|
|
|
 |
 |
| | | In February 2008, with the official announcement of Toshiba halting development of HD DVD players, the high definition optical disc format war was over and won by Blu-ray. LG, Panasonic, Sony, and Samsung have emerged as the current market leaders in Blu-ray player market. A Blu-ray player offers a superior movie viewing experience in terms of both audio and image quality. Even with the new disc format, Blu-ray players can fortunately still continue to play back standard DVDs and upconvert the content by scaling the DVD into high definition resolution. | | |
| Typical costs: | - Less expensive Blu-ray players may only fulfill Profile 1.0, which is just the requirement to be able to play back Blu-ray discs. Profile 1.1 allows picture-in-picture functionality known as "BonusView". Finally, Profile 2.0 requires that the player have an Internet connection. This profile is also known as "BD-Live".
- Budget Blu-ray players range from $160 -$200. These include the Sylvania Blu-ray Disc Player NB501SL9 ($190) or the Curtis Mathes Blu-ray Disc Player CMMBX130 ($160).
- Mid range players price from about $200 -$350. The LG BD370 ($300), and Samsung BD-P1600 ($300) have gotten good reviews on CNet.com.
- High end players cost around $350 -$500. The Sony Playstation PS3 ($400 for the base model), LG BD390 ($400) and Samsung BD-P3600 ($400) all offer Profile 2.0 and other premium features such as fast loading times, onboard memory and network capabilities.
What should be included: | - Blu-ray disc player.
- Remote control and batteries.
- RCA audio video cables.
- User manual.
Additional costs: | - A new single Blu-ray movie disc can cost anywhere from $4 to $40. Movie sets and TV show collections prices are even higher.
- Use an HDMI cable to use for optimal playback on your television set. These can now be had for as little as a few dollars. Online retailers such as Meritline.com and eForCity.com offer them for about $4 -$6 a cable.
- To fully enjoy Blu-ray dvd movie playback, a High Definition Television (HDTV) capable of 1080P resolution (1080 lines of vertical resolution) is recommended ($600 -$3,000+). A home theater surround sound would also be beneficial as well ($300 -$2500).
- Renting Blu-ray movies on Netflix adds about $1 -$4 to one's rental price depending on the plan. There is no additional charge for Blu-ray movies on Blockbuster rental plans.
Discounts: | - Open Box and "Refurbished" units can sometimes be had for up to $40 -$50 off normal retail prices.
Shopping for a blu-ray dvd player: | - Similar to where DVD players are sold, Blu-ray players can also be found at: Best Buy, Target and Wal-Mart
- To buy a player online, Amazon.com and TigerDirect.com both sell some of the Blu-ray disc players mentioned in this article.
- TIP: Many people purchase the Sony Playstation 3game console to also use as their Blu-ray disc player. This player is a safe bet because if additional Blu-ray profiles or changes come, then this particular player is one of the most upgradeable ones and often gets updates fairly quickly from Sony.
|
| |
Article updated August 2009 |
|
Digg this
del.icio.us
E-mail
Post