Blu-ray buyer's guide

Blu-ray players allow you to watch films in high definition and provide the best possible sound and imagery. This guide explains the benefits of Blu-ray, what equipment you'll need, and some handy features to look out for.

What is Blu-ray?

Blu-ray discs look just like DVDs, but provide much better quality. Use them with a Full-HD TV and you can see films in 1080p, an outstanding level of picture.

Blu-ray discs also have space for far more content than a standard DVD, meaning they often contain many additional features, such as Director commentaries, multi-lingual dubbing and even the possibility of interacting with the content. It's not just the picture quality that is enhanced, Blu-ray comes with the benefit of enhanced surround sound.

In order to get the best out of Blu-ray, you'll need the following:

A Blu-ray player – a special player that can play Blu-ray discs. You will also be able to play any standard DVD.

An HDTV – this will be used as the output for your player. A Full HD 1080p TV is recommended, as this will bring out the best in Blu-ray. A full home cinema system is not a bad idea if you want to take advantage of features like surround sound.

An HDMI cable – the newest cable technology allows an improved quality of image and sound transfer from your high definition boxes to your high definition TV, improving your viewing experience. To ensure you benefit from HD content make sure that you include a cable in your purchase of any HD product.

Blu-ray disc – so now all you need are some films to watch. Tesco has a growing collection of Blu-ray titles, available either to buy or rent. For details click here for our entertainment site .