Blu-ray DVD players: Choosing the best Blu-ray and DVD players Blu-ray and DVD player features explained
Blu-ray and DVDs
All DVD and Blu-ray players will play standard definition pre-recorded DVDs, either those you rent or buy. However, only Blu-ray players will play back high-definition Blu-ray discs.
DVD and Blu-ray players will also play back discs that have been recorded on other DVD recorders.
However, not all DVD discs are the same.
There are several different standard definition recording formats: DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW and DVD Ram. There are also dual layer versions of DVD-R and DVD+R discs. Each type has slightly different features and capabilities, and not all DVD players will play back all formats.
In addition there are two high-definition Blu-ray recordable discs - BR-R and BD-RE. These will only play back on Blu-ray players and are not compatible with any standard DVD player.
There are many DVD formats and some machines can play all
For more, see our guide to DVD formats.
Bookmarking
This lets you mark favourite scenes or places in a disc so you can quickly find them again. More sophisticated DVD and Blu-ray players let you bookmark several discs, and will ‘remember’ your bookmarks even when the disc is removed.
Many new Blu-ray models don't have bookmarking, so check our Blu-ray product reviews before you buy.
Resume
Resume means the DVD or Blu-ray player will start the disc where you stopped it (instead of at the beginning). Models with multi-disc resume remember where to start playing the disc even after you’ve removed it and reinserted it.
Resume was missing on many early Blu-ray players, but is now more common. It usually works on standard DVD and Blu-ray discs though we haven’t yet seen a Blu-ray player where it work with BD-Live discs.
SD cards are a great way to view digital photos on your TV
USB ports and SD card slots
Some of the latest DVD and Blu-ray players have memory card slots that let you plug the card from your digital camera directly into the machine and view pictures on your TV. More common are USB ports for connecting USB memory sticks or digital equipment.
Either way, the picture quality is typically excellent when viewed on a modern high-resolution LCD, LED or plasma TV. As an added bonus, the USB option sometimes allows you to play MP3 music files or digital video formats.
However, USB ports on some Blu-ray players work only as extra memory storage for BD-Live applications.
Surround-sound
All DVD and Blu-ray players can be connected to external surround-sound decoders (such as Dolby Digital 5.1), amplifiers and speakers so you can experience ‘cinema-like’ surround sound.
Virtually all DVDs and Blu-ray discs have surround-sound tracks on them. If you intend to use your player with a surround-sound system, you’ll need one with a digital output that’s compatible with the surround-sound amplifier. There are two types of output, coaxial (wire) and optical (fibre optic) so make sure you get the correct type.
Black level control
This adjusts the picture's black level. This is useful for watching movies with particularly dark sequences, such as The Matrix. LCD TV pictures can often look a bit washed out, so any boost from the player can be helpful.
To avoid buying an LCD TV with washed out pictures, check our individual TV product reviews.
Auto power-off
If you leave your player switched on when not in use, this energy-saving feature will switch it into standby after a set period.
HDMI
An HDMI lead is essential for HD viewing
This high-definition video socket connects your Blu-ray player to a suitable HDTV. Many manufacturers claim the HDMI connection will enhance standard DVD pictures when connected to a HDTV. However, we've rarely witnessed many picture quality improvements, when compared with a standard Scart RGB connection.
For more information on the best TVs for watching high definition content check our LCD and plasma TV review pages.
