How To Buy Blu-Ray Players

What You Should Be Looking For

The HD DVD/Blu-ray battle is over and it?s safe to go ahead and make a Blu-ray player your high definition movie playback machine for the foreseeable future. (Or you could just get an HD DVD machine to go with your laserdisc player.) Like any electronic device, there are plenty of options. If you follow Alton Brown and Good Eats though, you might believe in the idea that each piece of equipment in your kitchen, or your living room, should have multiple purposes. So, with that in mind here are some Blu-ray options for your perusal.

Blu-Ray with plenty of money left. Ok, this isn?t really a multiple use electronic component, but if you only spend $78 on a Magnavox NB530MGX, then can?t you use that extra money to buy some super glue and a Magic 8-Ball, so it can be a combination Blu-ray player and oracle? Ok, maybe it?s better to just use the extra money on a few Blu-ray discs.

Blu-Ray with game playing. High definition movies and game playing comes all in one package with the Sony PlayStation 3. This seems like the best of all worlds, unless you fear that you?ll never leave the house again and insist that all of your friends call you ?John Marston.? Well, soon to be former friends. But, you don?t need those friends

because you can find a lot of new friends on the PlayStation network. (If that last sentence made good sense to you, stay away from the PlayStation 3.)

Blu-Ray with television. How far have prices on LED HD televisions fallen? You can now purchase the 42 inch Sylvania LD427SSX that has a built in Blu-ray player for less than a thousand dollars. If you?re looking to finally move into the HD television and movie world, this television would be the perfect place to start. (But, what have you been watching all this time? Are you so behind in technology that you?re the only person in the market for the iReel-to-Reel?)

Blu-Ray with toaster oven. Just seeing if you?re paying attention. (Wouldn?t it be cool though to put in a Blu-ray disc just as you take out your pizza bagel?)

Blu-Ray with VCR. Maybe you have a strong sense of nostalgia. Maybe you have a ton of VHS tapes. Maybe you don?t want to purchase any of the new versions of ?Star Wars? that George Lucas has ?fixed.? Whatever the case might be, the Panasonic DMP-BD70V is a combination VCR/Blu-ray player that lets you move into the HD world while still being able to enjoy your VHS tapes. And truthfully, do you really want to ditch the VHS and get a Blu-ray copy of ?The Cannonball Run??