You need a Blu-ray player for true high-definition video
If you’re looking for the ultimate in high-definition enjoyment in your home, there are two must-haves. The first major, of course, is a full 1080p HDTV that can be an LCD, Plasma, or one of the newer LED models. And of course, to play a movie and enjoy the full screen of your 1080p HDTV, you’ll need a Blue Ray player.
Blu-ray is the type of high-definition DVD that the TV and movie industry chose a couple of years ago, since there were two standards on the market around the same time. Blu-ray won because the discs could contain more multimedia information and higher quality than the competitor standard HD DVD. The music industry started releasing movies in both formats and people were forced to choose which player to buy not knowing that only one of them would survive. Does this sound familiar to some of you? Remember Sony Beta and VHS tapes from the 80s?
There are standard DVD players on the market that are not true high definition models and do what is called upconversion. Blu-ray players will convert non-Full HD standard DVD movies to fill your 1080p TV screen.
One of the great features of some of the Blu-ray players is called BD-Live, which allows a Blu-ray player to connect to the Internet and access content like TV outtakes or video games from movie studio servers. or TV. Those that list BD-live-ready also have a slot for a memory card or USB flash drive which is required to access that feature.
Another feature will allow live BD players to stream movies from some online services such as NetFlix, Amazon Video on demand, Blockbuster on Demand, CinemaNow and Vudu. No more getting in the car late at night to avoid those late fees!
You can also stream music from Pandora Internet Radio, watch YouTube videos, news, and even traffic. And buying one of these new Internet-enabled Blu-ray players is an inexpensive upgrade from having to buy a new TV with online access.
Most of these types of Blu-ray Internet players require a wired broadband connection, and some models can connect to your home wireless network. The models made by Samsung and LG have the built-in wi-fi connection. Others have a built-in ethernet connection on the back. They will work best if you have a faster broadband connection when it comes to downloading and streaming video. Video files are basically huge of all types of media you may want to download and save.
You will also want to pay close attention to the inputs and outputs that some of these models do or do not have. You want to make sure that you can connect to your existing home theater equipment. This information will be on the box or on any website you may shop at, so be sure to look it up. It’s best to know, before you pay to have it delivered, exactly what you’re getting.