DVD Players
The explosion in consumer acceptance of the
DVD player is without a doubt the fastest most widespread adaptation to a new technology the consumer electronics market has ever seen.
It's hard to believe that before 1997 there were no DVDs or
DVD players. In only the last five years
DVD players have gone from niche market to mainstay of most retailers, who previously dealt in VHS.
The explosion has been hastened by steep declines in the price of DVD players and media. Today you can buy a budget DVD player for £50 and you can find DVDs for as low as £5. It's almost not worth renting titles you plan on viewing multiple times when you can now probably buy it for less or alternatively use an online film provider like
www.lovefilm.com
But you don't need to have a giant sound system and big screen TV to enjoy the benefits of DVD players. All you need is a TV Screen with at least an audio and video input to hook up your DVD player. The inputs on the back of the TV will be in the form of RCA connectors (the yellow connector is composite video, the red and white are left and right audio)
Blu-Ray Players
Blu-ray players bring home cinema to the next level with virtually perfect picture and sound. But how do you know which one's right for you? Below, we'll walk you through common Blu-ray features, as well as what you need to take advantage of them, so you can make the most of your high-def home cinema setup.
The benefits of the
Blu-Ray player over standard DVD is obvious to anyone who has actually watched either. The picture quality on even a modest HDTV will be immediately apparent.
Once you're spoiled with Hi-Definition quality video, it's difficult to go back to standard definition DVD. For anyone with an
HDTV, a
Blu-Ray player is a must.
Blu-ray Disc: High-definition video up to 1080p:
Blu-ray Disc™ is currently the best source of high-definition video. It delivers images that are even more vibrant and lifelike than the best HD television broadcasts. Blu-ray can deliver 1080p — the highest resolution currently available. So if you're craving HD content, and are disappointed with the inconsistent quantity and quality of the HD programming offered by cable and satellite providers, a Blu-ray player might be right for you.
Do I need a 1080p TV?
Blu-ray players let you select the resolution that best matches your
TV screen. When you pair a
Blu-ray player with a 1080p display, you'll enjoy the most detailed picture possible. But you'll still get an impressive HD picture with a 720p or 1080i screen.
Next-generation audio for a more cinema-like experience:
In addition to high-definition video, Blu-ray also gives you more detailed sound. Blu-ray Discs and players can provide the same Dolby® Digital and DTS® soundtracks you've grown accustomed to with DVD, plus advanced new versions of these formats:
Dolby Digital Plus
- Dolby Digital Plus and DTS-HD™ High Resolution (also known simply as "DTS-HD") — Both offer up to 7.1-channel surround sound, for even more enveloping audio than standard 5.1-channel Dolby Digital and DTS. They also use less compression than their DVD counterparts for a more faithful reproduction of the original movie soundtrack.
- Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio — These formats use "lossless" compression to deliver soundtracks that are identical to the movie studio's original master, for the closest possible reproduction of the movie cinema experience. Some discs also feature multichannel PCM soundtracks — uncompressed audio that also matches the quality of the studio master.
Do all Blu-ray players support the new audio formats?
While Blu-ray players can support a variety of audio formats, they're not necessarily required to. All Blu-ray players must support Dolby Digital, DTS, and PCM. However, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD High Resolution and DTS-HD Master Audio are all optional — the players don't have to support them. So if you want to enjoy the greater detail that the new audio formats deliver, be sure to choose a player that can handle them.
Most Blu-ray players can decode Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby TrueHD internally. Some players can also decode DTS-HD High Resolution and DTS-HD Master Audio (and this number is growing all the time). But be aware that not all Blu-ray players with built-in surround sound decoding have multichannel analog outputs, so in most cases, you'll use HDMI to take advantage of the player's internal decoder. However, some models do still offer multichannel analog connections, so be sure to look for them if you have a home cinema receiver without HDMI inputs.
Blu-ray Profiles:
Blu-ray Discs include many of the same bonus features you find with DVD, such as directors' commentaries and behind-the-scenes footage. The Blu-ray Disc specification also makes provisions for even more interactive features, such as BonusView (picture-in-picture), and quite a few discs with these new features are currently available. However, the initial batch of
Blu-ray players were not required to support this added functionality. Instead, Blu-ray players are generally grouped into three categories, known as "profiles," that define what their capabilities are.
- Profile 1 Version 1.0 — The basic Blu-ray profile. All Blu-ray players released before November 1, 2007 fit into this profile.
- Profile 1 Version 1.1 (also known as Final Standard Profile) — Adds secondary audio and video decoders for BonusView (picture-in-picture) support. This can be used for things like director's commentary. The player displays the movie in its original, full-screen form while also playing video commentary from the film director on a smaller, inset screen. Players in this profile also need to include 256MB of local storage for audio/video and title updates. This can either be built into the player or available through a removable memory card or USB drive.
- Profile 2 (also known as BD-Live) — Includes all of the functions of Profile 1 Version 1.1, but increases local storage capacity to 1GB. Players in this profile must also include an Internet connection. This lets you connect the player directly to the Internet to access bonus material available on some Blu-ray movies. Some movie studios also use this capability for things like online games and chat.
If you have a Profile 1 Version 1.0 player (any player released before November 1, 2007), be advised that it's not upgradeable to Version 1.1 because these players lack the hardware necessary to decode the secondary audio and video streams (Sony's PlayStation® 3 is an exception). The good news is that movies with the new Version 1.1 features will still play in Version 1.0 players — you just won't have access to the BonusView features. Also, only about half the players currently available support BD-Live. While Profile 1 Version 1.1 is the new standard, Profile 2.0 will most likely remain optional.
Minimum connections needed:
With Blu-Ray players of all descriptions you will need suitable equipment with HDMI connectivity. This means an HDTV Screen with HDMI input connections. Or if using an AV Receiver for surround sound and switching it too should have HDMI inputs and at least one HDMI output connection.