Want a Blu-ray player or theater system tolerant of damaged discs
November 10, 2014 7:46 AM Subscribe
We like to watch Blu-ray discs from Netflix, but despite careful cleaning they often have small scratches that our current player does not handle well. Is there a currently-available player or theater system that does well with these issues? If you can regularly play Netflix Blu-ray discs or other rental Blu-ray discs without problems, please let me know.
We have a Samsung player now that will show a black screen momentarily in certain spots on many Blu-Ray discs, which just ruins the movie-watching experience for me. The firmware is up to date and it plays Netflix DVDs fine. Seems that the higher data density on Blu-ray is the problem. I know that a scratch can mean the data on the disc isn't really available, but if the player handled the flaw more gracefully that would be better.
Either a standalone player or a theater system would work. Looking for sort of mid-range consumer stuff, not high-end. Cheap would be fine if it works reliably and doesn't have any major downsides. We do not need any networking features as our home internet service is not well suited for streaming HD quality video, though I understand those are pretty standard now.
We have a Samsung player now that will show a black screen momentarily in certain spots on many Blu-Ray discs, which just ruins the movie-watching experience for me. The firmware is up to date and it plays Netflix DVDs fine. Seems that the higher data density on Blu-ray is the problem. I know that a scratch can mean the data on the disc isn't really available, but if the player handled the flaw more gracefully that would be better.
Either a standalone player or a theater system would work. Looking for sort of mid-range consumer stuff, not high-end. Cheap would be fine if it works reliably and doesn't have any major downsides. We do not need any networking features as our home internet service is not well suited for streaming HD quality video, though I understand those are pretty standard now.
Best answer: Only one data point, and it's on the higher end, but our Oppo BDP-103 has never had an issue with any disc we've received from Netflix. And neither did the Oppo BDP-83 we had before that. You might be able to find a used one somewhere?
posted by primethyme at 8:00 AM on November 10, 2014
posted by primethyme at 8:00 AM on November 10, 2014
Best answer: Yeah, no matter what my daughter does to her disney blu-rays the PS3 will still play them.
posted by Oktober at 8:22 AM on November 10, 2014
posted by Oktober at 8:22 AM on November 10, 2014
Best answer: I was sending a large fraction of the blu-rays I rented back to Netflix when they wouldn't play in my 4-year-old Panasonic player. I replaced it with an up-to-date, sub-$100 Sony player about six months ago, and haven't had a problem since. I doubt the exact model matters in this case, but this is the one I got.
posted by paper chromatographologist at 9:44 AM on November 10, 2014
posted by paper chromatographologist at 9:44 AM on November 10, 2014
Samsung is infamous for problematic optical disc players. Get yourself a Sony 3D player and you should be set for the next few years.
posted by infinitewindow at 10:41 AM on November 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
posted by infinitewindow at 10:41 AM on November 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
I agree with the PS3 comments above, and have never had a single problem with mine playing anything. Cowboom regularly has super cheap deals on PS3s. Like $100 or even less with a coupon, when they let you stack on the coupon. It's the newest tiny model and revision too, so you won't be getting one that inexplicably dies on you. Radio shack is also clearing them out for like ~$70 right now, but the stock is basically raided. If you live in the middle of nowhere or get luck you might still find one.
As a bonus, if your internet is ever up to stuff it has all the streaming apps you'd want. It's also great for streaming already locally stored content from a PC/NAS/etc even if you don't have the bandwidth to stream.
I'm suspicious the issue here is the older ones not having enough RAM to read ahead far enough that error correction algorithms get a chance to retry failed reads before the buffer is empty and you see a black screen. the ps3 has a whole bunch of ram compared to early blu ray players for playing games, and has also gotten regular updates to its blu ray firmware and software. Newer players probably have a bigger buffer now because it's just cheap as hell.
You could also get a decent newer player for $100, but why not get something that's definitely going to get software updates if there is an issue, and has the capability to do more if and when you want to?
posted by emptythought at 3:31 PM on November 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
As a bonus, if your internet is ever up to stuff it has all the streaming apps you'd want. It's also great for streaming already locally stored content from a PC/NAS/etc even if you don't have the bandwidth to stream.
I'm suspicious the issue here is the older ones not having enough RAM to read ahead far enough that error correction algorithms get a chance to retry failed reads before the buffer is empty and you see a black screen. the ps3 has a whole bunch of ram compared to early blu ray players for playing games, and has also gotten regular updates to its blu ray firmware and software. Newer players probably have a bigger buffer now because it's just cheap as hell.
You could also get a decent newer player for $100, but why not get something that's definitely going to get software updates if there is an issue, and has the capability to do more if and when you want to?
posted by emptythought at 3:31 PM on November 10, 2014 [1 favorite]
As a dissenting opinion, I find my PS3s to be insanely frustrating to use as media players. The controller is awkward as a remote, and for some reason the pairing with my regular remote fails about once a year (and despite many attempts at programming all of the buttons, I still sometimes get into states that are hard or impossible to navigate out of without getting out the real controller). The stupid thing wants a software update every time I use it, and it puts off a lot more heat and noise than my Blu-Ray player. I keep it around because I do play the occasional game, but I wouldn't recommend it to someone who is just looking for a Blu-Ray player.
posted by primethyme at 4:24 PM on November 10, 2014
posted by primethyme at 4:24 PM on November 10, 2014
I used to recommend PS3s. Now if there's any chance at all that someone will get into 3D home media, I tell them to avoid the PS3, because it's limited in the Blu-ray features it can support while in 3D mode. But if 3D's not something someone's interested in, hell yeah, PS3 up.
posted by infinitewindow at 10:17 AM on November 11, 2014
posted by infinitewindow at 10:17 AM on November 11, 2014
Also, if you go the PS3 route, grab this Bluetooth controller that looks like a remote, because hey - it's a remote .
posted by John Kennedy Toole Box at 9:14 AM on November 13, 2014
posted by John Kennedy Toole Box at 9:14 AM on November 13, 2014
This thread is closed to new comments.
Granted, it has a lot of other bells and whistles that you don't need, but you might be able to pick up one used for a good deal, now that the PS4 has come out.
posted by John Kennedy Toole Box at 8:00 AM on November 10, 2014 [2 favorites]