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- Important features
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ELECTRONICS FORUMS  Get real-world advice from others about choosing a new TV, digital camera, computer or cell phone. |
Buying advice Blu-ray players
Blu-ray has emerged as the high-definition disc format of choice, following the withdrawal of HD DVD from the market. Blu-ray discs contain 1080p content, the highest resolution available, and the picture quality on a good HDTV can be superb. All Blu-ray players are upscaling models that are capable of producing excellent quality from standard DVDs. In addition, all models currently in production will also play audio CDs.
Even so, we've been advising consumers to wait a while to purchase a Blu-ray player, because prices have been very high and new technology was about to arrive. There's now less reason to wait.
Blu-ray prices have been dropping steadily. The lowest-priced Blu-ray models now cost less than $300, considerably less than a year ago, but they're still expensive when you consider that top-rated standard DVD players sell for less than $100. And models that take full advantage of all of Blu-ray capabilities are just starting to hit the market.
WHAT'S AVAILABLE
Blu-ray enjoys broad hardware support from major consumer electronics and computer companies, including, Denon, Insignia, LG Electronics, Magnavox, Panasonic, Pioneer, Samsung, Sharp, and Sony, among others. In addition, you can play Blu-ray discs on Sony's PlayStation 3 game consoles, which have an integrated drive. A rising number of notebook and desktop computers either come with, or can accept, Blu-ray drives. There's a growing body of Blu-ray discs as studios issue new and older movies in full HD.
The majority of the players on the market at the time of this writing, and in our Ratings of high-def DVD players, are "Profile 1.1" models. Those models support BonusView, or a picture-in-picture feature. We're just now starting to see the first "Profile 2.0" players; in addition to BonusView, these also support BD-Live, an Internet feature that allows players to access additional content from a movie studio's Web site. Some current models with Ethernet ports have the ability to be upgraded to BD-Live functionality with future firmware updates. (See Blu-ray players: Important features for more information.)
All the Blu-ray players we've tested so far can output video signals with a maximum resolution of 1080p. All will play standard DVDs, and will upconvert the video to quasi-HD resolution by scaling the pixel count of the DVD's video to match the HDTV's native resolution. The picture quality will depend on the quality of the scaler, but even at its best, it won't be the same as video that originated in high definition. Note that an HDMI connection is required to carry upconverted signals to your TV.
At this point, only single-disc Blu-ray players are available. There are no changers, and there aren't yet any portable high-def DVD players. Nor are there any standalone Blu-ray recorders, though we could see the first sometime next year. There are a handful of expensive notebook computers with Blu-ray recordable drives.
Current Blu-ray players start at less than $300, and the most expensive models, geared toward audiophiles and videophiles can cost $1,000 or more. But as companies in the Blu-ray camp battle for market share, prices are likely to drop further.
HOW TO CHOOSE
Consider waiting just a bit longer. While prices have already declined, it's likely that they will dip even more, especially during holiday promotions. Also, some of the earlier Blu-ray players, which lack features such as picture-in-picture and Internet connectivity, are still in stores. More Profile 2.0 models are expected later this year, giving you more choices among players with all the latest features.
Consider which, if any, special playback formats matter. All high-def DVD players can play prerecorded DVDs. All current models in production will play commercially released CDs, and many but not all will play CDs burned with MP3 files. Compatibility with formats such as WMA and DivX varies by model. LG's BH200 hybrid player can play Blu-ray and HD DVD discs, but the model is discontinued, and might be of interest if you've accumulated a library of HD DVD movies and would like to continue playing them.
Make sure a player has the connections you want. All Blu-ray players have an HDMI output, and most also have component-video connections. The HDMI and component-video outputs can carry high-def signals, but an HDMI connection to your TV is generally required for 1080p video from a Blu-ray disc, and for upconverted video signals from a standard DVD.
Most players now offer HDMI 1.3 outputs, which can handle high-def video plus high-resolution audio over a single cable. It's possible that some older models might have an earlier version of HDMI, so you'll have to check packaging or product brochures to make sure that the player supports specific HDMI 1.3 features, such as Deep Color (a jump from millions to billions of colors), Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, the new higher-quality "lossless" audio formats, and a lip sync, which automatically synchronizes audio to match on-screen actions. Determining what a model has might not be easy, though. Some manufacturers give such technologies proprietary names, making it harder to choose among models.
Many players also have S-video and composite-video connectors, plus digital (optical or coaxial) audio jacks. Some players have multichannel analog audio outputs for use with receivers that have these inputs. Compare the inputs on your TV or A/V receiver to the outputs on the Blu-ray player to make sure that they're compatible and will allow you to enjoy the best possible audio and video the format offers.
Blu-ray has emerged as the high-definition disc format of choice, following the withdrawal of HD DVD from the market. Blu-ray discs contain 1080p content, the highest resolution available, and the picture quality on a good HDTV can be superb. All Blu-ray players are upscaling models that are capable of producing excellent quality from standard DVDs. In addition, all models currently in production will also play audio CDs.
Even so, we've been advising consumers to wait a while to purchase a Blu-ray player, because prices have been very high and new technology was about to arrive. There's now less reason to wait.
Blu-ray prices have been dropping steadily. The lowest-priced Blu-ray models now cost less than $300, considerably less than a year ago, but they're still expensive when you consider that top-rated standard DVD players sell for less than $100. And models that take full advantage of all of Blu-ray capabilities are just starting to hit the market.
WHAT'S AVAILABLE
Blu-ray enjoys broad hardware support from major consumer electronics and computer companies, including, Denon, Insignia, LG Electronics, Magnavox, Panasonic, Pioneer, Samsung, Sharp, and Sony, among others. In addition, you can play Blu-ray discs on Sony's PlayStation 3 game consoles, which have an integrated drive. A rising number of notebook and desktop computers either come with, or can accept, Blu-ray drives. There's a growing body of Blu-ray discs as studios issue new and older movies in full HD.
The majority of the players on the market at the time of this writing, and in our Ratings of high-def DVD players, are "Profile 1.1" models. Those models support BonusView, or a picture-in-picture feature. We're just now starting to see the first "Profile 2.0" players; in addition to BonusView, these also support BD-Live, an Internet feature that allows players to access additional content from a movie studio's Web site. Some current models with Ethernet ports have the ability to be upgraded to BD-Live functionality with future firmware updates. (See Blu-ray players: Important features for more information.)
All the Blu-ray players we've tested so far can output video signals with a maximum resolution of 1080p. All will play standard DVDs, and will upconvert the video to quasi-HD resolution by scaling the pixel count of the DVD's video to match the HDTV's native resolution. The picture quality will depend on the quality of the scaler, but even at its best, it won't be the same as video that originated in high definition. Note that an HDMI connection is required to carry upconverted signals to your TV.
At this point, only single-disc Blu-ray players are available. There are no changers, and there aren't yet any portable high-def DVD players. Nor are there any standalone Blu-ray recorders, though we could see the first sometime next year. There are a handful of expensive notebook computers with Blu-ray recordable drives.
Current Blu-ray players start at less than $300, and the most expensive models, geared toward audiophiles and videophiles can cost $1,000 or more. But as companies in the Blu-ray camp battle for market share, prices are likely to drop further.
HOW TO CHOOSE
Consider waiting just a bit longer. While prices have already declined, it's likely that they will dip even more, especially during holiday promotions. Also, some of the earlier Blu-ray players, which lack features such as picture-in-picture and Internet connectivity, are still in stores. More Profile 2.0 models are expected later this year, giving you more choices among players with all the latest features.
Consider which, if any, special playback formats matter. All high-def DVD players can play prerecorded DVDs. All current models in production will play commercially released CDs, and many but not all will play CDs burned with MP3 files. Compatibility with formats such as WMA and DivX varies by model. LG's BH200 hybrid player can play Blu-ray and HD DVD discs, but the model is discontinued, and might be of interest if you've accumulated a library of HD DVD movies and would like to continue playing them.
Make sure a player has the connections you want. All Blu-ray players have an HDMI output, and most also have component-video connections. The HDMI and component-video outputs can carry high-def signals, but an HDMI connection to your TV is generally required for 1080p video from a Blu-ray disc, and for upconverted video signals from a standard DVD.
Most players now offer HDMI 1.3 outputs, which can handle high-def video plus high-resolution audio over a single cable. It's possible that some older models might have an earlier version of HDMI, so you'll have to check packaging or product brochures to make sure that the player supports specific HDMI 1.3 features, such as Deep Color (a jump from millions to billions of colors), Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, the new higher-quality "lossless" audio formats, and a lip sync, which automatically synchronizes audio to match on-screen actions. Determining what a model has might not be easy, though. Some manufacturers give such technologies proprietary names, making it harder to choose among models.
Many players also have S-video and composite-video connectors, plus digital (optical or coaxial) audio jacks. Some players have multichannel analog audio outputs for use with receivers that have these inputs. Compare the inputs on your TV or A/V receiver to the outputs on the Blu-ray player to make sure that they're compatible and will allow you to enjoy the best possible audio and video the format offers.
