Blu-ray DVD players: Choosing the best Blu-ray and DVD players BD-Live and Bonus view

What is BD-Live?

BD-Live lets you connect to the internet when you insert a Blu-ray disc, so you can download extras such as games, and interact with other users. Many new players are BD-Live enabled, but we’ve found the experience to be a little disappointing. 

The Blu-ray disc of The Mummy III, for example, just has banner ads, a standard-definition making-of documentary and an option to email scenes to a friend (after an online registration process).

Check the compare features option on our Blu-ray DVD players review page to check which models support BD-Live and Bonus view.

BD-Live: our verdict

We found BD-Live clumsy to set up. You often go through a slow disc registration and manually set up the internet connection. You need extra memory to save content and, with most BD-Live players, you have to use a USB memory stick.

You can’t use resume on BD-Live content on any of the models we’ve tested, and discs are often slower to load on connected players. We’re promised better content, but this seems like a technology looking for a purpose at the moment. 

Bonus view

Bonus view lets you watch a video of actors or the director discussing a scene as it’s playing. Most new players can play it.