MY RECOMMENDED CHEAPO BEST DVD PLAYER ON THE MARKET

[chucky3042]

Dear Surround crazies

I will start by saying I have zero interest/ shares/ paybacks on this company!!!!

As you guys all love the OPPO but may not have the budget, a while ago my colleague Zel (crazy guy but a god of woofer design) did an extensive audition of features/ compatibility/ sound quality of every DVD he could get his hands on. The winner came as a surprise to me, it was a really cheapo one called the LASER BD3000.

I have been using it and so have many of my OPPO buddies and all have come up smiling. Best of all it has STEREO RCA out so its a breeze to plug into the SM!! If you want to use the HDMI filth - it is there.

Check it out...................it's only $99!!!!!

https://www.laserco.com.au/BLU-BD30...i-region-hdmi-digital-7-1-with-lan-for-bdlive
Features:
https://www.laserco.com.au/BLU-BD30...i-region-hdmi-digital-7-1-with-lan-for-bdlive
OK it has not got component video out, just the friggin HDMI crap but otherwise its a goodie.


Oh here is the back panel:

 

[LuvMyQuad]

Just an observation. It doesn't play SACD. It doesn't play FLAC via USB. As long as that doesn't matter to you, it seems like a deal.

 

[Sonik Wiz]

Dear Surround crazies

I will start by saying I have zero interest/ shares/ paybacks on this company!!!!

As you guys all love the OPPO but may not have the budget, a while ago my colleague Zel (crazy guy but a god of woofer design) did an extensive audition of features/ compatibility/ sound quality of every DVD he could get his hands on. The winner came as a surprise to me, it was a really cheapo one called the LASER BD3000.

I have been using it and so have many of my OPPO buddies and all have come up smiling. Best of all it has STEREO RCA out so its a breeze to plug into the SM!! If you want to use the HDMI filth - it is there.

Check it out...................it's only $99!!!!!
View attachment 55760

https://www.laserco.com.au/BLU-BD30...i-region-hdmi-digital-7-1-with-lan-for-bdlive
Features:
https://www.laserco.com.au/BLU-BD30...i-region-hdmi-digital-7-1-with-lan-for-bdlive
OK it has not got component video out, just the friggin HDMI crap but otherwise its a goodie.


Oh here is the back panel:
View attachment 55759

Nice that it's all region. And you must use filthy HDMI for video unless you want to use even filthier composite.

 

[LuvMyQuad]

Nice that it's all region. And you must use filthy HDMI for video unless you want to use even filthier composite.

Its a filthy world we live in.

 

[ubertrout]

I guess we all have to choose what we want, but the Sony BDP-S6700 is the same price and will play SACDs as well as FLAC and DSD files, including multichannel for both. No RCA outs, which I suppose is a dealbreaker for surround master people, but far superior for HDMI folks who don't care about 4k discs.

 

[chucky3042]

Just an observation. It doesn't play SACD. It doesn't play FLAC via USB. As long as that doesn't matter to you, it seems like a deal.

Yep but I do not have any SACD's and I have done flac via my computer

 

[timothyemerson]

Dear Surround crazies

I will start by saying I have zero interest/ shares/ paybacks on this company!!!!

As you guys all love the OPPO but may not have the budget, a while ago my colleague Zel (crazy guy but a god of woofer design) did an extensive audition of features/ compatibility/ sound quality of every DVD he could get his hands on. The winner came as a surprise to me, it was a really cheapo one called the LASER BD3000.

I have been using it and so have many of my OPPO buddies and all have come up smiling. Best of all it has STEREO RCA out so its a breeze to plug into the SM!! If you want to use the HDMI filth - it is there.

Check it out...................it's only $99!!!!!
View attachment 55760

https://www.laserco.com.au/BLU-BD30...i-region-hdmi-digital-7-1-with-lan-for-bdlive
Features:
https://www.laserco.com.au/BLU-BD30...i-region-hdmi-digital-7-1-with-lan-for-bdlive
OK it has not got component video out, just the friggin HDMI crap but otherwise its a goodie.


Oh here is the back panel:
View attachment 55759

1. I have this same player and it only cost me $100 NZD including shipping from Australia to New Zealand.
2. Image and sound are all fine. I use it for playing Region A locked BD movies.
3. It has an awesome feature that I haven't seen on other players where you can move the subtitles. So, if you're watching a 2.35:1 foreign flick, you can move the subtitles off the image and down to the bottom "black bar".
4. It's pretty cheaply constructed and the first one I got sounded like something was insanely spinning around on the inside which made watching a movie, well, unwatchable due to the racket. I took a video of it, sent it to Dick Smith (the company I bought it from) and they replaced it no worries. So, I've got 2. One's a dud.

All hail the mighty "Li-hay-zer" player, playa's. Word.

 

[timothyemerson]

I play music through my Sony 4K player but just tried a few files on the Laser and can confirm that it plays:

5.1 DSF's backed-up from SACD
5.1 and 2.0 192kHz and 96kHz/24-bit FLACs backed-up from BD

If anyone wants me to check any other specific file format, let me know and if I've got it, I'll see if it works on the little machine.

 

[Neb-Maat-Re]

It may not play SACDs - but it does play DVD-Audio discs.

From memory, it ignores watermarking on backups - certainly it's predecessor the BD-1000 which I use as my main audio player does. The BD-1000 also plays SACD-Rs (but not original SACDs).

My favourite cheapo was a very similar machine branded 'audiosonic' that I got from Big W (it had identical firmware to the BD-1000) that had 5.1 RCA outputs. Sadly, the DVD laser died in that one. Oddly it played SACD-Rs but not DVD-Audio.

 

[kfbkfb]

https://www.amazon.com/AUDIOVOX-DHCOMF-Speaker/dp/B01B83G880^^^
HDMI > RCA audio/video outputs

I use this with my Sony BDP-S1700 (set to Dolby Surround downmix)
and my old Pioneer receiver which has Dolby Pro-Logic only (of course,
the stereo audio outputs could feed a Surround Master decoder).

I don't know if this type of device is available for the other analog TV
systems (PAL/SECAM).


Kirk Bayne

 

[chucky3042]

It may not play SACDs - but it does play DVD-Audio discs.

From memory, it ignores watermarking on backups - certainly it's predecessor the BD-1000 which I use as my main audio player does. The BD-1000 also plays SACD-Rs (but not original SACDs).

My favourite cheapo was a very similar machine branded 'audiosonic' that I got from Big W (it had identical firmware to the BD-1000) that had 5.1 RCA outputs. Sadly, the DVD laser died in that one. Oddly it played SACD-Rs but not DVD-Audio.

My first one was the BD 1000 to, yes it did play SACD's

 

[boxhead]

Okay, thanks to Chucky's tip I bought one of these today and put it through its paces. Here's my notes:

* I first checked for a firmware update via network but it didn't find one. Downloaded the latest firmware from the website and installed it via USB.
* DVD is region free out of the box.
* There are instructions on the website (under 'downloads') for changing the BR region code via a hidden menu.
* Once the firmware had been updated the BR region code option appeared on the 'Security' section of the setup menu rather than being hidden.
* Network connection is hardwired only out of the box. If you want to do wifi you need to supply an adapter.
* It plays multichannel flac and DSF via USB or DLNA. When I first tried DLNA it played multichannel files in stereo only, but after the firmware update it played them in 5.1.
* Plays burnt Blurays and DVDs
* Does NOT play DVD-Audio, other than the DVD-Video section
* Does NOT play SACD, other than the Redbook CD layer. Interestingly, it recognises and plays HDCD if it is present. This was confirmed on the Brothers In Arms SACD.
* At first it did not appear to be able to do random/shuffle. This is a feature I use often if I'm playing my 'party' collection of 5.1 tracks for friends. Turns out it can be done - you need to access this via the 'OSC' button on the remote.
* Speaking of the remote, the buttons are small and closely spaced. They're useable but particularly unergonomic.
* I tested playback of 4.0 content using the DSOTM bluray from the Immersion set. The 4.0 plays as 2.0, so it seems to have the same limitation as several other players. The 5.1 of course plays fine.
* Lastly, my Yamaha receiver has a function that I was not aware of. Some devices will identify themselves when connected via HDMI and the Yamaha will display this on it's from panel. This Laser device shows up as a BDP8520, which is the same as an LG player from 2012/13? Even stranger still, 8520 was the secret code that had to be entered to access the Bluray region change menu (until the firmware update negated the need that is).

If anyone has anything else that needs tested let me know!

 

[chucky3042]

Okay, thanks to Chucky's tip I bought one of these today and put it through its paces. Here's my notes:

* I first checked for a firmware update via network but it didn't find one. Downloaded the latest firmware from the website and installed it via USB.
* DVD is region free out of the box.
* There are instructions on the website (under 'downloads') for changing the BR region code via a hidden menu.
* Once the firmware had been updated the BR region code option appeared on the 'Security' section of the setup menu rather than being hidden.
* Network connection is hardwired only out of the box. If you want to do wifi you need to supply an adapter.
* It plays multichannel flac and DSF via USB or DLNA. When I first tried DLNA it played multichannel files in stereo only, but after the firmware update it played them in 5.1.
* Plays burnt Blurays and DVDs
* Does NOT play DVD-Audio, other than the DVD-Video section
* Does NOT play SACD, other than the Redbook CD layer. Interestingly, it recognises and plays HDCD if it is present. This was confirmed on the Brothers In Arms SACD.
* At first it did not appear to be able to do random/shuffle. This is a feature I use often if I'm playing my 'party' collection of 5.1 tracks for friends. Turns out it can be done - you need to access this via the 'OSC' button on the remote.
* Speaking of the remote, the buttons are small and closely spaced. They're useable but particularly unergonomic.
* I tested playback of 4.0 content using the DSOTM bluray from the Immersion set. The 4.0 plays as 2.0, so it seems to have the same limitation as several other players. The 5.1 of course plays fine.
* Lastly, my Yamaha receiver has a function that I was not aware of. Some devices will identify themselves when connected via HDMI and the Yamaha will display this on it's from panel. This Laser device shows up as a BDP8520, which is the same as an LG player from 2012/13? Even stranger still, 8520 was the secret code that had to be entered to access the Bluray region change menu (until the firmware update negated the need that is).

If anyone has anything else that needs tested let me know!

So ......do you like it??

 

[boxhead]

I certainly like it for what it is. It's no match for my Oppo, but that's to be expected. Some mention that it makes a bit of noise, but I didn't notice any. It does everything it claims and a fair bit more - multichannel flac/DSF and selectable region Bluray for a start. The main downfall to my mind is the remote. It really won't cut it as a primary system device remote, but for occasional use it's fine. Those with smaller fingers may have less of an issue.

 

[chucky3042]

I certainly like it for what it is. It's no match for my Oppo, but that's to be expected. Some mention that it makes a bit of noise, but I didn't notice any. It does everything it claims and a fair bit more - multichannel flac/DSF and selectable region Bluray for a start. The main downfall to my mind is the remote. It really won't cut it as a primary system device remote, but for occasional use it's fine. Those with smaller fingers may have less of an issue.

I have monster hands

 

[JediJoker]

* Does NOT play SACD, other than the Redbook CD layer. Interestingly, it recognises and plays HDCD if it is present.

Hmmm... This could indicate the use of a MediaTek chipset compatible with SACD ripping. The Oppo BDP-10X(D) also decodes HDCD and can be used to rip SACDs. HDCD decoding is a rare feature, so it seems plausible, despite the fact that it doesn't play SACDs. What do you think, @Nexus3?

 

[Scott65]

Given that it is only 99AUD, which is cheaper than the multi-region chip I put into my Oppo UDP 203, I bought one of these today. So far so good, this will be my multiregion blu ray player of choice for now.

 

[Scott65]

3. It has an awesome feature that I haven't seen on other players where you can move the subtitles. So, if you're watching a 2.35:1 foreign flick, you can move the subtitles off the image and down to the bottom "black bar".

Oppo udp 203 has this too, quite handy.

 

[Scott65]

* Once the firmware had been updated the BR region code option appeared on the 'Security' section of the setup menu rather than being hidden.
*

I just upgraded the firmware, this new feature is great and can be done while the player is on without having to turn the device off and on again to change regions (which I have to do with my 'chipped' Oppo).

 

[Scott65]

. Some mention that it makes a bit of noise, but I didn't notice any. It does everything it claims and a fair bit more - multichannel flac/DSF and selectable region Bluray for a start. The main downfall to my mind is the remote. It really won't cut it as a primary system device remote, but for occasional use it's fine. Those with smaller fingers may have less of an issue.

No noise encountered so far. I agree the remote could be better (or at least bigger). The disc tray is the fastest tray I have seen.....It has a three year warranty too!