$78 Magnavox Blu-ray Player?? or Keep $35 Upconverting Maganavox DVd Player??

[princess crazy]

Hi

Per suggestions here I went out and got a new Upconverting DVD Player at Walmart--Magnavox for $35--didn't want to spend alot since we already put that into the new HDTV for Xmas. I got this because I didn't realize our old Dvd player wouldn't play the regular Dvd's as well on the HDTV with the high def. I didn't mind spending the $35 and thought it was a much better deal than spending over $100 plus on a new blu ray player.

Now I see that Walmart is offering this Maganavox blu ray player for $78 which isn't a bad price but my question is should I get this instead and take the upconvering player back or just stay with what I have?? Is it worth it to go ahead and upgrade to the blu ray player now even though we don't have any blu rays yet???

I guess most importantly can I play my old regular dvd's on this blu ray player --I have heard on some you can't and that's why we got an upconverting one so we can still play all our regular dvd's. I appreciate any help or advice you can give me thanks!!

 

[maddiesmom0116]

My Blu-Ray died recently and when I took it in to get repaired ( 1 year and 4 days old when it broke). I was told it was the optics and the part alone was $230. I will be getting a new player for Christmas this year with BD live, so I decided to get me through I would get this magnavox upconverting dvd player for my 52" HDTV to get us through. I really like it, it plays DVDs great, sharp picture. If you don't plan on buying blu rays anytime soon, this will work out great for you.

 

[princess crazy]

Thanks maddiesmom

I've been wondering how good this one was for only $35--but then was trying to justify whether it was worth it to keep this one and then down the road spend more money for the blu ray when we think we will switch over. I thought maybe if this one wasn't the best or wouldn't play our dvd's then it would make sense to take it back and get the other for $43 more.

 

[Golf4food]

The difference in quality between Blu-ray and regular DVD is about the same as between HD and non-HD tv signal, but Bluray is clearer and has full audio, not compressed (most of the time). If that jump in image and audio quality is important to you, it is worth it, but I would avoid that $78 Magnavox, quite frankly. It has mixed reviews and does nothing but play discs - no Netflix, Youtube, Cinemanow, etc.

Bu-ray players DO play normal DVDs.
If you don't want to spend a lot right now then the upconverting DVD is probably fine - the Bluray players will continue to come down in price over the coming months/year. If you have an HDTV, however, you owe it to yourself to upgrade to Blu-ray at some point. It is far superior to DVD.

 

[eduk8r26]

What's the difference between Netflix and other movie dvd's??

 

[Lewisc]

What was wrong with your old DVD player? As long as it had component outputs (3 rca jacks for video) your HD TV set will upscale, probably as good as the up scaling done by a $35 DVD player.

 

[Golf4food]

What's the difference between Netflix and other movie dvd's??

Nothing. Netflix ships DVDs or Bluray discs to your house. But many Bluray players also have Netflix streaming, where you can download the movie direct to your Bluray player from Netflix online and watch it straight to your TV without having a disc.

 

[MsStinkerBelle]

Personally i'd stick with the $35 upconverting DVD player unless you're ready to make the jump to either a Sony, Samsung or LG Blu-Ray player. From what I've heard of the Magnavox Blu-Ray player the reviews aren't very good.

 

[snowy76]

Agree with PP. The $78 Magnavox was one of the Black Friday specials at Walmart and I remember dozens just sitting out on pallets. They just weren't selling. Anyone else notice how many BF items seem to be reappearing in various store ads at or near BF prices?

 

[JB2K]

The below-$100 Blu-ray players that Walmart has been selling have mixed reviews.

On one hand, such an inexpensive player is a great way to jump into Blu-ray without totally breaking the bank. But then again, with Sony and others now hovering around the $150 mark, I would spend the few extra dollars and go with a proven brand (both Sony and Samsung were early innovators in Blu-ray, so they have the know-how).

Also, a budget tip, Target is giving-away a gift card with their Samsung BR player, this week (and I believe there is a $25 mail-in rebate offer from Samsung on top of that).

 

[Golf4food]

And if anyone has ever thought of jumping up to a home theater surround sound system, look for the Blu-ray home theater setups - for $200-$400 you can get a very good combination Blu-ray, surround sound, with Netflix, Youtube, etc. streaming, iPod dock, plays DVDs, Blurays, CDs, etc. all in one nice little package. Many people don't realize that Blu-ray doesn't just offer better video but also much better sound - most DVDs have compressed sound due to size, but BDs are so much bigger you can get the full, uncompressed sound on the disc, so Bluray really shines in surround sound more than DVD ever could.