Samsung's BD-P1000 is the first Blu-ray player to land in Australia. While it raises the bar for high-definition video with 1080p output, it also carries a lofty price tag.

Unsurpassed high-definition image quality, Integrated memory card reader for photos, Glossy black and brushed aluminum case, Popup interactive menus during playback

It's uncertain whether Blu-ray Disc or HD DVD will prevail, Lack of movies available in Australia, Pricey for what is essentially a video player

Unless you're a zealous early adopter who's already invested in a high-definition TV, we'd recommend waiting until the format war pans out a little more, or at least until more Blu-ray Disc content is made available.

The DVE7000S is a very portable player -- as long as portable doesn't mean

Can read/write Blu-ray discs, Backwards compatible with DVD and CD, DVD/DivX/Mp3/Audio CD/JPG playback, Sleek design, Screen looks good from most angles

Unjustifiably expensive, Blu-ray could lose the format war, Current dearth of commercial Blu-ray movies, Only truly effective when coupled with a 1080i/p display, Too easy to knock off its speaker stand, Sluggish response

The DVE7000S is a very portable player -- as long as portable doesn't mean "in-car". Read our Australian review of Sony's latest portable DVD player.

Forward-looking cinephiles with deep pockets and the patience to wait for more Blu-ray content will no doubt revel in the high quality sound and images served up by Panasonic's DMP-BD10 Blu-ray player.

Blu-ray discs look and sound amazing, 7.1-channel audio, Solid construction and sleek look, Very expensive, even compared with competing players, Long load and eject times, Shoddy remote control, 1080p TV and 7.1-channel set-up required in order to ...

Very expensive, even compared with competing players, Long load and eject times, Shoddy remote control, 1080p TV and 7.1-channel set-up required in order to make the most of the player

A stylish portable DVD player with excellent image quality let down slightly with average performance from the speakers.

Attractive design, Excellent screen, Shockproof, Average audio, Heavy, Noisy motor

Average audio, Heavy, Noisy motor

A wise upgrade for owners of flat-screen TVs and projectors.

Video-upscaling capability, DivX playback, Sleek form factor, Simple operation

Missing S-video and optical audio connectivity, Weak HDMI performance, No cables included

If you've recently bought an LCD TV and have little cash left over, then the SD-350E is a good investment. It upsamples DVD video to high-definition resolution, improving the detail on the TVs we tested it with. It's actually better over analogue ...

The Samsung DVD-850 will go down as one of the bargains of the year -- a next-generation DVD player that precedes models from every other mainstream brand.

Slinky design, High-end features, Advanced connectivity, Wide video and audio format support

No DVI output

The DVD-HD850 has been a hot consumer product since launch, offering high-end features at a low price. With the only competition coming from high-end manufacturers like Denon, the Samsung has the mainstream to itself. If you have a flat-screen TV, the ...

Denon's DVD-1720 is a simple to use progressive scan DVD player with DivX support, but little else to get really excited about.

Simple layout, Quiet loading DVD tray, Supports DivX, MP3 and WMA, Supports DVD rewriteables, Slow playback of some DivX files

Slow playback of some DivX files

The DP-470 from KiSS Technology is a simple integrated DVD receiver with enough power and features to satisfy basic home theatre users in small room environments.

Progressive scan video output, Good disc and file format compatibility, Broad connectivity, Fast loading, Extremely easy to setup and use

Noisy disc tray mechanism, Minor disc recognition problems, Occasional display corruption, Annoying glitch feedback when skipping tracks

The KiSS Technology DP-470 is a good all-in-one DVD receiver solution for those who only require a relatively simple and easy-to-use home theatre system. It has enough power, features and compatibility to satisfy basic users, however, this over ...

Packed with features, the Liteon LVW-5045 is good value. AV performance might not be up with the big-brand-name competitors, but it's not as expensive either.

Progressive scan video output, Good disc and file format compatibility, Broad connectivity, Fast loading, Extremely easy to setup and use, Large 160GB hard drive gives 66 hours of good-quality video storage, Progressive-scan video, Wide format support ...

Basic design, Simple remote control

Sony's flagship DVD recorder supports a wide range of DVD formats and has a 160GB hard drive that can store up to 204 hours of video.

Supports +R and -R DVD media, 160GB hard disk can record up to 204 hours of video, Plenty of A/V connections, including digital audio, Animated menus, High-speed dubbing from HDD to DVD

Can't pause live TV, No electronic program guide, Expensive

With the combination of ample A/V inputs, a built-in hard drive and support for most DVD media formats, the Sony RDR-HX900 provides an easy way to digitise old VHS footage by recording it onto the HDD, editing it, and archiving it onto DVDs.