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Blu-ray Player Reviews

Updated: Mar 18, 2024 17:44
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alaScore
#1
alaScore 100

Panasonic DP-UB820

The Panasonic DP-UB820EB Blu-ray player offers 4K and HDR playback with HDR10+ and Dolby Vision support for the very best results.

9 expert reviews | 140 user reviews

#2
alaScore 98

Sony UBP-X700

With great sound and image quality and a small footprint that will fit alongside even the sleekest setups, the UBP-X700 is a great option for those who are looking to make the most of their home theater without breaking the bank.

18 expert reviews | 332 user reviews

#3
alaScore 97

Panasonic DP-UB9000

This player delivers an awesome experience right out of the box, but it’s really designed for consumers who want to customize every setting until they get the best possible results when paired with the other gear in their unique environment. And if you...

9 expert reviews | 127 user reviews

#4
alaScore 97

Sony UBP-X800

With the ability to play back any disc in your collection — audio included — with incredible quality, the Sony UBP-X800 is a great centerpiece for your home theater, and it won’t cost you an arm and a leg to get it.

25 expert reviews | 540 user reviews

#5
alaScore 97

Sony UBP-X 800 M2

There’s a reason Sony’s UBP-X800M2 is such a popular Blu-ray player. It takes over as our top pick for music from the UBP-X800, which was also excellent, but for some reason lacked Dolby Vision support. This player offers just about everything you...

10 expert reviews | 55 user reviews

#6
alaScore 96

Pioneer UDP-LX800

Pioneer lays claim to the high-ground of the home theatre market with this movie machine. Hands down, it’s the finest 4K Blu-ray player on the planet - and, at £1,899 (AU$3,999, around $2,449), one of the most expensive, too.

5 expert reviews

#7
alaScore 96

Samsung UBD-K8500

To get the best of what the K8500 has to offer, you need to have a lot of pieces in place. You’ll want the best 4K Ultra HD discs, and you’ll need a next-gen 4K TV with solid HDR processing, and either exceptionally deep blacks (OLED!) or an LED TV...

37 expert reviews | 682 user reviews

#8
alaScore 96

Sony BDP-S6700

If you don’t know whether you’ll ever make the leap into Ultra HD Blu-ray, but you want to view your current collection at the highest possible quality, there’s no better option on the market than Sony’s BDP-S6700. A standard Blu-ray player that also...

10 expert reviews | 390 user reviews

#9
alaScore 96

LG UBK90

The LG UBK90 4K Blu-ray has full support for Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. If you want to get the most from your 4K TV, this is the one to buy. LG has two

3 expert reviews

#10
alaScore 95

Panasonic DMP-UB900

Panasonic has announced that the DMP-UB900 4K Blu-ray player, which features both disc playback and streaming, is coming in September 2016.

23 expert reviews | 331 user reviews

#11
alaScore 95

Pioneer UDP-LX500

It has now been a full year since Oppo Digital ceased production of its popular Ultra HD Blu-ray player lineup. Up until that point, Oppo was one of the few high- performance player options in a market concentrated on budget models packed with...

5 expert reviews

#12
alaScore 95

Sony UBP-X1100ES

The Sony UBP-X1100ES 4K Blu-ray Player boasts premium build quality, an interest in hi-fi as well as movies, and some excellent picture quality. High-end installers will enjoy its unique system integration features, too. It’s a pity, though, to find...

4 expert reviews

#13
alaScore 94

McIntosh MCD600

McIntosh MCD600 is a self-written candidate in a McIntosh system, but also in other places where the goal is to raise the sound quality from the CD collection. With two digital inputs, volume control on the outputs and USB connection – but not from a...

2 expert reviews

#14
alaScore 94

Panasonic DMP-UB700

The new DMP-UB700 debuts in the UK for less than its predecessor, but it's still relatively expensive compared to the competition.

10 expert reviews | 115 user reviews

#15
alaScore 94

Sony UBP X1000ES

Offering superb video and musicality, this high-end Sony is a star performer. But sans Dolby Vision, it seems feature-lite at this end of the UHD player market...

7 expert reviews

#16
alaScore 94

Samsung UBD-M9500

This is a solid 4K UHD Blu-ray player. The build quality and remote quality could be better but it does pair well with 4K UHD TVs. If you’re not interested in an Xbox One X and just want 4K UHD Blu-ray playback capbility, then the UBD-M9500 is a great...

12 expert reviews | 31 user reviews

#17
alaScore 93

Samsung BD-H6500

The Samsung BD-H6500 is simply the quickest Blu-ray player we've seen, delivering lightning-fast access to your movies on disc and streaming services like Netflix.

19 expert reviews | 3083 user reviews

#18
alaScore 93

Sony UHP-H1

It may not be a UHD Blu-ray player, but Sony’s dazzling disc spinner breathes new life into your Blu-ray collection while effortlessly playing an extensive range of other sources and formats.

9 expert reviews | 53 user reviews

#19
alaScore 93

Sony BDP-S3700

The Sony BDP-S3700 Blu-ray player offers a lot of features for little money but a lack of input responsiveness can spoil some of the fun.

6 expert reviews | 467 user reviews

#20
alaScore 93

Panasonic DMP-UB400

An excellent budget 4K Blu-ray player – it won't disappoint.

7 expert reviews | 17 user reviews

#21
alaScore 92

Samsung BD-J7500

At the end of the day, the BD-J7500 is as feature-packed as anyone could ask for and then some. What its 4K upscaling adds to Blu-ray and 3D DVDs, and even older low resolution footage is phenomenal. It provides everything you’re looking for in a home...

12 expert reviews | 600 user reviews

#22
alaScore 92

SAMSUNG BD-C6900

The Samsung BD-C6900 has excellent Blu-ray performance and is loaded with features, but you pay a lot for the 3D functionality.

50 expert reviews | 174 user reviews

#23
alaScore 92

Panasonic DMP-BDT500

How things have changed since Blu-ray arrived on the scene. Debut players from the larger electronics companies were pretty full-featured, with substantial build quality. Now it seems that most mass-consumer players are in a race to the bottom when it...

27 expert reviews | 426 user reviews

#24
alaScore 92

Sony BDP-S790

care about quality. But once we determine that the video and audio quality are excellent, as they are with this Sony BDP-S790, well, then I want to see what I get for my $230*.

27 expert reviews | 733 user reviews

#25
alaScore 92

Sony BDP-S1700

Adding to its high-end 3D capabilities Sony has announced a new entry into its ES line - the BDP-S1700ES 3D Blu-ray player with 802.11n wi-fi, iPhone app, 1080p upconversion, and USB & DLNA support.

6 expert reviews | 306 user reviews

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    Buying Guide

    Buying Guide - Blu-ray Players

    High-definition Blu-ray players are continuously gaining favor. Video from traditional DVDs contains fewer than 350,000 pixels, while 1080p Blu-ray video packs more than two million, which outputs sublime, high-resolution detail. The current crop of Blu-ray players offer stellar HD picture quality, fast disc-handling, and extras like integrated Wi-Fi, 3D support, and audio and video streaming. Blu-ray is the best option for watching high-definition video content on an HDTV. These days you can buy a well-performed player less than $200 if you do some smart online shopping. Still, there are a lot of choices out there. Here's what you need to consider when choosing the right Blu-ray player:

     

     

    Contents

    What to Look for in a Blu-ray Player

    BD-Live: Discs with BD-Live offer additional downloadable, streaming multimedia, or interactive Web content. Some models are described as “BD-Live ready”, meaning that they lack the necessary internal storage to support the feature, you must provide extra memory--a USB flash drive or memory card--to enable the BD-Live feature. If you think you want to use BD-Live, it's best to look for a player with enough built-in memory to support it. Models without BD-Live usually cost less, but there are few available.

    A/V connections: All players include a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) port that can stream audio and video over a single cable. HDMI supports Blu-ray's maximum video resolution as well as all audio formats, including the lossless ones (Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio) that some A/V receivers support, so it's the best way to hook the player to your HDTV. 3D Blu-ray players use newer HDMI 1.4 connections, but can connect to a TV using standard high-speed HDMI cables, which can carry 3D and HD signals. A few manufacturers include an HDMI cable in the box, but with most models, you need to provide your own.

    Wi-Fi: All current players will include an Ethernet port for a hardwired network connection, that can be inconvenient if it requires you to run a long cable between rooms. A growing number of new models now integrate Wi-Fi, so you can wirelessly connect the player to your network to access the Web for media streaming, BD-Live, and firmware updates. You should to beware models called "wireless-ready," you need an adapter (called a dongle) to enable wireless connections. The adapter may be included with the player, or you may have to buy it separately.

    Web Features: Most players make good use of that Web connection. Many Blu-ray players can connect to the Internet to stream movie services from Amazon Instant Video, CinemaNow, HuluPlus, Netflix, and Vudu. You must pay for this content, in most cases through a pay-per-view arrangement. Specific services vary by manufacturer and player, Internet-connected players can access free content from sites such as YouTube, photo-sharing sites such as Picasa and Flickr, Internet radio stations such as Pandora, eBay. Some manufacturers, like Samsung and Vizio, also include widgets that display news, weather, and give you access to social-networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. Then, of course, there's the Sony PlayStation 3, which in addition to being a very solid Blu-ray player, also lets you stream video and play hundreds of games.

    3D capability: If you think you want to upgrade to a 3D TV in the near future, you need a Blu-ray player that will play 3D discs. Each major manufacturer has at least one 3D-enabled player in its lineup, many offer more. They can play 3D Blu-ray discs, as well as regular Blu-ray, discs, DVDs, and CDs.

    Popular Blu-ray Player Brands

    Panasonic, Samsung and Sony are all top-tier consumer electronics manufacturer in multiple product categories. Panasonic Blu-ray players have been hailed in past years as solid performers and good values. Their 3D Blu-ray players offer a wealth of advanced features and worth of buying. Sony's 2011 Blu-ray Disc player lineup includes several players. Its PlayStation 3 game console remains among the most powerful Blu-ray players available. Samsung is often an innovator, as it was one of the first to include a Blu-ray player in a HTIB (home theater in a box), and among the first to offer a Blu-ray player with 3D capability. Insignia is Best Buy’s electronics house brand. If you're looking for a budget model, it will be one of your considerations.

    Popular Blu-ray Player products

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