Best Bluray player with these features.

[dfisher052]

With so many experts on this site I thought someone might have an answer to this. Looking for a bluray player with these features: must play MKV, mp4, avi, xvid, Dolby Digital, DTS, mp3, aac, ac3, and play all these from front USB port. I don't need Wi-Fi, but if it is included that's OK, and it must be under $100. I am retired on a fixed income and that's my limit. Even a refurb is ok if it's a good one. I currently have an LG BP125 that I got for $38.00 on Black Friday last year and up till about a month ago it worked great. And it played everything (but dvix), but now it's starting to have playing problems and I have to unplug it and plug it back in to get it to play a complete video. Very annoying. Would love an OPPO, but not even close to my budget. Any suggestions greatly appreciated.

[yoda313]

Virtually any brand will do that these days. (just look on the packaging or in the spec detail online for file playback capability, if it has it at all it should do everything you listed).

IF you don't need smart apps that will save you more. Though those have gone down in price too.

And if you don't need it to have built in wireless that will knock the price down as well.

I have a 2013 Sony model that does everything you mention. Mines the s1100, not a wireless but I have a netgear wireless adapter that I got for a a different purpose that I use to turn it into wireless.

This particluar unit is a smart bluray player. Currently it's onsale for 70.00 at best buy:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/sony-smart-blu-ray-player/7829257.p?id=1218861012727&skuId=7829257

I'm sure you can find better deals elsewhere if you look.

Of course there's always used.

And as i mentioned you'll find cheaper deals if you don't need it to be smart ready. Though I don't know if there are any name brand bluray players that don't at least have netflix on them to be semi-smart in that regard. Off-brands might be player only without apps.

[dfisher052]

Checked the manual it does seem to play all that I asked except it seems to not play any videos with ac3 audio. Is that right?

[sanlyn]

Your budget is too low. Cheap players are junk, even if they do everything you require.

[dfisher052]

sanlyn... I'm sure there is a certain amount of truth to what you say, but it is a blanket statement that does not always apply. Cheap is not always junk. I've had Phillips dvd players (now on my third) for the last few years that I'm sure you would consider cheap junk, but they have all been very reliable, produced excellent picture quality and had all the features that I wanted (bit not Bluray). I still have one and the other two I've given to relatives and they still run great.
I'm sure the same could be said about cars or anything for that matter. I've been driving Honda's for years now and they have been the most trouble free cars I've ever owned, and I've owned cars for the last 50 years. I'm paying half what it would cost me to own something like a BMW or a Lexus or something comparable. Cheap yes, junk no.
So maybe I should change my request to something like under $100 but reliable and not junk, but with the features that I need.

[usually_quiet]

New Blu-Ray player models come out every year and the older models are retired, so it is impossible to recommend a current model based on a track record for reliability. Get a player that has the features you want. Maybe you just had bad luck with the LG player your bought (I bought a LG BP220 last year for my parents that still works well) but if you are reluctant to buy another LG, look at Sony and Samsung.

[sanlyn]

sanlyn... I'm sure there is a certain amount of truth to what you say, but it is a blanket statement that does not always apply. Cheap is not always junk. I've had Phillips dvd players (now on my third) for the last few years that I'm sure you would consider cheap junk, but they have all been very reliable, produced excellent picture quality and had all the features that I wanted (bit not Bluray). I still have one and the other two I've given to relatives and they still run great.
I'm sure the same could be said about cars or anything for that matter. I've been driving Honda's for years now and they have been the most trouble free cars I've ever owned, and I've owned cars for the last 50 years. I'm paying half what it would cost me to own something like a BMW or a Lexus or something comparable. Cheap yes, junk no.
So maybe I should change my request to something like under $100 but reliable and not junk, but with the features that I need.

So you're saying 100% on the cheapos? No way. I'll never get another one. The 5 that I've purchased left me convinced. None of them work today. To say that $60 is "just as good" as $200 (which, BTW, is mainstream nowadays for full-featured stuff) is nonsense. I'm amazed that so many people in this forum think that anything over $100 is exotic. Spend at your own risk, but don't be surprised by anything that goes amiss after 90 days. And, yeah, it certainly helps to look around on Black Friday and December 25th.

The idea that all players are alike is a myth as well. I don't seriously expect anyone to buy better, any more than they have since the days of the first first table radios. I'd prefer mass consumption to continue as-is. As long as BestBuy and Walmart stay in business, it's good for the economy. It creates jobs and income for those who'd like something better. And I'm serious about that. It if hadn't been for all the cheapskates who bought Goldstar, you wouldn't have LG today.

[usually_quiet]

sanlyn... I'm sure there is a certain amount of truth to what you say, but it is a blanket statement that does not always apply. Cheap is not always junk. I've had Phillips dvd players (now on my third) for the last few years that I'm sure you would consider cheap junk, but they have all been very reliable, produced excellent picture quality and had all the features that I wanted (bit not Bluray). I still have one and the other two I've given to relatives and they still run great.
I'm sure the same could be said about cars or anything for that matter. I've been driving Honda's for years now and they have been the most trouble free cars I've ever owned, and I've owned cars for the last 50 years. I'm paying half what it would cost me to own something like a BMW or a Lexus or something comparable. Cheap yes, junk no.
So maybe I should change my request to something like under $100 but reliable and not junk, but with the features that I need.

I'm with you. Buying cheap gear that gives you an acceptable picture and sound is preferable to doing without other things you want or need to be able to afford something expensive that is only marginally better in those areas or has other features that you don't want or need.

[sanlyn]

True. No sense paying for features you don't need. I'm trying to imagine why I'd want internet access in a player even though I paid for it, but I guess I have to afford that to accommodate the crowd who wants it. Still, I think durability, good construction, and premium components are "features", along with 5 year warranties and update features and mods to keep something going that long. I have a $200 DENON SD player that I bought on clearance for less than $80 (the model had a cosmetics change. Hooray for cosmetics!!). It throws an image and beautiful upsampling and IVTC that's better than my pricey Oppo with DVDs. Naturally the DENON won't play BD or AVCHD. That's not what I bought it for.

But not everyone wants all that. If you don't want it/don't need it, don't pay for it. No argument there.

[usually_quiet]

True. No sense paying for features you don't need. I'm trying to imagine why I'd want internet access in a player even though I paid for it, but I guess I have to afford that to accommodate the crowd who wants it. Still, I think durability, good construction, and premium components are "features", along with 5 year warranties and update features and mods to keep something going that long. I have a $200 DENON SD player that I bought on clearance for less than $80 (the model had a cosmetics change. Hooray for cosmetics!!). It throws an image and beautiful upsampling and IVTC that's better than my pricey Oppo with DVDs. Naturally the DENON won't play BD or AVCHD. That's not what I bought it for.

But not everyone wants all that. If you don't want it/don't need it, don't pay for it. No argument there.

I'd rather have the extra $300-$400 in my pocket to use for other things in the near term, and be free to update as better technology arrives, but if you prefer to keep your money tied up in gear that is already obsolete and loosing value from the moment you buy it, I guess that is your choice.

[dfisher052]

I hate to intrude here folks, but is there any chance anyone can answer my original question instead of getting off on another topic altogether. I think we all agree that the more you spend the better the product. You do realize that's a joke (I hope). The reason I bought the LG was not bacause it was cheap, even though that was a nice added feature, but it had ALL of the play features that I was looking for. I have not been able to find a reasonably priced player since that does. At least one or two playback features are not there and I'm just trying to find, if possible, one that does and was looking to the members of this site for some help, as I assumed that with so many people that populate this site there just might be someone that knew what I was looking for. Believe me, I have downloaded a lot of manuals for different players with no luck, so far.

[sanlyn]

Hey, if LG does the trick (and the other recommendations should work just as well), go for it. I do get a little antsy when a post is titled "what is the best" and is later qualified as "what is the best at so-and-so price point?". There are plenty of bargains around. I've owned and used them. And thank heaven for events like Black Friday and super-specials, or I wouldn't have any pricey stuff at all.

[usually_quiet]

I hate to intrude here folks, but is there any chance anyone can answer my original question instead of getting off on another topic altogether. I think we all agree that the more you spend the better the product. You do realize that's a joke (I hope). The reason I bought the LG was not bacause it was cheap, even though that was a nice added feature, but it had ALL of the play features that I was looking for. I have not been able to find a reasonably priced player since that does. At least one or two playback features are not there and I'm just trying to find, if possible, one that does and was looking to the members of this site for some help, as I assumed that with so many people that populate this site there just might be someone that knew what I was looking for. Believe me, I have downloaded a lot of manuals for different players with no luck, so far.

Reviewing LG's posted specs and manual, it looks to me like the LG BP330 plays everything your LG BP125 played. Will it last longer? Probably, but there is no way to say for certain. What playback features do you think that it is missing?

[Steve(MS)]

Yes, I have the LG BPM33 and it has played everything I have tried...though I don't have that many different type movie files.
But it is a super elcheapo and it isn't hard to tell it is cheaply made.
I have heard people like some of the new panys but I have no idea how they will do with files.
I do know my old 310 only wants to play fat files...so I never even bothered using it for files.

[dfisher052]

After a thorough search I think the only players that play everything (except dvix) are the LG machines. Thanks for everyones input.

[yoda313]

Checked the manual it does seem to play all that I asked except it seems to not play any videos with ac3 audio. Is that right?

Not sure I follow you. Do you mean video files with ac3 as in a h264 with ac3?

It certainly does do that a-ok. I've done plenty with ac3 and my blue surround decoder light pops up on my sony sd amp (ie standard def audio not an hd amp - though the bluray player obviously supports truehd and dts-ma as shown in its decoder support).

Only thing I haven't been able to get it to do is play video files with dts on it. But ac3 is a go.

Oh and by the way it does do dts standard def and dts-ma when its on a disc just not from a video file ala .mkv with h264 and a dts track.

At least I haven't been able to myself. If there's a max bitrate on dts that it can do over usb or on a dvdr for file playback I haven't been able to nail it just right. If its a 768kpbs max for dts its kind of useless since that's a very uncommon bitrate even on dvds, at least in my experience.

But as I said it does do dts and ac3 in disc form (as in properly authored home made and store bought blurays and dvds). It will also do ac3 in a video file.