The shopping team 5:45 p.m., June 27, 2022
Despite the rise of streaming, Blu-ray still offers excellent quality that does not depend on its connection to the Internet.
To play your favorite films in the best conditions, you have to choose your Blu-ray player carefully.
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Video streaming is currently experiencing great success, to the point that one would come to think that physical media are a thing of the past.
However, Blu-ray is far from having said its last word and still offers several advantages over streaming.
The first is that you don't need an Internet connection to watch a movie, often with better quality.
In order not to suffer from the sometimes variable bandwidth, a streaming film or TV series is compressed more aggressively than a Blu-ray, which will therefore offer an image that is always sharper and closer to the source.
The choice of films can be another advantage for Blu-ray: today there are many films in the format, where it can be more complicated to know on which service to watch a particular film, when it is available .
4K Blu-ray also offers an increasingly accessible alternative for moviegoers who demand the best picture possible.
In short, there are still good reasons to buy Blu-rays, but to enjoy them, you need a good quality player, and that's what this selection offers.
Summary :
LG UBK80, an accessible 4K Blu-ray player
LG UBK90, an HDR10 compatible model
Panasonic DP-UB424, an Alexa compatible player
Sony UBP-X800M2, a benchmark from the creator of Blu-ray
Panasonic DP-UB9000EG1, a 4K Blu-ray player for audiophiles
Our top 5 best Blu-ray players
LG UBK80, an accessible 4K Blu-ray player
LG offers a wide range of Blu-ray and 4K Blu-ray players, including the LG UBK80, an accessible and feature-rich player.
The player is capable of playing UHD Blu-rays, Blu-rays and 3D Blu-rays as well as audio DVDs and CDs.
It is compatible with XviD, H264/AVC, H265/HEVC, MPEG-1, MPEG2 or MPEG-4 formats and decodes Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS, DTS-HD and Dolby Atmos audio formats (compatible only).
Features in the standard that make it a versatile player.
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LG UBK90, an HDR10 compatible model
A little above the UBK80, the LG UBK90 is a connected UHD Blu-ray player, equipped with Smart TV functionalities and capable of playing discs but also of connecting to streaming services in 4K.
In terms of compatibility, it handles all major video and audio formats including Dolby Atmos compatibility.
Picture-wise, it handles HDR with Dolby Vision and HDR10+ support.
In short, a competent and balanced Blu-ray player, also compatible with DVD and Audio CD.
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Panasonic DP-UB424, an Alexa compatible player
Panasonic are among the leading manufacturers of 4K Blu-ray players and within the range the Panasonic DP-UB424 player offers some very good features including HDR10+ and Dolby Vision support, with the ability to optimize non-HDR content to enhance their dynamics.
The player is equipped for this with an HCX image processor which guarantees precision and faithful color reproduction.
The Panasonic DP-UB424 player is also compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant voice assistants, so you can control it by voice.
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Sony UBP-X800M2, a benchmark from the creator of Blu-ray
The Sony UBP-X800M2 UHD Blu-ray player obviously has an advantage: Sony created this format and therefore offers reliable and well-equipped players.
This is the case of the Sony UBP-X800M2, a player compatible with all technologies allowing you to enjoy the best immersion (Dolby Atmos, DTS X, etc.) and offering optimizations in terms of vibration limitation and heat dissipation which allow you to watch your films in the best conditions.
The player also supports major streaming services.
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Panasonic DP-UB9000EG1, a 4K Blu-ray player for audiophiles
With the Panasonic DP-UB9000EG1, the brand is clearly at the top of the range and boasts of outstanding image quality, especially for upscaling to 4K and for playing UHD Blu-rays.
The player offers digital sound outputs but also analog and even 2 outputs in XLR format, and its high-resolution audio compatibility also makes it an interesting choice for music lovers.
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What are the different types of Blu-Ray player?
There are several types of Blu-ray players.
We can already distinguish Blu-ray players from UHD Blu-ray players.
The Blu-ray format was created around HD in 1080p resolution.
Since then, UHD Blu-ray has brought support for 4K video and HDR which increases color dynamics on compatible televisions.
All 4K Blu-ray players play "standard" Blu-rays, but not the other way around, even in HD resolution.
When you buy a disc in Blu-ray UHD format, it is also often supplied with Blu-ray HD as a bonus.
A distinction can also be made between simple Blu-ray players (4K or not) which only play Blu-rays, DVDs and/or audio CDs, and connected players which also support Smart TV type functionalities and in particular allow watch movies on streaming services like Netflix or Prime Video.
Some recent game consoles like Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5 also play 4K Blu-rays.
Can a Blu-Ray player play a DVD?
Technically, basically, a DVD player uses a red laser and a Blu-ray player uses a blue laser, hence its name.
In contrast, Blu-ray players usually include both lasers, and therefore it is possible for a Blu-ray player to play DVDs.
They even allow them to be played with upscaling technology that optimizes the image to display better in HD.
On the other hand, it is impossible to play a Blu-ray with a DVD player.
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