What's a great dvd/bluray/everything player?

[superboyac]

My sister and her family needs a newer dvd/bluray player.  They have a very old one I got for them back in 2001.  I would like to find one that can play EVERYTHING.  Bluray, regular dvd's sure.  But also, data discs that have mp3 and video files (avi, mpg, mp4, etc.) on them also.  That would be awesome.  And if there are some bootleg players out there that are not region coded or anything, I'd like to know about those also.  I think I remember reading about them years ago.  I also remember there being some nifty off-brand players that were feature-packed and extremely cheap.  I'm interested in hearing about those also.

Most importantly, I'd love to hear about your experiences with such players.  What did you like?  What annoyed you?  I really have a strong feeling there's some weird chinese off brand thing out there that just plays everything you throw at it.  Thanks!

[KynloStephen66515]

Playstation 3

Blueray
DVD
Internet Access
Awesome Games

[phitsc]

Playstation 3

A potent device. But very power hungry! I have it in a closed cabinet and need to leave the cabinet's door open when I'm using it. I've even thought about putting a fan into the cabinet, haha. I once forgot that the PS3 was still running and closed the cabinet doors. A few minutes later I heard loud noise out of the cabinet. The PS3's fan was going crazy. I have the pre-slim version though. The current PS3s should be a bit better.

A big advantage of the PS3 is that it is powerful enough so that Sony can provide new features through SW upgrades (e.g. 3D).

[steeladept]

Can't talk to the blueray part, but I know I got a really nice, cheap, DVD player that plays everything else including DivX format.  It was from Phillips and it was something like $50.  The build quality wasn't the best, but it works great.  The only issue I had was that I tried using the RGB out since my TV supports that (to keep open another input), and the output was all blue!  They had something messed up in the wiring.  I took it back and exchanged it, but the same thing happened on the next one.  I figure it was either a screwup at the plant, or mismatched specs.  Either way I just went with the standard component output instead and it has been working great ever since.  If they offer a Blueray version of it, I wouldn't hesitate to suggest it for price/performance, but don't be surprised if you have to work to get it setup just right if you don't use the most common setup.