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How to hook up a Blu-ray Disc player

Last week we received an email asking,

How do I hook the unit up or do I have to get someone to come to the house to do it? What other cords need to be purchased to hook it up properly?

Seems like a pretty straight forward answer, and for most of us it is, but some people do have more complicated setups, so I’ll try to answer a lot of different scenarios.

The basic setup

Most of us have a TV on a stand, and we probably have a cable box and DVD player underneath, or nearby. This is what I see in most homes I go into, and offers the simplest setup. Solution: DIY

What you’ll need:

• HDMI cable
• Power cable
• Ethernet cable (optional)

Every Blu-ray Disc player comes with the power cable, and most come with the Ethernet and HDMI cables. Check the box to see if it needs more cables.

Don’t buy an HDMI cable in the store! If you need one, order it online. There is no need to pay more than $10 for an HDMI cable.

In the box you’ll find a user manual, and sometimes a quick guide to help you set up the device. This is the best way to do it because every player is different. But the generic steps will be:

1. Plug HDMI cable to the television in an open input
2. Plug the other end of the HDMI cable into the Blu-ray player
3. Plug in the Ethernet cable to the router or switch (optional)
4. Plug in the other end of the Ethernet cable to the BD player (optional)
5. Plug in the power cord into the power strip

From here, you will turn your TV on and select the proper input and then turn the BD player on. An on-screen menu will guide you through the initial setup, which will include date, time, and video and audio settings (select “auto”).

You will have noticed I put “optional” by the Ethernet cable. Ethernet is not required for Blu-ray Disc playback, but it is highly recommended. It will allow you to update the player’s firmware and software for increased reliability and compatibility. Many BD players these days come with built-in WiFi, and this may be preferable for you if you don’t have a router or switch nearby. This would be setup in the initial setup of the device.

Systems with A/V receivers

If you have a speaker system in addition to your TV, the same instructions apply above, but with one more device between the player and the TV. Solution: It depends.

The most basic systems are easy to setup, so you should be able to do this yourself. More elaborate systems usually require a professional installation.

If your system is already installed, the instructions are basically the same as before, except this time you plug the player into the receiver, so scroll back up and follow those directions.

If you are buying a whole new system, it is more complicated, and could use a whole new tutorial. Receiver setup can be tricky for some, and there are a lot of steps involved. A receiver’s manual can be over 100 pages long, and there is usually not a quick guide.

Generally, a receiver would accept inputs from a few devices (cable box, BD player, game console), and provide one cable to the TV, and several wires to the speakers. Follow the instruction manual carefully. Connecting speakers improperly can cause the audio to sound terrible.

One mistake often made with a receiver set up is not turning the TV’s audio off. I have gone into homes and found the 5.1 speakers weren’t even on. Go into your TV’s on screen menu and turn off the audio.

If you’re uncomfortable setting up the system, you can get professional help relatively inexpensively. A simple home surround sound setup might run a few hundred dollars. Check for CEDIA certification to make sure the installers know what they’re doing.

Don’t let this long article dissuade you. The manuals are usually very easy to follow. Unless you are going to hide the wires inside the walls, you shouldn’t need professional help.

The best Blu-ray Disc player

We recently received an email asking what the “best” Blu-ray Disc player is, and how to hook it up. I will attack the first question first, and provide a follow up post for BD player setup later.

To answer this question, one has to determine what criteria to use. Because different people are looking for different features, I’ll provide a few categories of “best.”

Also, if someone asked me what the “best” sedan was, I might point them to a Cadillac CTS, or a Mercedes S Class. But this is pretty unrealistic for most of us. We might have to settle for an Volkswagen Jetta, or even a Hyundai Genesis. What I mean by this is I’m not going to offer the genuine “best” players, because these cost thousands of dollars. I’m going to provide affordable models.

Best picture quality



Right off the bat, I’m going to have to take a step back from my claims at affordability. At $499, the Oppo BDP-83 is just outside the price range for most consumers, but if your sole criteria is the best picture, the Oppo offers this. It also happens to offer a slew of features, like playback of virtually all discs you might stick in it, including SACD, DVD-Audio, CD, DVD, Divx, and more. What it doesn’t offer is some of the internet features we’ve also been enjoying on Blu-ray Disc players, nor does it support 3D content yet.

So what about in the $200 price range? Panasonic has an advantage here as their Panasonic Hollywood Laboratory actually works with the studios to author Blu-ray content. They have also developed a chip set for use in authoring which is also included in the Panasonic players for playback of that content. The DMP-BDT100 is a 3D player with built-in WiFi for Viera Cast (which includes Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Video on Demand, and more), and a half-second start up time.

Best audio quality

I’m sorry, but for audio quality, you will have to pay a bit more. If you’re looking for $200, skip ahead.



The ideal solution is to use the HDMI input on a receiver that supports multi-channel LPCM audio. But some people prefer using the analog audio inputs on ridiculously expensive equipment, and in this case you expect to pay more anyway. In this case, just look to the Pioneer Elite BDP-09FD at $2200. Its picture quality rivals that of the above Oppo, but its audio section is beefed up with 8 separate Wolfson audio DACS for each analog output.

Don’t worry about this, though. The vast majority of us could get incredibly high-quality audio through the HDMI inputs on a high-quality AVR. In fact Pioneer has come to this conclusion themselves, with their newest BD players not having multi-channel analog audio outputs at all. They do offer a precision clock in their Elite players and Elite AVRs called PQLS which eliminates judder in the audio. For the same $2200 you could get an incredibly splendid Pioneer Elite SC-35 AVR and a BDP-33FD, and still have money left over.

But for $200, any of the other players I’m offering are comparable to one another.

Best internet features



There is a clear-cut category winner here in the Samsung BD-C5900. Why? It’s way under $200 for a 3D BD player, with the largest selection of internet streaming sources available. In fact some of us would be completely satisfied with a Samsung BD player instead of a comparably-priced internet video streaming box (like the AppleTV, or Roku). This player doesn’t have WiFi, but an adapter is very inexpensive. If you want it built in, try the BD-C6500.

Samsung offers their own app store for these players, and it is constantly growing. Available now is the largest selection of video available, including Hulu Plus, YouTube, Blockbuster, Netflix, DailyMotion, CinemaNow, and Vudu. I wish Amazon Video on Demand was available, as it is on other players, but it isn’t available yet. It could come at any time though, as it is up to Amazon to offer this app, and I doubt Amazon would want to stay out of this market as Samsung is one of the leading BD players in terms of market share.

Beyond video, Samsung Apps are available for popular games such as Monopoly, Sudoku and Texas Holdem. Audio is provided from sources such as Napster and Pandora. There are social media apps for Facebook and Twitter. You can even , Skype.

Yahoo! Widgets are supported as well, so the possibilities are endless.

Conclusion
Since picture and audio quality are pretty good across the board (at least for Blu-ray content), I would have to conclude the Samsung players are generally the best. But those from Sony and LG do offer many of the same features, and some different features you might find enticing. It wouldn’t hurt to look those over before you make your decision.

Blockbuster files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy

The news we had all been waiting for has finally come: Blockbuster, Inc. has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Most of the company’s services will remain available throughout the process, which will last a few months. But as part of its reorganization, the company plans to shut down as many as 800 of its 3,400 stores in the United States. It also plans to move more toward a kiosk- and digital-based approach to delivering its content.

If you’ve been in a Blockbuster store any time during the past couple of years, you could see this coming. Gone are the days of perusing shelves and seeing if there was an extra DVD behind a movie title at your favorite video store. There has been a colossal shift in the industry, with mail and kiosks taking over much of the market.

It’s somewhat surprising that the kiosk-based approach that Redbox uses is still going strong. The convenience of stand-alone machines – usually found in front of pharmacies and supermarkets – coupled with the low prices make them successful, but you still have to drive somewhere.

Netflix is king of the home video market right now, but for how long? Many times I have grown impatient at the two-day turnaround time because I really needed to see the next three episodes of “Dexter.” Eventually this model will give way to on-demand, digital delivery of media. Netflix is already offering part of its inventory online, and Amazon and some cable providers are doing the same. Once set-top boxes such as Boxee and Apple TV become more common, we’ll see the scales tipped – again.

This was a guest post. About the author: James Mowery is a computer geek that writes about technology and related topics.

Boxee Box is now available for pre-order

We’ve been pretty excited for the Boxee Box from D-Link, and now it is available for pre-order from Amazon.com.

This should be one of the best internet connected devices on the market, and certainly easy to use. Just look at this slick remote:



It’s still got the $199 price tag, but hopefully that will drop to around $100 within the next several months. It seems like that’s the price point to be for this type of device.

YouTube on Roku

Are you looking for YouTube on your Roku (HD or SD) digital media player? If so, then you’re in luck, as there is now a method to do it.

As stated in my Roku HD review, YouTube access from a Roku box was one of the missing features that I (and many other Roku owners) sought the most on the Roku platform.

How to add YouTube to a Roku player

1) First you’ll need to link your Roku player to your Roku account, if you haven’t already. You can do this at http://owner.roku.com. Create a Roku account if you don’t already have one and then link your player.
2) After linking your player, on the My Account page, click on the option to “Add a Private Channel“.
3) Enter the code B8VVK for the YouTube channel and then click the Add Channel button.
4) On your Roku player, click on the Home button to get to the home screen, then browse into your channels. Scroll through your channel list, you should now see a YouTube channel as one of your options.

Roku YouTube channel screenshot

After selecting the YouTube channel, you’ll be able to add your YouTube username by scrolling to the “Settings” section on the far right on the top menu. Adding your YouTube username provides you with quick access to your own videos in the “My Videos” section, as shown below.

Roku YouTube channel My Videos

You can browse other YouTube videos in a variety of manners with “Top Rated Today”, “Most Viewed Today”, “Recently Featured”, “Recently Added”. A search option is also available for finding a specific title that you might be looking for.

I really love that I can now watch YouTube videos on my Roku player. I hope you do too.

The Roku YouTube channel is courtesy of TheNowhereMan, who has also developed a few other excellent Roku channels such as the Roku Newscaster.

If you’re interested in buying a Roku player, you can purchase one directly from Roku or at Amazon.

YouTube on Roku Update 1/30/2012: As noted in the comments section below, the method for obtaining a YouTube channel on Roku as described in this article is no longer possible, as Roku has removed the unofficial private YouTube channel at the request of Google. Because of this article’s popularity, I sent an email to Roku asking for an update on the availability of an official YouTube channel on Roku and they replied saying “We don’t have any more to comment other than what’s already made public.” So at this time, Roku is refusing to comment on the matter. I hope that all of you YouTube seekers will be able to obtain a Roku channel soon, but if not, maybe it’s time to switch to another solution like Google TV?

Can Apple TV replace cable?

With the announcement of the new Apple TV comes a new wave of questions from the media asking if cable TV can be replaced by internet video. So I decided to do the math. I’m also in a certain time in life where I’m having to make this decision for myself, so it seems like a good time to discuss this issue.

I’m sure you don’t care about my personal life, so I’ll be vague: I need to cut my monthly budget back by a lot. I’ve been looking at where all of my money goes, and one easy way to cut spending is by canceling my cable service (which is approximately $49 per month with an HD DVR). Obviously this would mean I would have to cut my television entertainment back to what is available online. I’ve lived this way before, so I’m OK with that, but I still want to watch shows on my 50-inch TV. I’m already using my PS3 to stream Netflix video, but there are other shows I enjoy watching that aren’t available on Netflix.

Just for fun I wanted to find out how much I pay my cable provider for each show I watch. I was interested to see if paying for cable was a cost effective way to enjoy these programs. Results will vary, but I am paying about $0.53 for each program.

Would you pay $0.50 to stream a TV program online?

If you had to consciously consider how much each program actually costs, would you spend that money? Apple is betting on it with their new renting structure. Of course Apple is charging $0.99 for each program, (and now Amazon is charging that much as well).

Now, some of these shows are available free from Hulu, or the broadcasters’ website. Apple TV doesn’t allow streaming from those sources – unlike competing boxes such as Roku and Boxee. But even if I removed those free programs from my calculations, I’m still paying a comparable amount for renting TV programs.

Is streaming video cost effective?

Some of you use torrents, or other unofficial free websites to obtain video, and those certainly are cheaper (the Federal government picks up the tab), but for the rest of us, it really depends on how much TV you watch.

I might watch upwards of 90 TV programs every month, and if I had to pay for each one of those, I would certainly find cable to be cheaper. Cable also provides television like EPSN, Fox Sports, NBC Sports, ABC Sports, CBS Sports, American Idol, America’s Got Talent, news, and more. If I cancel my cable will I miss out on Project Runaway, Rubicon, The Walking Dead, and Breaking Bad?

I guess the coming years will have a lot of people asking themselves all of these questions, and we’ll have to consider every entertainment program as a consumer purchase. I’m sure in the future the cable companies might use their high-tech fiber optic lines to also provide every program on demand. And I hope they only charge $0.50 per program.

Apple still trailing competition with new Apple TV

Apple has a unique position in the marketplace. Because they are so popular for introducing game-changing products, when they don’t meet this goal it is seen as a failure. Steve Jobs is cursed with his success; he can never do anything mediocre.

And that’s exactly what the newly unveiled Apple TV is – mediocre.

The Apple TV wasn’t very popular compared to their other products. It was mainly ignored by popular culture, who swooned over the MacBooks, iPods, iPhones, and iPads. It was loved by those who did have it, but it was mostly the dedicated Apple users who actually looked that way.

This new Apple TV has shrunk in size, lost the hard drive (and the ability to purchase movies), and added a bunch of social media features – including Flickr and Mobile Me. Also new is the inclusion of Netflix and YouTube. This is interesting because Apple clearly understands the market dominance of those two services, and their product could not compete without them.

Apple decided to go another route with this box by removing the hard drive. Movies are not downloaded and stored anymore. It can stream movies on your computer through iTunes, but it won’t download to the box. The iTunes store will provide movies day-and-date with DVD (so they claim) for $4.99 – cheaper for library titles – and TV programs at $0.99 each. Everything will be available in HD where the original is in HD, and all movies will be in HD. (Apple claims 480p is HD, so we’ll keep an eye out on this.)

The best new feature is AirPlay, which streams from an iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch directly to the TV – a cool feature for those who have one of these devices.

The pre-sales are already available, and the product will begin shipping in 4 weeks. The best part is the Apple TV is now priced just $99, making it the most affordable Apple product that isn’t an accessory or the iPod Shuffle.

So why is it mediocre?

Well, because most people aren’t entirely sold on the whole-home Apple experience, so we don’t have Time Vaults, iMacs, AirPorts, etc as our entire home environment. While some people might like the ability to just enter their iTunes account information and get going, most of us don’t care if we get content from Amazon, Netflix, Hulu, or whatever else there is out there. There are many devices already available on the market that offer the same features for less money, and soon we’ll have some with even more features at comparable costs. Also, most new HDTVs include all of these features without requiring a separate box.

Roku has had their Roku HD player on the market for over a year, and it now sells for $69 (SD version is $59). It provides Amazon Video On Demand, Netflix, Facebook, and many other features. Unless you care about buying through iTunes, or streaming from an iPhone, the Apple TV doesn’t quite compare.

Most new Blu-ray Disc players and many new audio/video receivers include these features standard.

Soon there will be products with Boxee or Google TV which also include all of these features, plus other features (like Hulu, and searching live TV).

The fact that most new HDTVs come with these features is also another reason why a separate box will have to offer something even more compelling. TVs from Vizio, LG, Samsung, Panasonic, Sony, and many more all include Netflix, Amazon Video On Demand, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and much more.

Even more, many of these new products are controllable from an iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch.

This version of the Apple TV just seems like playing catch up for Apple. It doesn’t offer anything new (besides AirPlay), and it’s not innovative. I guess this is why Jobs called it “One more thing hobby.” It’s something an Apple fan would like to add to their home, but it’s not where Apple is focusing a lot of attention.