(Before You Buy Your Next DVD Player)
When buying a Blu-ray disc Player you will see a new feature that may be unfamiliar to you. It is called the Blu-ray Profile. It is an important feature you need to know because it is one of the main differences between blu-ray players and DVD players.


With DVD players there was a single hardware requirement but this is not the case for Blu-ray players. It may be confusing at first but it is easy but once you know what each profile means. And even though Blu-ray technology is rather recent, you will find it is moving forward at a rapid pace so the format is constantly changing and evolving. If you’re not careful you may end up with an “older” Blu-ray player.


So, what exactly is a Blu-ray Profile? Well, they are used to catalog Blu-ray players and it determines the standard features and specifications of audio and video codec abilities found in Blu-ray Players. What a certain Profile a DVD player has tells you what set of features it supports. Blu-ray Profile 1.0 was the first set of features and functions labeled for discs and players. Then came Profile 1.1 and the latest is Profile 2.0 (BD-Live).


Now, any type of blu-ray profiles will play a blu-ray disc but with the different Profiles you get different extra features available to you.


Bly-ray Profile 1.0


The first Profile was 1.0, it has no extra features. You may also hear it referred to as “Initial Standard Profile” or “Grace Period Profile”. Being the first generation of Blu-ray players it meets the very basic standards and minimum requirements. It has 64 KB of built-in persistent memory. Local storage capability, Secondary video decoder, Secondary audio decoder and Virtual file system are all optional. But it would be rare to find any Profile 1.0 Blu-ray player with any of these features.


After Nov 27, 2007 all of Blu-ray players manufactured were required to support Profile 1.1. But you still can find Profile 1.0 Blu-ray players being sold. The Sharp BD-HP20U or the Pioneer elite BDP-95FD, for example, are still available. If you are someone who does not care for extra features and only interested in the movie, these Profile 1.0 blu-ray players maybe the right one for you.


Bly-ray Profile 1.1


Since Profile 1.1 is now the basic mandatory requirement of all Blu-ray players, these types are the most common. The profile 1.1 Blu-ray Players have 64 KB built-in persistent memory, 256 MB of local storage and a Virtual file system. But the main difference with Profile 1.1 Blu-ray Players is the addition of picture-in-picture function, also known as Bonus View. This is mainly use to show a smaller picture in the corner of the movie. Usually having a director or actor providing comments about the movie or a particular scene being displayed in the larger picture. A secondary video and audio decoders are required for the smaller picture. Most movie studios now apply this feature to all their standard releases.


Bly-ray Profile 2.0


Although Profile 2.0, also known as BD-Live, is not mandatory for new Blu-ray players, more and more manufacturers are beginning to producing these Profile types. The major different feature in Profile 2.0 is the ability of an internet connection, usually through an Ethernet port, and it is capable of interactive features when playing a blu-ray disc. Features such as movie-related games, blogs and other content. While movie studios are excited about this features and see it as the next “big thing” in home entertainment, so far interactive content has been not been all that spectacular or riveting. However, the possibilities to use this technology are vast and will surely improve.


The other technical details of Profile 2.0 are similar to Profiles 1.0 and 1.1 It has built-in persistent memory, Secondary video and audio decoders (for picture-in-picture), a Virtual file system and 1 GB of local storage. This large increase in storage from 256 MB that is in Profile 1.1 is to accommodate downloaded material from the internet. One thing you should be aware of is that some Profile 1.0 and 1.1 Blu-ray players have Ethernet ports. This is not for download extra content but for firmware updates.


When looking to purchase a Blu-ray players, you are most likely to come across all three Profile Types. So the question is, which one should I buy? Since the prices of Blu-ray Players are rapidly coming down, your best option would be the Profile 2.0 because it’s the latest and the most future proof of all the Blu-ray Players. But if you’re not interested in special
features or interactive capabilities, than considering a Profile 1.0 or Profile 1.1 Blu-ray Player is a very reasonable choice and will save you some money. Besides, you still be able to enjoy all and future Blu-ray disc movies; you just won’t be able to download extra content.