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Bluray Players: Yesterday, Today And Tomorrow

Comprehensive resource for those interested in learning about different aspects of bluray players and their evolution.

Introduction

A bluray player(aka BD-ROM) is an equipment that is used to read the data stored on a bluray disk. Bluray players come in different forms. There are standalone bluray players which are exclusively dedicated to playing bluray disks(those are the ones I target in this knol) and embedded bluray players which could be found for example in computers. Both use the sametechnologyand thus are expected to produce the same result. In the next section I discuss different aspects that you need to consider before investing in a new bluray player.

Different Aspects of Bluray Players

1-Support for existing as well as future bluray discs: The support for different bluray movies depends on the firmware(software installed inside the hardware). An important point to remember about bluray players is that manufacturers cannot anticipate all the software features that will be included in future bluray movies. Thusthey try to overcome this problem by issuing firmware updates that add support for the most recent features(although sometimes the firmware updates are issued to fix some bugs). So always remember to confirm that the manufacturer supports frequent firmware updates, else you will have to get used to "disc not supported" message, an option which I am sure you would like to avoid. Note: You can always check the different manufacturers websites for different bluray player generations. CNET does a great job in keeping track of the latest and best performing bluray players from different manufacturers. 2-Support of different profiles: Before I start discussing different supported profiles, let me start by briefly discussing different bluray players generations. The first bluray player was shipped in middle of June 2006. Players that were shipped during that year were known as first generation bluray players. Bluray Players that followed in 2007 came to be known as second generation bluray players(for example BD-P1200 wasSamsung's first "second generation" bluray player). Third generation bluray players started shipping later in 2007 and thebeginningof 2008. Today companies have been producing subsequent generations, but I will not refer to them in this section. This mainly has to do with the fact that starting with the fourth generation bluray players, no additional features that pertain to the bluray standard were added, but rather extra features like superior hardware as well as extra features ranging from online media streaming to wireless capability. Most first generation bluray players are profile 1.0 compatible. These players support all existing as well as future movies (assuming the manufacturer supports firmware updates), but lack support for "picture in picture" and BD-Live. Second generation playersare profile 1.1 compatible. These playersincorperate picture in picture support, but lackBD-Live. Third generation bluray players, as well as all subsequent generations, are profile 2.0 compatible. These players support almost all bluray movies(although you may still have to apply firmware updates depending on the manufacturer), picture in picture, as well asBD-Live. Figure 1 shows a bluray movie using the BD-Live feature to chat online whilewatching the movie at the same time. Note:Profile 3.0 players will support bluray disk audio (BDA), which are audio only disks. With the proper home theater system you can experience the highest audio qualitysince those disks will not include any video and thus will have abundant space for the audio.Another important point to remeber is thatprofile 1.0 players will neversupport profile 1.1 or 2.0, even with firmware updates, becausethey lack the secondary video decoding processor.

Figure 1. Demonstration of BD-Live usagethrough chatting with Hellboy2 directorwhileplaying the movie.

3-Support of differentSoundtracks(read this section if you have or planning on buying a A/V receiver): Since new bluray disks have a lot of space, lossless audio(high definition audio) is going to be provided. There are three types of high definition audio formatsfound under bluray disks: 1)Uncompressed PCM or LPCM 2)DTS HD MA 3) DolbyTrueHD.If you have an old A/V receiverwithout an HDMI input then make surethe bluray player supports on-boarddecodingof allthree audio formats. Figure 1 shows a bluray player that supports on-board decoding of all the aforementioned formats. Here, on-board decoding means that the player will handle the decoding of the new audio formats and pass it to the receiver which will act as an amplifier. AnotherIMPORTANT feature that you need to consider is the support ofmulti-channel analog output, since on-board decoding from the bluray playercan only be passed toold receiversvia this output. Figure 3 shows a bluray player with 5.1 multi-channel audio output. Now if you happen to be one of those people with new receivers that support on-board decoding of all three HD audio formats, then you do not need to buy a bluray player that supports on-board decoding, but rather you will need to make sure that the bluray supports sendingthe three audio formats in bitstream format to the receiver. Without going into technical details, this will simply mean that the bluray player can pass the audio via HDMI for the decoding to be handled on the receiver side. For more information follow this link. Notes: -If your bluray player supports decoding internally as well as passing the audio as bitstream to your receiver(assuming your receiver supports audio decoding), then both will produce the same result. -DTS HD High Resolution logois different from DTS HD MA. This is an importatnt issue since many people
pay premium forDTS HD High Resolutionplayersbelieving that theysupport DTS HD MA. For more information followthis link. -If you are still having some confusion about the different HD Audio formats, follow this link.

Figure 2. Bluray player with support for three audio formats(L-PCM is never mentioned since all players support it by defualt). Source: CNET Networks inc.

Figure 3. Bluray player with 5.1multi-channel audio output. Source: CNET Networks inc.

4-Support of different video outputs: This is very tricky since most people beleive that video quality is solely about resolution(720p, 1080i, 1080p, 1440p, etc.). The fact is that one should look for the frame rate too. Whereas all bluray players support 1080p, not all of them support 1080p/24p (True cinema video output optimized for movies) which can produce a resolution of 1080 vertical lines with a frame rate of 24 frames/s. This is the original version that directors intend the audiance to see. Now the catch is that most HDTVs sold in the market support 1080/60p and NOT 1080/24p(although more TVs are expected to support 24p starting mid 2009). So confirm that your HDTVsupports 1080/24p before giving a priority to this feature. Figure4 shows the logo of an LCD HDTV supporting 1080p/24p.Finally always confirm that the bluray player thatyou are considering has an advanced video decoder as this will decrease the probability ofhaving playback quirks such as: 1)Visible stair-stepping 2)Combing artifacts3)Weak noise reduction4)Weak diagonal filtering 5)Weak de-interlacing 6)Weak upconversion. Note: Some HDTVs may have the logo shown in figure 4, but may not necessarily provide the optimal 24p experience. This is true since some HDTVs achieve 24p by using a technique called 3/2 Pulldown which does not provide a picture quality as smooth as as that achieved by HDTVs with native 24p support. In this case you may be better off disabling the 24p option from within your bluray player. For more information follow this link.

Figure 4.Logo that should be found on an LCD for it to supportbluray players with 1080p/24p feature.

Different Usage Scenarios

In this section I have compiled a couple of scenarios that would help you narrow down your choices.
Scenario 1:Downloading bonus disc material is not a deal breaker for you, but you care about the surround sound support. Let us assume you also happen to own an old audio receiver that does not have an HDMI input. So if you were offered both Samsung's BD-P1400 and BD-P1500 for example, you should go with the former. Now a lot of people may rush to buying the the latter as it is within the same price range and supports profile 2.0. In this scenario the support of profile 2.0 is not of high importance compared to the multi-channel analog output support for old receivers found in Samsung's BD-P1400(as well as similar bluray players).
Scenario 2:Support of top notch video(1080/24p) as well as BD-Live is a priority, but support of the latest digital audio formats is not significantdue to lack of ahome theater system (HTS). In this case investing in players similar to Sony's BDP-S500(comparedto Samsung's BD-P1400) would be worth it. Note: Always remember that getting the sound out of your HDTV speakers(which are usually between 20W to 30W) will not give you aflavorof the sound capabilities of bluray. You need to get a home theater system witha receiver whichusuallyhas multi-channel outputs with each channel having a power of 100W(it could be more but the average home user does not need more than that). Today bluray supports high quality 7.1 channels. Dolby and DTS announced that they will introduce 11.1 channels for the future.
Scenario 3: You do not want to compromise on any of the audio/video features. Although you have many choices out there, Playstation 3(PS3) has proven to be the best value for the money. It is a gaming console and an excellent bluray player. Since it has 8 processorsit isguaranteedto be future proof. Thus it will support any future features that will be introduced for bluray. Note:The only caveat about the PS3 is that it does not have multi-channel analog output shown in figure 3. So if you happen to be one of those people with old receivers and do not want to invest in a new receiver, then you want to stay away from PS3. For more information please follow this link.

Announcements

Check Back For Sporadic Updates
>If you have a PS3 then you already know by now that you can use it as a 3D bluray player. The catch here is that it was provided with a software update to support 3D but the hardware is not HDMI 1.4. Although HDMI 1.4 is not a prerequisite for 3D Video (hence the ps3 can play 3D in spite of its lack of HDMI 1.4 hardware), having an HDMI 1.4 capable hardware has a couple of advantages. The main advantage is related to the fact that with HDMI 1.4 the source can transmit extended display identification data ( EDID) to the destination. This information is important as the TV needs it to know in which format the source is transmitting the 3D data (otherwise you will have to manually inform your TV what format you the source is transmitting in). For more information about the different formats, follow this link. 01/23/11
>Another buzz that is brewing in the backgrounds is the support of 4K resolution(equivalent of 4 bluray disks resolution. In terms of numbers, it supports a 2, 160 x 3, 840 resolution). For current bluray players to support such a resolution, a bluray disk should be able to store up to 300GB of data (compared to today's largest capacity bluray disk of 50GB). According to engadget, Pioneer have already manufactured a bluray disk with 400GB capacity, which is good news for current bluray players owners. Nevertheless a new HDTV (or should I say Ultra-High Definition TV) isrequired.01/5/10
>Since the buzz recently has been surrounding 3D technology, an intreguing question is how will a 3D bluray player compare to the IMAX 3D experience that people have been experiencing recently with movies like Avatar. Well, a digital IMAX theater has two projectors beaming 2K resolution (equivalent to 2 million pixels which is the resolution produced by a bluray disk) for a total of 4K. This leaves us with the second part of the equation, which is the bluray player's resolution. At first glance you would expect a bluray player to stream 2K resolution (half that of the digital IMAX theater). This is not the case since the bluray disk capability to store two 1080p streams if we use the dual layer version of the bluray disk. Even better, the bluray disk association recentlyagreed on using Multiview Video Codec which will help store two1080p streams on a bluray disk with only 50% more storage requirements. The latter is the reason behind the introduction of HDMI 1.4.01/5/2010
>The fact that the PS3 is expected to support future 3D technology puts its in a leading position when it comes to buying a new bluray player. Follow thislink for more info. 12/23/09
>The specifications for the 3D Bluray technology have been finalized recently. Expect to see 3D sets and players in 2011. Follow thislink for more info.12/17/09
>Recently the PS3 price was cut dramatically to an extent that it has become so tempting to purchase one. Now the main drawback is that it does not support older receivers with5.1multi-channel audio input. Nevertheless, recently some companies have been rolling out affordable solutions for this problem. Follow this link for more info. 10/10/09
>The new PS3 slim does not provide any susbstantial advantage compared to the original PS3. It only introduces the capability to send Dolby TrueHD and DTS-MA in bitstream format to be decoded in your A/V receiver rather than being decoded internally in the PS3. In my opinion you should not care as it is hard to discern the difference between decoding internally or sending in bitstream to be decoded by a capable A/V receiver. 08/25/09
>As the market becomes flooded with a wider choice of bluray players, the chances of buying a mediocre player increases. Some people avoid that by depending on trusted websites like CNETand others. Although such websites are highly recommended (personally I depend on CNET for most of my onlinepurchases), it is sometimes not enough. To elaborate further, you should be aware that one of the main problems with bluray players is compatibility issues. For instance whereas CNET can rate a bluray player as excellent in terms of picture quality and features, there is no way for them to test all possible movie titles out there to determine compatibility. In this case you are better off reading customer reviews. Although this seems as a trivial advice, a lot of people tend to forget it once they spot a good deal ;). So next time you decide to go on a bluray deal hunt, do your homework before you decide as it will help you avoid saying "I wish I knew".08/11/09
>Recently different companies have been introducing HDTVs with built in capabilities to connect to different online services like youtube, picasa, and amazon video on demand. Panasonic's TC-P50G10is one such example. Thus it would be wise to confirm that your HDTV does not support such capabilities before paying premium for bluray players that give you access to online content. 05/28/09
>An advice for those who are currently in the market of purchasing a new bluray player: If you are an average user(or even an audiophile) do not pay premium for bluray players that support more than 7.1 channels, as it will be hard to discern any difference above 7.1 channels. For more information about the "theoretical" advantages of 9.1 channels systems, follow this link. 05/04/09
>Once you have chosen the optimal bluray player, the next step consists of getting the right content. This link catogorizes different bluray titles by image quality. If you have invested in a home theater system then you may want to checkthis linkas it categorizes different titles by sound quality. 04/01/09 >As part of the ongoing race between Samsung and Panasonic to lure customers to purchase their bluray players, Panasonic introduced its latest model of its successful line of players, DMP-BD80. This player gives access to two of google's sevices, youtube and Picasa as well as Amazon's video on demand which recently started supporting HD movies. For more information follow this link. Note: Do not expect the quality of online HD video quality to compete with bluray. For more information follow this link.03/30/09
>You may have noticed that recently there is a big hype around high definition 3D movies coming to theaters and soon after to bluray. But nevertheless there are those skeptics out there who would ask the following question: What makes it different from the previous seven(yes seven) failing trials that came before it?For more information follow this link. You could also check this knolfor ongoing work on standarizing 3d bluray expereince.03/28/09
>If you are still not convinced about diving into the bluray world, here are couplereasons why you should: 1)The image quality compared to DVD is superior, especially if watched ona High definition TV(HDTV) (yes even on smaller screen sizes, as small as 37", you can still discern the difference) 2)The quality of the sound is awing(different audio codecs are dicussed in thisknol)3)Bluray disks have enough space to store high definition 3D Movies(or steroescopic imaging) which aregaining steam recently(for more info about the advantages of 3D movies follow this link). Note:Future bluray players may incoperateDual-HDMI outputs to send two different1080/24p streamssimultanously in order to achieve the REAL 3D experience. Thus today's bluray players may end up being obsolete whenit comes to displaying 3D content(although there are talks that 3D may be displayed through single HDMIusing interlacing. For more information follow this link).03/28/09 >Since most of the recent HDTVs are supporting 1080p at 24 frames per second(24p), it is best to look for bluray players that support 24p processing. Most of the time24p mode is disabled by default, so you may need toenable it from within your bluray player.For more information about 24p, follow this link. 03/28/09 >Here are some titles that are a must see if you want to enjoy the best sound experience under bluray(assuming you have a home theater system): Hellboy 2 - Pan labyrinth - The Dark Night- The Punisher-Underworld: Rise of the lycans.03/21/09
>If you are one of those people not sure whether bluray is future proof due to the shift of mostcompaniesto digital downloads, my answer is: NOTHING COMPARES TO BLURAY FOR THE NEXT COUPLE YEARS. I guess you need more elaboration. Well the answer is simple: it all lies in the bit rate, and the bit rate necessary to beat the bluray quality is simply too expensive. Today we payon averageabout$25 per month for a 1.5 Mb/s connection, whereas the bitrate on an hdmi cable can reach up to 1.5 Gb/s, so you do the math. For more info about bitrates follow this link.02/25/09
>If you are in the market of buying a Bluray player and you have a Netflixaccount, you may want to go with players similar to Samsung BD-P2550 which support direct Netflix streaming. It also supports Pandora which provides you with free music access to the latest music. 02/05/09
>For all those bluray enthusiasts out there suffering from action movies blur, here is a tip that you should know.12/30/08

>Make sure you buy a genuine bluray movie and not apirated version(aka AVCHD). Here is how you can tell the difference. 11/18/08

>If you Recently bought a new bluray player but having hard time connecting it to your A/V receiver. Here is a link that will makes your life easier. 08/29/08
>Philips announced the next generation of of bluray dubbed 3D Bluray. 08/26/08
>For those of you confused about the new audio formats supported under Bluray, here is an interesting link. 08/17/08
>For those of you wondering if it is worth it getting a system which is capable of decoding DTS MA here is aninformative article. 08/10/08
>Always check if the bluray player automatically detects the supported resolution of your HDTV. For example Sony's BDP-S301 does not support auto detection of the HDTV resolution.This means that if you leave it indefault mode, you may be sending a resolution which is as low as 480p (DVD quality). Its a good practice to check the current resolution setting within your bluray player.07/27/08
>Do NOT fall into buying a monster HDMI cable. Digital is Digital. You could buy it online for as low as $3. Note:Make sure you buy the latest version of the HDMI cable (currently 1.3). This means that it will haveenough bandwidth to support the highest resolution provided by any bluray player. To know more follow this link. 07/27/08

>If you are buying an HDTV that is under 42'', consider buying a 720p instead of 1080p. Most people do not notice a differenceat this HDTV size. Save the difference and buy asurroundsystem. Always remember what George Lucas said, "The sound and music are 50% of the entertainment in a movie."07/27/08

Resources

This website defines bluray technolgoy in details:Bluray definition
This website includesextensive information aboutdifferent bluray settings terminology:Audio Video Truths
This website includes the latest bluray news:Bluray.com This website rates bluray movies into different tiers depending on the picture quality: AVS Forum This website rates bluray movies into different tiers depending on the audio quality: AVS Forum
This website provides a guide to building a Home Theater PC (HTPC):AVS Forum