Best Blu-ray Players - A Checklists

HDTV's are becoming more prevalent in our households, as is top of the line home theaters with 7.1-channel audio output. These audio and video devices are designed to produce the best home entertainment experience possible. So the question is: What is that old DVD player still doing beneath your Television? DVDs provided a big lead forward in home video technology and viewing our favorite movies at home was never better. Blu-rays doesn't provide that same big leap forward; many may even argue that the difference between DVD quality and Blu-ray quality is very small. That simply isn't true. Especially if you own a HDTV larger than 32 inches. There is no way a DVD can produce the same stunningly clear images, with color detail that is richly deep and vibrant as that of Blu-rays. Not to mention that the latest high-resolution audio formats can only be found on Blu-ray discs.

There is really little point to have a top of the line home theater center without a good Blu-ray player to get the most out of your HDTV and surround sound speakers. It will give you the best possible home cinema experience. But the key to all of this is a good Blu-ray player. Choosing a bad one will effect all your home theater devices. Here is a quick checklist to make sure you choose wisely, so you can't start enjoying all your favorite movies as soon as possible.

A good Blu-ray player will produce excellent, picture perfect images. The good news for us is that almost every player is capable of delivering these types of images. Most experts, who have tested players, all confirm that every modern player is capable of producing excellent Full HD 1080p video resolution when playing back Blu-ray discs. The video quality between the various players is very little, so you will be alright with a player from any of the leading manufacturers.

But most of us will not just be playing Blu-ray discs. If you are like me, you have a large collection of DVDs that you can't afford to replace or they simply don't exist yet on Blu-ray. A good Blu-ray player will be capable of displaying your old DVDs at a high quality. Here is where you will fine differences in the various players. While all Blu-ray players can play and up-convert your standard DVDs to near HD levels; not all players have the same video quality when up-converting. And of course Blu-rays have added another dimension as well. If you own a 3D HDTV, than you will want a 3D Blu-ray player.

What audio and video connections a Blu-ray player has is very important. Sometimes this gets over looked. It is especially important if you have an older A/V receiver with out any HDMI inputs. You might want to look for a player with 7.1-channel analog outputs. If you have an older HDTV, it may not have any HDMI inputs as well. And since the beginning of 2011, component outputs on player have been removed. This is due to AACS rules which are trying to prevent piracy. So it is a very smart idea to check how you are going to connect your Blu-ray player to your home theater.

You don't want to be faced with the dreaded "file unknown/not supported" error when trying to playback your media files. You need to look for a Blu-ray player that is capable of playing back your files. Checking to see if DivX plus HD is support is a good start. This has become an important feature because Blu-ray players are not just about playing discs. This is truly a digital world we live in. And not all of our digital media is found on physical discs anymore. We have digital content on our computers, mobile phones, mp3 players, etc. And Blu-ray players provide an access to playback these files either through a USB device or DLNA support (stream files from your computer/mobile phone directly to your TV).

Streaming videos, music and photos from online sources have become a big part of the appeal of Blu-ray players. LG, Sony, Samsung, Oppo, Panasonic and other leading manufacturers have incorporated their players to include access to various online streaming services. But every manufacture has a different set of services. For example, Sony has Netflix, Amazon Instant, and Hulu Plus but does not have Blockbuster, Picasa or MLB.tv. Where as Samsung has Netflix, Blockbuster and MLB.tv but does not have Amazon Instant. So if online streaming is important to you, first make sure the Blu-ray player will give you access to the streaming content you want.

Everyone likes nice things. So having an aesthetically appealing player should not be underestimated. Of course there is a practical aspect as well. Having a player with a cheap plastic covering can get scratched or dented and be easily damaged. And therefore might effect its playback. Where as a solidly built player will be more durable and last longer.