So I'm thinking about upgrading by end of summer, but have a few questions about blu ray players. 1. Do all players need to be connected to the internet? I hard firmware updates are needed for players. Does this require a constant internet connection for the player? 2. How well do players upscale? I have such a large dvd collection, I can't replace it all, how good will it work? 3. How long does it take to start playing a blu ray? I hear the start time can be up to 5 min. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CanadianGuitarist 0 Report post Posted February 18, 2009 1. Do all players need to be connected to the internet? I hard firmware updates are needed for players. Does this require a constant internet connection for the player? Require? No. Recommended? Yes. Firmware updates (and the copy protects that prelude them) aren't all that often (in my experiences with them, every six-eight weeks, if that). I find the consumer fear of these to be a little overblown. Having said that, you will need to update occasionally, via firmware updated on burned cd or dvd, a jumpdrive (if your player accommodates one), or, ideally, ethernet. 2. How well do players upscale? I have such a large dvd collection, I can't replace it all, how good will it work? I have never known a BRD player that didn't upscale to 1080p when connected via HDMI. I suppose they exist, but I've never seen one. Worth nothing: Players can also run off component and still do 1080i, but you're sacrificing significant sound quality when going from HDMI to component audio. As far as how well it works - I notice a slight difference in natural 1080 and scaled 1080, but I've essentially spent the last six years watching television for a living. Most consumers aren't as discerning as I have been. 3. How long does it take to start playing a blu ray? I hear the start time can be up to 5 min. In all my experience with them, it's been slightly longer than a traditional DVD. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MarvinisaLunatic 0 Report post Posted February 18, 2009 1 - Not BR all players have ethernet ports. The majority of them that do have ethernet are profile 2.0 which means the ethernet port is mandatory for BD-Live features as well as upgrades and other features. I think most players allow upgrading via a burned DVD disc but this takes a while. I would definitely get a model with an ethernet port on it for futureproofing yourself. I havent really been blown away by any of the BD Live content yet BUT its almost brand new and will get better. 2 - The quality of the Blu Ray player upscaling is going to be about as good as a mid priced stand alone DVD upscaling player. Mine does a noticeably better job than my older upscaling DVD player. (I chalk it up to my older player not being that great even though I paid almost $200 for it a couple years ago). 3 - Depends on the manufacturer of the player and the disc itself. I have a Sony and Ive probably rented 20 movies already and there are some movies that take longer to load than others, and regular DVDs load like normal. I think the longest wait Ive had was maybe a minute or so but the disc had a neat loading animation screen so it wasn't that bad The longer load times are usually the discs that use java aps more in the special features. Firmware can be updated to speed the process up some, but its still going to be slower than DVD unless you get a PS3 for your blu ray player which is much faster than regular stand alone players due to the CPU used in it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dobbs 3K 0 Report post Posted February 19, 2009 For whatever reason the PS3 (which I have and use for BDs) does not seem to scale DVDs as well as my older Zenith upconverting DVD player did. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SuperJerk 0 Report post Posted February 19, 2009 2 - The quality of the Blu Ray player upscaling is going to be about as good as a mid priced stand alone DVD upscaling player. Mine does a noticeably better job than my older upscaling DVD player. (I chalk it up to my older player not being that great even though I paid almost $200 for it a couple years ago). Those are the same results I have had. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Angles Broken Fricken Neck 0 Report post Posted February 24, 2009 I use my Ps3 as my blu ray player, and i think the longest i had to wait for a movie to load up was transformers, took a minute or so. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MarvinisaLunatic 0 Report post Posted March 31, 2015 Fun fact, I still have the same Sony Blu Ray player I bought back in 2009 and it still works Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
