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Blu-ray Disc Player Buying Guide The essential guide to Blu-ray Disc players | ||||||||||||
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article last updated on 10.21.2010 | browser-friendly format 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) 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. 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 don't have this equipment, will you
have any benefits from Blu-ray Disc? 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? 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 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 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. 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 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
Netflix streaming to a Netflix-capable Blu-ray Disc player 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:
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,
How many 3D Blu-ray Disc movies are there? 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 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. 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.
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What
do you need to see Blu-ray Disc in its finest form?
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.
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 
