Nine Popular Blu-ray Players Compared

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Relatively unnoticed alongside the relentless advance of high definition TV, the Blu-ray format has steadily gained ground on standard DVD. This process gained significant momentum when Toshiba officially abandoned their support for the competing HD-DVD standard, leaving Blu-ray as the only game in town. In this article we briefly explain the technology, and then compare some of the best players on the market.

In case you missed it, Blu-ray is a technology that allows high definition recordings to be placed on CD-like discs. Thanks to the greatly increased volume of data - up to 5x more than a DVD - that can be stored on a Blu-ray disc, these recordings are vastly superior in quality to standard TV or DVD, offering sharper images and brighter colors along with clearer sound.

But as is the case with any new technology, the initially high price of equipment designed to handle the new discs has restricted take-up to enthusiastic early adopters. That is starting to change, with Blu-ray maturing as a technology, advanced networking functionality being incorporated into the most recent players and, most importantly, with the increasing number of competing products emerging on the market and forcing prices downwards. This means that the purchase of a Blu-ray player is now a serious option for many people.

Deciding on which player to buy is a major decision, with the danger of making an expensive mistake. In this article I will shed light on the choice by comparing the features of some of the most popular Blu-ray players on the market.

I will also offer a glimpse of the future, discussing some of the most advanced players about to hit the stores. Before looking at the individual players, it's worth taking a few words to explain Blu-ray Profiles and why you should understand them before you start shopping for a player.

Next: Blu-ray Profiles explained >>
 

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