Blu-ray Players - Movies and Home Theater - All You Need to Know

Home Theater Receiver

Blu-ray players and Blu-ray movies are generating a lot of excitement. Now that the "format war" is over with Blu-ray crowned the victor, consumers are getting ready to embrace high-definition on a disc, namely, Blu-ray Discs! This guide will make sure you understand Blu-ray and get the most out of your experience.

Home Theater Receiver

What do you get with Blu-ray?

There are four primary advantages Blu-ray Disc movies have over their Dvd equivalents:

o Improved capacity and durability. Blu-ray Discs have up to 50Gb of disc capacity for a dual-layer disc, which is over 5x more than a double-layer Dvd. Blu-ray discs carry the data close to the face of the disc, so a hard coat is applied to safe the brittle data. This hard coat is very durable and resists scratches and fingerprints.

o Improved video quality. Blu-ray Disc movies have up to 6x the photo information of a accepted Dvd. Numbers are not the way to describe the difference, though! Suffice it to say the sharpness, depth, color and information is far greater than whatever you have ever experienced before. No matter what they say about upconverting Dvd players providing "near high-def quality," after you caress Blu-ray it is more of a country mile than "near." The bigger the screen size, the bigger the difference.

o Improved audio quality. Most Blu-ray Discs have lossless audio, which, obviously, means no loss of sound quality. In short the sound ability from Blu-ray Discs is capable of matching the master tapes from the studio. If you have a sound theory capable of using the lossless audio formats, the divergence in sound ability is just as apparent as the divergence in video quality. In fact, when doing demonstrations in my own home theater before I even get to explicate that the sound as well as the video is high-definition the viewers make comments such as "Wow, the sound!" or "I've never heard sound like that anywhere." You need a relatively recent surround sound setup to caress the lossless sound; more on that later.

o Improved interactivity. Blu-ray Discs and players use Bd-Java, a version of Sun Microsystems's Java programming that is ubiquitous on the Internet. Using Java allows the studios to put games and other interactive features on the discs, as well as menus that can be accessed while the movie is playing. (Once you have experienced the latter, it's even harder to go back to Dvd!) The downside to the Bd-Java is that it requires a lot of processing power and early Blu-ray players may take some minutes to load the discs once they are located in the player. Compatibility problems may exists as well and the player may need a firmware modernize to function properly. Blu-ray will soon be introducing Profile 2.0, or "Bd-Live" which will bring Web interactivity to Blu-ray and allow you to download bonus materials, play games, and much more.

What do I need to caress Blu-ray's spectacular video quality?

This is an easy answer! You need a high-definition Tv, a Blu-ray player, and a connection cable or cables. If you have an Hdmi input on your Tv, you should use an Hdmi cable from your Blu-ray player to the Tv. Do not overpay for your Hdmi cable. Most big box shop only sell overpriced brands such as Monster Cable and fee from to 0 or more for a particular Hdmi cable. You can get a perfectly good, well-made Hdmi cable for under .00 from monoprice.com.

If you have an older Hdtv with component video connections, you need a set of component cables and a set of stereo audio Rca cables.

What do I need to caress Blu-ray's lossless sound?

This is a lot trickier! First of all, if you are just running the sound through your Tv speakers there isn't going to be much difference. You need a isolate sound theory to literally appreciate Blu-ray's fine sound.

There are some lossless sound formats available and older receivers, and even many current ones do not keep these new sound formats. Not all of the players keep them, either. I'll start with the separate surround formats, and then explicate what equipment you need to caress them at home.

Pcm, Lpcm: These are the same thing. Some studios call it Pcm, for Pulse Code Modulation, a lossless method of digital recording. Lpcm stands for Linear Pcm. Sometimes you will see "20 bit Lpcm" or "24-bit Lpcm" on the disc cases. The more bits, the higher the resolution and the better the sound. To caress lossless Pcm sound you need a receiver with an Hdmi input capable of receiving multichannel Pcm, or a Blu-ray player with multichannel analog outputs and a receiver with multichannel inputs. If your receiver has an Hdmi input the player will send the audio over the Hdmi cable and the receiver will amplify the sound and send it to the speakers.

If you are using the analog outputs, the player will change the Pcm sound to analog and send the high-resolution sound from its analog connections to the receiver's analog inputs. In this case the surround settings are set on the player and the receiver is just a volume control and an amplifier.

Dolby TrueHd: This format uses lossless compression so the audio information takes up less space on the disc than a Pcm file, but no sound ability is lost in the compression process. There are some ways to caress lossless sound from Dolby TrueHd. The first is with a receiver with an Hdmi input capable of receiving multichannel Pcm, and a Blu-ray player that can decode Dolby TrueHd and change it to Pcm. The player will decode the Dolby TrueHd, change it to Pcm and send it via Hdmi to the receiver for playback. The PlayStation 3 is an example of player that uses internal TrueHd decoding and an Lpcm production via Hdmi.

The second way is with Blu-ray player with TrueHd decoding through multichannel analog outputs and a receiver with multichannel inputs. If you are using the analog outputs, the player will decode the TrueHd, change it to analog, then send the high-resolution sound from its analog connections to the receiver's analog inputs. In this case the surround settings are set on the player and receiver is just a volume control and an amplifier.

The third way is via "bitstreaming." Bitstreaming takes the digital data from the disc and transfers it via Hdmi to a receiver with a built-in Dolby TrueHd decoder. The receiver decodes the TrueHd and powers the speakers. According to many who have tried all three methods, bitstreaming is the best inherent way to reproduce TrueHd.

Dts-Hd: Dts-Hd consists of two streams: a "core" with a high-resolution (but lossy) Dts track and a Dts-Hd Ma (Master Audio) track. The Ma track is a lossless track capable of duplicating the studio master tape. At the time of publication no players with internal Dts-Hd decoding exist so the only way to reproduce the lossless Dts-Hd Ma track is with a player capable of bitstreaming the information and a receiver with Dts-Hd decoding. The major studios currently using Dts-Hd are 20th Century Fox and New Line Cinema.

Dolby Digital Plus: Improved Lossy Sound

Many Blu-ray Discs have Dolby Digital Plus, an improved version of Dolby Digital. While it isn't lossless, the sound ability is noticeably better than accepted Dolby Digital soundtracks.

Blu-ray Profiles

Blu-ray players conform to one of three profiles, each having separate capabilities.

Profile 1.0 players plainly play the movie. This is called the "grace duration profile."

Profile 1.1 players play the movie and have picture-in-picture capabilities via secondary photo and audio decoders. The picture-in-picture feature is called "Bonus View" and the profile is called "Final accepted Profile." All Blu-ray players announced from the gift onwards must conform to at least profile 1.1.

Profile 2.0 players play the movie, keep Bonus View and contribute an Internet connection for Web interactivity.

Will I need a Blu-ray player and a Dvd player if I have Dvds?

All Blu-ray players will play Dvds and upconvert them to high-definition resolutions, if not high-definition quality. Upconverting ability varies widely by Blu-ray player so if you have an upconverting Dvd player, use the same Dvd in both your Blu-ray player and your Dvd player and correlate the photo quality. You may want to keep both hooked up, or plainly use the Blu-ray player for all your playback needs.

Firmware Updates

Firmware updates are software updates for your player's operating system. Firmware is updated either by web (Samsung Bd-P1400 and Sony PlayStation 3) or via Cd (all others.) To modernize via Cd you must visit the manufacturer's website, download the firmware file and burn it to a disc. Be sure to corollary all instructions when burning firmware discs! As Blu-ray is a new and evolving format, using the most recent firmware is needful for best carrying out so be sure to register your purchase so you are notified when updates are available and check the manufacturer's website oftentimes for new releases.

Recommended Blu-ray Players

There has been a lot of info in case,granted thus far. Now it's time to put it together, beginning with a player! This list will be edited and updated as new players are introduced and tested.

Sony PlayStation 3 (40Gb) 9: I am listing the Playstation 3 (Ps3) separately because not only is it the best Blu-ray player currently available, it is truly a breed apart.

What makes the Ps3 the best Blu-ray player? It has very marvelous processors that make loading times fast and Bd-Java compatibility a breeze, it is very responsive, and firmware is literally updated automatically and wirelessly. It can also surf the web with a built-in web browser and works as a multimedia town and can display digital pictures and play music from its internal hard drive. It supports profile 1.1 now and will keep profile 2.0 with an announced firmware update, so it is future-proof.

Oh, yeah, and it plays games too! It is easy to forget that, sometimes!

A Blu-ray Disc remote is available for .99, development a unblemished Ps3 Blu-ray outfit a mere 5... A deal for a future-proof profile 2.0 player that is rock-solid reliable. If you don't like the idea of using a "game machine" (which the Ps3 literally is) in your home theater, try to think of it as a multimedia entertainment theory instead.

The big downside to the Ps3 is it doesn't keep bitstreaming of Dolby TrueHd or Dts-Ma (and never will due to hardware limitations) so you can't currently use it to caress all of the lossless sound formats. Because it will never bitstream in its current form if you have a receiver that supports TrueHd or Dts-Ma you can't use it in the first-rate bitstream mode- only Pcm. A firmware modernize to allow the Ps3 to decode Dts-Hd Ma and production Lpcm has been rumored, but not yet announced.

In short- at 9, the Ps3 is not only the best Blu-ray player you can buy but one of the least expensive, as well.

Profile 1.0

A profile 1.0 player may get the movie on your screen but if you can get a Ps3 for only 0 more, you are much better off getting a Ps3. Unless it is being sold at a super-bargain price (under 0) or included for free with purchase of an Hdtv, I advise you avoid profile 1.0 players and look to the Ps3 or a profile 1.1 model. The following players could be a good buy if the price is right but unless it is well under 0 you are literally better off finding elsewhere. Because of this I have not listed suggested sell prices for these players- if it isn't under 0, stay away.

Samsung Bd-P1400: A word of warning: with this player you literally need to watch the firmware updates as there have been problems playing certain discs (mostly Fox titles) on Samsung players. The Bd-P1400 has an Ethernet port for firmware modernize via web, which makes it much easier than burning a disc. Audio keep is excellent. The Bd-P1400 can decode Dolby TrueHd to Lpcm, bitstream Dolby TrueHd and Dts-Hd Ma, and the analog outputs can contribute lossless sound from Pcm and Dolby TrueHd. No Dts-Hd Ma from the analog outputs, though.

Sony Bdp-S300: Load times are slow but playback is reliable. Lack of Dolby TrueHd and Dts-Hd keep make this player best marvelous to setups without a sound system... In other words, just a Tv and the player.

Sharp Bd-Hp20U: This player has trustworthy playback of Blu-ray movies but carrying out with Dvds is subpar, as is audio format support. Like the Bdp-S300, this player is best used in systems comprised of a Tv and a player.

Profile 1.1

Panasonic Dmp-Bd30 (9): Panasonic's Blu-ray players have proven to be very trustworthy and the Bd30 offers loading times second only to the Ps3. The Bd30 has multichannel audio outputs for lossless sound from Dolby TrueHd and Pcm/Lpcm.

If Web interactivity isn't foremost to you but sound ability is, the bitstream-capable Bd30 and a receiver capable of decoding Dolby TrueHd and Dts-Hd is currently your best option and one of the only ways to caress both TrueHd and Dts-Hd Ma.

Profile 2.0:

Panasonic Dmp-Bd50: Panasonic's Dmp-Bd50 is essentially a Bd30 with the increasing of Bd-Live capability. It will be available in the second quarter of 2008. Though it has yet to be tested the fine carrying out of Panasonic's Bd30 makes it a safe recommendation.

Recommended Blu-ray Movie Retailers

Blu-ray movies are much more expensive than their Dvd equivalents if you buy them in stores. I strongly advise you purchase your movies online from Amazon, where they typically cost - less per movie. There's a big divergence in the middle of .95 and .95, both financially and perceptually! Keep your eyes open for online sales, too.

Recommended Blu-ray Movies

This list is by no means comprehensive- just some great titles to get your started with Blu-ray and show you what it can do.

20th Century Fox: Some of the earlier Fox titles use Mpeg2, an older video encoding process. recent titles use the more modern Avc encoding and top-notch jobs of film transfer, foremost to astonishing photo quality. Fox uses Dts-Hd for lossless audio. Fox promises to publish a great many new titles in 2008, along with Patton, one of the best war movies ever made.

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer: Dramatic action sequences both on Earth and in deep space show what a divergence Blu-ray can make in your system. This disc features a near-perfect film transfer with substantial information and keen yet realistic color. Be sure to check out the great documentary features, along with interviews with comic book artists and writers.

The Simpsons Movie: A must-have for Simpsons fans!

Disney: Many believe Disney to be the finest studio in the high-definition disc business, consistently producing top-quality audio and video and some of the neatest menus and interactive features available. Disney movies should be in your hand when you are in the checkout line with your Blu-ray player. Disney uses 24-bit Lpcm on practically all of their titles.

Cars: On a good theory this movie looks practically 3-dimensional as the cars race around the track- it's like there are models racing around inside your Tv and you are watching through a clear window. Features interactive Car Finder game.

Pirates of the Caribbean 1, 2, and 3: Reference-quality audio and video and a blend of action, reality and fantasy make the Pirates series some of the best films available on Blu-ray.

New Line Cinema

Hairspray: Hairspray has a great story and quirky, keen and likeable characters throughout. The film bursts with energy, featuring great choreography and music.

Sony Pictures: As a primary inventor of the Blu-ray Disc format, Sony's keep has been strong. Lpcm is the most commonly used lossless audio format and is featured on practically every Sony Pictures title.

Casino Royale: Spectacular film transfer with deep, rich color and information that makes you feel like you are there in the middle of the action. Tons of shameless Sony product placement in this one- look for the Sony phone and Sony Blu-ray Disc player!

The Life of Brian: Monty Python's first-rate looks great in Hd. You may find the falling-blocks menu neat or annoying, depending on how you like gimmicks. This title has great-looking menus, too. Features both Dolby TrueHd and Lpcm lossless audio.

Warner Bros.: The most prolific studio in high definition, Warner produces more titles on Blu-ray than whatever else. Lpcm and Dolby TrueHd are both used.

300: Though liberties are taken with historical accuracy about the Spartans and the battle of Thermopylae, this film is a triumphant merging of Cgi and live action and will keep you on the edge of your seat. Make sure you have the stomach for lots of gore. Features both TrueHd and Lpcm soundtracks.

2001: A Space Odyssey: Kubrick's sci-fi first-rate is a exquisite example of how good first-rate movies can look in high definition. With a good Tv you can read the writing on the instructions for the zero-gravity toilet! 24-bit Lpcm sound.

Blade Runner: Beautifully restored print of this sci-fi first-rate looks practically 3-dimensional with a substantial sense of depth. Director's cut features an ending separate than the happier original. Dolby TrueHd sound.

Harry Potter (all titles): Harry Potter's fantasy world is exquisite for Hd. What more needs to be said? Lpcm sound.

Planet Earth: This Bbc documentary series is probably the best nature series ever made and an absolute must-have. Iimagery is powerful, magnificent, featuring vistas that are almost, well, unworldly as you see sights you never knew existed on our planet.

Other Studios

Universal Studios and sublime Pictures have recently announced Blu-ray keep and are thinkable, to publish titles by mid-2008.

Appendix: Upgrading your sound system

As a final note, now that you are ready to embrace Blu-ray you may want to upgrade your sound theory to make the most of it. Below are some of the best values available in speakers and receivers. All of them feature class-leading carrying out in their price range and are sure to satisfy whatever finding for great sound for Tv, movies and music. Add your Blu-ray player and you're all set for remarkable home theater!

Speakers

Great speakers are the key to a great sounding audio system. Truly good ones will sound great no matter what you play through them... Classical or rock music, action movies, sports on Tv, vinyl records or Cds. This is by far the most foremost part of your sound theory and worthy of serious investment, if you have the means. Listed here are some literally affordable options sure to make you smile.

Insignia Ns-B2111 .98/pair

Sold exclusively at Best Buy, these speakers have crisp, clean sound that is also warm and full-sounding. I never thought I would advise a speaker selling for under 0 per pair as favorable for use in a ability sound system... Yet here I am doing exactly that. Two pairs of these and an entry-level Onkyo receiver make for an excellent-sounding four channel surround theory that will blow the doors off of most any home-theater in-a-box system. They are not magnetically shielded so you can't put them too close to a tube-type Tv. Listing for .98, they are often on sale for or less.

Acculine 9/pair and up

What makes Acculine speakers extra is their leaf tweeters, typically found only in very expensive, exotic speakers. These tweeters must be heard to be appreciated, as they render sound so transparently and with so much information that I liken it to a sonic version of the optic divergence in the middle of Hdtv and analog Tv-they are literally that good! I imagine a lot of new owners will turn their heads in disbelief as they hear sounds in their recordings they never knew existed. They speakers are very well made, with solid cabinets with high ability aluminum woofers.

To show Acculine's ultimate value equation, we will build two Acculine 5.1 channel systems. The Acculine A1s are 9 per pair with two pairs required, one for mains and one for surrounds. This comes to 8. The A-2 town Channel is 9 and the Acculine Asub is 9. This gets you a top performing home theater speaker theory using exotic technology for only 6. That's pretty incredible!

The second Acculine theory mimics the one above, but uses Acculine A3 towers as main speakers. The A3s are 9 per pair, a 0 divergence which brings the total to 16. This is equally thinkable, for a high ability theory using tower speakers.

You can substitute the 5 Parts Express Dayton subwoofer for the Acculine sub, salvage 4 and you still have an remarkable speaker theory without compromise. I can't overstate how good the Acculines sound- given the price it is quite amazing. You can see the Acculine speakers at www.theaudioinsider.com and the Dayton subwoofer at www.partsexpress.com

Axiom Audio 6/pair and up

I am especially fond of Axiom Audio's M2 and M22 bookshelf speakers and their unblemished home theater systems, which use some of the best surround speakers I have encountered. Axiom's Qs4 and Qs8 surround speakers have very wide radiation that combines spaciousness with efficient imaging- great stuff! All Axiom speakers have a full and natural sound that is very detailed, some say is a bit bright. I have found the Onkyo receivers to be a great match with them. Axiom's convention establish Shop allows you to establish speakers to match your decor. See Axiom's speakers at www.axiomaudio.com

Receivers

I advise the Onkyo Tx-Sr605 and the Tx-Sr805 as they are the best values going. They feature clean, strong amplifiers and decoding for Pcm/Lpcm, Dolby TrueHd, and Dts-Hd Ma. The 90 watts-per-channel Tx-Sr605 is available for 0 road price and the 130 watts-per-channel Tx-Sr805 for 0 road price. Opt for the 705 if you have a large room needing more power than the 605 or if you want its automated setup features.

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Blu-ray Players - Movies and Home Theater - All You Need to Know
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