Everyone has heard by now that, in the battle between Blu-ray and HD-DVDs, Blu-ray emerged the clear and triumphant victor. With that tug of war behind us, what comes now is making sure that Blu-ray stays on top and continues to innovate and improve. So what can you look for in a great Blu-ray player to make the HD entertainment in your home top-notch? Here are a few tips, looking at both playback features and bonus features.
For playback, Blu-ray players can always play both Blu-ray discs and regular DVDs, so you don’t have to buy all of your old movies again – just any that you want to watch in crystal-clear, picture-perfect high-definition. Blu-ray players also produce a full HD signal, meaning 1080p/24, making full use of your HDTV. (If you have an HDTV that has 1080i or 720p, though, you won’t be getting the complete experience.) In addition to these standard features, you want to look for Blu-ray players that support HD audio, either Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD Master Audio. You also might want to consider Blu-ray players with HD 3D support. There are even a few out there that support 2D-3D conversion, letting you watch 2D movies in 3D.
Besides playback, there are a number of other features available on many Blu-ray players that you should look for. You want a Blu-ray player with Internet connectivity, because that will give you the greatest versatility. Beware, though, that when a Blu-ray player says it is “WiFi Ready,” it really means you have to buy an expensive adapter to plug in for it to be able to access your wireless network. Instead, look for Blu-ray players with built-in WiFi. Of course you want USB connectivity for peripherals – cameras, iPods, and so on. You also want a player with BD-LIVE capability. BD-LIVE is an Internet-based content database, full of movies, TV shows, interviews, photos, behind-the-scenes footage, clips, and even games and puzzles. On top of that, you want your Blu-ray player to have built-in memory space for BD-LIVE, so you can download this content and view it offline as well as online. Many players will also have Skype video chat and a variety of streaming services; make sure the one buy supports your favorite source, whether that’s Netflix, Hulu Plus, VUDU, CinemaNow, MLB.tv, Amazon Instant, whatever.
If you’re shopping for a Blu-ray player right now, you need to keep these things in mind. Make sure that the one you buy has everything you need, so that you don’t miss out on anything, ever.
