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Brilliant picture quality and sound that couldn't be better in the cinema: even if streaming is becoming increasingly popular, many living rooms still have a Blu-Ray player next to or below the television for these reasons.

However, if it breaks, it might be time to shuffle the cards again.

"Even if 4K UHD image content and 3D soundtracks are becoming more and more popular in streaming: The best quality is still offered by the UHD Blu-Ray disc", says Konstantin Grassl from the specialist magazine "Video".

In contrast to streaming, you don't have to worry about reduced quality due to poor data transmission with discs.

No question about it: if you have a large film collection, you will not want to do without a player if it no longer works.

However, repairing a playback device does not always make sense.

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"With device prices between 100 and 150 euros, a repair that requires spare parts would be more expensive than a new device," says Achim Sterling from the Hamburg Guild for Information Technology.

"Only errors that can be eliminated with a reset or by installing new firmware make economic sense."

Hold manufacturers of Blu-ray players accountable

Before doing this, you should check whether you cannot hold the manufacturer responsible - within the statutory warranty period of two years or beyond.

"If there is still a guarantee claim, the manufacturer must pay the repair costs or, in case of doubt, replace the device with a new one," says Konstantin Grassl.

It looks different with Blu-Ray recorders than with players.

“These are already significantly more expensive as new devices, so that repairs can be worthwhile,” says Achim Sterling.

The first point of contact are TV shops in which information electronics technicians work.

Anyone who owns a film collection will probably remain loyal to a player for the time being

Source: dpa-tmn

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If you decide to buy a new device, you should look out for an Ultra HD Blu-Ray player.

They can be had for around 150 euros, but can also cost 1,000 euros.

"If you don't want to spend that much money, but are still interested in the best picture and sound formats, you should take a look before buying whether the player actually supports all the important formats," advises Grassl.

Sales figures for Blu-Ray players clearly declining

Because the manufacturers are sometimes unwilling to spend the license costs for image enhancers such as Dolby Vision for the cheapest Blu-Ray players, which are available from around 70 euros, says Grassl.

The playback quality on TV sets may suffer as a result.

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The sales of Blu-Ray players and recorders are clearly declining.

In 2013 more than 1.7 million devices were sold, the gfu forecast for 2020 is only 520,000 players and recorders sold.

"In times of media libraries and streaming offers, Blu-Ray and DVD have a very difficult time," says Roland Stehle, spokesman for the industry association gfu.

A gfu study on leisure behavior during the corona pandemic also observed an increased use of media libraries and streaming services.

"Here we have growth of 30 percent. This trend is being fueled by the increasing use of smart TVs," says Stehle.

The internet connection of these televisions is most often used to access paid streaming services, followed by free media libraries from TV stations and video portals.

Cons of streaming

The advantages of streaming lie in the diversity of the offer and the quick and easy access.

“With one or more streaming subscriptions, thousands of films and series are available to me within seconds - sometimes even in very good UHD picture and 3D sound quality,” says Konstantin Grassl.

However, there can be disadvantages to using streaming services quickly and easily.

“The content changes regularly.

A film that was still available from a provider in one month may have disappeared again in the next month ”, says Grassl.

Especially with series, this is annoying when viewers are already looking forward to the next episode and suddenly the entire season is no longer available.

This cannot happen with a disc.

The discs can also be played on many game consoles.

“Next-generation devices such as the Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X can also be used as UHD Blu-Ray players,” says Grassl.

Gamers no longer have to invest in different end devices.