Our List Of The Top 5 Brands For The Best Blu-ray Players

It’s amazing how far Blu-ray players have come. Some of the most recent models are multimedia powerhouses capable of entertaining you for hours.

Yet, not all Blu-ray players are created equally.

In this article, we discuss the 5 best Blu-ray players currently available. Within each section, we give you a brief overview of the product and explain why it’s one of the best available. Towards the end of the article, we offer a buyer’s guide for potential customers, as well as our final thoughts on the future of Blu-ray players.

How We Chose Our Ratings

When selecting the 5 Blu-ray players you see below, we analyzed a combination of affordability, durability, feature set, reliability, brand reputation, and customer reviews. We especially valued customer reviews, as any product with a significant number of negative reviews was disregarded from this list.

Even though the 5 products we selected represent the cream of the crop, there are some relative differences worth noting that we have conveyed through a 5-star rating system.

Customers can purchase the LG UP870 Blu-ray player on Amazon for $$$.  

This is a 4K ultra-HD Blu-ray player that is also capable of playing 3D Blu-rays.

This is one of the most dynamic Blu-ray players on this list, which is what attracts many customers to it. It can play regular DVDs as well as CDs, though it does not offer the ability to stream applications like Netflix. Some people might look at this as a limitation, but most 4K televisions these days have built-in streaming capacities. Alternatively, many streaming sticks can be purchased for under $$.

This is one of the best Blu-ray players because it offers such fast disc-loading times. This efficiency is a result of its cutting-edge processor.

The interface that customers will navigate when using this Blu-ray player is quite simple and stripped down, which can be a breath of fresh air compared to some overly complicated models. There are only movie, photo, music, and settings buttons for customers to choose from, making this Blu-ray player extremely easy to use.

This is significant, as some users want a minimalist Blu-ray player without all the bells and whistles of the more expensive models. For example, many older users merely want to play a film before they go to bed and don’t need the ability to access other applications or play games.

We give this Blu-ray player 4 stars out of 5 because it doesn’t offer Dolby Vision HDR, which could be a drawback for image and sound aficionados.

The UBP-X800 Blu-ray player from Sony can be purchased on Amazon for $$$.

This Blu-ray player can play 4K ultra HD movies as well as stream in 4K. Many customers have noted that many streaming applications like Netflix load extremely quickly, making this player perfect for anyone who tends to get impatient when using technology.

This is one of the best Blu-ray players because it offers support for hi-res audio tracks, which are superior than MP3s in terms of sound quality. This is a cutting-edge technology that will appeal to music lovers. Playing hi-res audio through this Blu-ray player will allow you to hear subtle elements that would otherwise go unnoticed. If you are interested in analyzing music, perhaps to review some song or album, then this Blu-ray player would be ideal for you.

Furthermore, this Blu-ray player can play the contents of a USB drive, making this one of the most versatile players on this list.

Many customers opt for this Blu-ray player because they have a Sony television. This Blu-ray player is well known for complementing other Sony products. In fact, if you have select Sony sound bars and speakers, you can stream music in multiple rooms using this Blu-ray player as your base receiver. This amounts to a deluxe home sound system, which stems from a device that primarily functions as a video enabler.

Unfortunately, Sony has claimed that support for Dolby Vision HDR is coming soon, meaning this player still has some room for improvement.

We give this player 4.5 stars out of 5.

Microsoft’s Xbox One S is an incredible machine that will appeal to anyone who loves video games. It can be purchased for $$$ on Amazon for a 500GB version.

This amazing system not only allows you to play games but also stream and play movies at 4K resolution. Customers can access a seemingly endless array of applications spanning many different categories. This system effectively turns your television into an entertainment hub capable of supporting many different media.

Furthermore, because this Blu-ray player has a 500GB hard drive, users can store various media on the system like photographs, music, and downloaded movies. If you need to transfer some of your files to free up space on your PC, then this video game console from Microsoft might be the cure for your problems.

What’s also significant is that customers can purchase many starter bundles that include 3 months of Xbox game pass and 3 months of Xbox live gold. The game pass allows you to access over 100 games. The Xbox live gold membership allows you to connect with a community of gamers when playing online multiplayer games. Xbox live gold also gives you access to many movies, television shows, and games that will surely occupy you for hours.

The Xbox One S would be the perfect system for a family with children, as this machine has something for everyone. If you own any other Microsoft products, like laptops or phones, then the interface used on the Xbox One S will definitely be familiar. This makes the Xbox One S ideal when paired with other Microsoft products.

When it comes to Blu-ray players, the Xbox One S is one of the most dynamic players on the market. We give this product 5 stars out of 5.

Sony’s PS4 is another video game console that allows users to play Blu-ray movies. It can be purchased on Amazon for $$$ for a 1TB model.

The main difference between this player and Microsoft’s is that Sony’s player can’t play 4K video. Instead, it only supports traditional HD video.

If you have a 4K television, then this is an obvious drawback. If you connected this Blu-ray player to your 4K television, you wouldn’t be maximizing your video quality.

This doesn’t make Sony’s PS4 necessarily undesirable. If you are slow to upgrade to the latest technology, then this basic HD functionality might be a good thing. Some users with traditional HD televisions are accustomed to this level of quality. For these users, a PS4 would be perfect.

Like Microsoft’s Xbox One S, the PS4 would be the ideal Blu-ray player for a family. Its sleek, sexy hardware will look great next to any television. Furthermore, customers who use this product have the added benefit of the PS4 controller as a remote. Many customers prefer using a controller to navigate the interface of their television over traditional remotes which can feel awkward and uncomfortable.

If you plan on using your television frequently, then considerations like this are important, making Sony’s PS4 one of the most luxurious Blu-ray players available. That’s a unique distinction for a player that doesn’t even offer the best level of Blu-ray. That’s how you know it’s a worthwhile deal.

We give this Blu-ray player 4.5 stars out of 5, as we hope future video game consoles from Sony will offer support for 4K HD resolution.

The BDPS 1700 from Sony can be purchased on Amazon for $$.

This is one of the best Blu-ray players due to its affordable price. Anyone on a budget will be very attracted to this player, as it doesn’t compromise when it comes to quality.

This Blu-ray player supports full HD 1080p resolution as well as DVD upscaling. DVD upscaling essentially means that the Blu-ray player will convert standard definition video into HD video by filling in any missing pixels. If you have a significant collection of standard definition DVDs, then this might be an important feature to keep in mind.

What’s also significant is that this Blu-ray player allows you to stream content, meaning you can access many of your favorite applications like Hulu, Netflix, and YouTube. This is a feature that is usually included in only the most expensive Blu-ray players.

Really, the only downside of this player is its lack of support for 4K video. Given its low price, some customers purchase multiple devices in order to support multiple televisions.

For example, some families provide their children with televisions in their room. This leads to the children wanting to optimize the video quality they are experiencing. Having to purchase many Blu-ray players might be unfeasible for a family on a budget. Just imagine a family with 3 boys, each of whom wants a Blu-ray player. Going with a device over $$$ could add up really quickly.

We give this Blu-ray player 4.5 stars out of 5.

Buyer’s Guide – Best Blue-Ray Player 

The market for Blu-ray players is kind of strange because customers have two distinct routes they can go in. They can either go with a standalone player or they can go with a video game console that offers Blu-ray functionality.

If you are interested in playing video games in addition to playing HD video, then going with a video console is a no-brainer. However, deciding between Microsoft’s Xbox One S and Sony’s PS4 could be a difficult decision. While the Xbox One S offers support for 4K resolution video, some customers love the unique selection of gaming titles that Sony offers. Many of these titles are not available for the Xbox One S.

Furthermore, some customers prefer the gaming controller that comes with the PS4. Ultimately, choosing between Sony and Microsoft is a decision that many customers struggle with. Our best advice is to research what games you are interested in playing first, as that might influence what system you go with.

Additionally, if you have many other products from either Sony or Microsoft, then we recommend staying consistent with that pattern of buying. As technology gets more advanced in the future, the integration of your devices is going to be more important than ever. When you own many devices from a single company, you’re able to use each of those devices more efficiently over time since they employ a similar interface and software.

If you’re not into gaming and simply want a high-end Blu-ray player, then Sony’s UBP-800 or BDPS 1700 are two great options. The former would be ideal if price was not a concern, while the latter would be ideal if you were on an extreme budget.

Our Final Thoughts On The Future Of Blu-Ray Players 

We think Blu-ray players will eventually become obsolete as standalone products, not because watching HD video will go out of style but precisely because it will be so popular. The popularity of HD video will lead to profound advancements in technology, causing the cost of producing a Blu-ray player to drop significantly. This will allow these devices to be integrated into televisions.

Even as new, unbelievable resolutions are offered, we think the Blu-ray and television industry will merge and offer support for these resolutions without requiring the purchase of an additional player.

In terms of resolution, we think the sky is the limit. We see 8K and slightly beyond being supported in the near future. Eventually, we anticipate televisions as being so small that they are pasted on the backs of our eyelids. In this sense, the supporting Blu-ray players that are integrated will be even smaller, allowing for the most realistic viewing experience in the history of humanity.