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article last updated on
10.21.2010
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Introduction
Since the introduction of DVD-Video in 1997, Blu-ray Disc represents a significant step forward for the home theater
experience with its stunningly clear high definition picture, surround sound audio at
studio master fidelity, and new levels of bonus material interactivity
using Java-based functionality.
And that is just the beginning, because the latest craze involves
the internet. This includes
Netflix streaming
of movies and TV programming, Pandora internet radio, and other
internet-based apps. Then there is 3D Blu-ray Disc technology
that introduces another dimension to the viewing experience.
Sony BDP-S370 Blu-ray Disc player ($200 MSRP,
$135 online)
Read our review
For 2010, price points start at $130 for capable
entry-level models and go up to about $205 for mid-level players
with the most common bells and whistles, making them very
accessible to the everyday consumer.
High Definition Picture
To see the difference in picture quality of Blu-ray Disc over DVD, you must have a
HDTV, and preferably one that can display "Full HD"
1080p resolution.
In addition to 1080p ("p" for progressive scan), the HDTV
formats also include the 1080i
("i" for interlaced scan) and 720p resolutions. If you are not familiar with HDTV, read our
HDTV tutorial.
The "Full HD" 1080p resolution equates to
2 megapixels and offers over six times the resolution of DVD-Video. Additionally, for
film-based sources, Blu-ray can match the picture
refresh rate of 24 frames per second (fps) of film.
Collectively, "Full HD" 1080p resolution combined with the film 24
fps update rate is known as 1080p/24. For film buffs, this is
the real deal. The picture quality rivals that of film and
refreshed natively at the same rate as film.
Editor's Note: DVD-Video or standard definition TV (SDTV)
has a resolution of 480 lines of horizontal resolution with 704
pixels, or total of 480x704 = 337,920 pixels. HDTV at 720p has
720x1280 = 921,600 pixels, which is about 2.7 times more resolution
than DVD-Video.
HDTV at "Full HD" 1080p has 1080x1920 = 2,073,600 pixels or 2 Mpixels, which is over 6 times the resolution of DVD-Video.
What
about my collection of movies in the DVD-Video format?
If you are like us, you have a decent collection of DVD-Video movies.
Well, Blu-ray Disc players will also playback DVD-Videos and up-convert
the 480p DVD-Video picture quality to near 1080p quality.
Results will vary from DVD-to-DVD, as the result of up-conversion depends on the source material and
how well it was encoded.
 What
do you need to see Blu-ray Disc in its finest form?
To see the "Full HD" 1080p picture, you will need an HDTV that
can display "Full HD" 1080p natively and connect your Blu-ray Disc
player to the HDTV using an HDMI
cable. HDMI stands for High-Definition Multimedia Interface.
Only the HDMI cable can pass a 1080p video signal. The next best thing
is to use component
video cables. This analog connection allows you to view
the 1080i and 720p resolutions, but not 1080p. If you don't have this equipment, will you
have any benefits from Blu-ray Disc?
Without an HDTV or an HDMI or component video cable connection
from the Blu-ray Disc player to HDTV, you will not see any picture quality
improvements for which Blu-ray Disc is known. You will see a picture that is
only comparable to DVD-Video.
High Definition Surround Sound
Blu-ray Disc also offers a significant improvement in home theater surround
sound. The format includes support for some new surround sound
formats. The two most compelling are
Dolby TrueHD and
DTS-HD Master Audio. Both of these surround sound formats
offer pristine bit-for-bit true to the original studio master surround
sound with up to 7.1 channels. That's 5.1-channel surround with
the addition of two back surround sound channels. To learn more about
these high
definition surround sound formats and see how they compare to DVD-Video's
Dolby Digital and DTS surround sound formats, read our
High
Definition Surround Sound
tutorial.
What do you need to hear these new surround sound formats?
To hear Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD Master Audio soundtracks, you
will need a Blu-ray Disc player with support for Dolby TrueHD or
DTS-HD Master Audio and pass the digital audio signal via
HDMI cable to a newer AV
receiver that has built-in Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD Master Audio
decoding.
Alternatively, if you have an older AV receiver without built-in
Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD Master Audio decoding and it has a
5.1-channel or 7.1-channel analog audio input, then choose a Blu-ray
Disc player with built-in Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD Master Audio
decoding and 7.1-channel analog audio output. Then use
a set of 5.1-channel or 7.1-channel analog audio cables to hook it
up to your AV receiver.
Read more. If you don't have
this equipment, will you still reap any benefits?
If you do not have this setup, you will not be able to hear
Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD Master Audio soundtracks. Instead, you
would "settle" for Dolby Digital or DTS via optical or coaxial
digital audio cable, which on par to the DVD-Video surround sound quality.
Internet Content and Apps
 One of
the coolest features of Blu-ray Disc players does not have anything
to do with Blu-ray optical disc technology, but rather the internet.
Specifically, we are referring to the streaming of video/audio and
the access of internet-based content. For
this, most Blu-ray Disc players are internet enabled with an
Ethernet port. Simply
plug in your Ethernet patch cable from your home network hub or
router to the back panel Ethernet
port.
If your
network hub is not nearby or if you do not have a wired network connection
nearby, consider: (1) a Blu-ray Disc player with built-in Wi-Fi
capability, (2) purchase an optional
USB Wi-Fi adapter, usually a $80 accessory from the same manufacturer;
or (3) a
Wi-Fi
network bridge. Read our
Home Network
Guide for more information on how to hook up your Blu-ray Disc
player and other internet-enabled audio/video and home theater gear
to your home network and internet. Often times, it might be
the easiest and cheapest solution to just upgrade to a Blu-ray Disc
player that has built-in Wi-Fi capability for another
$50.
Another way to outfit your Blu-ray Disc player with
Wi-Fi is to buy a USB Wi-Fi adapter
(typically a $80 option; $53 at
Amazon.com)
Once you hook up a high-speed internet connection to the Blu-ray
Disc player, you can enjoy bonus material with BD-Live,
Netflix
streaming, Pandora internet radio, and other internet apps, depending on
what the Blu-ray Disc player manufacturer has included.
BD-Live
Compared to bonus material on the DVD-Video format, studios can add
much more interactivity on the Blu-ray format because most Blu-ray
Disc players offer BD-Live functionality. This means that the
player has some internal computing capacity that can execute
Java-based apps. Coupled with the ability to access the
internet, the interactivity and applications are only limited to the
studios' creativity. Some Blu-ray Disc movies include
interactive events with the cast, director, or producers.
Studios can even produce content after the pressing the Blu-ray Disc
titles, by enabling that functionality over the internet and
publishing that capability to the internet as a new download.
One BD-Live feature allows you to edit clips of the movie and share
it with your friends. Keep in mind that the BD-Live features are
specific to each Blu-ray Disc title, as produced for that movie by
its studio. You should not expect the same richness of BD-Live
features on every title.
To facilitate interactivity and navigation, BD-Live enabled players
add a group of four color (red, green, yellow, blue) buttons to the
remote control. Be sure that these buttons are clearly marked,
particularly if you plan to watch movies in a dark environment,
because the four colors are not placed in the same relative position
across the different brands of Blu-ray Disc players... how strange!
BD-Live interactivity is facilitated by a group of four-color
buttons
(Samsung remote left, Sony remote right)
To enable BD-Live content, memory storage is required by the Blu-ray
Disc player. Mid-level players have built-in memory, usually a minimum of 1 GB.
Entry-level players typically do not have any built-in memory.
Instead, you can plug in a USB flash drive to the player's USB port
for this purpose. You can use the same USB flash drive that
you may already be using with computers.
Another way to outfit your entry-level Blu-ray Disc player
with
memory for
BD-Live content is a USB flash drive
(SanDisk 8 GB shown - $16.25 at
Amazon.com)
Netflix Streaming
 The best part of
high-speed internet access is Netflix's instant streaming
of movies and TV programming. For $8.99/month, you can
subscribe to Netflix's "Unlimited" plan of 1 DVD at-a-time rentals
by mail and unlimited streaming. Read our full review of
Netflix Streaming.
You can even try
it for one month free.
Netflix streaming to a
Netflix-capable Blu-ray Disc player
Internet Apps
With internet apps, a Blu-ray Disc player becomes a small internet
access device. Depending on the player's manufacturer, you
can access the following web-based content and services:
-
Amazon Video of Demand (VOD):
pay-per-view movies streamed over the internet
-
VUDU: pay-per-view streaming of the latest movies
in "SD" standard definition 480p ($3.99 per 48-hour rental), "HD" in 720p
($4.99), or "HDX" in high definition 1080p with Dolby Digital Plus
surround sound. VUDU also has a framework of downloadable apps
to access internet content.
-
Blockbuster online:
pay-per-view movies streamed over the internet
-
YouTube: view user-uploaded videos
-
Pandora internet radio: set up
your own radio "channels" by typing in a song, artist, or genre.
Pandora then streams music that is similar to the original
selection.
-
Flickr: access this free photo sharing site
from Yahoo!
-
Picasa: another free photo
sharing site
-
Facebook: access the ubiquitous social
networking site
-
GoogleTV: is a set of
internet apps and was just
announced in October 2010. Watch for this capability to be
incorporated into the 2011 Blu-ray Disc player models.
3D
Blu-ray
3D Blu-ray Disc is a relatively a new phenomenon,
just introduced in summer 2010. In order experience a
3D visual experience, you will need a 3D-capable Blu-ray Disc player, along with
a 3D-ready LCD or plasma HDTV and that brand's active shutter technology 3D glasses.
The HDTV and 3D glasses must be made by the same manufacturer, due to
each manufacturer's proprietary timing synchronization between the HDTV
frame rates and active shutter 3D glasses. At about $150 - $250
per pair, the 3D glasses are not cheap. The 3D capable HDTVs are
not cheap either, as they are currently selling at a premium over
comparable non-3D HDTV models.
3D Blu-ray system includes
a 3D Blu-ray Disc player, a 3D HDTV,
and a pair of 3D active shutter glasses for each viewer.
(courtesy of Samsung)
 TIP
#1: If you are interested in 3D Blu-ray Disc, it is not a bad
idea to buy a 3D ready Blu-ray player now. 3D players are
reasonably priced without a steep premium over
non-3D Blu-ray players.
Read our
3-D Blu-ray Disc player shopping guide. However, you may want to wait a while before upgrading to the 3D HDTVs
and 3D active shutter glasses. Prices will come down dramatically
after the early adopters buy their sets. And you can still choose
a brand of 3D HDTV and 3D glasses, different from that of your 3D
Blu-ray Disc player. So buying a 3D player now will not lock
you into a specific brand of 3D equipment later. Additionally,
if you're buying an HDMI cable to hook your Blu-ray Disc player to
an HDTV, do consider buying an HDMI v1.4 cable that supports the 3D
signals.
How many 3D Blu-ray Disc movies are there?
Currently, not many. There are
a few 3D Blu-ray Disc
movies currently available on the market. Certainly, more
will be released over time. Interestingly enough,
Blu-ray Disc player and HDTV manufacturers are teaming up with studios to
bundle that studio's 3D Blu-ray Disc movies with their 3D Blu-ray Disc
players, in an attempt to sway
consumers to buy their brand's equipment. Consumers that already have a
player or bought another brand will have to wait a little longer
until that 3D Blu-ray Disc movie is released for separate purchase.
Connections
Blu-ray Disc players have similar connections with DVD-Video
players, but there are a couple of important new connections, as we
mentioned above:
Ethernet/LAN (local area network) port: used to hook up the
Blu-ray Disc player to your home network for internet connectivity
and access internet content and apps.
Even models with built-in Wi-Fi will have a port.
USB port: Many Blu-ray Disc players to display photos and
videos, and play MP3 files on a USB flash drive. For ease of
access, look for a player with a front panel USB port. Some
have two USB ports, one on the front panel and one on the back panel.
For non Wi-Fi enabled models, it may be used to
add Wi-Fi capability.
Typical back panel connections
of a Blu-ray Disc player
Other Considerations
As with any new technology, there is always something that gets in
the way of a near-perfect experience:
Disc Access Time: Blu-ray Disc players seem to take a long
time from the moment you place a Blu-ray Disc onto the disc tray and
close the tray... you have to wait... and wait... and wait... and
wait a little longer before the Blu-ray Disc content begins to play.
Because Blu-ray Disc players run Java programs for the BD-Live
interactive bonus material, they boot up like computers. As new generations of Blu-ray disc players come out each year, this
boot-up delay is expected to get shorter.
Cooling Fan: The built-in computer processor that powers Java
apps inevitably generates some heat. To evacuate this heat,
all Blu-ray Disc players have a ventilation fan on the back panel,
to keep the unit's temperature within operating limits. This
operation is automatic and in most Blu-ray disc players, the fan
noise is nearly imperceptible.
Summary
For movie aficionados, the Blu-ray Disc format coupled with
HDTV and
the latest surround sound technology presents nirvana. As if
that is not enough, internet-based content presents even more
options. What is there not to like? (Other than the disc
access time.) Now you know what to look for, go shopping with us, read our
Blu-ray Disc player shopping guide
or 3-D Blu-ray Disc player shopping guide.
Did
you find this Blu-ray Disc player buying guide helpful? Let us know your
thoughts, send an e-mail to us at Staff@TimeForDVD.com.
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