| Buyer's Guide | ||||
| Audio/Video Equipment | ||||
| I updated the Buyer's Guide about two
years ago, (we are in 2011 now) and it's amazing to see how
out-of-date my information was. Technology has come a long
way since then. DVD Players: There is not much to say about DVD players now. They are not out of style... yet. If you care about quality and want a new DVD player, plan on spending about $100-$150. If you don't care about quality spend $50 and call it a day. Make your life a little easier and be sure your DVD player has an HDMI output. Blu-ray Disc Player: If you don't have a Blu-ray disc (BD) player and are thinking about maybe getting one, let me help you make the decision. Buy one! Which one to buy is a different story. In the electronics world, you get what you pay for. More expensive BD players cost more for a reason. It could be a better video processor, audio decoder, streaming capabilities, etc. You can get a decent BD player for around $200, but if you want a nice one, you'll be in the neighborhood of $250-$350. Is Blu-ray THAT much better than DVD? Yes, yes, YES!! Any disc (DVD or Blu-ray) is like a suitcase. Most discs have limited space so they have to decide what they REALLY want people to have i.e.: better picture quality, great surround effects, a plethora of extras, etc. DVDs have limited space and can't fit all the good stuff studios want to give us. Blu-ray on the other hand has massive storage capacity. Now the studios can give us everything we want and more. They have enough space for advanced picture quality and the new surround sound formats. Together they will blow your mind. Add a heaping portion of extras and interactive BD Live features and you have a full plate like never before. BD Live is a way for viewers to dig deeper into their favorite films by seeing added footage, previews of future movies, and a limitless number of other tricks and treats developed by the movie studios. Should I spend the extra money to get a 3D Blu-ray player? This is a personal question. Getting into 3D right now is expensive once you take into account the cost of the player, the TV, and the glasses. On the bright side, many manufacturers realize this and offer bundle packages with a TV, BD player and a couple pairs of glasses. If you aren't at the point where you want to fully commit all your equipment to 3D, you might wait a year or two for the prices to come down. A TV is a purchase you'll make once or twice a decade, so I recommend spending the extra money to get 3D there. If we're talking about just a BD player, get a decent one now, and buy the nicer 3D version when you upgrade the TV. |
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Next to Cable, Satellite and DVRs |
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