Blu-ray is an optical disc technology developed by a group of electronics manufacturers, now known as the Blu-ray Association – such a catchy name. Their idea was to develop a technology that was superior to the existing DVD+/-R, DVD+/-RW and DVD-RAM disc formats. Blu-ray technology uses a shorter wavelength blue-violet laser rather than a red laser, for both reading and writing data. This means that the laser light can be more sharply focused on the surface of the disc, leading to smaller pits, these being the grooves used to store digitally encoded video and audio. This new format also has the ability to hold significantly more data. Blu-ray is currently supported by 200 or so major manufacturers worldwide and with Toshiba withdrawing its competing HD DVD format in March 2008, obsolescence is no longer an issue. So unlike the Beta vs VHS battle, Sony won this one.

Blu-Ray Player Buying Considerations

Blu-ray player quality is much better than standard DVD players, however, this does depend on how the audio signal is reproduced and audio support does vary quite widely from player to player. Blu-ray players transmit digital audio signals to an AV receiver or a TV set via HDMI or optical or coaxial cable. All Blu-ray players support Dolby Digital, DTS and PCM digital surround sound formats and are therefore capable of decoding the soundtracks of commercial Blu-ray discs, but if you want to enjoy additional soundtrack formats, such as Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital Plus and DTS-HD Master Audio, bear in mind that support for these formats tends to be available only in the more expensive Blu-Ray Players.

One aspect of Blu-ray players that many buyers find confusing is the profile that is used to describe the revision of the Blu-ray specification with which the player complies. Blu-ray is a new technology, and as such, Blu-ray player technology is still evolving. Early players were designated Profile 1.0, but this was replaced shortly afterwards by Profile 1.1, which supports picture-in picture functionality and subsequently by Profile 2.0 or BD Live.

BD Live requires that a Blu-ray player has an Internet connection, which can be used to downloadable movies and other blu-ray compatible content. Profile 2.0 also demands an increase in storage capacity from 246MB to 1GB. The Profile 2.0 specification does not state in what form this storage should be supplied however, so you may find players with integral storage, USB ports or SD memory expansion card slots.

If all this sounds a little confusing, don’t worry, help is at hand. Have a look at this website for everything you ever wanted to know about Blu-Ray Players including news, products reviews, buying guides and loads more.

A stunning machine for just £79.99 HERE AT AMAZON

Panasonic DMP-BD60 with 7 free Blu ray for just £175.32

• Blu-Ray Player with BD Profile 2.0
• 256 MB Memory
• Wi-fi Ready
• X2 USB ports
• HDMI
• Supports BD Live

Best Price: AMAZON £137.48

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	£137.48
	£138.00
	£159.00

Manufacturers Description
The successor to the popular Samsung BDP1500, Samsung’s BD-P1600 has all the bells and whistles you would expect including full HD 1080p playback of Blu-ray discs and upscaling of DVDs via the HDMI 1.3 connection. The BD-P1600 claims to be wireless but sadly this is only true when a Samsung 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi dongle is plugged into one of the 2 available USB ports.

Samsung’s newest Blu-ray players improve traditional disc loading time to begin fast playback, and can eject a disc in a single second. The player creates a seamless experience that is pleasing to see, hear, and ultimately, use. To keep consumers updated with the latest features and improvements, the Samsung BD-P1600 can also through the wired Ethernet connection, by connecting a USB drive, or with a CD / DVD / BD.

Best Price: AMAZON £137.48

The best price for this player right now is: AMAZON £149.00

But sometimes the price isnt everything is it? Its the bundle that counts, the free gifts. And right now Play are offering the Sony BDP-S350 for £179.99 plus you get the New James Bond Blu-Ray: Quantum of Solace thrown in free, which suddenly makes it a little more competitive.

Check it out for yourself. Visit Play.com now.

Compare Prices of the Sony BDPS350 here

• BD-ROM/-R/RE/DVD/-R/-RW/CD Play
• DivX, MP3 & WMA Playback
• Dolby TrueHD/DTS-Master Audio HD
• KURO LINK
• HD Digital Film Direct 24

Best Price: AMAZON £287.99

Store	Price	In Stock
	£287.99
	£308.99
	£348.71
	£349.99
	£379.00	Check Site
	£391.48

Description
The Pioneer BDP51FD is designed by for the Seperates Enthusiast to fit into an existing seperates AV setup and delivery flawless Picture and Sound Quality to satisfy even the truest afficionado.

View film exactly as the filmmakers intended; in breathtaking 1080p resolution at 24 frames per second – the rate at which the film was shot stored and mastered.

The films you watch now become more real than ever. The BDP-51FD supports HDMI Deep Colour for an unprecedented range of colour tones and exceptionally smooth transitions.

The BDP-51FD features an optimised Graphical User Interface (GUI) for exceptionally straightforward operation

With a compatible Pioneer AV receiver the BDP-51FD can also deliver truly outstanding and precise music CD playback via HDMI using the specially developed Precision Quartz Lock System (PQLS).

Best Price: AMAZON £287.99 Buy it now.

• 1080p Full HD Blu-ray disc player with upscaling of standard DVDs
• 24p True Cinema and x.v.Color
• 7.1 Channel analogue output and DTS-HD Master Audio decoding capability via HDMI™
• Built in BD-Live (Profile 2.0) to immediately access studio-specific online content

Best Price: AMAZON £255.46

Store	Price	In Stock
	£255.46
	£269.01
	£269.99
	£279.00	Check Site
	£309.00
	£322.00

Description
The Sony BDP-S550 was the winner of a What Hifi Sound and Vision Best Buy award in December 2008, with very good reason. As well as 24p True Cinema, x.v.Colour, 7.1ch Surround Sound and upscaling DVD content to 1080p, the BDPS550 is based on Profile 2.0 technology, enabling you to access interactive menus featuring video and commentary content while you are watching your favourite movies.

A vast improvement over the first and second generation Blu-Ray players in many respects, not least of which being the disc load times, which historically have always been slow for blu-ray, now seem to be sorted out. In fact the Blu-ray BDS550 loads a blu-ray disc as fast a normal DVD player loads DVDs.

The 7.1 Channel also and improvement on earlier models, but you’ll need a separate audio receiver to take full advantage of that. The firmware is profile 2.0 and can easily be updated via a network cable with firmware downloaded from the net.

All in all a simply brilliant Blu-ray Player from Sony

Best Price: AMAZON £255.46 Buy it now.

• Panasonic DMP-BD35 Blu-Ray player
• HDMI upscaling
• DVD-R playback
• 1080P
• MP3 Playback
• Profile 2 – Online enabled

Best Price: AMAZON £162.00

Store	Price	In Stock
	£162.00
	£162.00	Check Site
	£162.00
	£169.01
	£169.99
	£178.99
	£179.00	Check Site
	£179.99
	£179.99	Check Site
	£179.99
	£195.74	Check Site
	£204.00
	£224.65
	£234.96
	£241.95	Check Site

Description
The Panasonic BD35 BluRay player was one of the first Profile 2 machines on the market. Profile 2 is important because it means you can access the BD-Live content which is becoming increasingly common n most Blu-ray discs. BD-Live lets you access the Internet to download bonuses such as images and subtitles, as well as letting you play multi-player interactive games all linked to movie content contained on Blu-ray disc.

Features such as Viera Link allow easy operation of a Viera Link compatible TV and HiFi receiver with a single remote control, when all units are connected via HDMI.

The DMP-BD35 is also equipped with a card slot that makes it easy to transfer images from an HD camcorder or digital still camera that uses SD Memory Cards. Simply insert the card, and the DMP-BD35 fills a large-screen TV with AVCHD-format video images or JPEG stills in full 1920 x 1080 resolution.

Buy the Panasonic DMPBD35 now. Best Price: AMAZON £162.00

• BD-ROM Playback with 1080p Output (Profile 1.1, Upgradeable to 2.0 via Ethernet)
• 24p True Cinema
• 7.1ch Audio Bitstream out via HDMI
• HD1080 Output of Movies at Home
• Access to BD Live Interactive Features
• Up-scaling old DVD collections to 1080p

Best Price: AMAZON £149.00

Store	Price	In Stock
	£149.00
	£149.00
	£149.99	Check Site
	£149.99	Check Site
	£149.99	Check Site
	£179.99
	£179.99
	£249.99

Description
If you are still on the fence over whether or not to buy a blu-ray payer then I have only one thing to say to you. Why? When you can get the Sony BDPS350 for only £149.00. This is quite simply a steal for this little baby. Smaller than its predecessor and stylish to boot this is a 1.1 profile player out of the box, but it can be upgraded to profile 2 via an ethernet cable (although be warned, this probably wont be supplied – depends where you get it from). As with the majority of Blu-ray Players the BDPS350 delivery simply Outstanding picture quality but combine that with outstanding value for money you cant go wrong.

So if you are undecided and you’ve got a few quid to spare then you could do a lot worse than this little beauty.

• Sleek and slim second generation Blu-ray disc player
• Blu-ray Profile 1.1
• 1080p HD output
• DVD up-scaling to 1080p
• Ethernet connection for firmware upgrades.

Best Price: AMAZON £99.99

Store	Price	In Stock
	£99.99
	£119.99
	£141.98
	£149.99
	£149.99	Check Site
	£149.99	Check Site
	£149.99	Check Site
	£153.61
	£164.49
	£169.96
	£173.67
	£174.97
	£179.95	Check Site

Manufacturers Description
Get an Entry Level Blu-Ray Player from Samsung with the SAMSUNG BD-P1500.

The Samsung BD-1500 offers amazing picture quality (but then all Blu-Ray Players do!) and will plug nicely into any Samsung AV setup thanks to Samsungs proprietary Anynet_ technlogy which lets you control all your Samsung AV devices from one universal remote.

Compatible not only with Blu-Ray discs, the Samsung BDP-1500 will upscale you existing DVD collection and it will play CDs too.

* BD/DVD/CD/AVCHD Disc Playback
* 1080P Full Hd (24 Frame/ 60 Frame)
* HDMI HD Audio Bit-stream Out
* HD Format Audio Decoding
* Analogue 2 channel Out
* Ethernet (firmware upgrade)

Best Price: AMAZON £99.99