Blu-ray players compared

John P. Falcone, Senior Editor

Updated May 08, 2007

Murphy's Law seemed to be the theme for Blu-ray in 2006. In addition to firmware foul-ups and component shortages, a lackluster slate of early Blu-ray movies let underdog HD-DVD steal the show. But a new year means new opportunity: the number of available Blu-ray titles is soon expected to surpass that of HD-DVD, and there are actually some players you can buy. So far, the PlayStation 3 is the runaway winner, offering excellent Blu-ray playback in addition to its HD gaming and multimedia capabilities--all for hundreds less than the price of competing players. Moreover, the PS3 is the only player that boasts bleeding-edge HDMI 1.3 compatibility, and it's going to remain in the line-up for years to come. Meanwhile, the other first-generation players shown here will be soon overshadowed by their inevitable successors, certain to be on display at the 2007 Consumer Electronics Show. In other words: Blu-ray fans who can't get their hands on a PS3 should wait to see what the second-generation players will offer later in 2007 before taking the plunge.

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Product name	Samsung BD-P1200	Panasonic DMP-BD10	LG BH100	Pioneer BDP-HD1	Sony PlayStation 3 (60GB)	Philips BDP9000

Review date	May 04, 2007	December 14, 2006	March 28, 2007	February 23, 2007	November 13, 2006	December 18, 2006

CNET editors' rating	5.2 Average	6.5 Good	7.0 Very good	6.5 Good	8.7 Excellent	5.0 Average

Users' rating	4.7 Mediocre ( from 35 users)	8.4 Excellent ( from 8 users)	5.9 Average ( from 8 users)	6.4 Good ( from 5 users)	7.5 Very good ( from 1167 users)	9.0 Spectacular ( from 1 users)

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Review summary	With excellent image quality, slick design and an attractive feature set the Samsung BD-P1200 is the best dedicated Blu-ray player yet, but its high price will scare away most buyers.	The Panasonic DMP-BD10 is a very competent first-generation Blu-ray player, but its high price and the comparably affordable PlayStation 3 make it hard to recommend.	The LG BH100 can play back both HD DVD and Blu-ray discs with excellent image quality, but a variety of quirks and missing features limits its appeal.	The high-priced Pioneer BDP-HD1 offers top-notch Blu-ray image quality and some nice home networking features, but inferior DVD upconversion and no CD playback curbed our enthusiasm.	The high-end Sony PlayStation 3's larger hard drive and ability to play PS2 games makes it a worthwhile alternative to the cheaper model--so long as you're willing to wait several months for the more promising exclusive titles to hit store shelves. If backward compatibility is your top priority, this hard-to-find model may be worth the search.	The Philips BDP9000 has some great design touches and excellent Blu-ray image quality, but its high price, less-comprehensive audio capabilities and the comparative affordability of the PlayStation 3 suggest that you should probably hold off.

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Basic Specs
Product Description	Samsung BD-P1200 - Blu-Ray disc player	Panasonic DMP-BD10 - Blu-Ray disc player	LG BH100 - Blue-Ray disc and HD DVD player	Pioneer Elite BDP-HD1 - Blu-Ray disc player	Info unavailable	Philips BDP9000 - Blu-Ray disc player

Product Type	Blu-Ray disc player	Blu-Ray disc player	Blu-Ray disc and HD DVD player	Blu-Ray disc player	Info unavailable	Blu-Ray disc player

Dimensions (WxDxH)	16.9 in x 12.8 in x 3.1 in	16.9 in x 13.1 in x 3.3 in	16.9 in x 9.9 in x 3 in	16.5 in x 14.1 in x 3.7 in	Info unavailable	16.9 in x 12.6 in x 3.1 in

Weight	9.3 lbs	10.4 lbs	9 lbs	13.9 lbs	Info unavailable	9.3 lbs

Media Type	CD , DVD , BD-R , CD-R , BD-RE , CD-RW , DVD+R , DVD-R , BD-ROM , DVD+RW , DVD-RW , DVD-RAM , DVD-ROM	CD , DVD , BD-R , CD-R , BD-RE , CD-RW , DVD+R , DVD-R , BD-ROM , DVD+RW , DVD-RW , DVD-RAM , DVD+R DL , DVD-R DL	DVD , DVD+R , DVD-R , BD-ROM , DVD+RW , DVD-RW , HD DVD	DVD , BD-R , BD-RE , DVD+R , DVD-R , BD-ROM , DVD+RW , DVD-RW	BD-ROM , CD-ROM , DVD-ROM	CD , DVD , BD-R , CD-R , BD-RE , CD-RW , DVD+R , DVD-R , BD-ROM , DVD+RW , DVD-RW

Video D/A Converter	12bit / 216MHz	14bit / 296MHz	10bit / 27MHz	Info unavailable	Info unavailable	12bit / 216MHz

Audio D/A Converter	24bit / 192kHz	24bit / 192kHz	24bit / 96kHz	Info unavailable	Info unavailable	24bit / 192kHz

Built-in Audio Decoders	DTS decoder , Dolby Digital , Dolby Digital Plus	DTS decoder , Dolby Digital , Dolby Digital Plus	DTS decoder , Dolby TrueHD , Dolby Digital , DTS-HD decoder , Dolby Digital Plus	Info unavailable	Info unavailable	DTS decoder , Dolby Digital

Changer Capacity	1	Info unavailable	1	Info unavailable	Info unavailable	Info unavailable

Remote Control	Universal remote control - Infrared	Universal remote control - Infrared	Universal remote control - Infrared	Remote control - Infrared	Info unavailable	Universal remote control - Infrared

Sound Output Mode	Surround Sound	Surround Sound	Surround Sound	Info unavailable	Info unavailable	Stereo

Power	AC 120 V	Info unavailable	Info unavailable	Info unavailable	Info unavailable	AC 120 V

Form Factor	Tabletop	Tabletop	Tabletop	Info unavailable	Info unavailable	Tabletop

Manufacturer Warranty	1 year warranty	Info unavailable	1 year warranty	2 years warranty	Info unavailable	Info unavailable

Full contract period	1 year , 90 days	Info unavailable	1 year , 90 days	2 years	Info unavailable	Info unavailable

Service & support details type	Limited warranty	Info unavailable	Limited warranty	Limited warranty	Info unavailable	Info unavailable

Service included	Parts , Labor	Info unavailable	Parts , Labor	Info unavailable	Info unavailable	Info unavailable

Remote control type	Universal remote control	Universal remote control	Universal remote control	Remote control	Info unavailable	Universal remote control

Upscaling	Info unavailable	Yes	Info unavailable	Yes	Info unavailable	Yes

Media Format	Info unavailable	Info unavailable	PAL , NTSC	Info unavailable	Info unavailable	NTSC

Analog Video Format	Info unavailable	Info unavailable	PAL , NTSC	Info unavailable	Info unavailable	Info unavailable

Processor type	Info unavailable	Info unavailable	Info unavailable	Info unavailable	Cell	Info unavailable

RAM installed size	Info unavailable	Info unavailable	Info unavailable	Info unavailable	256 MB	Info unavailable

Graphics Processor / Vendor	Info unavailable	Info unavailable	Info unavailable	Info unavailable	NVIDIA RSX	Info unavailable

Video RAM installed	Info unavailable	Info unavailable	Info unavailable	Info unavailable	256 MB	Info unavailable

Max resolution (external)	Info unavailable	Info unavailable	Info unavailable	Info unavailable	1920 x 1080	Info unavailable

Localization	Info unavailable	Info unavailable	Info unavailable	Info unavailable	Info unavailable	United States

Display Type	Info unavailable	Info unavailable	Info unavailable	Info unavailable	Info unavailable	None.

Product name	Samsung BD-P1200	Panasonic DMP-BD10	LG BH100	Pioneer BDP-HD1	Sony PlayStation 3 (60GB)	Philips BDP9000

Full specifications	Full Specifications	Full Specifications	Full Specifications	Full Specifications	Full Specifications	Full Specifications

Price range	Check latest prices $n/a from 0 store	Check latest prices $n/a from 0 store	Check latest prices $380 from 1 store	Check latest prices $n/a from 0 store	Check latest prices $n/a from 0 store	Check latest prices $235 from 1 store

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Blu-ray players compared

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