Time to pull the trigger on BluRay?

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Check out the Marantz BD-8002 Blu Ray player.

At $2k, it ain't cheap, but its performance makes it a bargain. The upscaled picture with the Realta chip is outstanding. The Blu Ray picture is incredible.

There are several other offerings for less money that are good. But, for a big screen like yours...the Marantz is the way to go.
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The issue with HDMI cables is how long it is. There is no shortage of posts from people having problems with their HDMI signal over longer runs.

Pretty consistently the problem is resolved with a better cable.

There are also booster boxes for very long runs.

Chadnliz said "HDMI is HDMI". Not exactly. There are important differences between different versions of HDMI (1.1, 1.2, 1.3a). In particular only 1.3a handles the latest discrete 7.1 channel audio formats, and Deep Color ( not really in use yet, but just wait...).

No, just buy a PS3 with 160g, Blu-Ray audio on a large scale is waiting in the wings. Sony is in the process of mastering many SACD's into blu-ray. I've heard the blu-ray audio disk and it will be the format of the future. I am sure Sony will have a feature laddened unit for the next Christmas season. Most likely it will show up first at the CIDEA show in the Fall.

Yeah I would just go with the PS3 , since it is upgradeable friendly compared to most standalone players. You can get a remote for it here PlayStation 3 Blu Wave Remote.

If your SXRD is 1080P you'll see the benefits of Blu ray. If it is not..you'll still have a great picture. It will be just short a million pixels or so in resolution. Which does make a difference.

You can pick up a decent 1.3 HDMI from www.monoprice.com. It will do everything you need.

If you need to run the cable over long distances and the spaces to where your PJ is mounted are tight or your processor/receiver are in a confined location . You can use CAT5 cable and HDMI extenders. They'll convert the signal over the CAT5 and then reconvert it back before it goes into your PJ. You can run HDMI up to 150 ft or so this way without any loss in sound or picture quality.

I've seen a few SXRDs hooked to Denon Blu ray players. The picture quality is breathtaking. I doubt you'd see a major difference if any using the PS3 on the other hand.

I would save that money for a new PJ, if your current unit isn't 1080P and for Blu Ray rentals or purchases. ;-)

By the way, for the ones that haven't seen "Band of Brothers" on Blu Ray...WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR???

Watching this movie on a full 1080P display is like watching a live play through a window! Definitely one of the best PQs and sound I've seen or heard from Blu Ray.