1. Panasonic DMP-BDT110
Price: $350
Website: www.panasonic.com
Ratings: 5/5
Panasonic
DMP-BDT110
After too long spent playing catch-up to
Sony's Blu-ray offerings, Panasonic has finally seized the initiative and gone
to number one on our Top 10 list. Their latest deck offers much of the ability
of the S480 for a similar price in the market. It's slimmer and slicker than
older models and comes with a raft of impressive features. True, you'll have to
do without a few features like built-in Wi-Fi and a second HDMI output, but
given the quality and value-for-money element on offer here, you should
probably cope.
Killer feature
One of the cheapest, and best, 3D Blu-ray
players you can buy
Verdict
An excellent all-rounder. Superb
performance and function at an "I'll take two, please!" price
2. Pioneer BDP-LX55
Price: $550
Ratings: 5/5
Pioneer
BDP-LX55
With its upmarket build, high-performance
up-scaling and extensive spec, the new Pioneer is perfect for home cinema
enthusiasts. Its streaming services need improvement, but we've no complaints
about either picture or sound quality,
3. Samsung BD-E5500
Price: $200
Ratings: 5/5
Samsung
BD-E5500
Samsung's much-delayed combination deck
includes both a twin-tuner HD PVR and a 3D Blu-ray player, Picture quality is
great either way, while Samsung's Smart Hub portal provides you with a massive
reserve of online entertainment to play with,
4. Sony BDP-S480
Price: $275
Ratings: 5/5
Sony
BDP-S480
Our favorite of Sony's 2011 decks is still appealing,
its blandly inoffensive looks hiding a well-specified player with good 3D
Blu-ray picture quality, a top-notch array of online streaming services and
smartphone app remote control compatibility,
5. Cambridge Audio Azur 651BD
Price: $1,050
Ratings: 5/5
Cambridge
Audio Azur 651BD
Most Blu-ray decks sell to movie
enthusiasts, which helps to explain their relative lack of talent with CDs, Not
so this Cambridge Audio system: it handles 3D and all the latest home cinema
formats, but its Pure Audio mode ensures it can churn out a tune, too.
6. Denon DBP-2012UD
Price: $735
Ratings: 5/5
Denon
DBP-2012UD
Of course, the Denon's fearsomely
expensive, but use it with a massive TV or a projector and it really does
deliver a better picture than anything else out there, It's beautifully made
and lavishly equipped too - as it ought to be, given the price...
7. Sony PS3 Slim from
Price: $310
Ratings: 5/5
Sony
PS3 Slim from
If you're into gaming, you might question
whether you need a separate Blu-ray player, Go for a PS3 and you won't. It can
decode all HD audio formats and outputs fabulous 1080p pictures through HDMI.
You can pick up a matching AV remote separately.
8. Sony BDP-S380
Price: $165
Ratings: 5/5
Sony
BDP-S380
As with its '480-series big brother
(above), the BDP-S380 is on the way out, It's a basic deck, but its array of
smart features is largely impressive, while picture and sound are exceptional
for such a modestly priced performer, It does lack 3D capability, though.
9. Panasonic DMP-BD75
Price: $175
Ratings: 4/5
Panasonic DMP-BD75
An all-new offering from Panasonic's 2011
range, the 'BD75 is a basic budget deck that does without 3D, but compensates
with decent performance and a very competitive price. Shame that its appeal is
undermined by a low-rent display, though.
10. LG BD550
Price: $165
Ratings: 4/5
LG
BD550
This web-friendly LG is a very decent deck
at the price: it includes built-in Wi-Fi, something you have to pay extra for
in many rivals, and it'll handle DLNA streaming. Performance is generally good,
but DVD up-scaling and overall sound could be better.
Instant expert
Think Blutiful thoughts
Denon's Blu-ray players have long been
among the best but like many higher-end designs, they've struggled to rival the
networked flexibility of their cheaper, more mainstream rivals. The new
DBT-1713UD (^tba, profx.com) retains all of the serious home cinema cred of its
forebears, but it's also a little more accommodating: for example, it comes
preloaded with Netflix support, and its Ethernet and USB ports cater for a
decent range of video and audio formats. Heck, you can even control it with an
Android/iOS app. Yet for all that, this is still a performance-orientated deck
at heart, able to play almost any disc out there, including SACD and DVD-Audio
discs. You'll still want to pair it with a receiver for best results - but what
results they are.
Denon's player has high-end cred but
mainstream flexibility
What to look for
1. BD-Llve and Profile 2.0
These will give you access to extra Blu-ray
disc features via the internet, either wirelessly if the player has built-in
Wi-Fi or through a wired Ethernet connection. Some players also offer access to
streaming video providers.
2. HD audio
Make sure your player or AV amp can cope
with Hi-Def audio formats. There are various flavors (including Dolby TrueHD
and DTS-HD Master Audio, as well as uncompressed PCM), which will give you a
much more immersive experience with a suitable sound system.
3. 3D
The most up-to-date players feature HDMI
1.4a and can output 3D video at 1080p quality. Whether you think you'll use it
or not, it's worth having for the sake of future proofing.
4. Decent cables
In a high-end AV system, there are gains to
be had from buying a better HDMI cable. Make sure yours is rated for HDMI 1.4a.
