With the Blu-ray format becoming more and more popular, there are now many different versions of Blu-ray DVD Players in the marketplace, all having their own set of features and functions. Combine this with the fact Blu-ray is a relatively new technology, it can get a little confusing for us consumers to figure out exactly what to look for when buying a new Blu-ray player. To help you decide, here are four features every good Blu-ray DVD Player should have:


BD LIVE


All Blu-ray Players are divided into Profiles and each Profile offers certain functions and features. Older profiles are 1.0 , 1.1, 2.0 and BD-Live is the latest and newest Profile. It is the best profile and contains all the functions and features of 1.0 and 1.1, as well as a few new ones. Most Blu-ray Players manufactured today are Profile 2.0 or BD Live, but not all of them. BD-Live allows you to access a wide variety of bonus material found on the web, such as online movie related games, latest trailers and other content. It allows your movie experience to be interactive since you can go into chat rooms and discuss movies online.

Ethernet/Wireless


Blu-ray Players are not sorely about the Blu-ray disc anymore, it offers so much more. Being able to connect your Blu-ray Player to the Internet or your home computer is no longer a convenient perk but a definite must. In the beginning the Ethernet port was mainly used as a nice and fast way of upgrading your Blu-ray Player’s firmware. Although this is still the case, having your Blu-ray Player connected, now offers so much more. There are many services out there that have online streaming of movies and TV shows in High Definition. Services like Hulu, Netflix and Amazon-on-Demand offer a wide variety of movies and TV shows in HD. Therefore, you no longer have to pay for specialty HD cable channels in order to watch your favorite TV shows or movies; you can Stream them online for free.


The Blu-ray DVD Player having a wireless connection is big plus since you don’t have to deal with all those annoying cables. Blu-ray Players with wireless Ethernet, once you turn the power on, will automatically pick up your wireless home network and connect you to it. Streaming movies and pictures from your home computer is also something you can do via some Blu-ray Players.

Fast Load Times


Blu-ray DVD Players have a reputation of very slow disc loading times. In the past, and to some extent still today, this has been a main criticism of Blu-ray DVD Players. It may seem like an insignificant feature, but most people when they insert a disc want instant playback and waiting around for a few minutes before you can access your disc can get rather annoying. Adding to the annoyance is you get different loading times with each movie Blu-ray disc. The good news is that Blu-ray Players are improving their load times. Players like Sony’s PlayStation 3, OPPO’s BDP-83, and Samsung’s BD-P3600 have very fast loading times, and most Blu-ray movies have the exact same loading time. Remember, updating the Blu-ray Players firmware can increase loading times, as manufactures are always trying to improve playback.

Audio/Video


Lastly, but certainly not least, it should come as no surprise that a Blu-ray Player should have great audio and video. Having a clear, sharp, crisp image/sound is a very important feature and Blu-ray Players can deliver this if they have Full HD 1080p video output. Every Blu-ray Player will have Dolby Digital, DTS, and PCM audio formats. However, if you want the best, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD High Resolution and DTS-HD Master Audio; these are the formats you should look for in a Blu-ray DVD Player. These will bring you the best possible sound and most blu-ray movies will be encoded with these audio formats.


Of course, there are other great features and functions that a Blu-ray Player might have, but these four features are the core basics to every good Blu-ray DVD Player. Having all four of these features will make for a solid, dependable Blu-ray DVD Player, fully allowing you to get the best enjoyment out of your movie viewing experience and even a little bit more.