With superb picture quality, on board recording, 3D capability, slick on line features and more, today's Blu-ray players bear little resemblance to the clunky machines we were introduced to just a few years ago.
With expensive, slow loading machines, Blu-ray in the UK had what could be best described as a faltering start. What made things worse was a limited amount of Blu-ray film titles which were often priced at double what you would expect to pay for a regular DVD.
It was no surprise that when Blu-ray was first introduced, the majority of us decided to stick with our old DVD collections. With supermarkets now stocking Blu-ray products as commodity items however, the disc spinning landscape has now changed.
Not only can we expect to view High Definition films for not a great deal more than regular DVD's, we can now enjoy a range of exciting new features which come built-in to the latest generation of HD spinners.
Connectivity elements initially designed for BD-live content and firmware updates have now opened up a whole new world of exciting on line features. You can now access the likes of iPlayer, YouTube and download film via services such as Love Film. Virtually all players can get on line via Ethernet and more and more are offering Wi-fi (either built-in or with an optional dongle)
Most manufacturers now offer 'ring fenced' access to their own on line content. These portals differ considerably between manufacturer, so it is worth finding out what the latest players offer. DLNA lets you stream files directly from your PC via your Blu-ray player directly to your HDTV.
Probably the most appealing feature of modern Blu-ray players is that you can enjoy superb picture and acoustic quality for a fraction of the price we were once expected to pay. With budget Blu-ray players now coming in at around £100, it is hard to beleive that we were being asked to pay around £1000 for the first high definition spinners.
If you would like to find out more you might like to read our Blu-ray Guide or take a look at our Top Ten Blu-ray Players.
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