What’s the best value-priced Blu-Ray player, and when should I get one?

One Response to “What’s the best value-priced Blu-Ray player, and when should I get one?”

1. agb90spruce says:

   July 18, 2009 at 4:49 pm

   You may be able to find a player for under $200, particularly if you don’t need a Profile 2.0 player. Note that the vast majority of consumers consider profile 2 — i.e. supports on-line access to extras on certain disks — to be a waste of time, so Profile 1.1 players can be a good choice at bargain prices. But the reality is that, as with everything, you get what you pay for and different options fit some people’s needs better than others. I suggest doing some reading at the link … and then start shopping.

   And this all assumes you are sure Blu-ray is for you. Unless you have a 37" or larger HDTV Blu-ray isn’t going to provide much benefit over a good upconverting DVD player … and the disks are still MUCH more expensive than DVD. The reality is that the majority of consumers either won’t see any (or only minor) benefit from Blu-ray.

   Prices for players will eventually come down somewhat … but not to DVD prices simply because Blu-ray players are MUCH more complex (and licensing fees are significantly higher than for DVD). Similarly, disks will slowly become less expensive, but won’t ever be less than $2-$5 more expensive than the equivalent DVD.