Blu-ray Player Buyer's Guide

If you've already brought your home up to speed with the latest in HD television and top rate audio sound systems to match, then the next stop on your entertainment room wish list is the Blu-ray player. At this point in time the word VHS has become nearly obsolete and it soon looks like the same fate will be befall the DVD. Blu-ray is the latest stream of movie watching technology and as it is still a burgeoning market there is a bit of confusion as to what all of the features mean and what each model brings to you, the customer.

Blu-ray and the DVD Players of the past

At this point you have most likely already amassed quite a collection of DVDs and you don't want to have to either toss them to the back of the basement or purchase a whole new library of movies in a new platform. Thankfully a Blu-ray player will be able to convert a 480p DVD to its higher signal; this may not necessarily mean that the DVDs will look the same on the screen as the other fancier Blu-ray discs but they will still be enhanced from what you would get from your DVD player.

The Ever Present Budget

As with anything new that hits the market, the latest in technological gadgets are going to cost more than items of the past. This is true across the board, yet over time as newer models hit the shelves, that will mean that the more basic packages will go down in cost. This means that even though Blu-ray players are going to cost you more, if you look on the more basic scale range you can still find something to fit into the parameters of your budget. That being said, it is always best to figure out just how much you are willing to spend and then begin looking into possible models that fit into those limits.

Different Kinds of Players

There are varying profiles between the possible Blu-ray players you can choose from. The more basic models may not be capable of taking advantage of some of the newly incorporated bonus materials now being added to some Blu-ray discs and on-line, but they will still be able to play the standard movies.

• 1.0 Profile: for the budget conscious these decks will be able to play the feature film but will not be capable of providing any additional internet features or the commentary from picture in picture. As of November of 2007 these models are no longer manufactured but still available to be sold in some stores or on-line.

• 1.1 Profile: now the minimal standard for all produced decks these are capable of commentary for picture in picture and they may in addition be called 'Bonus View'. They will however still lack the ability to do any internet-enabled additional material on the discs.

• 2.0 Profile: these are the latest in the stream of decks and they are able to utilize any and all possible bonus features on the discs to be played for your enjoyment. This includes widgets or other internet material that can be downloaded; this profile can also be coined 'BD Live.'

Once you have purchased a Blu-ray deck not all of them are then able to be upgrade to the next profile. This is true of all of the 1.0 profiles and the majority of 1.1 profiles. This is important when you weigh what features are most important to you versus how much you are willing to spend.

Blu-Ray and the PlayStation 3

You can use your PlayStation 3 to play Blu-ray discs and they are in fact able to be upgraded to the latest profile if you go on-line and download the appropriate software. This is a plus for the avid gamers and movie buffs because you can basically get double bang for your buck. Additionally as soon as the latest profiles become available you can take advantage of them.

Benefits of the Blu-ray player Over the DVD

• Get the most out of your 1080p TV and get the best in visual entertainment pleasure; just as there is a leap between VHS to DVD the Blu-ray player comes out on top.

• Blu-rays are more compact, coming in much thinner than DVD devices and are easy to fit virtually anywhere which is a benefit with the sleekest TVs now hitting the markets. Typical sizes are 9 inches deep, 17 inches wide, and 2 inches tall.

• Energy efficiency: with heightened regard to reducing the amount of electricity we consume in our homes a Blu-ray deck is going to use less watts both active and in idle mode than a standard DVD player. While for the time they are playing a movie they will usually use under 25 watts, you can then power them down to standby or idle mode when you are not using them to limit your power usage.

Blu-Ray Deck Features

• HDMI port is where you will then connect the cable up to your HDTV; this will reduce your number of cables to only one as it will transfer both the video and audio components through the same cable.

• Ethernet port to use if you have a higher end model and this is where you can take advantage of internet features.

• Some models are further Wi-Fi capable and then make having a cord to get on-line unnecessary.

• Play movies at a rate of 24 frames per second and with a resolution of 1080p; this is short handed as 1080p24 format.

What You Can Get On-line

You may be curious as to what the benefits of getting access to the internet are from your deck. This includes gaining access to such on-line movie suppliers as Pandora, YouTube, and even Netflix. There are also the aforementioned widgets that will be able to update you on everything from late breaking news to your local weather forecasts. Should you be using your Sony PlayStation 3 as a Blu-ray component, you can then get on-line and stream not only movies but games to then play as well. You're options are only broadening nearly every day as the latest Blu-ray discs continue to extend to you more and more bonus material and on-line sites are eager to give viewers as many perks from their home entertainment systems as they can.