Blu-Ray players offer more than just a gateway to a real cinema experience. You don't need to spend a fortune on a Blu-Ray player to enjoy total audio clarity and the best picture quality either. We looked at the best Blu-Ray players on the market that won’t break the bank. 

There’s no question that Blu-Ray is the successor to DVD but is the jury still out on whether Blu-Ray players are worth the added cost? When CDs hit the market in the early ‘80s, they were an instant hit. Then came DVDs – another massive step in the evolution of traditional media. Today we have Blu-Ray, which despite being around since 2006 (when the first Blu-ray Disc titles were released including movies 50 First Dates, The Fifth Element, and The Terminator), is still king.   

Simply put, Blu-Ray is an optical disc format designed to display high definition video and store oodles of data. Blu-Ray disc capacity is up to 10 times higher than a DVD, which means you can fit a lot more video on each disc, even at higher quality allowing for a greater range of color contrast and brightness, making the picture more saturated and more real-to-life than ever. Most of the newest Blu-Ray players offer lots of the same streaming services as you'll find on a dedicated streaming device, ensuring a constant supply of entertainment.

What’s In A Name?

While Blu-Ray may sound like the name of a new species of shark, it makes sense if you look at how Blu-Ray discs work. The format's name comes from the fact that a blue laser reads from and writes to the disc rather than the red laser of DVD players. Blu-Ray discs are meant to guarantee you a better picture than a standard DVD.

Blu-Ray VS DVD

While both Blu-Ray devices and DVD players are designed to play discs, they aren’t created equally. All Blu-ray disc players also play DVDs and CDs, whereas DVD and CD players can’t play Blu-ray discs. Most Blu-Ray players can also access audio/video content streamed from the internet or local home network (PCs/Media servers), and content stored on compatible USB devices, such as flash drives. Some Blu-ray Disc players include a feature called “Screen Mirroring”, which allows audio/video sharing content from a compatible smartphone and tablet, that, in turn, sends that audio and video to a compatible TV and audio system. If you are still set on your old DVD player, and not quite ready to make the jump to Blu-Ray, that’s okay. Get as much use out of your DVD player as you can as it’s predicted that soon DVDs will probably be obsolete and you’ll have no choice but to make the move. While you can still purchase DVDs, DVD players are becoming harder and harder to find – with shelves around the world being replaced with Blu-Ray players instead.

Here's an overview of the top 5 best Blu-Ray Players:

1. LG BP175 Region Free Blu-ray Player, Multi-Region 110-240 Volts, 6FT HDMI Cable & Dynastar Plug Adapter Bundle Package

The playback delivers exceptional Full HD 1080p video performance, along with stunning high-definition sound, making the LG Region Free Blu-Ray player ahead of some other market contenders. It also plays DVDs, so there is no need to replace your old DVD collection, while DVD upscaling delivers exceptional image quality with 1080p up scaling via HDMI. Best of all, this device is “Region Free”, which means it will play on any DVD or Blu-ray player without restriction.

2. Samsung BD-HM57C Smart Blu-ray Player with Built-in Wi-Fi (Derivative)

With this player you can stream movies on Netflix, know whether to grab a jersey or put on shorts with AccuWeather, watch your favorite videos on YouTube, chat with family and friends on Twitter and Facebook, listen to music on Pandora and much more. With 18 preloaded Content apps, your choices are limitless! Built-in Wi-Fi means no additional cables or messy wires are needed to connect to your device. Quick and painless to set up with Quick Start Mode, this player fires in as little as five seconds.

3. External Blu-ray DVD CD Drive USB 2.0 3D Blu-Ray Player Portable CD/DVD-ROM Burner BD-ROM for PC Computer Desktop Notebook (White)

No external drive is required making this device easy to use and set up. With advanced chips, you can watch DVD/CD movies without delay or burn music and movies to CDS. However, the device is not equipped to burn Blu-Ray discs (only pay them). It is suitable for Windows 2000/ME/ XP/Vista/ Windows 7, Linus, and other systems, and supports both laptop and desktop with its USB 2.0/1.0 port. Inside the box you’ll find two cables - one is a data cable and the other is power cable that can supply power to get rid of the trouble of power shortages.

4. Sony All Region Free Blu Ray A B C and DVD Player, and 6 feet HDMI Cable (Bundle)

Enjoy the best picture quality in 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray and 4K detail for everything you watch thanks to 4K upscaling. The device’s HDR signals contain up to 100x the brightness of a standard (SDR) signal, massively increasing peak brightness while retaining deep and highly-detailed blacks, for an entirely new viewing experience.

5. LG All 3D Region Free Blu Ray Player - Modified Full Multi Zone A B C Playback - WiFi Compatible, 110-240 Volts Free 6FT HDMI Cable

With Blu-ray and Blu-ray 3D you can enjoy all the latest movies in Full 1080p picture resolution. This device is perfect for playing all your 3D or 2D Blu-ray and DVD movies. Better yet, you can upscale your existing DVDs to near HD quality. It also features PlayStation Now, which will allow you to stream and play PlayStation 3 games with your DUALSHOCK 4 controller (not included).