Just as DVD blew VHS out of the race with its vastly improved picture and sound quality, and increased versatility, Blu-ray is now beginning to overtake DVD as the usual home cinema format. Many of us already own HD-TVs, and if you would like to use their high spec, then you need to invest in a Blu-ray player to truly get the most of them.

Blu-ray discs have more than six times the capacity of DVDs, and can so contain much more photos and at a way greater quality. While DVDs had a max vertical resolution of 576 pixels, Blu-Ray discs can hold a huge 1080 pixel high image, displayed completely up to 60 times a minute. This is what is known as 1080p, and may be normal standard on the best Blu-ray players you look at. Along with an improved color handling system, this guarantees that you’ve got a wonderful, pristine picture that’s as close to a cinema as you can enjoy in your own home.

Not only is picture improved, but Blu-ray players give even greater sound quality than before, with now even more surround sound channels available, and support for new Hi-D audio formats like Dolby TrueHD. If you are concerned about needing to replace your entire DVD collection, well don’t be. Blu-ray players are completely backwards compatible, meaning that they are going to be ready to play all your old DVDs. They also come with upscaling capacities, inferring standard DVDs will appear even greater than ever on your HD-TV.

Try and find a Blu-ray player that has as much connectivity as feasible. The best blu-ray players will come with an HDMI port which will attach to your Television , though you should check to work out if a cable is included. Many also contain extra ports, for example a USB port to enable you to enjoy playing media using external memory devices, and an SD port so you can view your digital camera pictures in pristine HD.

More complicated players also have an ethernet port so the blu-ray player can update its software online. Many Blu-ray players can even utilise this web connection to bring you extra BD-Live content, for example removed trailers,scenes, or perhaps flick ringtones.

You may also join up with some of the many thriving BD-Live communities, which is where you can chat or enjoy playing video games. Now with so many fantastic features available, you need to make sure to obtain the finest equipment available for your money.