When big and bulky Blu-ray players first appeared on the shelves a few years ago they were all about high definition.
Back then, simply getting HD content into your HD Ready TV was the hottest ticket in town - and it came at a high price.
Come Christmas 2011 and those first-gen players are buried in the distant past. We've now got super-slim machines with loading times in single figure seconds, 3D Blu-ray playback, 2D-to-3D conversion, movie streaming and all kinds of networking and digital file possibilities.
Most of those features are now standard and shouldn't be considered particularly high-end, though the likes of iPhone App control, genuinely engaging online content hubs that include BBC iPlayer, and built-in Freeview HD tuners are harder to find.
Here are 12 of the best Blu-ray players to give you a flavour of what's available, but do expect a slew of new machines in the new year...
Panasonic DMP-BD75 - £65
If 3D turns you off, this competent Blu-ray player delivers great pictures
If you're in the market for a basic Blu-ray player that serves up eye-popping pictures, and you have no need for bells and whistles, then you could do far worse than plump for the DMP-BD75. For just £65 you get a great basic Blu-ray player, but if you're feeling that techy twinge in your digital loins, you may want to have a goosey gander at what else is on offer further down our list.
Read:Panasonic DMP-BD75 review
Panasonic DMP-BDT110 - £92
This entry-level 3D Blu-ray player is low on luxuries but big on performance
For just £27 more than the BD75 currently costs, you can bag yourself Panasonic's entry-level 3D Blu-ray. If you have a 3D-capable TV, this player is definitely a better bet. The wide range of features to play with, the highlight of which is Skype video calling, is superb. The deck also provides stunning HD picture quality with both 2D and 3D discs, and the new on-screen design is the epitome of user-friendly.
Read:Panasonic DMP-BDT110 review
Sony BDP-S480 - £99
The BDP-S480 offers so much on-tap entertainment, you may never spin a disc
This Sony matches up quite nicely to the Panasonic model above, and represents another entry-level step into the world of 3D Blu-ray. And where the Sony truly shines is in its media performance. File compatibility is great, and you also have access to BBC iPlayer and other IPTV services if you connect it to the internet.
Read:Sony BDP-S480 review
Philips BDP7600 - £137
Philips' deck offers a web browser and excellent media streaming
Philips has created a thing of beauty with its 7 Series 3D Blu-ray deck. Finished in a greyish-silver and sporting a sculpted lip with illuminated soft-touch buttons, it's a real step up from the humdrum. The smorgasbord that is Net TV is accessed via a simple grid system. Buttons lead through to an App Gallery where you'll find the BBC iPlayer, YouTube, Picasa, Twitter, TuneIn Radio and CineTrailers. It should also be noted that our test sample ran extremely hot. The right rear underside of the unit became uncomfortably warm after just a few hours use.
LG BD670 - £140
A decidedly scruffy machine for a smart Blu-ray player, but with a feast of Wi-Fi and connected functionality
High-definition image quality is suitably sharp from the LG BD670. The Blu-ray deck scrapes a massive amount of detail from 2D HD platters.Battle: Los Angeleslooks sumptuous. Shot in a high frame rate HD, shaky cam-style, skin tones and textures pop from the screen. The smart, connected Blu-ray player also does a reliable job disgorging the DTS-HD MA soundtrack. Overall, the LG BD670 is a great value internet-connected 3D Blu-ray disc player. Sure, it might have the sartorial style of an impoverished funeral director who dresses in the dark, but it's jazzy where it counts.
Read:LG BD670 review
Sony BDP-S570 £154
Lean and fast, this modestly-priced deck boasts SACD compatibility
The user interface, a copy of the Xross Media Bar on the PS3, is superbly intuitive and very responsive using the no-nonsense remote control. And on the menu you'll also notice lots of online content that includes Daily Motion and catch-up TV services, all of which pop open quickly. Picture quality is spot on, too. A clean and naturally coloured picture hits your screen – a factor that also helps in 3D mode. We made the BDP-S570 a five-star Grouptest winner when we first got our mitts on it, and in the intervening months nothing seems to have changed.
Read: Sony BDP-S570 review
Panasonic DMP-BDT310 - £194
Panasonic includes Skype and 3D conversion to its flagship Blu-ray player
The DMP-BDT310 crams in a lot for the money. The feature list is extraordinary, throwing in everything from Wi-Fi enabled networking and Skype functionality to iPhone control and 2D-to-3D conversion – and that's before we've even mentioned Blu-ray playback. That said, the 3D conversion isn't always effective, and it's a shame the new-fangled Viera Connect hasn't yet filtered down to Panasonic's Blu-ray decks. But any such concerns are wiped away when you clap eyes on the deck's immaculate 2D and 3D pictures and hear its surprisingly good CD playback.
Read: Panasonic DMP-BDT310 review
Samsung BD-D7500 - £260
Samsung's ultra-thin deck is more proof of the brand's style ambitions
This achingly petite BD player claims to be the world's smallest Blu-ray player and it's more of a lifestyle statement than a traditional AV component. Available in trendy silver or gloss black, it's a remarkable example of 'Harry Potter' engineering. Because of its size, there are no rear-panel connections. Instead, outputs have been consigned to a small cavity on the undercarriage.
Samsung BD-D8500 - £299
A combination package of Blu-ray player with Freeview HD PVR
Why take two hi-def sources into the shower when you can simply watch 'n' go with Samsung's latest BD-D8500 Blu-ray player/Freeview HD PVR combi? By forcing these two products into shared accommodation, Samsung is putting an unfeasible amount of content at your disposal, as well as saving you some space in your AV cabinet. The BD-D8500 is so cutting edge you could shave with it!
Denon DBP-2012UD - £649
This is not the budget Blu-ray player you're looking for
And from here on, the prices start getting a lot less friendly. This Denon Blu-ray player is built for the AV enthusiast, not the casual consumer. So if you just want to play the odd 3D Blu-ray on your new telly, stop here and wind your way back up the list. Apart from the headline 3D capability, this is also a universal player, which means it spins Super Audio CD and DVD-Audio, too. A USB port and DLNA 1.5 support also boost the deck's multimedia cred. Jaw-dropping picture and sound quality.
Read:Denon DBP-2012UD
Marantz UD7006 - £760
The term 'universal', as applied to pretty much anything in home electronics, is generally only valid for a few minutes these days. That said, we can't actually think of anything this player won't do. The big news, the thing that makes it more universal than last year's crop, is 3D video support as well as Blu-ray audio and video discs, every flavour of DVD we can recall encountering, SACD, CD, photo discs, all the various data disc formats with all the various compressed file formats.
Cambridge Audio Azur 751BD - £799
The first universal 3D Blu-ray player from Cambridge Audio
The 751BD is a brilliant disc-spinner. With its sturdy build and broad playback options, it's a relevant, powerful performer. While it may lack the net-connected niceties of mass-market machines, it stomps all over them when it comes to sonic finesse. Everyone in the Shire will soon want one.
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