How to pick the perfect Blu-ray player

If you’ve got a taste for films and are thinking of making the jump to Blu-ray, all the acronyms and technical terms can be a bit baffling. But fear not, we’ve gathered up the key Blu-ray buying decisions and boiled them down into this handy guide to the key points. Read on, and you’ll have picked the perfect Blu-ray player in no time.

Be sure it’s Blu-ray Profile 2.0
Blu-ray profile 2.0 is the most up-to-date Blu-ray standard. It means you’re Blu-ray player will be able to show picture in picture video, grab extra features from the web and play multiple soundtracks to give you interactive audio and director commentaries over the top of the original soundtrack, even if it’s in a foreign language. Modern Blu-ray players like the Toshiba BDX2000 use Blu-ray Profile 2.0, and you’ll need it to make the most of newer titles’ bonus features.

Know the ins and outs of HDMI
Blu-ray players use HDMI cables to connect to your HD TV. They make setting up the Blu-ray player as simple as possible, since they carry both the audio and video signal, so you needn’t worry about other wires. They’re also essential if you want the best quality picture from your Blu-ray player, since their secure link to the TV is required before the player will show its best images. If you don’t use HDMI cables, Blu-ray’s built-in copy protection will actually worsen the pictures you see, to protect against piracy.

Control your other kit
Another of HDMI’s hidden secrets is a feature called Consumer Electronics Control (CEC). Different manufacturers have tweaked and renamed it, but essentially it allows one device with HDMI to control others it’s connected to. Toshiba’s BDX2000 uses Toshiba REGZA Link to make it a true entertainment hub, able to access other devices to do things like automatically change your TV channel when you switch on the Blu-ray player, and allow you to control everything from one remote.

Blu-rays get better with BD Live
BD Live is another clever feature that’s been slipped into Blu-ray players recently. It grabs extra content from the internet to enhance what you’ve already got on the disc. With BD Live you can access things like video clips and new trailers, even if they were released after you bought the disc. You need the original Blu-ray disc to get at the extras, and it has to be in the player when you watch the downloads. But once you’ve downloaded new content you can save it to a memory card or the Blu-ray player’s own memory. The BDX2000 supports SD and SDHC memory cards so you can add plenty of storage, with cards up to 8GB. 

Surround yourself with better sound
Most Blu-ray players, including the BDX2000, support enhanced audio formats like Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio which deliver fantastic film sound.

Your DVD collection doesn’t need to die
Check to see whether the Blu-ray player you’re considering supports upscaling for DVDs. Most, like the Toshiba BDX2000, will use clever processing technology to squeeze the very best from your existing discs. It means you won’t have to fling your favourite DVDs out and start all over again with Blu-ray purchases. DVD upscaling takes the standard def picture and gives it better colour and definition. You’ll need Blu-ray for true HD thrills but your beloved DVDs needn’t sit unloved just because of it.