entry level bluray?

The Oppo mentioned is indeed an excellent player and is highly recommended... That said, I would not in any way classify it as "entry-level." It actually is the best player on the market for relatively sane money, IMO.

If your friend is indeed looking for "entry level" and has HDMI inputs, then I would recommend something like the Panasonic BDT-110 which will give him most of the Internet goodies and Blu-ray playback quality the best players have, just no legacy multi-channel outputs and no SACD. It streets at about $125-$130 online, versus just under $500 for the admittedly excellent Oppo.

Just to clarify, I am not in any way saying the Oppo is not worth every cent of that price tag (or more)... just that it is in a completely different class than an entry-level unit like the 110, and your friend may not need that kind of build quality. If $500 is not an issue, then I say have at it. :-)

---Dave

What *he* said. ;-)

Sorry, just checked the thread again now and saw your question, but Chad beat me to it. ;-)

Dave

While I have no direct knowledge of the BDP-1, after looking at Amazon, it would appear to have many detractors. Some of the key comments indicated relatively poor quality and slow load times. As it has been out for a while, I too would be concerned about its Internet functionality compared to many of the newer players on the market as was mentioned by Rwwear. If Internet is not a concern, then it may work out if the price is right, but my guess is Panasonic, Oppo or a number of other brands that have newer units will offer better functionality for reasonable money.

---Dave