[Archived] bluray vs HD media player

[Iceman]

i have the opportunity to buy an HD media player, which plays videos in 1080p and also plays importantly for me, mkv files.

im also looking at a bluray player, but want to know if there are much differencd between video and audio quality between the 2.

thanks

Isgak

[Biddy]

i have the opportunity to buy an HD media player, which plays videos in 1080p and also plays importantly for me, mkv files.

im also looking at a bluray player, but want to know if there are much differencd between video and audio quality between the 2.

thanks

Isgak

Yes, and no.

Blu-ray films tend to run at up to 40mbps whereas HDTV usually runs between 9-13 mbps (depending on channel and codec used).

MKV's are usually around the 20-25mbps.

So technically there is a lot more detail coming from a bluray disk compared with an mkv file. However, most people would be hard pressed to tell the difference. I personally think I can, my wife however can't tell the difference between an SD Sky picture and an HD sky picture.

[dazmaz]

Buy a playstation 3. plays both MKV files and blu-ray and as an added bonus it can play games

[Biddy]

Buy a playstation 3. plays both MKV files and blu-ray and as an added bonus it can play games

Thought they couldn't? don't they have to be converted?

[dazmaz]

well yea and no. the guide for that is here http://hubpages.com/hub/How-To-Play-MKV-Files-On-Playstation-3 (like a conversion but not quite the same)

also there is a strong posibility mkv support will be released via firmware by sony

[Biddy]

That's exactly the same thing as it is remuxing the video to a vob (mpeg2) file. Also means you need a powerful enough pc/MAC/linux to be on to stream from.

I don't hold your breath on Sony adding the capability to play. Just like Microsoft, they could have done for the past 4 years but have always locked it out in favour of their own codes.

[Iceman]

but if an HD media player can play mkv files, and the bluray cannot, then which is better in terms of picture and audio quality based on the actual machine?

[Biddy]

but if an HD media player can play mkv files, and the bluray cannot, then which is better in terms of picture and audio quality based on the actual machine?

Depends what you are after. If you want to watch bought blurays then obviously the bluray/ps3 machine is better and the films will generally be of higher quality. Whether you would notice the difference is debateable. Of course you also get all of the extras on the bluray and you are supporting the industry.

You can actually get full bluray style 40mbps mkv files but they are 20-30gb in size and the quality is identical to the master so technically the HD media player is as good.

I have both a bluray player and media players (PC under the TV and an xtreamer upstairs). I buy blu-rays as I prefer the quality, the extras and will always buy films that I enjoy. I have over 100 of those. I still have 38 odd HD-DVD's (still upset that didn't win the HD battle).

[dazmaz]

that depends on what your using mkv files for. if they are used as a back up of blu ray discs then blu ray would be the better option, if you use mkv files cause you have obtained them via 'other methods' then the hd media player with mkv support would be better.

as for terms of quality, well blu ray is by far the best you can get, however not many people can notice the difference between br and hd. Blu ray would be the most expensive as blu ray movies cost about £20-£30 so it would depend on you.

I have a ps3 so I buy blu ray movies most are usually downloaded from the playstation store and saved on my ps3 hdd.

EDIT: Biddy beat me to it

[Biddy]

Blu ray would be the most expensive as blu ray movies cost about £20-£30 so it would depend on you.

Wow, not buying from where you do! I have never paid anything like that for mine (apart from boxsets). You can pick up Blurays for as little as £5.99. Toy Story 3 (A brilliant reference disk btw) is currently £9.99 at Play.com. I don't think anything goes above about £17.99 but I wouldn't buy at those prices either. They soon drop.

EDIT: Biddy beat me to it

lol, only my about 15 minutes!

[dazmaz]

Wow, not buying from where you do! I have never paid anything like that for mine (apart from boxsets). You can pick up Blurays for as little as £5.99. Toy Story 3 (A brilliant reference disk btw) is currently £9.99 at Play.com. I don't think anything goes above about £17.99 but I wouldn't buy at those prices either. They soon drop.

lol, only my about 15 minutes!

main reason i download as its cheaper, usually about £10 a new release. though tbh my prices are a little out of date. hmv currently ranges from £14-18 for a newish release

I was typing and playing footie manager at the same time hence the 15 mins reply

[Iceman]

Think im going to settle for the HD Media player, as it costs less than the Bluray player. The bluray player(Philips) doesnt support MKV files which is a shame, as its not much more than the Media player. The only Bluray player to support MKV i think, was an LG. This was at the store that i was in, so i might have to look around.

Thanks guys

[brian_gallagher85]

I thought you had a PS3 Iceman? Why would you need/want too buy a a separate blu-ray player?

[Iceman]

i do Brian, but i need something for my Room. PS3 is in the lounge area, so dont feel like moving around all the time

[Biddy]

Shame you aren't in the UK, Tesco have the rather cheap and tacky Technika Blu-ray player for only £49.97. It can be made DVD region free and Blu-ray region free (something most other players can't) from the remote. link

By the looks of it, will play divx and mkv files too. Not sure how as people have confirmed it can't read NTFS USB drives (for over 2gb files), possibly on disk or over network.

Still, a heads up to anyone in the UK that wants a cheap blu-ray/media player to try.