Looking for a good deal on a Blu-Ray player

[bigkk]

Looking for a good deal on a blu-ray player for my tv. Any ideas are greatly appreciated

[Killendino]

I just recently pieced together an HTPC with a Blu-Ray drive in it. Overall, this will cost you more than a Blu-Ray player will, but IMO the benefits are much greater too. An HTPC will allow you to surf the web, email, game, and even stream TV shows and movies from any number of places (Netflix, Hulu, and others).

If you're interested, I can share what pieces I bought for the build. I had an extra hard drive laying around, so didn't need to buy one of those. The build ran me about $400, which is about $50 - $150 more than a good Blu-Ray player.

[bigkk]

I just recently pieced together an HTPC with a Blu-Ray drive in it. Overall, this will cost you more than a Blu-Ray player will, but IMO the benefits are much greater too. An HTPC will allow you to surf the web, email, game, and even stream TV shows and movies from any number of places (Netflix, Hulu, and others).

If you're interested, I can share what pieces I bought for the build. I had an extra hard drive laying around, so didn't need to buy one of those. The build ran me about $400, which is about $50 - $150 more than a good Blu-Ray player.
thanks, I would appreciate any info you can send me.

[Killendino]

What I wanted out of an HTPC was to simply watch Blu-Rays, upconverted DvDs, stream from the web, surf/email and very light gaming. I did not have a need to capture video from anywhere, nor did I need a ton of storage space since I have that already on my network. If either of those are a requirement, the cost will go up as you add HD space, and a tuner card. I wonder if you would need a better processor for those too...

In any case, you want an HTPC to be as quiet as possible, so it makes sense to me to have a media server elsewhere in the house, networked with the HTPC so you can stream movie data from there. Otherwise, big HD's generate heat and noise. A more powerful CPU eats more juice and generates more heat. Heat and noise are anathema to an HTPC.

Case ($49.99, shipped):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147098
There are nicer looking/better quality cases out there, but this suits my needs nicely. It's small and looks more like a stereo component than it does a PC case. It has a power supply right in there that is adequate. The case requires a micro ATX board. A standard ATX board will not fit.

Blu-Ray drive ($109.99, shipped):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16827136133
You can find cheaper drives than this (not many, and might only save you $20), but this one has tons of good reviews which means it's reliable and functional. This drive does a lot more than just play Blu-Rays too. It will upconvert normal DVD's, play HD-DVD's, and can read/burn CDs and DVDs.

RAM ($44.99+shipping):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820134641
Basic, "value" memory. You don't need more than that. You could probably get away with 2 gig on an HTPC. That would be even cheaper.

Processor ($55.99, shipped):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103255
This processor is 45nm, which makes it run very cool. The stock CPU fan is quiet. This proc is plenty of horsepower for an HTPC.

Motherboard ($89.99+shipping - I had a free shipping code for this from a recent Newegg newsletter...this might still be good; you should check that):
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131354
This motherboard has HDMI out on it, so you only have 1 cable running from it, to your TV (8.1 channel audio and video). You can't beat that. There are definitely cheaper boards available, with HDMI, but I wanted something name-brand, with a lot of good reviews. This one fit the bill. The on board video on this one can easily drive a 1080P stream.

As stated, I already had a HD laying around so I didn't need to buy one. If you don't, you'll need to add that cost in.

Total of this build is $350.95+maybe $15 in shipping.

That leaves you some cash to buy the "hidden cost" items like a wireless keyboard! There was a slick deal for a perfect one this morning on buy.com, but I see it's out of stock now. A good multimedia keyboard, with a built in track pad or trackball, will run you $50. You can get an elite one for $175 (I love you Logitech Dinovo Edge 2!)

Also, add in an HDMI cable (look no further than www.monoprice.com) and I highly recommend a Harmony remote of some kind.

[rstonk]

What I wanted out of an HTPC was to simply watch Blu-Rays, upconverted DvDs, stream from the web, surf/email and very light gaming. I did not have a need to capture video from anywhere, nor did I need a ton of storage space since I have that already on my network. If either of those are a requirement, the cost will go up as you add HD space, and a tuner card. I wonder if you would need a better processor for those too...

Total of this build is $350.95+maybe $15 in shipping.



Out of curiosity, did you deliberately choose against buying and using a PS3 as your home media server? I'm thinking about doing just that, and from what I've read, you can do all the above (watch Blu-Ray's, stream media from your home network, surf the web) and also be able to play games. The PS3 setup would also be a bit cheaper (recent deals have had it around $320).

But, really, my honest question is if you had some reason not to do the above. If there's something I'm missing about the PS3's capabilities, I'd appreciate your advice before I invest in one.

[Killendino]

I didn't know you could surf the web on the PS3. I would be afraid it is gimped in some ways. It just creates a lot of questions for me. What browser does it run? Can it handle flash? Do I even like the browser? Tons more questions. The PC running Windows is a known commodity to me and I'm very comfortable with it.

Even if I knew all that stuff, I don't think I would even consider the PS3 because the constant wailing of PS3 fan boys drives me up a wall. :(

I seriously doubt a PS3 is as versatile as a PC anyway, but my bias prevents me from even giving it a second thought.