Best Blu-Ray Players

Sony PlayStation 3 80GB

Price: $400

What's Good: The PS3, which can be upgraded to Profile 2.0 via high-speed Internet, offers an excellent picture (1080p output via an HDMI port) and top sound quality (7.1 Dolby TrueHD audio). Even DVDs look great on this machine. Along with the Pioneer, it was the fastest we tested at loading movies.

What's Not Good: You need an adapter to use a universal remote, as there's no infrared sensor. If you're over 30, you'll hate the joystick controller. Also, the PS3 eats power.

The Bottom Line : This isn't a toy - it outperformed or equaled pricier rivals. For the price, it can't be beat.

Grade: A- (Nobody is perfect)

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Sony BDP-S350

Price: $300

What's Good: Its picture quality is impressive for both Blu-ray disks and DVDs, and you can upgrade it to 2.0 for free. The price is right too. It's not as speedy as its PlayStation 3 cousin, but it's faster than any other budget player we've tried.

What's Not Good: It doesn't offer 7.1 HD audio capabilities unless you have a separate HDMI receiver. Also, setup can be tricky as the directions are a bit baffling.

The Bottom Line: If you're not an audiophile and don't care about video games, this is a good option for the money.

Grade: B

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Pioneer Elite BDP-05FD

Price: $799

What's Good: You get top-of-the-line 7.1 channel analog audio converters, gold-plated connection ports for better signal transfer, and rock-solid anti-vibration construction. A special "Quick Start" processor reduces loading time to less than 30 seconds.

What's Not Good: It's limited to Profile 1.1, and there's no Ethernet port for upgrades - silly for this price. At 13 pounds, it's far heavier than most.

The Bottom Line: Sure, you get great HD video, and the audio tops the Sony's - but this model may be outdated soon.

Grade: B

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Panasonic DMP-BD50
Price: $600

What's Good: The 2.0 Panasonic offers impressive Blu-ray playback and the out-of-the-box ability to tap into BD Live features.

What's Not Good: The quality of DVD playback is disappointing for the price. Plus, there's no support for 7.1-channel HD audio. And you may wait a minute or more for the menu to load.

The Bottom Line: Look for the BD50 to be discounted soon when its improved successor, the BD55, shows up. Or save money and get the PlayStation 3.

Grade: B-

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Samsung BD-P1500
Price: $299

Wat's Good: It's a sleek, good-looking machine that offers better-than-average picture quality for Blu-ray disks. You can upgrade it to 2.0.

What's Not Good: Playback of standard DVDs was disappointing. Also, the Samsung can't even produce 5.1-channel surround sound; it allows only for stereo (two-channel) analog audio - unusual for a Blu-ray. It seemed sluggish in loading disks compared with the PS3.

The Bottom Line: About the only reason to consider this one is if you hate the way the PlayStation looks.

Grade: C

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