Blu-ray has always offered high picture and sound quality from the very start. This is what it was designed to do by using different technology compared to DVD.
What traditionally went against it was the price. For a long time, you could buy a DVD player for under £30, yet a Blu-ray player under £300 was rare. Recently however, a price drop has happened, and they have become more affordable. If you are thinking about making the switch, here are the best cheap blu ray players on sale in the UK.
Sony S360
It looks stylish and handles blu-ray disks with ease. This is a stylish player. It is backward compatible with;
- DVDs
- CDs
- MP3s
However it cannot handle DivX, or HD DVD. Still, decent value for money nonetheless.
LG BD550
If you are really on a budget but still want to buy brand new, how about this little beauty? Originally given an RRP of £259.99 this is now significantly cheaper. It has standard DVD Up-Scaling, so you can watch all your old DVDs on this new player, no need to sell your old DVDs. Enjoy full HD 1080p video performance for a low cost.
Philips BDP3000
This device lacks the sharpness and ease of motion of many of its rivals, but at the price it will make you think twice before dismissing it. It also requires a memory card to access BD-Live content which many may find annoying and it is unable to decode DTS- HD master audio. If however, you are just after a basic player to watch HD quality films, then this player will perform admirably.
Toshiba BDX1100 with BD Live
Perhaps not the prettiest of designs, but this is still a performer at a good price. If you want to experience more you can also access alternative endings, games and online chat from the Internet via Ethernet port and SD card! Overall it comes with very good reviews from buyers.
As with most technology, the price is dropping for blu-ray players all the time. What costs £170 one day, may cost £90 a week later. It is worth checking prices and specifications carefully before parting with your cash, as this can make a considerable difference to your wallet.
How Does Blu-Ray Work?
It works by using a blue-violet laser instead of a red one. Other than the colour, the use of a blue-violet laser means that more data can be stored and read rather than using a read one, as its wavelength is shorter. Therefore more data can be stored on a blu-ray disk, than on a DVD. A lot more in fact, a single layer blu-ray disk can store up to 25GBs of information, where a conventional DVD stores under 2GBs. As more information can be utilised, better HD picture quality emerges.
Play back your recorded movies and TV stations with a 64 times speed PVR.
Got any questions? You can post them in the section below.
Photos owned by the manufacturers.
About Author: Richard is an experienced freelance writer.