Looking for a Blu-Ray Player

[koberulz]

My current BD player is incredibly old (Panasonic DMP-BD35) and starting to act up, so I want to replace it.

I'm not sure if it's worth going 4K, though, as I don't have a 4K TV. But if I buy a new BD player now, the TV is probably going to be replaced before the new BD player is, so in terms of future-proofing or whatever 4K might not be a bad idea.

I need 3D and region-free playback. BD-RE support would be ideal. I have a Smart TV, so I'm not too interested in players that come with Netflix or whatever.

Someone elsewhere linked me here, and the recommendation there was Oppo, but the only Oppo player there is two grand, which is ridiculously expensive even for a 4K player, which that isn't.

Any recommendations, either from that site or others that will play region-free? I'm also not sure if the units sold there come with Australian power plugs, but I don't really have room for another travel adapter, and it seems they cause quality issues anyway.

Given I already have a Panasonic, I was kind of leaning that way, but I'm not sure what the difference between Premium 3D and 3D is?

[aedipuss]

off the shelf normal retail you are not going to get any recent blu-ray player that's region free. some might be able to have the dvd region lock removed but not the blu-ray. there are hardware modified version of some players you might search for. also all the newer players include cinavia copy right protection.

i think the panny premium 3d models include 2d to 3d conversion. in other words faked 3d that most likely will give you a headache.


http://3d-blu-ray-player-review.toptenreviews.com/

[Cornucopia]

Those Panny models which include 3DBD support may advertise 2D->3D, but that is only as an additional option, it doesn't override true 3D playback unless you manually force it (stupid thing to do).
Also, my experience has been that while obvious to me, faked 3d convinces some newbies (sad to say) and any headache inducement is at least gradual. Unlike watching the double image of a 3d title incorrectly manually engaged, which is glaringly bothersome.
4k BD players will probably still be a premium purchase for a few more years.
And since the 4k bd spec is mutually exclusive with the 3d bd spec, there is the possibility of 4k players that don't support 3dbd playback, so caveat emptor.


Scott

[koberulz]

off the shelf normal retail you are not going to get any recent blu-ray player that's region free. some might be able to have the dvd region lock removed but not the blu-ray. there are hardware modified version of some players you might search for.

That's what the site in my OP is, a place that sells hardware-modded players.

http://3d-blu-ray-player-review.toptenreviews.com/

Awesome, cheers. Not quite the same Panasonic model in that review, but running a comparison the one available actually looks better. Also managed to find the spec sheets for both listed 3D Panasonics, and it's just digital audio out and 5.1 decoding. But my amp can handle HDMI and bitstream, so I'll pass. Ordered the BDT280.

My TV is already capable of 2D->3D. Neat gimmick to try out when you first get the TV, but I've never actually used it while trying to watch something.