Excellent image quality on Blu-ray Discs; Profile 2.0 compliant; onboard decoding for Dolby TrueHD, plus bit-stream output; Netflix streaming; 1GB onboard memory; 7.1 analog audio outputs.

PlayStation 3 may still offer a better value for some buyers; some disc compatibility issues; lacks DTS-HD Master Audio decoding, although Samsung promises to add it with a firmware update; relatively slow loading times.

The Samsung BD-P2500 adds Netflix to an already well-featured and top-performing Blu-ray player, with only some minor disc compatibility issues giving us pause.

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 outputs; 1GB USB drive included in box.

PlayStation 3 may still offer a better value for some buyers; competing players offer more features or lower prices.

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

Excellent image quality on Blu-ray Discs; Profile 2.0 compliant; onboard decoding for Dolby TrueHD, plus bit-stream output; Netflix and Pandora streaming; 1GB onboard memory; 7.1 analog audio outputs.

PlayStation 3 may still offer a better value for some buyers; some disc compatibility issues; lacks DTS-HD Master Audio decoding, although Samsung promises to add it with a firmware update; relatively slow loading times.

The Samsung BD-P2550 adds Netflix and Pandora to an already well-featured and top-performing Blu-ray player, with only some minor disc compatibility issues giving us pause.

Excellent image quality on Blu-ray Discs; Profile 2.0 compliant; onboard decoding for all high-resolution soundtrack formats, plus bit-stream output.

PlayStation 3 offers much more functionality and faster navigation, although it costs more.

The Panasonic DMP-BD35 represents the best value in standalone Blu-ray players, with excellent image quality, a comprehensive feature set, and a price that's significantly lower than the PS3.

Good image quality on film-based Blu-ray Discs; Netflix Internet streaming; 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; lacks built-in Wi-Fi.

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

Audiovisual dongle allows for the playback of multimedia files from any USB drive (FAT32 or NTFS) source; compatible with most popular audio, video, and image formats; easy setup; included remote control; tiny size; included composite and component breako...

Various connections cause clutter in rear of device; front-mounted USB port would've been more convenient; eSATA, FireWire, or flash media reader options would've been nice as well.

The Iomega ScreenPlay TV Link offers an easy way to watch digital video files without the need to hook up a computer to your TV.

Excellent image quality on Blu-ray Discs; Profile 2.0 compliant; onboard decoding for all high-resolution soundtrack formats, plus bit stream output; 7.1 analog-audio outputs.

PlayStation 3 offers much more functionality and faster navigation for the same price.

The Panasonic DMP-BD55 is the best standalone Blu-ray we've tested and it's a good choice for those with older receivers, but most people will get the same performance out of the cheaper DMP-BD35.

Solid DVD playback performance with extended definition (XDE) disabled; can play DivX, MP3, and WMA files burned on CDs and DVDs; can output DVD in 24 frames per second.

Expensive for a DVD player; XDE picture controls are best left off for the most-accurate picture; lacks features such as SACD playback and a USB port found on competing Oppo models; poor aspect ratio control on nonanamorphic DVDs.

The Toshiba XD-E500's XDE picture enhancements don't live up to the hype. While it's a solid upscaling DVD player, its high price makes it a hard sell.

Relatively inexpensive for a Blu-ray player; can output Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio in bit-stream format; excellent video quality in 1080p/24 mode; Profile 1.1 compliant; solid DVD video performance.

No onboard decoding for multichannel 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; pedestrian design.

The Insignia NS-BRDVD is competent as a relatively cheap, barebones Blu-ray player, but better players are coming and the Sony PlayStation 3 is a superior option for those with just a little more cash.