Ideal Blu-ray player for Video Processors / Scalers

[StooMonster]

I'm currently married to my DVDO VP50-Pro -- even though I have a Lumagen Radiance XD and a DVDO EDGE -- because it has SDI inputs from my modified Arcam DVD player and the picture quality is superb.

I have been waiting for the Arcam FMJ BDX Blu-ray Player, which comes in two models (transport and fully-featured). I was originally going for transport as it's the purest/simplest model; but have realised I will have to upgrade my audio processors and I don't want to do that at the moment, and the fully featured model doesn't come out until "end 2009" which is pretty much a year away.

So, I wonder ... is there a good Blu-ray player for use with video processors, in particular the Lumagen Radiance?

I am hoping there is one that:

• Region Free for DVD -- absolute must have, no buy if not
• 480i/576i for DVD -- must have
• 1080p24 for Blu-ray -- must have
• 4:2:2 for SD -- nice to have
• Region Free for Blu-ray -- nice to have
• Blu-ray 2.0 spec
• Internal audio decoding of all codecs, analogue output -- use my current amp's direct analogue input

What are you guys using? Does it match the above?

StooMonster

[KelvinS1965]

While no Arcam, the Sony BDP-S550 will do most of the (possible) things on your list unless I'm mistaken, including a one-for-all remote region free hack (for DVDs only, no BluRay multiregion is possible on any player AFAIK). You can select 4:2:2 in the menu IIRC, but I'd need to check on my S350 to confirm (the S550 does the same as my S350, with the addition of analog 5.1 outputs). You also need to check if the S550 does internal decoding on DTS MA as my S350 doesn't (but my amp does anyway).

The only catch is that for DVDs to output at 576i, you will have to go into the setup menu and tell the Sony that your 'display' is 576i. Unlike the older S300/500 models that had a 'source direct' feature. Once in this setting, any BluRays get downscaled to 480/576i as well. I tried this setting last night in preparation for the Lumagen HDQ I just bought off these forums. I think I might just resort to using my Sony DVD recorder as a 576i source for DVDs, depending if I see any difference in PQ once passed through the HDQ for upscaling, compared to using my S350.

If there is another make that does all of Soomonster's requirements, plus source direct, then I'd be interested myself.

[Avi]

Originally Posted by StooMonster

I am hoping there is one that:

• Region Free for DVD -- absolute must have, no buy if not
• 480i/576i for DVD -- must have
• 1080p24 for Blu-ray -- must have
• 4:2:2 for SD -- nice to have
• Region Free for Blu-ray -- nice to have
• Blu-ray 2.0 spec
• Internal audio decoding of all codecs, analogue output -- use my current amp's direct analogue input

Stoo

It may be worth checking out the Pioneer models. I can only speak about the LX91 from personal experience but other models may offer the same/similar -

1) Yes region free for DVD out of the box
2) Source direct mode will auto output at the contents native res/freq which is useful when using a VP. Plus on the fly resolution change via remote
3) 1080/24 for Blu-ray and also R1 film if required
4) YCbCr 4:2:2 is an output option
5) I don't know about MR Blu-ray mods at this point
6) Profile 2 enabled but awaiting a FW update to active
7) Currently full HD internal audio decoding is limited to Dolby TrueHD with DTS HD MA plus bass management for analogue due FW update due March

It's not a cheap player but the analogue stage is good quality.

AVI

[StooMonster]

Thanks KelvinS1965, you've just stopped me from buying one. Phew!

576i? That's rubbish. No sale.

StooMonster

[KelvinS1965]

Originally Posted by StooMonster

Thanks KelvinS1965, you've just stopped me from buying one. Phew!

576i? That's rubbish. No sale.

StooMonster

You can change it back to 1080/24p when you watch BluRays, but it just means going into a menu that's a bit of a faf, compared to having source direct.

EDIT: I guess you knew that since your other thread on the BluRay players section.

Kind of a side issue, but is one DVD player's 576i output much the same as anyothers, in terms of feeding it into a VP for upscaling and deinterlacing? This lack of source direct is going to be a pain once I get the HDQ, but I have a DVD recorder and an older Sony NS92V DVD player that I could use just for DVDs and leave the BDP-S350 purely for BluRays.

[StooMonster]

Originally Posted by KelvinS1965

You can change it back to 1080/24p when you watch BluRays, but it just means going into a menu that's a bit of a faf, compared to having source direct.

A bit of a faf means no money from me.

StooMonster

[Ian_S]

Originally Posted by KelvinS1965

Kind of a side issue, but is one DVD player's 576i output much the same as anyothers, in terms of feeding it into a VP for upscaling and deinterlacing? This lack of source direct is going to be a pain once I get the HDQ, but I have a DVD recorder and an older Sony NS92V DVD player that I could use just for DVDs and leave the BDP-S350 purely for BluRays.

Depends how good the MPEG-2 decoder is. Large variations are possible here.

[Ian_S]

Originally Posted by StooMonster

A bit of a faf means no money from me.

StooMonster

Stoomonster,

You're only workable option at the moment is the Pioneer LX91. It has source direct and most importantly an audio delay function which I can assure you, you will need. Otherwise expect dreadful lip-sync between audio and video, with the audio being way ahead, not even close.

No players aside from the Pioneers offer source direct (1st gen Sony's were designed by Pioneer for Sony hence they had SD) and it seems NO player aside from the LX91 offers any kind of lipsync function.

Might be cheaper in the long run, and get you better audio to just go and buy an Arcam AVR600. John Dawson assured me they'd spent a lot of time on it's HDMI inputs to fix audio issues, so I'd be willing to try. Then you can get a cheaper player like the BD35, or a 51FD if you still need source direct and get proper audio regardless. Arcam's transport later could then be a good buy.

[StooMonster]

Ian_S, all good advice.

Why is it so darn hard to get something so simple?

I am really quite happy with my AV9/P7 -- I think the AVR600 looks like a DiVA product that has been kicked it up to FMJ because they have discontinued the range. One only has to look at the product code numbers to see this is the case. Besides, I'm not interested in an integrated AV Receiver. Moreover, it's got a tuner in it ... a radio Ian_S, a radio! What is more, I am not exactly sold on the FMJ AV888 being the same case as AVR600 either; won't it be mostly empty (with no amplification in it)?

Maybe the Radiance stays on the shelf, and I get a player that does 480p/576p for SD and I continue using VP50-Pro ... or LX91.

StooMonster

[NicolasB]

Why is 1080p24 a must-have if you use a VP? 1080i/60 will be identical.

[StooMonster]

Originally Posted by NicolasB

Why is 1080p24 a must-have if you use a VP? 1080i/60 will be identical.

True, you are correct.

Although I was implying "less processing", for a Blu-ray player to create 1080i/60 it needs to encode the 1080p24 that is on the disc and that requires "processing" of some sort.

Source Direct sounds like the right kind of thing.

StooMonster

[binbag]

Originally Posted by StooMonster

A bit of a faf means no money from me.

StooMonster

I was at the Bristol S+V show today and watched a speaker salesman lose a whole roomful of prospects trying to load a BR to demo. The more experienced salesmen had multi BR setups to enable smooth changes of material - if this is anything to go by, faffing is the future of AV.

[KelvinS1965]

Originally Posted by Ian_S

Depends how good the MPEG-2 decoder is. Large variations are possible here.

Sorry to butt into this thread (maybe I should start a similar one 'Ideal DVD player for Video Processors / Scalers'?). Out of the following pieces of equipment I already have, which is likely to have the best MPEG-2 decoder?

1. Sony BDP-S350 BluRay player.
2. Sony NS 92V DVD player.
3. Sony RDR-HXD870 DVD recorder/player.

Possibly they may all use the same chip for this function as they are similar vintage (the BD player being more recent, but a real 'faff' to change to 576i for every DVD) and they all have HDMI outputs.

All would (presumably) be used at 576i output allowing my HDQ to upscale and deinterlace.

[StooMonster]

Depends how one defines "good MPEG-2 decoder".

I guess you could run them into your system with each outputting 480i/576i over HDMI with some test discs; although I am unclear about "good MPEG-2 decoder" with the exception of Chroma Bug being present or not.

StooMonster

[Ian_S]

Originally Posted by KelvinS1965

Possibly they may all use the same chip for this function as they are similar vintage (the BD player being more recent, but a real 'faff' to change to 576i for every DVD) and they all have HDMI outputs

Absolutely not for the BD player. BD's unlike DVD players don't use different chips for different parts, hence it's virtually impossible to get an untouched decoded video ouput for HD-SDI. You can only get to the processed output that will also go out over HDMI.

Oppo spent a lot of time for the 983 looking at MPEG decoders as they are not all idential, before settling on I think a mediatek one.

I would expect the S350 to provide the best output as it will have a much more recent decoder that can also do MPEG2-HD built into the Blu-ray chipset.

IF DVD players were all using recent MPEG-2 decoders then CUE ought to have been a thing of the past on DVD players some time ago, however it isn't.