Sony BluRay Player with 6 free BluRay Discs and movie rental vouchers €249.99.

Dman001

Xtravision have a Sony BluRay player with Hancock, Wall-E, Mama Mia and Iron Man free and 10 half price (BluRay) movie rental vouchers. The deal doesn't start till 28th of November (that's when Hancock will be released). It's the best deal I've saw for a BluRay player yet. It may be worth waiting till December to buy it because they might add The Dark Knight as an option with the bundle.

Edit: They don't mention the model of the BluRay player but going by the picture it looks like this one:http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&productId=8198552921665368427

If it is this model, that means it has the BD-Live feature.

Edit 2: When you register the player, you get Casino Royale and Batman Begins free aswell. So that makes it 6 free Blu-Ray discs. See here for more details. http://media.play.com/ContentDocs/6569654.pdf

Soarer

Great little player.
Bought one a month ago for €299 from a local Sony Centre.
To clarify though, the player needs to be software updated to be bd-live enabled. Simple to do though, ethernet cable into the back, "network update" in the menu, and it does the rest itself.
There's also a USB port at the back into which you need to put in a usb key to download the bd-live content. Some people have said you need a slimline key to fit in, but I put a big old clunky 2gb one I had lying around into it, and it fit grand.

Also, and this is the best bit, there's a registration disc in the box that, when you register, you receive Casino Royale and Batman Begins!:D

So that's a great little bd player, and 6 discs, for €250. Excellent bargain! Gonna get one for the bedroom!

Dman001

Cheers for that. Makes me want it more now.

Lawdie

Soarer wrote: »

the player needs to be software updated to be bd-live enabled. Simple to do though, ethernet cable into the back, "network update" in the menu, and it does the rest itself.

Whats BD live and is it available on PS3?

godtabh

Lawdie wrote: »

Whats BD live and is it available on PS3?

It gives you extra features for each disk. Games info etc.

I think its on the PS 3 as well

Dman001

There's info on it here
http://www.sonypictures.com/homevideo/bdlive/
The PS3 does have it but you may need to upgrade the firmware to get it.
Soarer can you play videos or music from a USB memory stick on the player?

godtabh

Dman001 wrote: »

Soarer can you play videos or music from a USB memory stick on the player?

Its purely for BD live

Dman001

kearnsr wrote: »

Its purely for BD live

Ah, okay. Cheers

Dman001

Just seen this over in AVForums. Blockbuster (who own Xtravision) are doing the same deal in the UK. They seem to think it is the BDP-S350 model.
http://www.avforums.com/forums/hd-dvd-blu-ray-movie-bargains/858784-blockbuster-blu-ray-player-6-films-199-99-a.html

unklerosco

Can anyone confirm what model it is yet??

Only one they have on the site is http://www.xtravision.ie/xvElectrical.asp?id=503

godtabh

unklerosco wrote: »

Can anyone confirm what model it is yet??

Only one they have on the site is http://www.xtravision.ie/xvElectrical.asp?id=503

If thats the one thats the old model (I think). Not 100% sure as its the BDP 3000 and the old one is 300

Tusky

Would I be able to hook these speakers (DAV-DZ260) up to this bluray player ?

meanmachine3

i know blueray have most of the market but what is the difference between blueray and HD. like may others i bought a HD recorder/ player sometime ago. is blueray better than HD picture wise?

PIMPHO

Tusky wrote: »

Would I be able to hook these speakers (DAV-DZ260) up to this bluray player ?

Ya I have same sound system so would be great if you could hook it up to the Bluray player.

Anyone know??

unklerosco

meanmachine3 wrote: »

i know blueray have most of the market but what is the difference between blueray and HD. like may others i bought a HD recorder/ player sometime ago. is blueray better than HD picture wise?

By HD do u mean hard disk recorder/player.. If so ur talking about something completely different. Blu Ray is HD as in High Definition, there was HD-dvd(high def dvd) but thats gone a good while now.. HD recorders/players are Hard drive based and are all std definition...

If it is the player on the site its a shame, fairly old player...

unklerosco

PIMPHO wrote: »

Ya I have same sound system so would be great if you could hook it up to the Bluray player.

Anyone know??

According to sony it has coax n optical inputs... I'd expect the player to output at least one of these so yes u can/could connect it up..

PIMPHO

Hmmmm...interesting! Might be seriously tempted so! Can anyone else confirm if this is possible? Just want to get a second opinion.

Thanks

Jip

PIMPHO wrote: »

Ya I have same sound system so would be great if you could hook it up to the Bluray player.

Anyone know??

When you say hook up these speakers do you mean solely the speakers or the whole unit ? I assume you mean the unit itself ?
If so I would say yes (if it's the unit they think it is over ay AVforums) as the home cinema has optical in and the bluray unit has optical out.

PIMPHO

Just the speakers and subwoofer. Sure I wouldn't need to hook up the DVD player to it as I can use the Blu Ray player to play all my Dvds, or would I??

mik_da_man

The DVD Player prob has an inbuilt amp so Yep you would

Jip

You probably would as the unit you now have acts as an amp but I haven't looked to much into it. I have a similar system to yourself and am also thinking of getting one.

unklerosco

Exactly... U need to run an optical cable from the player to the surround sound dvd player... You'll need to have both on at the same time, handy thing is tho, being sony u'll be able to run them from the one remote...

meanmachine3

unklerosco wrote: »

By HD do u mean hard disk recorder/player.. If so ur talking about something completely different. Blu Ray is HD as in High Definition, there was HD-dvd(high def dvd) but thats gone a good while now.. HD recorders/players are Hard drive based and are all std definition...

If it is the player on the site its a shame, fairly old player...

this is the model i bought last year, SONY RDR-HX750 so i am wondering whats the difference between this and a blueray picture?

PIMPHO

unklerosco wrote: »

Exactly... U need to run an optical cable from the player to the surround sound dvd player... You'll need to have both on at the same time, handy thing is tho, being sony u'll be able to run them from the one remote...

Oh right. So I can't just hook the speakers and subwoofer to the Blu Ray player? I have to hook it up to the DVD player aswell? My tv cabinet might not be able to fit both players, damn it!! No way I could just hook the speakers and subwoofer to the Blu Ray player?

unklerosco

PIMPHO wrote: »

Oh right. So I can't just hook the speakers and subwoofer to the Blu Ray player? I have to hook it up to the DVD player aswell? My tv cabinet might not be able to fit both players, damn it!! No way I could just hook the speakers and subwoofer to the Blu Ray player?

No chance... Ur player now has a built in surround sound amp. The Blu ray is just the player....

unklerosco

this is the model i bought last year, SONY RDR-HX750 so i am wondering whats the difference between this and a blueray picture?

Difference varies depending on ur player n tv... U'll notice the difference tho(U do need a High def tv tho)

http://www.silver-ware.net/movies/potc1unf.png

Gives u some idea of the difference, its a screen grab from a dvd/blu ray

Google SD vs HD on the net.. loads of info there

PIMPHO

Cheers for confirming Unklerosco! Might still get it but doubt both players will fit in my tv cabinet so will probably wait till an all in 1 Blu Ray surround sound cinema kit becomes available.

Cheers lads!

JDxtra

Does it play XVid / DivX files? From the USB port?

godtabh

JDxtra wrote: »

Does it play XVid / DivX files? From the USB port?

USB port is for Blu ray live only.

Doenst play divx

Dman001

unklerosco wrote: »

Can anyone confirm what model it is yet??

Only one they have on the site is http://www.xtravision.ie/xvElectrical.asp?id=503

Well going by the pic, it isn't that model.

Soarer

PIMPHO wrote: »

Cheers for confirming Unklerosco! Might still get it but doubt both players will fit in my tv cabinet so will probably wait till an all in 1 Blu Ray surround sound cinema kit becomes available.

Cheers lads!

The S350 is tiny. Running a tape over it, it measures approx. 17" deep x 2.5" height x 9" width.
The S300 on the other hand is a monster. Don't have one anymore, but it was huge. So much so that, when I took the S350 out of it's box, I couldn't fit the S300 into it, even when I took out all the padding! :eek:

avenged7fold

Placed a deposit on it this evening. It's definetely the 350, confirmed by the guy in the shop & more importantly, on the receipt. Should be available for collection the first week in December. Can anyone reccommend a decent HDMI cable & is it worth spending a lot of money on one. Gut instinct says not!!

BArra

get the cheapest hdmi cable you can, dont listen to the speel salesmen give when you buy an audio/video bit of equipment.

their managment just drills them all to sell hard their 100e cables and what not.

its where they make most of their profit!

tesco had them for €2.50 recently. or else try ebay for nearly as cheap!

its a digital cable, it will either work or it wont, the ****e that the €100 cables state on their designer boxes is pretty much waffle

avenged7fold

BArra wrote: »

get the cheapest hdmi cable you can, dont listen to the speel salesmen give when you buy an audio/video bit of equipment.

their managment just drills them all to sell hard their 100e cables and what not.

its where they make most of their profit!

tesco had them for €2.50 recently. or else try ebay for nearly as cheap!

its a digital cable, it will either work or it wont, the ****e that the €100 cables state on their designer boxes is pretty much waffle

Totally agree with you about the salesman speel. My dad recently bought a samsung 32" LCD tv from Currys & also came home with an E80 (why does'nt my euro sign work on this bloody keyboard!?!) hdmi cable. When i asked him why he bought a hdmi cable he did'nt need he said the saleman had told him he would need it in the future. After asking him whether he planned to get sky HD or a blu ray player soon (answer was "no") i told him to bring it back & get a refund. Guess i should have told him to keep it & i could have used it!! Anyway thanks for the advice re the hdmi cable.

BArra

haha jaysus, save ur ol man the €80, get him to return it. you could buy 15 hdmi cables for that if not more

it sickens me that the salesmen and women say all sorts of crap to get the sale, when more often then not, they are more clueless to its use then the potential buyer

still if the buyer falls for it, its tough **** in my mind :cool:

avenged7fold

I would'nt do that to him (well probably not). Its already gone back & he got his credit card refunded. Let me ask you something else about my new favourite format, blu ray. I have a sony 5.1 amp which i will be hooking up to the blu ray player with a optical cable for audio (no hdmi connections on it). Obviously i cant get HD audio but will their be any improvement in sound or will it be the same as dvd player, which in fairness is pretty good. Cheers.

BArra

if you were using optical on the old dvd amp/home cinema, then more than likely you wont see any improvement

you def wont be getting the hd audio formats off that amp, that needs to run off a HDMI amp, your S350 of course has the HDMI, but also has the ability to decode DTS HD and Dolby True HD, but it needs to run into a decent HD amp with the built in equipment to decode the hd audio formats and spit it back out via HDMI into your bluray player and TV.

still though its gonna sound damn good and the better picture quality will be great too.

ive a ps3 myself so the pic quality on that is great, id even say its probably the best bluray player as regards updates and ability to decode DTS-HD and Dolby True HD, and you get a games console to boot at a near enough price to the standalone bluray players.

havent had the need to stump up for a hd audio capable home cinema yet, im not that bad of an audiophile(sp?) but its a noticable difference as is DVD -> Bluray

Mizu_Ger

Is there a limited stock for this offer? I want to get one, but won't be able to get to my local til Friday morning.

Captain Chaos

Is it deffinately the S350 in the deal and not the S300 thats on the XtraVision site? I can't confirm this anywhere, thanks.

Edit: Never mind just saw post 32.

boopolo

BArra wrote: »

get the cheapest hdmi cable you can, dont listen to the speel salesmen give when you buy an audio/video bit of equipment.

their managment just drills them all to sell hard their 100e cables and what not.

its where they make most of their profit!

tesco had them for €2.50 recently. or else try ebay for nearly as cheap!

its a digital cable, it will either work or it wont, the ****e that the €100 cables state on their designer boxes is pretty much waffle

Not all together true. They are not all the same. For hi-def sound and full HD 1080p 24 you will need a half decent hdmi1.3a compliaint one. This does not apply to Sky HD as its box does not even send its DD through HDMI (just stereo). But for Blu-ray using a True HD or DTS Master soundtrack through compatable AV receiver, it does matter. Even an optical cable cannot handle HDaudio signals.

Having said that good 1.3a compliant HDMI cables should not be very expensive. I wouldn't pay more than a 10 to 20 euro, and only pay that because at that price they are usually very strong and well made and better than the 30 quid ones sold in currys. The one from my skyHD box to AV receiver cost less than a fiver, and the optical cable about 4euro.

I bought a few cables here and they are excelent

Boo

avenged7fold

Thanks for confirming bout the audio. I presume the picture improvement wont be as impressive as the jump from video tape to dvd but i still cant wait to pick up the player & try it out. I was tempted to get a ps3 but still too expensive for me, nearly E150 of a difference between new sony player & ps3. Do all my gaming on PC so i wont miss it. One last question as im on a roll. What new blu ray discs have you seen that will show off the improved picture & (ok 2 questions) whats the best place to buy them, they're still fairly expensive as far as i can see. Take it easy.

BArra

well ask yourself this question first

can your tv support 1080P ?

good bluray discs ive seen, only on 720P mind would be Planet Earth, The Prestige, Transformers

id be very tempted by the recent release of the boxset of Band of Brothers, alas i have it on dvd unfortunately


@boopolo - fair point, but do you think most salesmen and women even have a notion about hdmi v1.3a, 1.3, 1.2 and so on? Id expect a response back from them of either blatent bluffing or "1.3a wha...?" their just offloading something they know little to nothing about, to a person who may well even not need it, or indeed need a more complient cable to maximise their viewing/listening pleasure. But i guess thats going a bit too off topic...

avenged7fold

Yeah, checked it out yesterday. Its a panasonic 37" plasma, has a really nice pic with dvd.

stevenmu

This site lists Blu Ray discs according to picture (and sound) quality.


There is NO difference between HDMI 1.3a cables and other HDMI cables, the changes in different versions related to communications protocols (i.e. what data could be sent and how the data could be interpreted). There was no change in the physical characteristics of the cables.

boopolo

stevenmu wrote: »

This site lists Blu Ray discs according to picture (and sound) quality.


There is NO difference between HDMI 1.3a cables and other HDMI cables, the changes in different versions related to communications protocols (i.e. what data could be sent and how the data could be interpreted). There was no change in the physical characteristics of the cables.

I never said there was a difference in characteristics. I was stressing that for high bandwidth of HD audio and 1080p together, you would need a 1.3a compliant cable so they are not all the same. Most cables in short lengths wouuld be 1.3a even budget ones. Sorry if I sounded confusing.

Boo

Dman001

Wouldnt a HDMI cable come with the BluRay player though?

boopolo

stevenmu wrote: »

This site lists Blu Ray discs according to picture (and sound) quality.

Problem is some of the USA discs are different than the ones here. On the odd occasion, there will be TrueHD and/or DTS-MA on the US disc and only DD on the UK one. Spent hours last week on this.
www.dvd-basen.dk have links to reviews of different versions of each movie, but it is slow and irrating clicking links to different revews. There are calls out there on other forums for somebody to make a listing of uk/euro BD discs.

DVD ACTIVE has some like this.

Boo

godtabh

Dman001 wrote: »

Wouldnt a HDMI cable come with the BluRay player though?

Probably not

avenged7fold

I bought a few cables here and they are excelent

Thanks, boo. Took a look & will pick up one in the next few days. Even with postage at E7, they are still pretty cheap. Although not as cheap as the tesco ones i saw mentioned on another thread. Look better anyway & as for quality who the hell knows !!

sudo911

Just looking at the Xtravision site just now, and that model is the BDPS3000, not the BDPS350.

EDIT: Just rang my local Xtravision, I'm wrong... and can confirm that it is the BDP-S350 model - in later this week with the free films.
Sudo911.

Dman001

Does anyone know if you can pick and choose the BR titles? I'd prefer The Dark Night instead of Mama Mia.