Blu-Ray Player | Best Blu-Ray Players | HD DVD Players

Best Blu-ray player

*Est. $400 Compare Prices

Critics say that the best Blu-ray player is also a gaming console: the Sony PlayStation 3. Reviews say high-definition Blu-ray movies look fantastic. It is a BD-Live (Profile 2.0) machine, so it can download trailers and… other extras related to the disc being played. The PS3 has tons of memory, storage and computational horsepower, so interactive disc features that slow down other models work smoothly and quickly on the PS3. Audio support is good, with built-in decoders for high-def audio. One catch is that disc playback commands are handled through the game controller. A conventional Bluetooth remote is optional. The cheaper $400 version has 80 GB of memory. A 160 GB costs $100 more.

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Expert & User Review Sources:

CNet.com: While much of this review centers on the Sony PlayStation 3's prowess as a gaming console, Jeff Bakalar also focuses on its ...

Big Picture Big Sound.com: Reviewer Chris Boylan writes that the Sony PlayStation 3 is a "no brainer" if you're interested in some of its other abilities, ...

Secrets of Home Theater and High Fidelity: In this review, Kris Deering says there are better standard-definition DVD players, but the Sony PlayStation 3 is among the ...

PC World: Melissa Perenson says the PS3 is a great deal, and that video looks great. However, she adds, some Blu-ray players outperform it. ...

Amazon.com: Amazon.com is a good place to read user reviews of the Sony PlayStation 3. Around 270 people have already weighed in on the PS3 ...

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Best-value Blu-ray player

Samsung BD-P1500

*Est. $200 Compare Prices

The Samsung BD-P1500 Blu-ray player offers a good compromise between performance and price. While most budget players are only Bonus View-capable, you can upgrade this player to BD-Live status with a firmware upgrade… (BD-Live lets you access Internet content, among other features). Audio-format support is good, though not perfect, but the Samsung BD-P1500 can bitstream high-definition audio to a suitable home theater receiver. Normal Blu-ray playback looks very good, but discs recorded at 1080i can be a challenge. Playback of standard DVDs is judged fine for everyday use, though videophiles might not be satisfied.

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Expert & User Review Sources:

CNet.com: CNET revisits the Samsung BD-P1500 to report on recent changes and finds that the player now has improved functionality, features ...

Audio Video Revolution: This review is noteworthy for its detail. Audio Video Revolution does not provide ratings or explicitly recommend one Blu-ray ...

Ultimate AV Magazine: Videophiles will appreciate the high level of technical information presented here, though some readers may suffer from a case of ...

PCMag.com: Robert Heron says that the Samsung BD-P1500 "strikes a good balance between usability, performance and price. While not as ...

About.com: Robert Silva, the home theater guide at About.com, reports on the Samsung BD-P1500 in one of the better efforts here. Discussion ...

Amazon.com: More than 260 owner reviewers here give the Samsung BD-P1500 a solid four out of five stars. Initial quality problems and issues ...

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Blu-ray player with Netflix streaming

Samsung BD-P2500

*Est. $310 Compare Prices

The Samsung BD-P2500 is a very capable, full-featured BD-Live Blu-ray player with an interesting extra -- Netflix subscribers can use it to stream videos from that service directly to their TVs. Image quality with both… Blu-ray Discs and DVDs is outstanding. Streamed Netflix video quality isn't quite as nice, but the BD-P2500 does a better job with it than most similar products. Audio support is excellent, and the Samsung BD-P2500 can decode and bitstream all high-definition audio formats. However, disc compatibility can be an issue and the BD-P2500 isn't the fastest Blu-ray player available.

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Expert & User Review Sources:

CNet.com: Matthew Moskovciak expresses concern about "minor disc compatibility issues," but otherwise says that the Samsung BD-P2500 is a ...

Big Picture Big Sound.com: Chris Boylan looks at the Samsung BD-P2500 after its latest major firmware upgrade. This detailed article sometimes wanders off ...

Home Theater Magazine: This review of the Samsung BD-P2500 provides lots of technical details, though non-videophiles might be left scratching their ...

Sound & Vision Magazine: Sound & Vision brings together four full-featured yet affordable Blu-ray players for this round-up, including the Samsung ...

Amazon.com: Nearly 150 users report on their experiences with the Samsung BD-P2500. It earns a good -- but not perfect -- four out of five ...

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Blu-ray Players: Reviews

Best Blu-ray player

Best-value Blu-ray player

Blu-ray player with Netflix streaming

Blu-ray Players by Price Range


	Sony BDP-S350 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player from Amazon.com New: $249.90 In Stock. Average Customer Review:


	Samsung BD-P2550 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player from Amazon.com Average Customer Review:


	Sony BDP-S550 1080p Blu-ray Player from Amazon.com New: $595.00 In Stock. Average Customer Review: