Are blu-ray players all the same these days or is it like the days of old with DVD players where some are better with secret features? Like the ability to play back videos encoded with x264 or divx, etc.

I was planning on getting this thing. I'm not particularly fussed about internet capabilities like youtube (though this one has it) or any of the online tv crap.

I dunno, I've only got 2 BD movies at the moment, Captain America & Sherlock Holmes and the packaging doesn't seem any more dodgy than a DVD case. In fact I've had some DVD cases that are so "well constructed" that I've had to bend the fuck out of the DVD just to remove it from the center spindle thing it sits on because it was a solid piece of plastic, not the split kind that most are.

I don't plan on converting my entire collection to BD, and to hook my computer up to my TV would require me to either move my TV, or computer, or buy a 10m long HDMI cable and have it run from one room to another. Not to mention my current PC is an absolute BEAST and uses something absurd like 400watts just sitting here so it's not exactly an efficient way to watch movies. It was built with gaming & video editing in mind.

http://www.goldmund.com/products/eidos_20bd
http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/26/goldmunds-eidos-20-bd-blu-ray-player-costs-17k/

I'd also go with getting the same brand as your tv, so it is all colour coordinated, etc.

i use my ps3 blueray, only have avatar movie and the rest are bbc docos, life, planet earth and a few others

I don't plan on buying 3d movies, ever. full stop. Say I did get a 3d capable player though (because it's the same brand as my tv) and it uses HDMI 1.4, but my tv is old, will it still work? Are the players backwards compatible?

There's this one: clicky that caught my eye. There is a non 3d version for $119 but it doesn't mention having the viera link (one remote for all) on the site so I'll have to check that out to see if it does have it.

Is it worth getting a 3d player if I don't plan on watching 3d movies? That's the only difference in it right? Not like it's a completely different disc like CD vs DVD, just that the movie itself is encoded differently?

Can't be any slower than:
turn on PC
wait for it to go through all the bullshit that it does before it even starts to load windows (this part takes the most time)
load windows (uber fast, it's on an SSD)
log in
navigate through start menu to get to player software

We use a PS3 as our Blu-ray player. That way we get a great BR player with a games console and media streaming device all in one. Its been great for the last few years now.

I dont watch DVDs, I cant be bothered taking a disc out of its case and placing it in a drive then sitting down to watch anti-piracy ads.

make sure they have network and that the firmware gets updated regularly

I have a Toshiba one that I picked up for around $100. Plays everything I have thrown at it so far with no problems. Sure every so often it may come up "loading" for a few seconds when I put a disc in but after that plays perfectly fine.

perfect opportunity to get a ps3

I got a panasonic BDT-110GN like what's his face up there said because it's the same brand as my TV. Works ok for playing BD movies, starts up quickly and although I only have 2 movies so it's not a big sample size but they both get straight into the main menu after putting the disc in. One of them makes me watch a screen telling me not to copy the disc but that only lasts about 10 seconds at most.

The only issue with it so far is for some reason it'll only play mpeg files off my NAS, nothing else works but if I use a USB stick with some videos on there it plays them ok but I didn't get it for that so I'm not too fussed. Like rev, I just want it so I can watch BD movies in comfort. Might test it later with some videos straight from my cam corder & see how it handles those.

perfect opportunity to get a ps3

I've already got a 360s that I rarely use so the only thing I'd use a ps3 for would be watching movies and that would also mean I'd be giving sony more money so no.