The BDP-S550 is a fully loaded Blu-ray player with all the bells and whistles, including the latest Profile 2.0 advanced interactive feature support and HD audio.

 Excellent image quality on Blu-ray Discs; Profile 2.0-compliant; onboard decoding for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, plus bit-stream output; 7.1 analog-audio output.

 PlayStation 3 may still offer a better value for some buyers.

 The Sony BDP-S550 offers excellent image quality and a solid feature set, but consider it only if you need multichannel analog outputs.

This pricey high-end Blu-ray player is all about performance and substance which it easily excels in in terms of build, audio and picture quality.

 Solid picture and sound quality; styling is symmetrical and lovely; great selection of outputs including 7.1 audio.

 It's quite big; expensive; no internal DTS-HD decoding, only pass-through.

 The BDP-LX71 screams quality and at S$1,999 we should hope so, too. It's a good player with superb picture and sound quality with excellent connectivity options.

A late entry for the dedicated Blu-ray player market in Asia, the Philips kit is a perfect match for its flat-panel TV but lacks the latest BD-Live Web interactive feature support.

 Unique design; can output Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio in raw bitstream format; excellent 1080p24 video quality.

 No onboard decoding for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio; subpar image quality on Blu-ray Discs in standard 1080p mode; lacks Profile 2.0 support; no Ethernet jack for firmware upgrades.

 The BDP7200 has a unique design and is Profile 1.1-compliant, but subpar standard 1080p mode Blu-ray image quality and the lack of onboard audio-decoding options limit its appeal.

The most affordable entry among Pioneer's latest Blu-ray offerings, the BDP-51FD packs most features except Profile 2.0 support.

The for-Asia LG Blu-ray player features up-to-date Profile 2.0 support, but lacks the movie-streaming feature available in its US model.

 Good image quality on film-based Blu-ray Discs; Netflix Internet streaming (US-only); Profile 2.0 support; onboard Dolby TrueHD decoding.

 DVD image quality is subpar; no onboard DTS-HD Master Audio decoding; no multichannel analog audio outputs.

 The LG BD300 deftly combines Blu-ray and movie streaming in a single box, although there are better standalone players without the latter feature.

This compact and responsive HD player should satisfy all but those who need the absolute best Blu-ray and DVD playback, making it a close contender for the company's own PS3 console.

 Excellent Blu-ray image quality; very good DVD upscaling; compact size; onboard decoding for Dolby TrueHD; unformatted (bitstream) output for all high-resolution audio formats; network port for firmware updates; Blu-ray Profile 2.0 compatibility pen...

 Recessed USB port can be difficult to access; no onboard DTS-HD Master Audio decoding; quick start option uses power even when player is off.

 If you're dead set on a standalone Blu-ray player, the BDP-S350 has a small form factor, solid feature set, and relatively low price--but the PlayStation 3 is still a better value

This Samsung Blu-ray player offers very good image quality and studio-grade surround sound, but lacks the Profile 2.0 compatibility and onboard DTS-HD Master Audio decoding, as promised earlier.

 Relatively inexpensive compared with other standalone units; very good image quality; onboard decoding for Dolby TrueHD and bitstream output for all high-resolution audio formats; Ethernet port for firmware updates; Samsung claims it will add Profil...

 Does not currently support Profile 2.0 or have onboard DTS-HD Master Audio decoding; Blu-ray image quality could be better; DVD playback will disappoint videophiles; no analog multichannel outputs; some annoying operational glitches; operational spe...

 The Samsung BD-P1500 lacks some features and doesn't perform as well as the PlayStation 3. But some of these issues will be addressed in future firmware upgrades.

This Blu-ray Profile 1.1 player is the most complete HD kit to date with pristine 1080p24 video and high-resolution audio.

 Excellent picture quality on Blu-ray discs; 1080p24 HDMI output; 1080p DVD upconversion; HDMI 1.3b-ready; outputs Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio bitstream; Profile 1.1-enabled; SD card slot playback of HD video from AVCHD camcorders.

 No built-in high-resolution audio decoding; no network jack for firmware upgrades or future interactive content.

 The Panasonic DMP-BD30 offers excellent video quality and is Blu-ray Profile 1.1-compliant, but those who want high-resolution audio will need a new-gen A/V receiver.

The LG BH200 is an improvement on its groundbreaking predecessor, but an HD-DVD/Blu-ray combo player just isn't an attractive product anymore.

 Plays both Blu-ray and HD-DVD discs; excellent image quality; full support for HD-DVD interactive features; slick high-definition menu system; supports Blu-ray Profile 1.1.

 High-resolution audio support is lackluster; annoying bug on DVD playback; does not output at 24 frames per second; some disc compatibility issues on Blu-ray; no analog multichannel outputs; cannot upgrade firmware over Ethernet.

Finding it hard to cough out big bucks for the S$2,699 Pioneer BDP-LX70A? This Samsung player may be a more affordable solution to unlocking a full Blu-ray HD audio-video experience.

Adds GPS capabilities to the already impressive and sleek messaging smart phone; 2-megapixel camera; Bluetooth; good call quality.

Doesn't offer Wi-Fi or 3G support; Web browser isn't the sleekest; the camera lacks video-recording capabilities; you only get the proprietary BlackBerry Messenger IM client.