When Blu-ray technology had just been introduced, they weren’t quite able to compete with DVD purely because they were more expensive and the market was still dominated by CRT TVs. With the ever growing popularity of HDTVs though, Blu-ray players have also become a must-have gadget in the modern living room. They have also caught up in terms of pricing. You can buy a decent Blu-ray player for as low as Rs. 5,000, just a bit more than DVD players. Much like TVs, Blu-ray players have also evolved offering features such as 3D, internet connectivity, wireless streaming and many more. This makes it difficult to select a specific Blu-ray player. To help you out, we’ve come out with a list of must-have features you should look for, while buying a Blu-ray player for your TV.
Video format support
One of the biggest features to look out for, while buying a Blu-ray player is the number of file formats supported by it. Many of the Blu-ray players today can handle USB drives and the content in them. Some of the popular formats used for HD content include MKV, MP4, and the traditional AVI. The more the number of formats the player supports the less time you have to spend on converting them using a video converter. Also check to see if the player supports NTFS file partitions so you can connect external hard drives and flash drives without any issues.
Audio playing capability
Most of the Blu-ray discs have 5.1 surround sound audio, which means you to connect the player to a home theatre audio system. To get a good surround sound experience from your home theatre, the Blu-ray player should ideally be connected using HDMI, if not optical or digital coaxial ports. Besides the connectivity options, ensure that the Blu-ray player has support for popular audio standards such as Dolby Digital, DTS, THX, etc that movies are usually encoded with. Some Blu-ray players may also support 7.1 surround sound.
Enjoy 3D movies the way there meant to be enjoyed
There is no doubt that Blu-ray players offer better audio and video quality than a DVD player. Besides quality, 3D capability is another major feature that separates them from DVD players. Blu-ray players let you enjoy 3D movies on your 3D TVs. 3D Blu-ray players are one of the few media players that have 3D content readily available for them, that you can purchase from a store or a movie rental place. Some Blu-ray players can also convert existing 2D content into 3D, which may look like reasonably good quality 3D content.
Connect to the Internet
Most Blu-ray players present today can connect to the internet. Initially, this feature was brought in for a completely different feature called BD-Live. The feature allowed access to some additional content for the movie being watched, via the internet. This content could include anything such as bloopers, interviews and behind the scene segments. Internet-enabled Blu-ray players offer many more features today. Most Blu-ray players like smart TVs give you access to many audio-video services online such as YouTube, Netflix, Pandora and many more. You can also find 3D content on some of these services. Some Blu-ray players also have an in-built browser to view websites. If you have a non-smart TV than these Blu-ray players are the ones you should opt for.
Wireless streaming
Most Blu-ray players present today can connect to the internet. Initially, this feature was brought in for a completely different feature called BD-Live. The feature allowed access to some additional content for the movie being watched, via the internet. This content could include anything such as bloopers, interviews and behind the scene segments. Internet-enabled Blu-ray players offer many more features today. Most Blu-ray players like smart TVs give you access to many audio-video services online such as YouTube, Netflix, Pandora and many more. You can also find 3D content on some of these services. Some Blu-ray players also have an in-built browser to view websites. If you have a non-smart TV than these Blu-ray players are the ones you should opt for.
USB port to play media files
Most of us have store our content on external hard drives or pen drives. It’s very convenient to be able play movies off these drives on a Blu-ray player. Make sure that the Blu-ray player you’re looking to purchase supports hard drives formatted in NTFS partitions. Some Blu-ray players may also come with USB 3.0 support, which means smoother and quicker playback if your drive supports USB 3.0.
Easy to use remote
Every added feature on a Blu-ray player means more complicated menus and buttons on the remote. The buttons can make operating the player confusing at times. To keep things simple for everyone using the player, look for a Blu-ray player that offers all those features yet has a remote with few buttons on it. Some manufacturers have created mobile apps that let you use your phone as remote controls for the Blu-ray players. They can sometimes be easier and more interactive than the stock remote controls that come with the player.
4K video up-scaling
This is one of the latest features to be added to the arsenal of features of Blu-ray players. With the market slowly inching towards 4K resolution TVs, manufacturers have come out with a feature that lets Blu-ray players to up-scale existing content, to match that of 4K TVs. This boosts the full-HD content to four times its actual resolution. This feature is only limited to a few high-end Blu-ray players though.
Build quality and design
Although it is a subjective matter, we recommend you to look out for smaller sized BD player which creates less clutter under the TV. Look out for the number of buttons placed on the player and their design. After all, you don’t want a large, bulky looking player that doesn’t fit into the look of your living room. You can also look into the aspects such as vibration and noise from the player levels while playing a BD disc.
Bundled accessories
This may not come across as a major feature to think about while purchasing a player, but it can help save money that you’d have to spend on accessories after the purchase. Make sure that the Blu-ray player comes with an HDMI cable to connect it to your TV. Some Blu-ray players also have a bundle of Blu-Ray discs that come free with it. We suggest looking for devices as per your requirements. For example, if you don’t own a 3D TV or have no interest in 3D movies, a 3D Blu-ray player would be pointless. Hopefully, this guide will have helped in clarifying which features to look for.
