Now that you can find Blu-ray players at Wal*Mart for less than $150 we thought it would be a good idea to present five slightly more expensive options that you may want to consider. Spending a little more can get you a more capable player that won't feel obsolete by Christmas.
The PS3 120GB system is a Blu-ray player and more. You get free PlayStation Network membership, built-in Wi-Fi and 120GB of hard disk drive storage for games, music, videos and photos. And now the PS3 has support for bitstream Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio tracks.
Features
HDMI + Bravia Sync functionality that provides both 1080p output resolution, and instant in-sync connectivity between your PS3 and other Sony HDMI enabled products without the use of multiple remote controls.
A new 33% slimmer, 36% lighter PlayStation 3 entertainment system that is also more energy efficient.
Includes a Dualshock 3 wireless controller and a built-in 120GB HDD for storing games, music, videos, and photos.
Built-in Wi-Fi for connectivity anywhere and multiple media format compatibility, including Blu-ray for crystal clear video on High-Definition TVs, CD-ROM, DVD, and others.
Free membership and access to all the events, as well as game, movie, TV and other media content available on the PlayStation Network (PSN).
A capable sub $200 player that supports profile 2.0, Next Generation Audio, and Panasonic's VieraCast. It has great performance but load times are a little slow. You'll also need to add a 1GB or larger SD card for BD Live support.
Features
Viera Cast connecting you with YouTube, Picasa, Weather.
BD-Live
SD Card Slot and USB slot
1080P Upconvert
Film makers version with PHL Chip for accurate color
The Sony BDP-S360 Blu-ray Disc player supports BD-Live technology, Dolby TrueHD and dts-HD audio codecs. Unfortunately the player has slow load times, no Internet streaming and no Wifi Support.
Features
Blu-ray Disc player with Full HD 1080p output for Blu-ray Discs and upconversion of standard DVD video to 1080p
BD Live capable for accessing bonus content from BD-Live Blu-ray Discs via Ethernet port connected to your home network
24p True Cinema capable lets you watch films at their intended 24 fps (frames per second); Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD
Blu-ray Disc Player w/1GB Memory onboard, 7.1 discrete analog output, BD-P, Netflix HD, YouTube, CinemaNow Full HD 1080P Output via HDMI, DVD 1080p Up-conversion.
Features
Networked Blu-ray Disc player connects to Netflix and YouTube streaming video without a computer via Ethernet and Wi-Fi (802.11n)
Full HD 1080p output for Blu-ray Discs and upconversion of standard DVD video to 1080p
BD Live capable for accessing bonus content from BD-Live Blu-ray Discs; Dolby TrueHD/Digital Plus and DTS-HD; 1 GB built-in memory
OPPO BDP-83 Blu-ray Disc Player with SACD & DVD-Audio ($500 Street Price)
The Oppo is a high quality Blu-ray player that supports the complete Blu-ray specification and plays SACD or DVD Audio discs. It has the best upconversion of any Blu-ray player we have seen. It is also the most expensive Blu-ray player on the list.
Features
Universal Blu-ray disc player providing playback for a myriad of video formats
Supports Blu-ray, SACD, DVD-Audio, DVDs, and CDs
Two USB ports allow for playback of media stored on a flash drive
Uses award-winning video processing chip for a clear, true picture
