Pioneer BDP-440 or Sony BDP-S480 or Onkyo BD-SP309 or LG BX580

jbs

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Greetings to everyone on HiFivision.

I want to buy a new Blu-Ray player and I have shortlisted these players:
1. Pioneer BDP-440 (18000)
2. Onkyo BD-SP309 (19500)
3. Sony BDP-S480 (14500)
4. LG BX580 (13500)

My preference is Pioneer but find Sony better because of the service network and availability of accessories like WiFi dongle. I have Onkyo HT-S5400.

I kindly request all the experts to advise on this.

Thank you,
Rishi
 
It is better to get a region free bdp. IMO, the pioneer will be a better choice as it can be made region free by a hardware mod.
 
Finally bought Marantz UD5005. Read the entire operations manual before purchasing it and it really has amazing features and the build quality is exceptional. I will certainly post my views once I test the deck.

Thanks to Kittu and Baijuxavior for their valuable inputs.
 
@jbs,

Does Marantz UD5005 supports all the regions? In the HiFimart website it is mentioned that "This player plays Region C Blu-ray disks. " So just want to confirm.
 
@Jbs - what region player did you buy?

I've read that Blurays sold in India can be played on any region player, so does it make sense to buy Region A if one is expecting some blurays from the US?
 
@Jbs - what region player did you buy?

I've read that Blurays sold in India can be played on any region player, so does it make sense to buy Region A if one is expecting some blurays from the US?
Blu-rays sold in India are normally region free. But not always so. I had purchased The Chronicle of Narnia - Prince Caspian from Landmark. The backside of the BD said Region ABC, i.e., region free. But it would not play on my Region A Sony BDP. I did not have my Pana region free BDP then. I had purchased the disc at Landmark @ Gurgaon and I had come back to Pune by then; so their was no way I could return it. I complained to Disney but they said that as long it can play in any BDP sold in India, they cannot help. The senior manager had the cheek to say "Sir, we cannot support playback capability on US imported players".

Finally, I gifted it to a friend.

So one needs to be careful. The best way is to buy a region free player. Here are the possible options in the increasing order of preference and cost effectiveness:

  • Buy the Toshiba 3200KY model and make it region free by firmware update (available free).
  • Another option is the one I took ... but Panasonic BDP and make it free by firmware update for a small donation to website.
  • Third option. Search the web for Stegen or ICOS chip. See where they are available and which models are supported. Import the supported model and buy the mod chip separately (around US$90 to US$130). Mod chip fixing requires soldering skills. If you don't have soldering skills, take the mod chip and BDP to a electronics shop and have the guy fix it for you (instructions are available in mod chip).
  • Fourth option. Import an already modded region free BDP (for BDs and DVDs) from websites such as www.220electronics.com.
  • Final option is to buy an Oppo BDP-93 or BDP-95. Oppo is the best BDP in existence and is known as THE REFERENCE. Mod chips are available for Oppo also. Downside? Oppo is horribly expensive. The lower end BDP-93 unmodded is US$ 499 + tax. The BDP-95 is twice as much at $999 + tax. Mod chip will be another $149 or so.

p/s. Please excuse some errors, if any, regarding pricing.
 
Apropos to my previous post. I forgot to mention one more option. In terms of cost effectiveness, it lies between option 2 and 3.

  • Buy two BDPs - a Region A/1 player + Region B/2 player. 99% of the members buy source discs from US or Europe. So this option should work for all. Indian BDs and DVDs are region free and so this should cover India purchases also (except a very few). The disadvantage is extra equipment. If you do go ahead with this option, then I would further recommend players of two different brands so that one remote will not start/operate both BDPs at the same time. Cost will work out to INR 20k approx (each BDP for <= 10k).
 
Can the Marantz be made region free?
I am not sure. I have not come across any region free kit/mod for Marantz. Marantz BDP is not something that sells in great numbers - that is no reflection on its quality. There may be kits available but I am not hopeful.

Why don't you go the way I did? Buy Indian Panasonic BDT220 (MRP = 10990) and make it region free?
 
Why don't you go the way I did? Buy Indian Panasonic BDT220 (MRP = 10990) and make it region free?

Are the Pioneer BDP-440, Onkyo BD-SP309, Sony BDP-S480, LG BX580 not capable of being made region free like the Panasonic.

Where did you get the Panasonic from? I cant find it in Mumbai.
 
Are the Pioneer BDP-440, Onkyo BD-SP309, Sony BDP-S480, LG BX580 not capable of being made region free like the Panasonic.

Where did you get the Panasonic from? I cant find it in Mumbai.
I think that the Pioneer model can be made region free. For others, I am not sure but most likely a "yes" for Sony and LG. Check the web for region-free mod kit.

The difference is the Panasonic BDT220 and Toshiba 3200KB can be made region free via firmware update. The other will require a hardware mod that will require soldering, etc.

Panasonic model should be available in the brand stores. Maybe currently out of stock.
 
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