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Blu-Ray Player Buyer's Guide

If you're looking for high-definition video to amp up your movie nights, then a Blu-Ray player is your best bet.

Overview

When shopping for a Blu-Ray player, it’s important to know what to look for so you can easily compare products. Here are some considerations to keep in mind:

What is a Blu-Ray player?

A Blu-Ray player is a media player for your home theatre or TV that can play both DVDs and Blu-Ray discs. It is presently the only high-definition disc format. In addition to higher quality video, a Blu-Ray player also offers better audio quality, supporting both DTS-HD Master and Dolby TrueHD Audio formats.

What makes the best Blu-Ray player?

The best Blu-Ray player should be able to play 4K Blu-Ray discs, have impressive codec support, and high image resolution. It should also be able to offer incredible cinema-style playback and support HDR, accommodating both Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and object-based surround formats like DTS:X and Dolby Atmos.

What are the different types of Blu-Ray players?

There are two types of Blu-Ray players: those that can play 4K discs and those that only play 1080p discs. A 1080p disc has a resolution of 1920×1080 pixels, making it suitable for HDTV display. The 4K Blu-Ray disc has a resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels (twice that of the 1080p Blu-Ray disc), producing a clearer picture. A 1080p Blu-Ray player can only play 1080p discs, while a 4K Blu-Ray player can play both 1080p and 4K discs.

Is a Blu-Ray player worth it?

If you’re tired of paying for all the different streaming services (who might not even carry the movies you like) and want to own a high-quality movie library, a Blu-Ray player is just the thing for you.

Remember that Blu-Ray players can play both Blu-Ray and DVD discs, so not only will you be able to get the high audio and video quality of Blu-Ray discs, but that solid DVD collection you already have can still be put to good use.

Are there any substitutes or replacements for a Blu-Ray player?

A DVD player is the closest substitute for a Blu-Ray player. However, its features and functionality do not come close to that of a Blu-Ray player. DVD players have a 480p image resolution that isn't too bad when displayed on a standard TV, but becomes grainy when displayed on a larger screen. DVD players do tend to be lower priced, but the higher video quality from Blu-Ray players is well worth the additional cost.