Whenever I shop at Maplin I can't help but wonder how they're still in business.

Maplin and Currys/PC World etc. I've always been mystified by their pricing policy. They all charge a small fortune for cables and similar stuff. I needed a micro USB cable a while back and as I was near Currys I thought I'd check - £17 when the identical item is available for £1 or £2 online. But then Currys/PC World are reasonably competitive these days for PCs, printers etc.

I suppose they're after the buyers who might think to search around for a major purchase like a computer, but assume that something small like a cable is going to cost the same everywhere.

A few years ago, Mac dealer downtown had dvi-vga converter plugs for 30 bucks. PC shop next door had them for 3.99.

But every Mac DVI/VGA converter has been lightly brushed against the hem of Steve Jobs' robe.

The last time I went to PCW was over a year ago when I needed a UK power cable for my Macbook Air. I wasn't sure which of the two types that they had in stock was the one that I needed, and neither was the poor urchin who was trying to help. So he dutifully went off to consult with they 'Mac expert' who recommended a nice one for £20.

I dutifully took it home, only to ring that (a) it was the wrong one, and (b) the correct one could be had for £6 from Amazon. So I dutifully ordered from Amazon and dutifully took the dud back to PCW.

I should've charged their fucking Mac expert for petrol.

I made my Sony blu ray smart player region free with a universal remote. However, I understand that it is only the DVD side that is region free. The blu ray is region locked and would need a hardware hack to change.

This is the one I have. It is excellent on all counts.

Ahh yes, I meant to say that I wanted one that was DVD region-free (not bothered about BR) without having to swap my remote (which I quite like)

There are hacks on AV Forum, and elsewhere, that I can apply to my player...but I'd have to get a free-for-all (?) remote.

I used the hack from AV-Forums and it worked fine. I got the ONE-for-all from Amazon for about a tenner I think.

Well there are many many options when it comes to getting the best blu ray players. 
The main factors to consider is performance /speed - media compatibility and 3D Experience.

Companies like LG,OPPO,SONY AND PANASONIC all have good blu ray players in their line of products.

If you still like to get a detailed review of the blu ray players , I advice you to take a look at this article on blu ray players.

Can't wait.

The main factors to consider is performance /speed - media compatibility and 3D Experience cheapness.


FTFY.

True.

Is anyone using a blu-ray player? I use my DVD player more, I've got a few DVD-A albums that won't play through anything else.

We've got a basic model that the kids use, but doesn't do much except collect dust. We stream everything from the NAS through a Pi media player.

 

Blue ray would be well and truly wasted on our 26" NTSC crt tv set.

Seems I skipped bluray. Haven't owned a player or any media.

I've got a handful of discs, but only player is the Xbox One (and PS3? Is that blueray?) Even the stuff I own on disc I tend to watch on Pi, cos it's easier :$

I have a handful - none bought; gifts & freebies in box sets - I just rip them to 1080p mp4 files & bung them on my server.

Aye, that's the way to go. I'm trying to avoid buying anything else, our film/tv collection of discs is a bit like my Steam library, there's a lot of stuff going unplayed. :/

:J

TBH, those things can produce a brilliant picture. We bunged our old Panasonic Viera in the attic for the boys to use for cartoons, games n'stuff. It's 15 years old, still going strong and has a super sharp picture. For standard def stuff, it's great.  

Is there a quick and straightforward way to do that these days? Last time I looked at ripping my collection it involved all sorts of different steps that I couldn't be arsed with.