DVDFILE.COM Forum - View Single Post - What to get once they're out, Panasonic BD50 or Sony BDP-S550

Ruined · 03-07-2008, 04:42 PM

Is the BT2500 really worth double the price of the BD30 for looks and better build? Aside from power circuitry which has no impact on the digital output quality, the BT2500 and BD30 are virtually identical. The Denon even uses the BD30's upscaling chip. Plus even if the BD30 breaks out of warranty, you could buy another (which will probably be a newer, better model) and be at the same price you paid for the Denon... I just don't get how its worth the money. Plus even if you don't use online features, the BT2500 is incapable of lossless audio on some titles due to its lack of internal decoders when a subaudio stream is present (such as PiP or other BD1.1 features that require internal mixing). While you might not need lossless while watching PiP, enabling/disabling subaudio requires stopping the movie and going into the Panasonic setup menu, then restarting the movie - a big pain.

Not trying to crap on your purchases, but the BD50 is a MUCH smarter buy as it will be fully compatible with all BD disc features, and even the BD30 is a smarter buy since its the same thing for half the price. While I would recommend the $1999 Denon 3800 BD player for its Realta upscaling, there is no way to justify recommending the BT2500 as it just appears to be a brand-status price gouging clone of the BD30 to me IMO.

03-07-2008, 04:42 PM	#14 (permalink)
Ruined It's Good to Play Together Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: NJ, USA	Is the BT2500 really worth double the price of the BD30 for looks and better build? Aside from power circuitry which has no impact on the digital output quality, the BT2500 and BD30 are virtually identical. The Denon even uses the BD30's upscaling chip. Plus even if the BD30 breaks out of warranty, you could buy another (which will probably be a newer, better model) and be at the same price you paid for the Denon... I just don't get how its worth the money. Plus even if you don't use online features, the BT2500 is incapable of lossless audio on some titles due to its lack of internal decoders when a subaudio stream is present (such as PiP or other BD1.1 features that require internal mixing). While you might not need lossless while watching PiP, enabling/disabling subaudio requires stopping the movie and going into the Panasonic setup menu, then restarting the movie - a big pain. Not trying to crap on your purchases, but the BD50 is a MUCH smarter buy as it will be fully compatible with all BD disc features, and even the BD30 is a smarter buy since its the same thing for half the price. While I would recommend the $1999 Denon 3800 BD player for its Realta upscaling, there is no way to justify recommending the BT2500 as it just appears to be a brand-status price gouging clone of the BD30 to me IMO. __________________ For every shadow, no matter how deep, is threatened by morning light. Last edited by Ruined : 03-07-2008 at 04:49 PM.