Best of the Blu-ray players
The latest HD movie players create a picture so real, it's as if you're there.
Price: $300
Thumbs up: Its picture quality is impressive for both Blu-ray disks and DVDs, and you can upgrade it to 2.0 for free. The price is right too. It's not as speedy as its PlayStation 3 cousin, but it's faster than any other budget player we've tried.
Thumbs down: It doesn't offer 7.1 HD audio capabilities unless you have a separate HDMI receiver. Also, setup can be tricky as the directions are a bit baffling.
The big picture: If you're not an audiophile and don't care about video games, this is a good option for the money.
Grade: B
NEXT: Pioneer Elite BDP-05FD
Thumbs up: Its picture quality is impressive for both Blu-ray disks and DVDs, and you can upgrade it to 2.0 for free. The price is right too. It's not as speedy as its PlayStation 3 cousin, but it's faster than any other budget player we've tried.
Thumbs down: It doesn't offer 7.1 HD audio capabilities unless you have a separate HDMI receiver. Also, setup can be tricky as the directions are a bit baffling.
The big picture: If you're not an audiophile and don't care about video games, this is a good option for the money.
Grade: B
NEXT: Pioneer Elite BDP-05FD
Last updated November 21 2008: 9:43 AM ET