Blu Ray & DVD buyer's guide

Looking for a new DVD or Blu-ray player? Here’s our quick guide to what you should look for…

DVD

Still really popular and widespread, DVD players represent the cheapest option for enjoying films at home and can start as cheaply as £20.

Most models will provide a digital HDMI output and can upscale standard definition video to HD quality, while all of them can deliver Dolby Surround Sound to your home cinema set up.

Read our DVD Buyer's Guide.

 

Blu-ray

Blu-ray is the high definition replacement for DVD. Keep in mind that any Blu-ray player can also play your DVD discs, so it’s a two-in-one product. They offer Full HD 1080p playback for the sharpest possible image with better colour clarity than you get with DVD.

Read our Blu-ray Buyer's Guide.


3D Blu-ray

Enjoy the 3D cinema experience in the comfort of your living room with a 3D Blu-ray player. These top-of-the-range models connect to a 3D TV to bring you the latest 3D blockbusters exactly as they were meant to be seen.

Read our 3D TV Buyer's Guide.


Smart features

Keep an eye out for players that mention “Smart” or “Digital” features. These provide enhanced features such as accessing YouTube, BBC iPlayer and other online services, and they can be used to stream video to your HDTV from other compatible devices, such as a PC.

Read our Internet TV Buyer's Guide.

 

Digital Recorders

Certain players - often marked with a Freeview+ sticker - come with a built-in hard drive and Freeview tuners. This means they can record and playback digital TV and also pause and rewind shows so you can go off to make a cup of tea.

Read our Digital TV Recorder Buyer's Guide.


Portable players

Just because you’re on the move doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy your favourite films. There’s a wide range of portable DVD players available. Most offer a screen size between 7 and 10 inches and have a battery life that can handle even the longest Director’s Cut.

Read our DVD Buyer's Guide

Blu Ray & DVD features & videos

Feature Image

April’s big movies

Fancy a big night in? Here’s our pick of five of the best blockbuster releases including The Hobbit…

Read more

Feature Image

Martin Freeman talks about The Hobbit

As The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey arrives on DVD and Blu-ray, Martin Freeman talks about the epic quest…

Read more

Feature Image

Sky buys O2 and Be Broadband

Sky vows to provide uninterrupted service to doubting Thomases.

Read more

Feature Image

Win a Sony Blu-ray player and Skyfall Blu-ray

If you’ve not seen Skyfall, the highest-grossing film in the UK ever, why not?

Read more

Feature Image

How to connect to your TV

You might also like: Televisions buyer’s guide How to colour calibrate a new TV How to stream media to your phone, laptop or tablet

Read more

Feature Image

Sony launches 4K TVs and a 4K entertainment network

Sony says Ultra High Definition 4K TV is now! So brace yourself for a 4K PlayStation 4.

Read more


Share