Best Blu Ray video and for 2 channel transport?

Buconero117
Right, but its toslink only... Needs to have coax digital out for 99% of the users here..

Keep your eyes out for the Pioneer Elite BDP series blu-ray players. I have the 94 and it works incredibly well as a transport (SPDIF RCA) into my tube DAC as well as toslink into the preamp/processor and HDMI into the TV. The 94 and 95 tend to go in the $400-600 range.

I just tried out a Panasonic dmp-bd55k, which is a profile 2.0 player. You can find specs online and a review or two. Plenty of real-world feedback on the link. BD image was superb, as was DVD upsampling. I was very impressed with how it worked as a transport (coaxial 2ch signal going to my Modwright Transporter). Build quality was not up to Pioneer Elite, or Sony ES, but better did not seem overly cheap either. Very easy interface, and easy to setup. I'd recommend it for what you are looking for. The Amazon price just went up about $20.

That said, I ended up returning mine, which was a personal decision and did not have much to do with the specifics of this particular player, and was more about the format itself. I felt the difference between the upsampled DVD signal (via HDMI) and Blu Ray were very close, though you could certainly tell the difference if you looked carefully. There are certain aspects of DVD that I'm spoiled by and prefer: The machines are faster than any BD machine (both boot-up and any menu operation). The Panny I had did not have a memory so if you stop play and eject the disk or go to a menu function it will not remember where you left off. Blu Ray discs are more sensitive to scratches and dirt and will more likely freeze up or not play at all if marked in such a way. This is a big concern if you are doing Netflix or a mega-rental chain. I'm also not a big fan of most of the material being issued in BluRay right now. Hollywood blockbuster's don't really do it for me, nor do Pixar cartoons. Again, a very personal choice. I feel Blu Ray is still in developmental stages and I am not entirely convinced it will take, especially in this economy (discs and players are more expensive). I'm sure they'll come down (and they already have), but I have my own doubts as to whether the format will be embraced, or become another Betamax. That's a whole other debate and many threads dwell on just that subject. For this one, I'd give the Panny a big thumbs-up as a transport for a good DAC and an excellent BD player and DVD upsampler.

Thanks, totally understand.. and I agree on many fronts, just figured I need a little more for fun and hobby, got some freebies coming to me, and I own some hi rez displays that have everything already so why not?

I will look into both the pioneer and panasonics..Does not have to be purchased tomorrow, waiting about a month to see what shakes out and I am sure pricing by then with new models etc... will drop probably another 50 bucks.

The Sony Bdp2000es Blu-Ray is the first Blu-ray Disc player in Sony's "Elevated Standard" (ES) line and was designed with many audio enhancements. Its an excellent CD player as well as a Blu Ray player. Athough, a used one will probably cost a few hundred above your range, it excels in both Blu Ray and CD playback.

It has rigid dual-shield construction. The high-end quality construction employs highly tuned audio parts including multi Channel 192KHz/24bit Audio D/A Converters as well as a solid beam chassis that contributes to minimized vibration and drastically improve playback. The unit's off center aluminum insulator feet combined with the aluminum top panel helps isolate the player from external vibrations , while a rigid drive bracket adds stability of the drive system and a separate isolated audio board prevents interference and keeps the signal as clean as possible delivering better sound.