Best Blu-ray player 2011

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

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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

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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

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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.

Read: Philips BDP7600 review

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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

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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

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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

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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.

Read: Samsung BD-D7500 review

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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!

Read: Samsung BD-D8500 review

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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

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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.

Read: Marantz UD7006 review

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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.

Read: Cambridge Audio Azur 751UD review

As film streaming services pop up all over the web, Ridley Scott, the man behind Alien and Blade Runner, has warned audiences that they don't offer you a view of the film as it was intended to be seen.

Writing at the Huffington Post, Scott says streaming tech like that of Lovefilm and Netflix is a long way off replicating the cinema experience.

"Technology will need to make many more huge leaps before one can ever view films with the level of picture and sound quality many film lovers demand without having to slide a disc into a player," he writes.

Discalicious

And that's why physical media isn't dead, he adds, throwing his support behind Blu-ray as a format because it brings the "proper colours, aspect ratio, sound quality and, perhaps most importantly, startling clarity".

"The technically sophisticated Blu-ray disc, of which I've been a supporter since its inception, is the closest we've come to replicating the best theatrical viewing experience.

"Far from being dead, physical media has years of life left and must be preserved because there is no better alternative."

Scott has long been a proponent of Blu-ray, with his Alien Anthology set heralded by many as the best discs around.

Given Scott's newfound love for 3D movie making and his vow not to work in any number of dimensions less than three ever again, his support for the only format capable of carrying 3D movies comes as no great surprise.

While it's reassuring to see film makers advocating a format that provides a better quality experience, it remains to be seen whether Blu-ray can really compete against cheaper, by-subscription services that make any film available anywhere and everywhere at the touch of a button.

Tesco has linked up with Blinkbox to offer its customers digital copies of movies that are bought in the store.

The announcement means that certain Blu-rays or DVDs - including Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 - bought in Tesco will now come with a digital copy which can be claimed back through the Tesco Clubcard service.

There's been rumour for a while that Tesco was planning an assault on the digital download market.

Back in June 2010 it first announced plans that some sort of digital locker scheme would be put in place but it wasn't until the supermarket giant bought a majority stake in Blinkbox that its plans started to become a bit clearer.

Digital decision

At the moment the scheme is only available on selected movies, with the likes of Lionsgate, Warner Home Video, Paramount and 2 Entertain signed up to the deal.

A number of big-name distributors are not yet linked to the deal, including Twentieth Century Fox.

TechRadar has contacted Fox for comment, as it is playing a significant part in the UltraViolet scheme which is yet to launch in the UK but has hit the US.

UltraViolet is also a type of digital locker which allows users to watch digital movies on a number of devices with leaner copyright restrictions in place.

According to Tesco, customers who have purchased eligible movies in-store or online with their Tesco Clubcard can watch them wherever they are through blinkbox, PC, Mac, PS3, LG and Samsung Smart TV, and soon on Xbox 360 and iPad.

Speaking about the new scheme, Michael Comish, CEO, blinkbox said: "To be able to bring this truly ground breaking service to consumers is very exciting for blinkbox.

"Our customers already know that we are the number one choice for the latest new movie titles the day they released on DVD, so working with Tesco to give them access to both a physical and a digital version allows them choice and the best of both worlds."

The UK government has put plans in place to hobble the likes of Amazon and Play.com by announcing that it is to close a loophole that allows the cheap import of Blu-rays, DVDs and CDs from the Channel Islands in the UK.

As of 1 April 2012, online retailers will no longer be able to get the benefit of tax relief from the discs they bring in from the Channel Islands.

From November 2011, the government had already cut the Low Value Consignment Relief (LVCR) maximum allowed from £18 to £15 but it is to be abolished altogether next year.

Fairer competition

"These reforms will ensure that UK companies, especially small and medium-sized enterprises, can compete on a level playing field with those larger companies with the resources to set up operations in the Channel Islands," said David Gauke, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury about the move.

While this is great news for smaller businesses, the majority of people who buy their discs from the online giants because of their low costs will be disappointed.

Or it may mean that Amazon and the like look further a field, as LVCR will still be in place for countries that are outside of the EU.

Just this week, Twentieth Century Fox announced that the UK and Germany were now the biggest Blu-ray buyers in the world.

Blu-ray sales in Europe have been enjoyed something of a boost this year with Twentieth Century Fox announcing that in Q3 Blu-ray disc sales in Europe were up by 49 per cent.

These figures for Europe follow the same ascension as what is going on in the US, but it seems that the UK and Germany are trouncing the rest of the world with their Blu-ray buying.

Put their sales figures together and the number of units sold top 10 million.

Turning point

When it comes to Blu-ray's share of sales of recent Fox movie X-Men: First Class, a whopping 60 per cent of those who bought the movie in Germany did so on Blu-ray. In the UK the number was 40 per cent, which is in line with the rest of the world.

Speaking about the results, Vincent Marcais, Senior Vice President of International Marketing, Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, said: "This Christmas is a turning point for Home Entertainment.

"Alongside a strong line-up of titles, the technology is in place to meet expectations that half of buyers will opt for the premium version of our films, enjoying Blu-ray quality at home, with the freedom to enjoy digital versions on their tablets and smart phones when on the go."

Fox recently announced that it will be offering UltraViolet-enabled content in early 2012 but told TechRadar back in July that Blu-ray was still its top priority.

Blu-ray disc sales have helped the home entertainment industry to its first increase in more than three years, with the DEG reporting that the format has seen a five per cent upsurge in sales.

Like many industries, the home entertainment sector has not had a great time of late – a lack of money in pockets has meant less people in the cinema and disc purchases lower than usual.

But the third quarter of 2011 has seen Blu-ray buck this trend and it seems that sci-fi is the key.

Movies such as Thor, X-Men: First Class, the Star Wars franchise and Transformers: Dark of the Moon have reaped $423 million (£264 million) for the third quarter.

Say hello to my little friend

The increase in sales has also coincided with more homes now Blu-ray savvy, with 33.5 million (in the US) now equipped with Blu-ray players – this is up 52 per cent year on year.

Interestingly, classic movies also played a big part in bringing the Blu-ray numbers up.

Citizen Kane, Scarface and The Big Lebowski are all cited as discs that have made the format popular.

Disney plans to release four more classic animations in 3D after the overwhelming success of The Lion King remake.

Although some were sceptical about the necessity of seeing Mufasa die in three heart-rending dimensions, the larger-than-life big cat conversion topped the US box office in September, taking over $100 million globally to date.

Next on the 3D make-over list is Beauty and the Beast 3D, which will open in January 2012.

Be our guest

After that, you can look forward to Finding Nemo in September 2012, Monsters Inc 3D in January 2013 and The Little Mermaid 3D in September 2013.

"We're thrilled to give audiences of all ages the chance to experience these beloved tales in an exciting new way with 3D," said Alan Bergman, president of Walt Disney Studios, who is no doubt also thrilled about the massive box office receipts.

While original 3D features may be causing jitters in the movie industry, Disney has the perfect combination of nostalgia, marketing budget and pester power to ensure each 3D conversion is a success.

None of the proposed conversions are older than 1989, however; presumably converting the earlier hand-animated features like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Sleeping Beauty will be a more labour-intensive matter.

Remaking The Lion King in 3D reportedly cost Disney under $10 million.

Global sales of Blu-ray players are expected to eclipse that of DVD players within four years, according to a report from research company In-Stat.

Its figures predict 105 million hi-def disc-spinners will be sold in 2015 – although that is still some way off the 141 million DVD players that shipped in 2006 in the format's heyday.

In-Stat has also hammered the last nail into the coffin of DVD recorders, claiming that the technology would effectively die out completely in the next three years.

"Blu-ray recorders will replace DVD recorders," said Norm Bogen, VP digital entertainment with In-Stat.

"Many consumers of recorders will even drop the physical disk media option altogether and instead opt for a player with a large hard drive, or digital media storage."

Hand of VOD

Of course, this is something that manufacturers have already picked up on – disc-based recorder stalwart Panasonic recently announced a range of HDD recorders that also offer VOD services.

DVD recorders would only really continue to sell in Japan, reckons In-Stat – the same place where Blu-ray recorders are most likely to be bought. So it seems the watch-n-wipe culture promoted by TiVo and Sky+ is yet to catch on in the Far East.

While the predicted shipment figures are good news for the Blu-ray Disc Association, it may be concerned by In-Stat's findings that Blu-ray is on the wane in China, where the more affordable China Blue High-Definition (CBHD) format is taking hold.

Today marks the release of Star Wars: The Complete Saga on Blu-ray and Home Cinema Choice - part of the TechRadar network - has already managed to check out the discs and offer its in-depth thoughts on the boxset.

Star Wars fans can breathe a sigh of relief, as according to the review, the sound and picture quality of the movies is something special.

Although there are some picture flaws with the Original Trilogy and The Phantom Menace's image quality is called "the least satisfying of the bunch", HCC does note: "None of [these flaws] can really take the shine off the beautiful restorations of this seminal series of sci-fi flicks.

"Quite simply, you'll never have seen the Star Wars Saga looking this good in your home ever before."

Atmospheric

When it comes to audio, HCC calls the remastering "a truly remarkable feat". When TechRadar visited Lucasfilm to speak to Matthew Wood about the audio, he told us he was mastering the 6.1 soundtrack, while trying to keep things as close as possible to George Lucas' vision of the movie.

HCC agrees that this has been done, explaining that the Blu-rays boast "extremely atmospheric and energising re-mixes, that completely update the original soundtracks while still managing to feel sympathetic to the original sound design."

It's not all good news, though, as the extras seem to be what let the package down. None of the DVD documentaries make it onto the discs (some of the commentaries do) and while the archives are impressive, the new documentaries comprising Star Wars spoofs and one on people dressing up as Star Wars characters aren't quite as gripping as you would hope.

There is an abundance of archive material that's more than welcomed, according to HCC however.

To see what the overall score is for the Star Wars: The Complete Saga Blu-ray review, head over to Home Cinema Choice now.

The Star Wars Saga Blu-ray boxset, out on September 12, will be the first software release to feature THX's new Media Director 'smart content' technology.

Media Director enables your home entertainment hardware to automatically choose the most appropriate audio and video playback settings – meaning you'll always get what the director intended.

The technology works by having metadata encoded into the software, be it a Blu-ray, console game or CD. However, it requires Media Director-enabled hardware to work – a Blu-ray player or TV for instance – and at present no such technology exists.

Giveth and taketh away

That could change in the coming year, though. THX has announced at the CEDIA 2011 Expo that it has signed up electronics experts Analog Devices, Sigma Designs and Silicon Image to its cause, making it easier for products to be developed.

So buyers of the Star Wars package can consider themselves futureproofed – and more Media Director-certified discs will appear in the coming months.

THX's Senior Vice President Rick Dean told TechRadar the thinking behind his company's innovation.

With Media Director, says Dean, 'You would always see the depth of contrast and intensity of colour which are part of the artistic intent, the emotional impact that is programmed into the look and feel of any movie. It would be like having the director personally tune your TV.'

Star Wars Blu-ray audio

The launch of Star Wars on Blu-ray is the biggest thing to happen to the format, so when TechRadar got the call from Lucasfilm to join them in San Francisco for a look at the discs, we said 'yes' faster than Luke on an Imperial Speeder Bike.

Lucasfilm may be a company responsible for many of the major technological advances in movie-making, but it also does a fantastic job of making the old feel new. You only have to look at its campus in San Francisco to see this.

The Letterman Digital Arts Centre is refurbished and re-imagined out of the Presidio, an old fortified base, and is now the offices for many of George Lucas' SFX visionaries and the business side of the Star Wars franchise.

It is here where TechRadar was invited for an exclusive sneak peak of the new Star Wars Blu-ray – apt surroundings, considering that Star Wars has been given another makeover to bring it up to Blu-ray standards; refurbished and re-imagined for the new AV age.

GUIDED TOUR: Luckily, Marc has identification on him

The Star Wars Blu-ray is not just any re-issue, however, it is a boxset years in the making that has been refined for high definition. Even though Episode IV has 23 years on Episode III, the restoration the movies have been given brings them closer together than ever before.

Couple this with 40 hours' additional footage and the closest look at props, maquettes and costumes you will ever get and this is a Blu-ray boxset that doesn't disappoint.

So, with notebook in hand, we followed two Stormtroopers - they even asked to see our identification - past the Yoda fountain into what can only be described as a Star Wars shrine and on to a sound booth where one of the movies' audio maestros was waiting.

STAR WARS EMPIRE: Lucas' movies have spawned many companies

Given that Lucas once said that sound and music is 50 per cent of the entertainment in a movie, remastering the audio soundtrack has been key to putting all six movies on an even keel. This job was given to Matthew Wood who has been working for Skywalker Sound for 21 years, with a number of those years spent sprucing up the Star Wars soundtrack for a hi-def release.

"It was a long process; I started working on A New Hope around the same time as the DVDs were released. I was already preparing the soundtrack for some sort of high-definition release around that time," said Wood to TechRadar, minutes before he previewed the soundtrack to us straight from one of Lucasfilm's mixing desks.

"[George] Lucas loves sound; it is very dear to his heart. Skywalker Sound is actually at Skywalker Ranch so we have a very close relationship."

SOUND ADVICE: Matthew Wood explains all about Star Wars' audio

The soundtrack has been given a massive makeover by Wood and his team. For the first time we get to hear the movies in 6.1 DTS-HD MA, which has meant some hefty tinkering for the Original Trilogy. But with help from Lucas and a surprise find in the archives - production roles from 1976 - the audio re-fresh is how Lucas originally intended the movies to be heard.

"I wanted to make sure that George for the original trilogy was hearing what he heard when he first made the films, as we're remixing for a 6.1 format, so he spent a long time with us making sure it was right," said Wood.

"On this Blu-ray release one of things that came available to us that we found deep in our archive was the original production rolls.

"These were the rolls that were used for the original dialogue recording and the entire production recording that were done on the set."

AUDIO ARCHIVE: The original production rolls found

Working from such an audio record was a special moment for Wood – a lifelong Star Wars fan – but it was also key to picking up audio cues that had been lost over time.

"These [production rolls] had only been played once, the first time they were used they were transferred to magnetic film back in 1977 and that was cut.

"So I got to take them and retransfer them into the computer and with the highest quality analogue to digital converters I could actually re-sync these back into the original picture. That is one thing that is new on the Blu-ray. It's amazing."

HISTORY CLOSE-UP: The production rolls date from 1976

Wood also emulated the recording processes of the time so as to not lose the magic of the soundtrack, borrowing some of the tricks used compiling the original soundtrack to his benefit.

"When I think about what was done with the mixes back in '77, and I was talking to Ben Burtt [the original sound designer] about this, they were working on Star Wars on the night shift, as that was the only way they could get time on the main stage and mixes were done like a performance.

MASTER MIX: Wood played us the audio masters of the movies

"The entire reel had to be mixed at once. You had somebody working on dialogue, someone on the effects, with all the tracks coming in synchronised from magnetic film machines which were very loud.

"And you have to remember all your favourite moves and what dialogue comes up and your EQ, and it is all done live. I have always found that fascinating and I always want to make sure that I hold on to that performance, because it is a performance.

"We have that mix and are constantly going back and forth and making sure that we are getting that and at the same time trying to expand it for the modern soundstage."

The demo we were given of the audio was exhilarating. Watching Darth Vader in the carbon freezing chamber in Episode V, it was the soundtrack you know and love but it fizzed with extra detail.

Wood worked on the prequels with Lucas, so it's no surprise that one of his favourite audio mixes in the films is the pod race in Episode I. This is also where he has a cameo in the movie.

SCENE IT: Wood shows us one of his favourite scenes from the franchise

After having a demo of the new mix, this section of the movie was definitely a stand out – the 6.1 mix of the movie gives the audio a 360-degree feel and the roars of the pods are sublime, with a realism that Wood puts down to how they originally collected the sounds for the movie.

"When I started working on the prequels one of my first tasks was to go out with Ben Burtt and record all the different vehicle sounds.

"The Sebulba pod is a Ferrari that had no sound governor on it so it was really loud. The revs were from a boat I recorded in San Francisco Bay.

"Anakin's pod was a Porsche. There was this race track up north you could go to, all you had to do was paint a number on the side of your car so I did that and got the sound from there.

"I remember I was walking around and there were these concrete tubes in the middle of the track so I put my mic inside one of the tubes and recorded an ambient track. It's the sound they make when they turn through the canyon."

STAR MIXER: Wood explains how he recorded sounds for Star Wars

Star Wars Blu-ray changes

The new Blu-ray release of Star Wars fixes a number of the visual niggles that ended up on the DVD release of the films.

Lucasfilm kept quiet about any significant changes Lucas himself has made to the movies, but there have been numerous leaks about what has been changed since our trip.

IMPROVEMENTS: Picture quality for the originals has been improved

These include:

• An all-new digital Yoda to replace the puppet in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace.
• Ewoks in The Return Of The Jedi now blink, to add some realism to the creatures.
• Greedo definitely shoots first, with no silly jolting in the scene now.
• Obi-Wan's Krayt dragon call in A New Hope has been given more audio resonance
• Perhaps the most contentious change is another audio addition: Darth Vader shouting 'Noooooo' in the climax of the fight between Luke and the Emperor in Return Of The Jedi - similar to the end of Episode III.

The changes TechRadar saw, however, were ones that righted a lot of wrongs. There's been meticulous restoration of some parts of the movie.

With The Phantom Menace, the visual effects supervisors went back to the original digital files of the film, so the image is crisper but there's also 8 per cent of the frame introduced that was missing in the original 2001 DVD release. Some of the 2,000 effects in the film have also been retouched.

SCENE STEALER: The original scene was cut in

MARKED IMPROVEMENT: The scene now comes alive

As Episode II and III were shot digitally (Episode I was the last to be made on film), these have had the least amount of correction, which meant most of the time was spent on the Original Trilogy.

Unlike the DVD 'special editions', however, which were the biggest restoration of the films so far, the tweaks made are a little more subtle. Blemishes have been removed, picture dirt erased and side effects from old school effects have been taken out.

There's now no 'garbage matte' boxes surrounding the TIE Fighters in Episode IV and the puppet arm that's attached to the Wampa in The Empire Strikes Back has been taken out. These are blink-and-you'll-miss them glitches, but ones that have irked fans and the makers of the movies for years.

POLE POSITION: The purple pole is clearly visible

IT'S ALIVE: The purple pole is no more

Another change has been re-introducing the white-hot core of the lightsabers, something which was dampened in the DVD version. Now, when the lightsabers of Luke and the Emperor clash in Return of the Jedi they no longer blend as one.

LIGHT PROBLEM: Notice the merging of colours

LET THERE BE LIGHT: Lightsabers are now white hot

And, those who weren't fans of the 'Emperor's slugs' in ROTJ – a hand drawn shadow on the face of the Emperor that has long been derided – you will be pleased to read this has also been fixed.

Star Wars Blu-ray special effects

The heart of the Original Trilogy's effects very much remain however, and these were down to eight times Oscar winner and a legend in the special effects field Dennis Muren, who spoke to TechRadar about his time on Star Wars in one of Lucasfilm's preview cinemas.

MUREN MOMENT: The genius of VFX speaks to TechRadar

"The idea of special effects is now common [but] the Star Wars movies were an original look as they had space battles – the camera angles and stuff were based on real dogfights," said Muren to TechRadar.

"Nobody had seen what Star Wars was doing, the look of it and that worked for the time."

It is this originality which Muren believes is missing from a lot of special-effects movies at the moment.

"I don't mind if CG isn't quite working as long as it is original," he explained.

"The thing I don't like is imitation and I see so much of that going on.

"People don't have the time to think as it is hard to come up with the budgets so you lose imagination and that's not good."

ORIGINAL LOOK: The effects of Star Wars were one of a kind

As original as Star Wars' effects were, however, Lucas did decide to tinker with the movies back for the special edition DVD releases of the movies, and it is this version of the movies that has been given the picture upgrade for the Blu-ray.

While this will (still) annoy true die-hard fans, Muren wasn't against the changes made to the movies.

"When it comes to the stuff I worked on and you can see some of the fakeness, I don't really have a problem with that, I don't mind if stuff like that shows up.

"When George was doing some re-dos on the original Star Wars, though, I was all in favour for that as we had run out of time anyway.

Star WARS BLU-S: The Blu-ray of Star Wars is the best transfer yet

"I wanted to re-do around 30 to 40 shots and at some point I think it is okay, but to go back and try and continuously update a film to fit in with the latest technology I don't really know what to think about that..

"If it means getting rid of the garbage mattes that really messed up the original VHS of Star Wars then that's fine.

"When they came out everybody thought that was how it looked in the cinema when they were first released but it wasn't. That was because the transfer wasn't done quite right.

"I am all for changing things to get it back to how it looked originally in the cinema. As long as the original version is always available, beyond that then you can do what you want."

DIGITAL YODA: Now CGI in Episode I as well

With this in mind, we quizzed Muren on the upcoming 3D versions of Star Wars, which will begin to hit cinemas in early 2012.

"The only reason the 3D versions are coming out is because it is the future. I love 3D when it is done right but I don't think people are doing it right. For me it is way too cautious.

"If there is a way in the future to do a hologram version [of Star Wars] and the fans want it then it should be done. You don't just want to stop making movies and keep releasing old ones, though.

"These releases should be seen as a supplementary thing."

As we leave Lucasfilm, passing a life-size model of Boba Fett, and say goodbye to Javva The Hutt coffee stand, we can't help thinking that the Blu-ray release of Star Wars isn't the end of the movies in the home; this is a franchise that will continue to live on and, as Muren said, will be transformed for each upcoming new technology.

JAVVA THE HUTT: Best coffee this side of the Galaxy

From what we have seen, Lucasfilm has done a fantastic job bringing Star Wars to Blu-ray, creating a package that from an audiovisual point of view future proofs the movies but in the extras also celebrates its past. From what we have seen, it's the Star Wars release you have been waiting for… at least until the holographic versions come out.

Star Wars: The Complete Saga Blu-ray UK release date is 12 September, courtesy of Twentieth Century Fox.

Pioneer has announced two more Blu-ray players to join its 2011 line-up, this time toting 3D playback with a slightly more painful price tag than the BDP-140 launched earlier this week.

The new BDP-440 and BDP-LX55 come boasting "universal disc playback" which means you can stick on your Super Audio CDs and DVD-Audio discs as well as your regular and 3D Blu-rays.

The boxes can also be connected to the internet thanks to an Ethernet port; but you can also invest in an additional Pioneer-branded wireless LAN converter if you want to do away with the wires.

BD-Live

But the real boon to this is that you can use BD-Live to access extra content on your Blu-ray players, as well as accessing YouTube and Picasa. It's not as prolific a smart TV service as you get from the likes of Samsung, for example, but you've gotta start somewhere.

Both come with an HDMI-out port, but the BDP-LX55 comes with two so you can hook it up to multiple display devices at once.

The two new boxes also upconvert DVDs to to near HD quality and the BDP-LX55 brings extra video processing IC and control over the output to the party too.

The lower spec BDP-440 will be the first to hit the shops in October 2011 with a UK price of £250, while the BDP-LX55 UK release date is set for November 2011, priced at £350.

Networking company Netgear has announced three new products designed to shunt bits to your internet-enabled entertainment devices at IFA 2011.

The Powerline Nano Dual-port Set works like any other powerline adapter, with the advantage that the units themselves are small enough not to block a second outlet. The adapters come with two ethernet ports, and are capable of speeds of up to 200 mbps.

Powerline adapters are as cumbersome as they are convenient so if Netgear can shrink the form factor it will make them far more attractive.

The Nano Dual-port Set will be released in Europe in November, and is set to be priced at approximately £98.

TV on the radio

If you're resolutely against the idea of powerline networking, or somehow live in a house without powerlines, Netgear's other products may prove more enticing.

The Universal Dual Band Wireless Internet Adapter for TV and Blu-Ray players is designed to do exactly what it says on its rather elongated tin.

The adapter connects to any ethernet-enabled TV or Blu-Ray player and allows wireless streaming at both 2.4GHz and 5GHz, the latter of which Netgear reckons is perfect for HD video.

It's also designed to blend in with home entertainment devices, and can be powered by a TV's onboard USB socket or directly from the mains.

The Universal Dual Band Wireless Internet Adapter for TV and Blu-Ray has a release date of September, and a suggested retail price of approximately £55.

And finally...

Finally, the Universal Push2TV Wireless PC to TV Adapter broadcasts the contents of a Windows PC's screen on HDMI-compatible TVs.

The product consists of a USB flash drive-sized adapter for your PC, and an HDMI adapter for your PC.

Installation is said to be a simple one-time affair, and it's capable of displaying in full HD 1080p on your television.

The Universal Push2TV HD Wireless PC to TV Adapter will be released in September with UK pricing of around £78.

Pioneer GB has revealed four new Blu-ray home cinema systems, with the two higher-specced 'regular' systems coming with iOS and Wi-Fi support.

The new home cinema systems come in 'basic' and 'regular' flavours, with all four main systems including up to 1100-watt power output, with a de facto 5.1 speaker setup.

They also support 3D Blu-Ray disc playback, HDMI with Audio Return Channel (ARC) for audio output from your TV, web online streaming and DLNA connectivity. In addition, there are mini-jack and USB connectors for linking up your MP3 player.

Both the regular and basics series come in two different speaker configurations - with satellites in either "tall" freestanding or "compact" wall-mountable varieties.

Big woofer

The regular series, known as the BCS-717 with floorstanding speakers and the BCS-313 with compact speakers, adds iPod and iPhone compatibility via a cradle, WiFi connectivity, and an ultra-slim subwoofer.

In the basics series, the BCS-414 ships with floorstanding speakers, and the BCS-212 comes with compact speakers. In both of these the subwoofer is replaced with a fatter variety, and the Apple and WiFi connectivity is dropped.

The array of formats supported by all systems include DivX HD, MKV, JPEG, PNG, WMA, MP3 and AAC. They'll also rip your CD collection (if you still have one) to USB.

Connections to external devices such as games consoles and PCs are handled by two HDMI ports.

The systems are available now, starting at £299 for the most basic system, and stretching up to £499 for the "regular" system with floorstanding speakers.

Most movie fans will have already pre-ordered their copy of the forthcoming Star Wars Saga box set, but anyone still undecided can get yet another taster of what the Blu-rays have to offer thanks to 20th Century Fox.

The movie studio has revealed a new trailer which follows the previously released deleted scenes teaser.

This time around the focus is more on the bonus features, offering glimpses of special FX breakdowns, archive documentary footage and green-screen comparisons.

Hi-def peek

The HD trailer also gives some indication of how the newly-remastered films should look when they hit Blu-ray.

Although still 720p rather than 1080p, it's obvious that the sci-flicks will dazzle in hi-def – and be a significant improvement on the non-remastered 1080i versions shown on ITVHD.

Meanwhile, the rare documentary footage and deleted scenes exhibit all the scratches and dirt you can expect from archive material – so it looks as if George Lucas has for once resisted the temptation to polish up his pictures with CGI.

The Star Wars Saga Blu-ray UK release date is September 12 and it will be available for around £70.

There will also be an Episodes IV-VI box set for £34 – this is the set you will get a voucher for if you purchase selected Panasonic Blu-ray machines – and the Prequel Trilogy will also be sold separately.

With the announcement that Twentieth Century Fox is to add Android to its list of devices compatible with its digital copy service, there seems to be something of a question mark surrounding Blu-ray.

Just how long can physical media survive in a market where Apple no longer offers optical drives on many of its computers and tablets are becoming a big part of consumers' media consumption?

TechRadar sat down with Vincent Marcais, senior vice-president for marketing, and Danny Kaye, executive vice president of global research & technology strategy, from Twentieth Century Fox recently to discuss just that, and they explained that Blu-ray is only really at the start of what is set to be a long shelf-life.

The reason for this is that Fox is looking at Blu-ray as the main part of what is a wider media package – it is the disc you buy, but with it you get the ability to get digital copies and more. But it is the disc that is essential to the quality of the product.

Future proofing

"Blu-ray at the moment is the best way for consumers to directly own content because they get the best quality and it's future-proofing at the same time," explained Marcais.

"We are looking at all different types of things: electronic, digital and physical stuff. But our focus at the moment is really Blu-ray."

Blu-ray sales are up year on year and with Blu-ray player prices dropping way below the £100 mark, it is a format that's becoming part of the mainstay.

However, the proliferation of digital downloads will eventually mean that Blu-ray's market share will shrink.

As Danny Kaye explained to TechRadar, though, Fox is hoping that the eco-system it is helping create with the digital locker service UltraViolet will enrich Blu-ray buying and not hinder it.

"The concept of UltraViolet is giving something extra," explained Kaye.

"If I want to watch it on a large screen TV in the best quality, I get a Blu-Ray disc. But if I also get a DVD then I can move that around the players that I might have in other places including a car or my computer.

"And then with UltraViolet, I will be able to download a stream to any number of portable devices, then that's a lot of flexibility.

"So I buy one title and I can do any number of things with it. That should shift from a 'rental-streaming' model, to a 'purchase-own' store."

UltraViolet - ultra backing

UltraViolet is being backed by some 70 companies and it acts as a digital locker for your content. While the idea is sound, the concept at the moment does mean that titles you have bought before the UltraViolet launch will not be part of this locker.

Kaye, however, did hint to us that Fox was looking at ways to get previously bought content on to the service.

"We're talking about all of these kinds of things and sure it's going to happen… there may be easier ways to do it than in the past where you could end up digitising each part of your library."

Marcais agreed with this, and explained to TechRadar: "Finding the good solutions for people to digitise their existing library will prepare them to be more willing to buy them in the new environment."

UltraViolet is set for a UK launch sometime later in the year.

A new Blu-ray release by Warner Bros has been hit with aspect ratio woes, with review copies of Ironclad sent in 16:9 format, rather than 2.35:1 that the film should be shown in.

The Blu-ray's aspect ratio problem was picked up by Home Cinema Choice magazine, which has a history of pointing out incorrect aspect ratios.

Back in May, another Warner Bros title was given the wrong aspect ratio. The Blu-ray in question was John Carpenter's The Ward, which was subsequently pulled from its original release date and will now be released in October; Mr Carpenter himself even tweeted about the situation.

Cramp it up

Home Cinema Choice has contacted Warner Bros about the situation but has yet to hear a reply.

Anton van Beek, news editor of HCC, said about the 16:9 version of Ironclad: "While this may be a 'nicer fit' for a widescreen TV, it seriously compromises the look of the film, excising vital visual information and making everything look much more cramped."

The Blu-ray version of Ironclad is to be released 11 July, which means that there's little-to-no time before the disc hits shop shelves for Warner Bros to rectify the situation.

Digital copies bundled with each Blu-ray discs represent the best way for people to satisfy both their need for a physical product and a future-proof format that they buy, according to Twentieth Century Fox.

With the Blu-ray format celebrating its fifth birthday, surviving an early format war with HD DVD to become the successor to DVD, questions remain about its longevity as downloads and digital copies flourish.

But in an extensive interview with TechRadar, Danny Kaye, Twentieth Century Fox's executive VP for global research and technology strategy, expressed his belief that bundling physical and digital was pleasing everybody.

Confusion

"We do think there is confusion in the market over several things and we're working with industry bodies alongside other studios and manufacturers to help educate consumers on the benefits of Blu-ray," said Kaye.

"To help minimise consumer confusion one of the things we talk about is Blu-ray as the 'perfect hybrid' – bridging the gap between physical and digital for consumers.

"It allows consumers to own a physical disc which we know there is demand for but acts as a gateway to the digital world now, with electronic copies in the box, and in the future with Ultra Violet."

Demand for digital copies is growing, and increasingly people want to have their physical cake a digitally eat it, according to Kaye

"We know that two thirds of those buying the Blu-ray disc want the digital copy as it future proofs consumers' home movie collections," he added

"It's a versatile pricing model and, we believe, the fairest way to buy movies as you 'pay once, play anywhere'."

Blu-ray is five years old this week, with the first discs coming to market way back in June 2006. While the format may not yet be in the public conscience as DVD and VHS before it, there's still no better way to watch movies in the home at 1080p quality.

Blu-ray is celebrating its fifth birthday today, marking five years since the first Blu-ray discs went on sale to consumers.

The technology may be more than a decade old but it took a cool six years for Blu-ray discs to hit the shops and a few more years for consumers to warm to the technology. Now Blu-ray is a firm part of the £2.6 billion UK home video industry.

This is not to say that Blu-ray is not finding it tough in what are 'interesting' economic times; the NPD group in the US found that both DVD and Blu-ray sales were down in 2011, blaming the dip on pretty shoddy titles being released in the market.

But despite the growing dependence on digital formats and video on demand, the impact of the physical disc on the market is still a huge one and very much part of the movie and television eco-system.

Disc revenue

Speaking at the Insight 360 BVA event in London earlier in the month, with TechRadar in attendance, Andrew Tessler, senior economist at Oxford Economics, said that DVD and Blu-ray sales were paramount to the future of TV and film, with 47 per cent of all feature film revenue coming from video sales.

When it comes to the lifeblood of key UK shows, like Doctor Who and Downton Abbey, Tessler said that DVD and Blu-ray sales accounted for 50 per cent and 47 per cent of revenue respectively for these shows.

Films also rely heavily on video, with movies such as Kidulthood only making their money back once they hit disc.

With the advent of Blu-ray came 1080p viewing in the home, which is still the best quality available from any format. This and extras like BD-Java and BD-Live have made Blu-ray something that is genuinely offering more in the home entertainment space – even if most of us tend to ignore BD-Live as we do that distant relative that only seems to turn up at Christmas.

For Blu-ray to survive alongside digital downloads and streaming in the home it will need a helping hand; something that UltraViolet may be able to deliver.

Set to launch this year, UltraViolet is being backed by 70 companies – including Sky, Netflix, LoveFilm, Samsung, HP and Dell.

The idea is that you buy something on Blu-ray – or whichever format – and you will be able to access that content from a multitude of devices in digital form.

Tim Wright, VP, worldwide new media and tech at Sony Pictures, told TechRadar: "It is a rights locker, where you can access films and TV programmes whenever and wherever you want. We will allow up to six members of a household and three simultaneous streaming feeds.

"The idea is that UltraViolet rights could be on a Blu-ray disc, so it's a great way to own films and TV shows in the multiple device, connected world you live in."

Don't be starry eyed

Blu-ray may not have filled the boots of DVD yet but there's still some way before digital usurps disc.

This is a view backed by Lavina Carey, director general of the British Video Association, who said to TechRadar about video in the home: "Technological innovation is asking questions about the future of disc, yet the demand of video content is as strong as ever.

"Entrepreneurial digital services in the UK are being snapped up by global companies – Amazon with LoveFilm; Tesco with Blink Box.

"It is extremely important to embrace all these, but we can't be too starry eyed over new tech services. All-you-can-eat services offer fantastic value but we need to figure out the economic potential and revenue is right for content creators, as well as making a return for the tech companies offering the service."

To celebrate Blu-ray's five year anniversary the AV experts at Home Cinema Choice have compiled what they think is the best disc of each year, which you can find at http://hcc.techradar.com.