FUNAI BLU-RAY PLAYERS

Some people have wondered about the relatively high costs of Blu-ray players, so I recommend getting one of the Profile 1.1 Funai clones. Reaggie and I both have the Magnavox model, and they've worked great for us.

Best Buy currently has some promos with the Insignia-branded player, which has an optical audio out in addition to the coax that the other players have.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=8777344&st=insignia+blu-ray&lp=1&type=product&cp=1&id=1204332499513

Wal-Mart's Magnavox model: http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=9864613

Amazon's Sylvania model: http://www.amazon.com/Sylvania-NB500SL9-1080p-Blu-Ray-Player/dp/B0015313Q6/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1220244686&sr=8-1

btw, tony is thinking about buying one for his in-laws, and i've just bought an insignia for my gf. good times, people!

my gf and i are really digging blu-ray's 50-gig capacity. she and her family speak italian, so we have been enjoying the "harry potter" series all over again...en ITALIANO!

Eddie, sometime today I'm going to throw a Jedi Mind Trick at the in-laws to see if they really want one. I know her father may want one but I'll be trying to get her mother on board so I don't have to spend money on two gifts. My father in-law really likes my set up with the ONKYO TX-SR605 and the Mits 57in 1080 DLP running a Blu-ray on the PS3. So my question will be to them is, "So you really like the way hi-def movies look on my TV?"

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[Post edited by tony1569 on Sep 1, 2008]

tony,

what you want to do is order the insignia from bestbuy.com and choose in-store pickup. that way, you also get the $50 gift card by mail so that you can buy something for yourself.

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?type=category&id=pcmcat159200050006

eddie

after endless hrs of me looking at forums after these players were released, i have tried them myself, and they're pretty solid. i been getting them for first time blu owners... however i did end up keeping the samsung 1500 since i got it for about the same price as an insignia... and i dunno, we made a connection.

Sears also has the Sylvania version in stock I believe. The only issue with these is that they lack 5.1 analog outs which is the only reason I can see for getting a standalone over a PS3 but 100-150 dollars less then the basic PS3 is still a savings.

Sorry to hijack the thread, but I also see that Amazon has the Panasonic BD30 for $320.

http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-DMP-BD30K-1080p-Blu-ray-Player/dp/B000Y634SU/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1220302498&sr=8-1

I suspect that this low price is because Panasonic is about to replace the BD30 with the BD35, which is practically the same unit in an even smaller size. Anyway, the BD30 is a heck of a unit, although it only bitstreams out TrueHD 7.1 and DTS Master Audio 7.1, so you need a receiver to decode those higher audio codecs. And it is Profile 1.1, meaning it does picture-in-picture but not BD-Live (Internet inconnectivity).

John

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[Post edited by John J. Puccio on Sep 1, 2008]

(double post)

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[Post edited by posters5 on Oct 5, 2008]

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[Post edited by posters5 on Sep 1, 2008]

Quote:
Sears also has the Sylvania version in stock I believe

YES. SHOP AT SEARS! (i love Craftsman, and Walmart already has enough money)

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[Post edited by bladerunner1 on Sep 2, 2008]