High-Def Players for the Holidays

The format-busting LG Super Blu BH200 smooths out some of the rough edges found in LG's first-generation combo Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD player (which could play HD DVD movies but didn't support fancy menus and bonus materials). This model meets both the Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD specifications, and is among the first Blu-ray Disc players to support the new Blu-ray Bonus View features (it will also handle BD Live for Internet-connected content when such discs become available in the future). This player is one of the most stylish and compact around, but you'll pay dearly for the convenience of having both formats in a single device. The BH200 costs $999--more than the cost of separate Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD players combined.

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Image quality is a core focus of Panasonic's DMP-BD30 Blu-ray Disc player. When I saw a demo of this new, slim $500 model, I noticed better sharpness and richer colors than on a competing player. Plus, compared with Panasonic's first-generation DMP-BD10, this version showed more details and sharpness. The DMP-BD30 is slim, too, in part because it holds a slimline, notebook-size Blu-ray drive inside. Like the LG BH200, the DMP-BD30 supports Blu-ray's Bonus View picture-in-picture functionality. It also supports 24p playback to match film's frame rate, and it outputs TrueHD and DTS-HD Master audio as bitstream over HDMI.

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For a brief, manic period early in the holiday season, Toshiba's HD-A3 player could be found for as low as $100. Some retailers sold this relatively new model at that superlow price when stock ran dry during Toshiba's $100 clearance of its previous-generation HD-A2 player. Now back up to $250, this entry-level HD DVD player remains one of the cheapest ways to get into next-generation DVD. The player supports only 1080i resolution, as opposed to 1080p (which all Blu-ray Disc players and the more expensive models in Toshiba's line support). Though the HD-A3 is one of the slimmer players around, make sure your shelf is big enough--it's also one of the longest.

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This step-up model from Toshiba builds on the foundation that the Toshiba HD-A3 sets in place. At $500, this player features a design similar to that of its less expensive cousin, but it bumps the resolution to 1080p. It also ups the analog output from two-channel stereo to 5.1-channel audio, and adds support for HDMI 1.3 (with Deep Color).

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This $500 model is Sharp's first U.S. Blu-ray Disc player, and it's also the company's first non-TV product to carry the Aquos branding. Among the BD-HP20U's highlights are HDMI 1.3 connectivity, 24p playback, and Dolby TrueHD support. Sharp says its player's Quick Start function will allow it to begin playing a disc within 10 seconds.

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The biggest-selling stand-alone Blu-ray player so far, the Sony BDP-S300 is also one of the least expensive Blu-ray players you can find. Though this model carries a $400 price, it's available for less at warehouse clubs such as Costco. With 1080p resolution, 24p playback, and HDMI CEC, this player packs a full punch for the price. You don't get Dolby TrueHD or DTS HD Master Audio support, however.

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At $700, the BDP-S500 is one of the more expensive Blu-ray players. The design of its front panel is clean and stylish, without the buttons that disrupt the look of the BDP-S300 (the motorized front panel flips forward to reveal the controls). This model builds on the BDP-S300's specs by adding Dolby TrueHD and DTS audio decoding--both in-unit and via bitstream output to a receiver.

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This premium Blu-ray model comes in at a cool $1000. Improving on Pioneer's earlier players, the BDP-95FD adds HDMI 1.3a support as well as Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio bitstream output. It also has a built-in home media server that follows the Digital Living Network Alliance standard, so you can view data from your home network on your TV via the player.

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The first low-cost HD DVD player from a Chinese manufacturer has finally premiered. The SHD7000 bears a passing resemblance to the Toshiba HD-A3. We still harbor some concerns about the viability of buying an HD DVD player from a company that outsources its tech support. We'll be interested to see what happens when the next movie that requires a firmware update to work with some players ("Transformers" is a recent example) arrives.

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LG may have been first to market with a dual-format player, but that model won't be alone for long. According to Samsung, its Duo HD player, the BD-UP5000, will be in stores any moment now. Priced at $799--a $200 price drop even before Samsung got this model to market--the BD-UP5000 fully supports both Blu-ray Disc and HD DVD. It also has HDMI 1.3, Silicon Optix's HQV video processor, and Dolby TrueHD and DTS decoding. If $799 is too steep, look around for the Samsung BD-P1400; this Blu-ray Disc player recently dropped in price to $280.

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