Blu-ray Reviews

Remember when buying a movie was as easy as saying, "Hey I liked that, so I'll add it to my collection for $10-$20?" With the new Blu Ray HD DVD titles running you about $40, the decision is suddenly not as simple. Consumers today are more and more concerned about getting the most bang for their buck, yet want a Blu Ray collection that can really impress. There are several sites offering comprehensive Blu Ray reviews to help you decide whether you want to buy or simply rent the next high-definition experience.

Everyone is jumping in on the Blu Ray craze, including Netflix and Blockbuster! Soon you won't be able to purchase or rent a new DVD that'll work on your old player anywhere! While it may seem irritating to consumers, the evolution of high-definition video was inevitable. Eventually the downloading and on-demand video markets may explode, but this is the next logical plateau, offering better audio-video quality. Before building your Blu Ray movies collection, you may want to find a reliable site for Blu Ray reviews to ensure that you get the most for your money.

Looking for Blu Ray reviews that give you more than just a movie synopsis? After all, the additional features are what have film producers, retail giants and movie geeks alike excited. Sony promised more interactivity, more featurettes, more audio channels and more picture definition. Now it's time to see if these were shallow promises or if the Blu Ray format is really the next step in cinematic evolution.

You'll want to pay special attention to the supplemental features when looking at Blu Ray reviews. Blu Ray discs cost around $40, which is certainly not cheap when compared to what consumers are used to paying, but many movie buffs say it's worth your while to see the best sound and picture that modern technology can produce. It's one of those things, like computer memory, that you don't really realize you need until you see someone else's, jaw-dropping, Blu Ray media set up.

One good site for Blu Ray reviews is DVDTown.com. The site looks more professional than many of the other ones out there, with its sleek black background and artistic design. The first page gives in-depth plot synopsis, while the second page delivers the goods in terms of video, audio and extras. This site requires a little more reading than other sites, like HighDefDigest.com, but it's a good way to size up your shopping. Blu Ray movies will be readily available anywhere, from Netflix and Blockbuster to Wal-Mart and Best Buy. Amazon.com shoppers will find frequent Blu Ray sales and discounts as well.

One great site for Blu Ray reviews is the Blu-Ray.com site itself. Naturally, the ratings may be one star higher than other sites, but here you can see screenshots to get an idea of just how crisp and vivid the picture will be. The chart at the top of the page will allow you to quickly assess the basics: the kind of video codec/resolution, how many channels of audio, what subtitles are available, how many Blu Ray discs are included, the price and user rating. You can even check out a user forum, as well as a news page that includes any updates relevant to the title you're browsing.

To find terrific Blu Ray reviews, there are several sites you can check. BluRay.HighDefDigest.com is good for finding out about exclusive content, featurettes and HD DVD Bluray bonus content. Blu-Ray.com is the official site and offers screenshots, user reviews and a longer review of the plot and movie features. DVDTalk.com is good if you're in a rush and want less talk. DVDTown.com has a nicer layout than the other sites and also allows you to create a wish list. Most sites will provide a 1-5 star user rating to give you an at-a-glance idea of whether to add something to your collection or not. Amazon is good for Blu Ray sales and discounts.

If you're getting started with a collection of Blu Ray titles, then there are some top-sellers you should be aware of, according to Blu-Ray.com's Blu Ray reviews. Nothing is better than an action-thriller in high-definition Blu Ray format. Some starters for your new DVD collection include: 300, Alien vs. Predator: Requiem, I-Robot, The Fifth Element, Independence Day, Men In Black, Batman Begins, The Chronicles of Narnia, Natural Born Killers, Pan's Labyrinth, Blade Runner, National Treasure 2, Troy, I Am Legend, Predator and Twister. The thing you should note about Blu Ray discs right now is that they're still in their infancy stage, so filmmakers and advertisers haven't fully developed all the interactive features just yet. In the future, there will be games, user blogs, live chat, trivia, featurettes made exclusively for Blu Ray HD DVDs, downloadable trailers and more.

Perhaps you haven't purchased that fancy machine yet, so you're looking for Blu Ray reviews that cover the various players on the market. The first thing you should understand is that Blu Ray has just recently won the format war against Toshiba/Microsoft's HD DVD, so a lot of their vision hasn't translated into machinery just yet. For instance, many of the new players being manufactured as late as this summer will only be in the basic, bare bones Blu Ray 1.1 format, meaning that it won't have the capacity to go online to get new content or play all of the interactive features, although it will still have the superior sound and audio quality that Blu Ray discs are noted for. Blu Ray 2.0 is expected to really hit the markets as early as the fall, allowing users many neat features and the ability to sync their machine up to the internet, their cell phones and more! Buying Playstation3 is a good way to get a Blu Ray player that has the capacity to be upgraded. For more on Blu Ray reviews, check Blu-Ray.com for the latest news.

ConsumerSearch.com is a good site for Blu Ray reviews that encompass not only the discs, but the players too. According to the site, the best Blu Ray player currently on the market is the PlayStation3, which retails at just $399 and comes with Blu Ray technology already loaded in it, and it can be upgraded! Audio support with True HD and BD Java interactivity are key features of this console. They say the fastest stand alone Bluray player is the Panasonic DMP-BD30, which can also handle the interactive features for $410. For the basics, the Sharp BD-HP20U offers the essentials, minus picture-in-picture viewing and interactive games, for $350. At the site, you can look at a comparison chart and click the "Where to buy" button for more details.

To find Blu Ray reviews of the players, rather than just the Blu Ray discs, you can check BluRay.com/Players for the latest offerings. Pioneer is rumored to be coming out with a fresh new line of Blu Ray players this summer. For people who are suffering with a collection of "useless" HD DVDs, LG and Samsung have made HD DVD/Blu Ray player combos that can read both formats! Amazon.com has been a huge supporter of Blu Ray media technology as well, often offering sales, reviews and deals. The Panasonic DMP-BD30K is an excellent choice, as is the Sony BDP-S300. If you'd like to spend less, then there are several "up scaling" players for much lower prices, although the quality isn't pristine.

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