Blu-ray players: customer reviews, specifications, the most popular models from different manufacturers

Older DVD players can not cope with standard HD video. In their place come Blu-ray players that can offer features and quality that meet the requirements of the best HDTVs. Most of them are also able to easily integrate with other hardware, such as surround sound speakers. They can be an ideal addition to HDTV and turn the living room into a real home theater.

The best models of players support a wide range of video and audio formats, including 3D and 4K. Below is a list of characteristics of the Blu-ray player, according to the owners, necessary to make it a worthy component of the entertainment system.

Build quality and ease of use

As a component of the home theater, Blu-ray players, according to users, are not as demanding on performance as smartphones or tablets. However, the ease of use here plays a vital role. The owners pay the greatest attention to the clarity of the interface and download speed. To adjust parameters such as sound sources and subtitles, it is inconvenient to switch from one submenu to another. Similarly, the speed of the player's boot after power-up is important. Many models have quick launch settings that provide their instant activation.

In addition, users should take into account the design and build quality of the player and its accessories. Although these characteristics are secondary in terms of player performance, in everyday use they play an important role. Poorly designed control panel or poor-quality housing can become a source of constant discomfort.

Connectivity options

Setting up a home theater system can often be complicated by the confusion of cables from various devices, but the best models of Blu-ray players can circumvent this problem. Before you make a purchase, you should evaluate the capabilities of your existing home TV and the types of cables that you might need. Is it supposed to use component connectors or HDMI connection? What audio standards does the home theater support and if there are additional sources of sound? If you plan to use the player as a specialized multimedia hub, is there a need for a USB port?

In addition, for most home users, the ability to connect to the Internet is a very important feature. Along with the wide potential of streaming applications, connecting to the network allows the Blu-ray player to download updates as needed. Most budget players have only an Ethernet connector for physical connections, but more expensive models also support Wi-Fi.

3D and 4K functions

For most home users, there are enough Blu-ray players that provide basic playback capabilities with HD resolution. Nevertheless, models of the higher and middle class are increasingly offering features that were previously only available in premium devices.

4K - the standard for playback of images with a resolution of 3840 x 2160 pixels. It provides a higher quality than the traditional HD standard. UHD-TVs are also able to broadcast content with a lower resolution. Blu-ray-players 4K is available in two formats: one can play 4K by default, while others can only scale the image from a standard high-definition source. At the same time, it can be viewed on UHD TVs, but in quality it will not be comparable to the original 4K-content. Support for 3D is also a common feature of most Blu-ray players, whose level is higher than the initial one. To take advantage of all these features, you will need HDTV with 3D or 4K support.

Streaming applications

Home theater users do not want to clutter their TV rack with unnecessary peripherals or add-ons. As a result, most Blu-ray players include applications for popular streaming services, such as Netflix and Hulu, which combine all content services on one device.

Software for streaming music and radio can also sometimes be found in the Blu-ray player menu or in the App Store. Although their menu system may differ from specialized streaming devices, they are often easy to use and download. However, in budget players Blu-ray, according to the owners, these applications are loaded slowly.

Recommendations

The best Blu-ray players have advanced functionality and high performance. Samsung UBD-K8500 is able to reproduce 4K and offers a complete set of standards for audio, video and network connections, making it the best choice for enthusiasts and home users. Blu-ray player Sony BDP-S6700, for example, easily fits into the home theater system due to its low profile and wide connectivity. In addition, they are provided with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections. Although the Blu-ray player Sony BDP-S6500 does not have Bluetooth support, the player has exceptional performance and many features of the S6700. Other useful alternatives are the LG BP350 and Seiki SR4KP1. Both models of Blu-ray players comment on the lack of many features of premium devices, such as support for 3D, but each of them is inexpensive and will appeal to those who need only the basic functionality. Having only the basic capabilities of Seiki can be an obstacle to the bulk of home users, but the lack of regional restrictions gives an advantage to those who often watch foreign films.

Samsung UBD-K8500

According to the owners, this is one of the best Blu-ray players. The Samsung UBD-K8500's picture and sound quality are stunning. Although the curved design is not for everyone, the model is full of functionality and has an intuitive user interface. Disadvantage - there is no display on the front panel of the player. The player fully supports 4K, has an application store and built-in access to several streaming services. To connect to the Internet there is an Ethernet connector, or you can use Wi-Fi. Samsung comes with several preinstalled programs, including Netflix, YouTube, a web browser and Spotify for music. The Blu-ray player is compatible with DLNA, so it can download music and video to the cloud and access files over the wireless network.

According to user feedback, the main menu can be reached in 6.6 seconds, which is faster than the average value of 12 seconds. There are 2 HDMI ports. One is HDMI 2.0 with the latest copyright protection standard HDCP 2.2 for connecting to a display, AV receiver or sound panel. The other uses HDCP 1.4. There is also a digital optical audio output and a USB port, to which you can connect an external hard drive or flash drive for viewing video and images, as well as listening to music. Remote control is small, but comfortable. According to user feedback, it lacks backlighting, and, even worse, it is powered by a 3-volt "tablet" type battery instead of the standard AA or AAA cells. Blu-ray player Samsung UBD-K8500 is equipped with built-in decoders DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD. Also, the output of PCM and Bitstream is possible. The player is compatible with Dolby Atmos speakers.

Sony BDP-S6700

The player has an impressive set of features, great design and is relatively inexpensive. Provides excellent image quality and allows you to view 3D discs and hundreds of streaming video services. The player scales HD content, reproducing it in a format close to 4K. But there is no full support for Ultra HD. Nevertheless, Sony did a good job, providing a clear image with really deep black and bright colors, especially on 4K TVs. The player also has HDMI Deep Color. It is loaded in 14.8 seconds.

The BDP-S6700 is lightweight and small enough to fit into the entertainment center. It looks a bit cheap because it is made of plastic. But the prints on the black case almost do not remain. There are only 2 buttons on the front panel - the power switch and the disc tray extensions. The display would not interfere, but, unfortunately, this becomes the usual trend of modern Blu-ray players. During playback, some noises are audible, but they do not interfere with viewing.

The model supports Bluetooth wireless connection with LDAC, thanks to which you can watch movies with wireless headphones. Like most other players, it can connect to the Internet via Wi-Fi or over Ethernet. Wireless communication is two-way, so it has twice the bandwidth. There is a single HDMI connector and one coaxial audio output. Under the power button on the front panel is a USB port, to which you can connect an external hard drive to play recorded video or photos.

You can also download a mobile application that allows you to replace the remote with a smartphone. The complete remote is too small, so uncomfortable. Fortunately, the buttons are positioned correctly and can be used in the dark. In addition, the console has a button for pairing Bluetooth and launching Netflix.

The BDP-S6700 supports 24p on VUDU, Amazon and Netflix. Several Netflix shows are also available in 4K. In addition, more than 300 others can be selected. The Sony store is extensive and includes audio applications such as Pandora and Spotify. However, most streaming services require a monthly subscription.

Panasonic BDP-460

This is a high-end player with such premium features as 4K and 3D support. Its "metal" case looks better than other 3D players, but in fact it is made of plastic. According to users, its main advantage is an extended set of functions, including 2D / 3D conversion and 4K scaling. The home screen is loaded for a very long time - as much as 20.2 seconds. Blu-ray player Panasonic BDP-460 has a digital optical audio output and HDMI output, providing a full 7.1-channel sound. Support for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD is built into BDT, allowing home theater enthusiasts to use the latest Atmos speakers.

BDT460 is also a media center. It is equipped with Wi-Fi, Ethernet, USB-port and slot for SD cards. On a tiny and uncomfortable remote, there's a Netflix launch button. You can download other applications, such as Hulu, Vudu and YouTube. Using the player, you can display the display of a smartphone or tablet on an HDTV screen.

Philips BDP7501

This is a 4K UHD player with HDR support. The image quality is absolute. Blu-ray player Philips similar to Apple TV. This is a black "cube", the size of which is much smaller than that of other models. However, it weighs almost 2 times more - 1.6 kg. It reproduces conventional and 3D Blu-ray, DVD and CD discs, as well as original 4K-video and scales the content of another format. This, combined with a wide dynamic range, makes the colors extremely bright and detailed, and black - deep.

Blu-ray player Philips BDP7501 supports Dolby TrueHD and the latest Atmos speakers with an upward flow. HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2 on HDMI ports mean that the player is compatible with the latest and forthcoming HDTVs, AV receivers and Blu-ray discs.

Loading in 16 seconds. It's easy to navigate in its menu, and it resembles the home screen of the PlayStation 4. You can broadcast 4K content from Netflix and YouTube, because the player has built-in Wi-Fi, or music or movies - via the DLNA wireless media server or USB port on the back Panel. Applications for downloading other streaming services are not available, so music with Pandora or Spotify will not be available. The kit includes a remote control and an HDMI cable. The console is convenient to hold and use in the dark, although there is no backlight. But there are special buttons for running Netflix and YouTube.

Pioneer BDP-LX58

It is possible to see here the Blu-ray player "Pioneer BDP-LX58" is unusual, but the ratio of quality to cost is difficult to surpass. Other players can be technically better, but, according to users, none of them offers such in this price range. The main advantage is the fantastic image quality. Scaling is also remarkable, even old DVDs look completely different. Although the player does not have built-in WiFi, it has great capabilities, including 3D compatibility. The remote control could be a little better and does not match the cost of the player, equal to $ 1000.

Blu-ray playback on PC

This can be done in two ways: using a software Blu-ray player for the computer and hardware. If the corresponding software is installed, you can freely open the movies in 4K resolution on the PC, and then transfer them to UHDTV. If the computer is equipped with the necessary hardware, then the only thing you need is the corresponding software. Below are the most popular solutions.

UFUSoft 4K

The full-featured media player UFUSoft is equipped with a free 4K Blu-ray player and audio and ISO playback capabilities. Thanks to the support of modern audio decoding standards, such as Dolby, DTS, AAC, TrueHD, DTS-HD, etc., the application reproduces the recordings in UHD resolution without loss of quality. In addition, the software for playing Blu-ray and DVD discs, 4K UHD-video and ISO-image files allows you to use the free FLAC audio codec. This is a Blu-ray player for Windows 10 / 8.1 / 8/7 / Vista / XP. Also available is the option for Mac, which runs on OS X 10.6 and later.

CyberLink PowerDVD 17 Ultra

This is certainly one of the best programs for playing videos of Blu-ray, 4K, 3D, HD and other formats. It comes in several modifications, each of which makes it possible to turn any Android device into a remote control for an installed DVD system. In addition, the software supports virtual reality systems. It costs about $ 80, and it can also be purchased online.

TotalMedia Theater

Arcsoft application supports video files in 4K, HD, 3D, DVD and other standards files without degrading the sound and video quality. The program changes the regional code of the system so that it matches the disk, but only 5 times. In addition to all this, the software provides an opportunity to turn 2D-video into 3D. This exclusive Blu-ray player for Windows 7, 8 and earlier versions is also available for download on the Internet.

VLC Player

Effective software for viewing UHD-video with sound of excellent quality. It requires minimal computer performance and offers many additional features such as natural color rendering, movie subtitles, multi-track audio / video, etc. The program can be downloaded from videolan.org. Unlike officially licensed players, unofficial players like VLC with the AACS library should open the encoding, but the application works on all platforms and is completely free.