Overview

Designed as the ultimate home entertainment centre, Samsung's BD-D8900 packs everything bar the kitchen sink into one big, shiny box.

It's not only a 3D-compatible Smart TV-enabled Blu-ray player, it's also a Freeview+ HD PVR packing a generous 1TB hard drive. Want one PVR to do it all? Then this mean machine appears to be your best option. But there are caveats.

Build and connectivity

Accommodating all this technology requires a chassis of some size, and the BD-D8900 obliges. Measuring 430mm wide and 64mm tall, it's a chunky chap. That said it's not without charm and a certain refinement.

There's no clunky disc-loading tray, the unit uses a slick slot loader – feed it a silver platter and it will hungrily suck it in. It also incorporates touch-panel controls and has an illuminated disc mechanism, courtesy of a semi-translucent lid. We're guessing you won't want to hide this ostentatious hulk away in a cupboard.

Despite all the functionality, the rear panel is not overcrowded. There're two HDMIs, one of which is audio only. This is used to route lossless Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio soundtracks from Blu-ray discs to legacy (non-3D) compatible AV receivers – the primary output then delivers 3D direct to your stereoscopic display.

There are also phono AV and digital optical audio outputs, plus an Ethernet connection. Wi-Fi is integrated, so there's no need to use a dongle. There's also a component video output, but be aware that this cannot be used for high definition.

As part of the AACS copy protection regulations, it restricts Blu-ray output to 480i. Not only that, it outputs Freeview HD at 576p (unlike the HDMI alternative). This will apparently solve the problem of online piracy at a stroke and is in no away absolutely infuriating for the minority of us that simply want to make a component hook-up to our flatscreens.

On the front of the deck is a pull-down flap concealing a CI+ slot and USB port for media playback.

Performance

Basic use

The PVR side of the BD-D8900 works well enough. The TV guide is large and clear, with a live TV window running top left. You're automatically prompted to Series Link when you select something to record from the EPG. Bank a few hi-def seasons and that 1TB capacity drive will soon start to fill up.

There is some management of TV recordings, should you feel the need. You can partially delete content, or split it up. Quite why you might want to do this is unclear, as you can't archive the results to disc.

The BD-D8900 sports two Freeview HD tuners, so you can watch one channel while recording another. However, you can't timeshift a TV show, and then pop over to Samsung's Smart Hub TV portal for net-connected shenanigans. The player invites you to cancel your recording first.

PVR and multimedia

As a media streamer, the BD-D8900 is talented but pedantic. File compatibility is good, particularly when playing from a USB thumb drive. The deck unwraps MKV hi-def, AVIs (with SRT subtitle support), TS files and MOVs without problem.

Music compatibility is limited to MP3s and WMA. Album art is displayed when available and metadata read correctly. You can stream media across your network but, again, not while recording a TV show.

So if you thought you'd record Come Dine With Me to savour later with a nice Chianti, and stream some AVIs from a NAS in the meantime, think again. This one-track mentality makes the BD-D8900 less versatile than several units doing the same job.

Performance

As a Blu-ray player, the BD-D8900 is well equipped. It's compatible with the latest generation of 3D frame-sequential Blu-ray discs, and does a fine job of spinning regular 2D Blu-rays as well.

Image clarity is blisteringly sharp with rich colour fidelity. The player also makes a creditable job of upscaling DVDs.

Disc loading times are good but not remarkable. The Java-heavy Blu-ray release of Goldfinger takes 59 seconds to get from disc suck-in to the 007 menu. This is comparable with other players, and a little better than its BD-D8500 stablemate. Lou Reed's Berlin, a much simpler authoring job from Artificial Eye, loads in just 30 seconds.

HD recordings look faithful to the source, but SD dubs could benefit from some noise reduction; a high level of mosquito fizz and blocking makes recordings from low bitrate Freeview channels look rough.

One 3D feature that may appeal is on-the-fly conversion of 2D material. This treatment can be applied not only to Blu-rays and DVDs but also to broadcast TV. We're not big fans of faux 3D, but there's no getting away from the fact that Samsung does it better than most, using a five-way vector analyser.

Our trials met with various degrees of success, depending on the subject matter. If nothing else, this is a fun way to use your new 3D TV when there's nothing else to warrant putting the 3D specs on for.

But stream media across a LAN and you may well encounter problems. We tried playing our test files from a variety of NAS devices (LG, Iomega) and using different media server software (Asset, Serviio, Nero) and lost MKV compatibility on all of them.

The only success we had was with an installation of Samsung's own AllShare media server software. With this installed on a PC, the BD-D8900 could see MKVs and play them. Of course, if you use a NAS for your video storage then you may be out of luck.

Overview

If I were building a Blu-ray player, I suspect it would look a lot like Cambridge Audio's Azur 751BD.

It would be 3D compatible (just in case), offer network media streaming for sound and vision (because frankly that's essential) and it would be compatible with my treasured, but sadly not growing, collection of DVD-Audio and SACDs. It would also have a facia forged in the fires of Mount Doom. I would call it The One Facia.

Sadly, the 751BD rather lets me down on that front. Instead, Cambridge Audio has settled for a rather less eldritch aluminium plate. In truth, the 751BD is a pretty substantial player all the same.

Tipping the scales at 5kg, it's blessed with a rigidity that speaks of refinement and clarity of purpose. Connections are many and varied, and include dual HDMI outputs. The primary HDMI feeds video to a 3D capable display, while the secondary takes lossless audio to a legacy receiver.

If you have a 3D-friendly AVR you may not need to use this second output at all. Although, if you were feeling frivolous, you could feed a second display in another room. The player isn't Wi-Fi enabled, but a dongle is supplied in the box should you need it.

Despite its sophistication, the 751BD is easy enough to drive. The menu system reveals shared DNA with the Oppo BDP-95EU, although other aspects of the build are distinctly Cambridge Audio.

One area where it definitely pips the Oppo is file compatibility. Indeed, the player got to grips with almost everything in my test folders, both across the network from a NAS and from local USB. From MP3, AAC and FLAC to AVI, MOV and MKVs, it ruled them all.

In addition to the largely nonsensical BD-Live, the player also has online access to Picasa, which is nothing if not a little random. Hopefully this 'net connectivity will improve over coming months.

When setting up, though, take care not to select PAL as the HDMI output. Instead choose Multi-System. If you don't, there's a good chance some of your Blu-rays will stutter and judder like a drunken Hobbit.

Performance

Processing power

A peak beneath the lid reveals some powerful processing. A Marvell QDEO scaler is partnered by a Mediatek MTK8530 decoder, which handles 3D decoding, audio codes and suchlike. They're joined by a 32bit Analog Devices Sharc DSP. This upsamples all decoded material to 192kHz/24-bit, whereupon proprietary code applies jitter suppression and anti-alias filtering to all the analogue outputs.

It's at this point that you can choose your own filtering preference, via Minimum, Linear or Steep options on the front panel. To say the difference here is subtle is an understatement. I convinced myself I preferred Linear and left it at that.

As a 2D/3D Blu-ray player the 751BD is hugely impressive. The Extended edition of The Lord of the Rings provides an epic demonstration of BD clarity, which this player revelled in. On Return of the King, Chapter 65, The Black Gate Opens, the amount of raw detail and texture extracted from the disc is jaw-dropping. Every nuance from the AVC encode is there to be seen.

TechRadar Labs

Power consumption: Watts
Idle: 17 Watts
Powered: 20 Watts

Just ticking over, the Cambridge Audio deck draws a fair chunk of juice – but it uses less than 1W in standby. When playing a disc, consumption increases by 3W.

Audio jitter: Ps
Jitter: 156 Ps

The Azur 751BD's analogue audio jitter figure of 156ps is first-rate.

Loading: Boot/Java
Boot speed and tray eject: 4.5 seconds
Tray in to main BD Menu: 40 seconds

No time to make a cup of tea here.

Boot up and disc-loading times are nice and snappy. DVD deinterlacing and interpolation, courtesy of the QDEO scaler, can be considered well above average. The QDEO doesn't quite ace all the HQV Silicon Optix jaggies tests, although generally speaking upscaled video looks smooth and convincing.

The Mediatek-fed second HDMI output is not quite so polished, although there's a surprisingly small gap in performance between the two solutions. Wolfson WM8740 DACs guard each analogue audio ouput.

When it comes to audio, the 751BD exhibits outstanding imaging and musicality. The best results are to be had from Super Audio CDs, which can be output either as DSD or PCM. My preferred connection output proved to be multichannel analogue.

Sound investment

Out of the box, the 751BD plays by the rules and is region locked. However, there's anecdotal evidence to suggest that dealers are offering unlocked editions. It's certainly worth making enquiries. Of course, regional restrictions are far less significant for Blu-ray than DVD, because so many titles ship without playback constraints anyway.

Overall, the 751BD should be lauded as 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.

Sony's bottom-of-the-range BSP-S380 Blu-ray spinner offers a lot in performance and specifications for its meagre £130 ticket, but misses out on a couple of the key features that its BDP-S480 sibling brings to the party for only £20 more.

With that in mind, it's only worth considering if you're really hard up, or are looking to upgrade your bedroom setup.

Sony's brilliant web portal, Bravia Internet Video, still boasts the best range of content around, including BBC iPlayer, Demand Five, Sky News, Eurosport, LOVEFiLM, YouTube, and much more. Yes, there's no app gallery full of child-friendly games, but do you care?

Despite being Sony's entry-level player, it still features the brand's Xross Media Bar menu, which is as intuitive as ever.

There are two USB ports on board, one on the front for media playback from storage devices and one on the back to house the optional UWABR100 wireless LAN adaptor, which you can find online for around £50.

Other features include smartphone control, the Gracenote-powered Entertainment Database Browser and picture presets for different lighting conditions.

Hi-def picture quality is excellent, with crisp detail and natural colours. And, like the rest of Sony's player lineup, the BDP-S380 can spin Super Audio CDs. Disc loading and boot-up times are fast, and it feels well made for a budget deck, despite being almost comically slimline.

The omissions are either major or minor depending on your needs. You can't stream content over a home network and there's no 3D support – two features which you can enjoy on the £150 BDP-S480.

Also, the BDP-S380 won't play DivX files, which seems odd in this day and age. It didn't get on with my hi-def AVI and WMV files, either.

LG BD670: Overview and spec

LG is currently embroiled in a smart TV war with rival Samsung for dominance of the internet-connected living room landscape. In both TV and Blu-ray, the pair are going head to head with similarly monikered portals (Smart TV and Smart Hub) stuffed with comparable apps and video streaming content, such as in Samsung's recent BD-D7500, which costs around £100 more than the LG BD670 we have for review here.

A cursory glance might indicate that there's not much between the two brands. But just how compelling is LG's Intelligence Quotient?

Certainly, at first glance the BD670 doesn't look particularly smart. It's quite scruffy in fact; from its dull black plastic body, to the embossed buttonry, it's a bit of a duffer.

Rear side connectivity comprises a single HDMI, Ethernet LAN, optical digital audio, phono AV and component port. There's only one USB port, and that's on the front. This is an inconvenience, because the Blu-ray player lacks persistent memory for BD Live applications, so you'll have to live with a thumbdrive sticking out the front if you use BD Live, swapping it over when you want to play media.

At least there's no need for a Wi-Fi dongle – that's built-in and works well. You can connect via WPS (if your router supports this) or manually. I took the latter route, and popped the player wirelessly on my network in as much time as it took me to plod around the soft-keyboard.

Thankfully, the LG BD670 smartens up its act considerably when you get to the user interface. The main Home menu consists of a jolly line of colourful function buttons, designated Movie, Photo, Music, Premium and Apps. Click on any one of the first three and the player will show you other DLNA/uPnP clients on your network, allowing you to drill down and stream your media content.

For online content options, hit the remaining buttons. Premium takes you to LG's streaming portal (which, bizarrely, appears to reside at the fork in a virtual road, if the background graphic is anything to go by).

There's a fair amount of entertainment on tap. In addition to BBC iPlayer and YouTube, there's DailyMotion, Acetrax, Cinetrailers and internet radio service VTuner. Filling out the roster is some easy-to-ignore Google Maps twaddle.

Hop over to the apps store and there's more to explore. Curiously, sandwiched between various colour blindness tests and a typo-ridden keep fit tutorial, we found more than a dozen movies, all free to watch. Ultra low-budget indie efforts, they have rather inventively sidestepped traditional movie distribution to end up as download fodder. We don't mind saying that we were rather chuffed with this haul. It's like suddenly discovering a film festival on your doorstep. Free treats like this make smart TV tech such fun to own.

The LG BD670 can also stream media across a network and from USB, with a generally good hit rate. MP3s play, along with album art when available, as do AAC files, although both FLAC and WAV are off limits. And, for reasons I can't explain, my standard WMA test rolled out at high speed. Video file support over the network covered AVI, MKV and MOV content.

LG BD670: Verdict

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 Angeles looks 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.

Stereoscopic footage has the potential to look equally sharp. Of course much depends on what your display will do to the image before it hits your peepers. At least the deck itself does a fine job. Naturally, the LG BD670 is quite at home with home-grown, DIY 3D shot in AVCHD.

Disc loading is a tad tardy. The player took a lazy one minute six seconds to go from tray to Bond logo, on the Java-heavy Goldfinger Blu-ray disc. Simpler Blu-rays load rather faster.

As a CD spinner, the LG BD670's performance is functional. With no Super Audio CD compatibility to give it a resolution boost, this player's unlikely to convert too many audiophiles to its cause.

But its overall presentation is fun: when playing a CD, it pulls album art direct from the Gracenote database. It also features Music ID, designed to identify any tunes in a platter you're playing, at the touch of a button (it sometimes works).

As a DVD player, the LG BD670 does a decent job. My venerable Silicon Optix HQV test platter confirms deinterlacing and upscaling to be of a creditable standard. If you have a large collection of SD discs, they'll be in reasonable hands here.

Overall, the LG BD670 is a great value internet-connected 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.

Sony's BDP-S570 player was a runaway hit during 2010, hoovering up more awards than the clean-up crew at the BAFTAs – so the closely related BDP-S480 follow-up has a lot to live up to.

Cosmetically, it's only marginally different from its forebear. The player is extremely thin with a cute curvy front fascia and a stumpy little remote. The latter doesn't look particularly natty, but it feels fine in the hand. Don't lose it – the buttons on the BDP-S480's front panel are so small you may never find them.

Speed demon

Last year's Sony players offered the fastest disc-loading times in their class. This year's models are bit more ponderous, although our Tech Labs recorded a boot-up time of only two seconds.

The player also speeds ahead with its online connectivity. The familiar Sony XrossMediaBar seamlessly integrates with the brand's Bravia Internet Video portal, offering up a long list of Video on Demand TV services.

Unlike many of its rivals, Sony hasn't really embraced the concept of downloadable apps. Instead its virtual shelves are stocked with copious amounts of IPTV content – and for telly addicts and AVholics this is really good news.

Once connected to the 'net, there's a massive choice of stuff to peruse. BBC iPlayer and Demand 5 provide catch-up TV, there's news bites from Sky News and Eurosport, while general entertainment comes via LOVEFiLM, YouTube, Daily Motion, and Sony Entertainment Television. That's a whole night's viewing entertainment before you've even loaded a disc.

And, amazingly, it doesn't end there. You can also stream movies in either SD or HD from Sony's Qriocity Video on Demand service, or listen to music if you subscribe to a Qriocity Music Unlimited package (good luck with those credit card details!).

For extra net functions there's a web browser on board. While this lacks Flash support, it's nice to have to option for a quick Google.

Unlike the Samsung BD-D7500 and Philips BDP-7600 decks, Wi-Fi isn't integrated. For that you'll need to step up to Sony's BDP-S580 model. However, the brand will happily sell you a dongle. For £70. Or you could just use the Ethernet port.

One area where the BDP-S480 shines over last year's Sony BD players is file support. Media streaming has been given a big boost with the ability to play MKVs from a networked NAS, as well as AVCHD and AVIs.

Audio file compatibility covers MP3, AAC, WAV and WMA. Media support via USB is much the same, although you do get access to SRT subtitles. The deck failed to pull album art from our music server. However, if you spin a CD, it will go online and retrieve the sleeve from the Gracenote database, which is kind of smart.

Tech Labs

Power consumption: Watts
Idle: 6 Watts
Playing: 7 Watts

The low idle figure means your bills won't soar if you leave it on. Nor does power use rocket when the S480 is in full flight.

Audio jitter: ps
Analogue: 167

167ps is a good analogue jitter measurement, but we also recorded a below-par video jitter figure of 80ns.

Loading: Boot/Java
Boot speed and tray eject: 2 seconds
Tray in to main BD menu: 43 seconds

The quickest booting deck we've tested.

Super sonic

Picture quality from the BDP-S480 is predictably terrific. Blu-rays drip with fine detail and colour fidelity is gorgeous.

The player is also a great choice for music fans, being the only model here able to play hi-res Super Audio CDs. This multichannel music playback is stunning, easily giving this player an audible edge over others.

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.

Consequently, if you use anything other than cheap HDMI cables you'll have to abandon any plans to rack this conventionally. Fat cables will lift the player clean off its feet.

Inside said cavity there's provision for a single HDMI output, digital optical audio and mini-jack AV out (a mini-jack to phono AV lead is supplied in the box), plus Ethernet. Wi-Fi is integrated.

If you are foiled by its thinness, you can use the cute, angled pedestal supplied. The player will also wall mount via brackets are supplied in the box.

There's a slot loader on the right hand side of the player with a USB slot for media playback or BD-Live storage to the left.

Samsung's user interface remains a treat to use, and is the most approachable. Animated menus guide you around, connecting to either networked devices or the brand's internet Smart Hub portal.

Presented here this version looks much like it does on the brand's TVs, bar the open web browser.

Tech Labs

Power consumption: Watts
Idle: 6 Watts
Playing: 7 Watts

A few Watts higher than the Panasonic DMP-BDT310. The increase in consumption when playing is only 2W.

Audio jitter: ps
Analogue: 175 ps

The highest measurements we have seen recently, but still a decent figure.

Loading: Boot/Java
Boot speed and tray eject: 5 seconds
Tray in to main BD menu: 46 seconds

Fast to wake up, but not as quick as the Philips' deck to load.

Full fat Apps

Samsung has created the richest online platform when it comes to general content. A fast growing apps store offers plenty of causal games plus left-field infotainment, such as How to Tie a Tie and Yoga Helper. There's also a big selection of streaming video options, including the BBC iPlayer, YouTube, DailyMotion, Vimeo and Acetracks.

Social media is covered by clients for Facebook and Twitter, with Picasa, AccuWeather and Google Maps, too. Also part of the Smart Hub package is a Your Videos section which is a kind of IMDb-lite. It would make more sense if you could stream movies from within it, but that's not an option (at present).

While most of the VoD is FOC, there is a subscription service in the form of Box Office 365. Not only is the player 3D Blu-ray compatible, it has 2D-to-3D picture processing onboard. Of all the various faux 3D processes available, Samsung's is probably the best currently available.

Media playback from USB covers all the bases. The deck decoded and played AVIs (with subtitles), MP4, MP3 and WMA, and had no problem with HD video in WKV wrappers. I had less success pulling content from a NAS across our network, with only AVIs available for streaming.

Picture quality from the BDD7500 is very good. There's a clinical precision to its images which is easy to appreciate, but it's less enticing as a CD player, though.

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 company has long advocated online connectivity for its gear, famously launching its own Connected Planet product line back when most of us were still getting online with steam powered modems. The brand was way ahead of its time.

Philips' Connected Planet strategy faltered and now it's being forced to play catch-up. However, rather than create a walled-garden of IPTV like its rivals, the Dutch giant is endeavouring to establish a common standard of sorts, called Net TV.

This loose confederation of entertainment services will also be offered by Loewe and Sharp on selected product lines.

Be 'appy

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.

Apart from the free VOD, paid streaming channels are also available, including Cartoon Network, Box Offi ce 365 and Hit Entertainment. You can add more content to the launch page from the frugally stocked apps store. If you've been looking for a French language news channel, or a wallpaper screensaver of classical art, then you're in luck.

Perhaps the best supplemental content service currently on offer is iConcert; this has a broad range of music videos on tap which can be searched by artist or genre. The streaming clips may be in SD but they look pretty good.

If you want to venture out into the open web, the BDP7600 also offers a browser, but it lacks Flash support. While only one HDMI output is offered, there are 5.1 analogue outputs, which can be used to route lossless multichannel sound to a legacy AVR. This 5.1 output can be bumped to a 7.1 if you re-assign the separate stereo AV outs to the group.

The unit doesn't have any persistent memory, so you'll need to add your own. Unusually, this has to be done in the form of an SD card rather than USB. Remember, though, that the rear-placed card slot doesn't permit playback of media. For that you'll need to use the front-mounted USB.

Media streaming support is excellent. The player successfully accessed all our test files across a network, including AVIs, MOVs and MKV wrapped material, and also played them direct from USB. Audio support covers WMA, MP3, WAV and AAC, with album art when present.

Tech Labs

Power consumption: Watts
Idle: 11 Watts
Playing: 14 Watts

Not as green as some of its rivals.

Audio Jitter: Picoseconds
Analogue: 155

Not as impressive as Panasonic's DMP-BDT310, but a low figure that suggests good component quality and system design.

Loading: Boot/Java
Boot speed and tray eject: 11 seconds
Tray in to BD menu: 39 seconds

Quick to spin up our resident disc, but takes a while to boot.

Performance

When it comes to disc playback, the BDP7600 doesn't disappoint. Blu-rays look suitably detailed, with smoothly gradated colours and scads of texture.

The player's two-channel audio presentation is also above average, making this a good choice for CD fans. The BDP7600 is the fastest loader in our group by the tiniest of margins, but takes a while to wake.

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.

Dune's feature-packed Smart B1 Blu-ray player resembles a dull black external PC drive. There's no fluorescent track/time display, while the only controls are for disc eject and standby.

You do, however, benefit from a SD slot and USB port for storage devices. Two more of the latter lurk on the rear panel, which is well-stocked in other regards. There's the obligatory Ethernet port and HDMI, plus optical digital audio and a panoply of analogue AV output options that don't, alas, extend to multichannel audio.

Unusually, there's an eSATA port, to which external hard drives can be attached, next to a proprietary jack for remote control applications. The eSATA exists solely to give playback and potential access to a hard-drive based library of audio, video and photography.

The external power supply is an external type, again owing to space constraints. However, Dune's 'head unit' goes further. On the manufacturer's website, you can buy a DVB-T (standard-def only) digital terrestrial tuner stick for €40.

Plug one (or two, if simultaneous viewing and watching different channels is desired) into the rear-panel USB socketry and your eSATA-ported B1 will double as a PVR. It's an example of the player's modular design; other (unspecified) 'extension modules' can be added too.

In the absence of the requisite hardware, though, we were unable to try out the TV functions. The website warns that the EPG, which is essential for quick and easy timer setting, will only be supported with a future firmware upgrade.

Add your own memory

Such updates are delivered to the player via the 'net. When one is available, you're alerted with an onscreen message when the player starts up.

For what is an otherwise advanced player, it comes as a shock to learn that there's insufficient internal memory for such data – you have to plug in a storage device of appropriate capacity. External memory is also essential should you wish to access BD-Live features on Blu-ray discs.

Networking provides some other useful functions. Just about every modern Blu-ray player integrates a media player that can pull audio and video from a networked PC or storage device, yet the reliability and media-compatibility of this feature tend to be unpredictable.

Not so the B1, which is compatible with both the uPnP protocol (as supported by the majority of Blu-ray players) and SMB/Samba (network-shared folders and files).

In terms of media support, the list is impressive. I managed to play off-air MPEG2 transport streams, DVD rips, MP4 and MKV HD content, MP3 and FLAC audio and more. Support for subtitles (.Srt files) is also available. The only format that gave trouble was Flash video (FLV), but to be fair, only a handful of dedicated networked media players (such as Eminent's EM8060) can deal with this.

Like that Eminent player, which lacks a Blu-ray drive, the B1 can tune into internet radio and some online video content. Web browsing is another possibility, although the typical PC experience is far superior.

But with an external HDD plugged in, you can use the B1 like a PC as a Bittorrent client. I doubt somehow that we'll see a feature like this on players from brands such as Sony and Panasonic.

The B1 has an SMB server built in, and so other networkable devices (PCs, players) will be able to access files stored on that connected storage device – even with a Blu-ray playing.

Tech Labs

Power conspumption: Watts
Idle: 16 Watts
Playing: 17 Watts

More power-hungry than most BD decks while idle but not much difference with Blu-ray playback.

Audio jitter: Picoseconds
Analogue: 17,875 Ps

A woeful figure that suggests the Dune's analogue outputs should be avoided.

Loading: Boot/Java
Boot speed and tray eject: 6 seconds
Tray in to BD menu: 74 seconds

Pretty quick to boot, but loading times are tardy.

Performance

Configuring the B1 is fairly easy as a wizard takes you through the basic steps. Other parameters can be modified with a set of menus – if you're using a 1080p-compatible display, we recommend changing the video output mode to auto (24p/25p/30p). Otherwise it defaults to 25p and some rather juddery Blu-ray replay.

In common with some big-brand Blu-ray players, the default loading screen gives you a choice of the various replay options: optical disc, network, internet radio, local storage, web browser and so on. the design here is functional, rather than attractive. It's just as well that playback quality more than makes up for the basic user interface.

With a BD of romantic thriller The Tourist, I was rewarded – after something of a wait – with pristine detail and vibrant colours. The accompanying hi-res soundtracks, pumped into my Onkyo AVR via HDMI, are punchy yet subtle when needed. audio and network video also fared well, although TV transport streams revealed a bug – the handset's 'review' function went in the forward direction!

Furthermore, the internet radio and IPTV functions failed to work even after a firmware upgrade. DVDs were handled adeptly, though, and I could find no serious fault with the units deinterlacing and upscaling capabilities.

Multimedia playback is certainly as good as that from decent dedicated players. I also discovered that our B1 sample was multiregion DVD. If yours isn't, a firmware patch is available to download that will add this welcome feature plus Blu-ray zone selection.

In all, the Dune Smart B1 is worth considering if you want a Blu-ray player that's a little different...

Toshiba's Blu-ray players have never been cutting-edge affairs, but the company has wholeheartedly embraced 3D.

The BDX3200 is its latest 3D-ready effort and with its £150 price tag should appeal to those on a budget – although Sony's BDP-S480 costs the same amount and offers much more in functionality.

The BDX3200 is easy on the eye, with slim bodywork (42.5mm high) and a sleek black finish.

I had absolutely no trouble using the player, thanks to the uncomplicated menu system and its responsiveness to remote commands. Disc loading times are fairly fast, taking 50 seconds to load Terminator Salvation.

It boasts a surprisingly wide range of picture adjustments, grouped as Video Processing and Motion Video Processing. These let you alter the usual parameters, as well as offering presets, noise reduction and tweaks for individual colours. Get the settings spot on and the deck delivers impressive 2D and 3D pictures.

The front-mounted USB port provides media playback and supports MKV and DivX HD.

The feature set is decidedly lacking. Wi-fi support (built-in or dongle), network streaming, smartphone control, built-in BD Live memory, a second HDMI output and 2D-to-3D conversion are all absent.

Toshiba also missed a trick by not adding its new Toshiba Places internet portal to its player.

The picture adjustments should have been grouped into a single menu, as some of the settings overlap – without careful use you can end up spoiling the picture.

The Denon DBP-2012UD is built like Vin Diesel and boasts high-grade internal electronics that aim to deliver superior performance to the masses.

The £750 price tag is as hefty as the player itself, but will be viewed as peace of mind for any AV enthusiast looking for a machine to satisfy their videophile aspirations.

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.

The machine shares the same structural DNA as Denon's reference-class DBP-4010UD, which has Direct Mechanical Ground Construction to suppress vibration. Plus the luxurious build extends to the chunky buttons on the fascia and the smoothly gliding disc-tray mechanism.

Around the back, it's disappointing to find a single HDMI v1.4 port, which means owners of the DBP-2012UD with older AVRs will need to employ the 7.1 analogue outputs to enjoy HD audio and 3D pictures simultaneously. Elsewhere on that back panel you'll find a separate set of analogue stereo outputs for pure audio playback, component and composite video ports and a coaxial digital audio output.

The deck will also slot beautifully into a custom install setup with RS232 and remote control input/output.

Stable net link

An ethernet port is your only gateway to you home network, as there's no built-in wi-fi or facility for adding it via a USB dongle. For £750, you might expect that option.

Once plumbed in, though, I had no trouble streaming any of the supported formats during my test. You can also play them from external devices via the front USB port, or from discs. There's no MKV support, though.

Onscreen presentation is simple but effective. The Home menu sports just four icons – Media Player, YouTube (greyed out on my sample, as it is a firmware update), Setup and Quit. Choose Setup and you're greeted by a pleasant GUI with a bright colour palette and a straightforward structure. The cursor responds quickly to any command, making for a hassle-free user experience.

The remote is co-operative too – each button is emblazoned with its function in shouty capital letters and logical placement of the frequently-used menu and playback controls lets you navigate intuitively.

The set-up menu covers most bases, including straightforward network setup, rudimentary bass management settings for the multichannel analogue outs, HDMI settings (colour space/Deep Colour) and a couple of basic 3D options, although for the heavyweight picture adjustments you need to enter a separate menu.

This is where the DBP-2012UD shows its true videophile colours, boasting a list of tweaks that stretches far beyond your average budget player. You can adjust the contrast, brightness, gamma, sharpness and hue, as well as individual white, black and setup levels and 3D, block and mosquito noise reduction. Your settings can be stored in five memory presets, which will be useful if you want to calibrate it for different viewing conditions.

Loading times are in line with most other players on the market – our Tech Labs found it took 43 seconds to load its test disc after hitting the Close button. However, the DBP-2012 does take a while to wake up.

Tech Labs

Power consumption: Watts
Idle: 28
Powered: 28

A sizable power consumption when the Denon is ticking over – but putting it in standby drops it down to under 1W

Audio Jitter: ps
Result: 151

The DBP-2012UD's analogue audio jitter figure of 151 picoseconds is commendable

Loading: Boot/Java
Boot speed and tray eject: 11 seconds
Tray in to BD menu: 43 seconds

Quite slow to wake up from Standby

Maestro at work

Picture performance is excellent. The Denon relishes the challenges posed by Inception, expertly eking out the detail in the movie's global scenery as well as making those jaw-dropping CG shots of folding buildings and exploding shop fronts look staggeringly sharp.

There's also depth and definition to the Denon's pictures that any self-respecting movie fan will revel in. Blacks are as solid as they come, colours are richly saturated, yet realistic, while edges are clean as a whistle. Add to this a subtlety of touch that allows delicate shading, textures and shadow detail to remain visible.

These qualities also help produce dazzling 3D images, which are smooth and sharp without any major blurring or crosstalk issues. It's a slight shame, however, that you can't tweak the depth of the image like the latest Panasonic and Samsung decks.

Play about with the picture settings and you can easily fine tune the picture to work in harmony with your display and room conditions.

Where you will notice an improvement over the more affordable mass market machines is in audio quality. Rigged up to my sound system using the isolated analogue stereo outputs and with the Pure Direct mode engaged, the DBP-2012UD delivers silky music playback with beautifully crisp high frequencies, robust bottom end and a tight midrange.

Everything from U2's chugging stadium rock anthems to intimate jazz pieces is handled with the sort of care and attention more closely associated with dedicated CD players – particularly when it comes to vocals. Listen to DVD-A or SACD via the HDMI port and it's spine-tingle central, too. Roxy Music's Avalon and Marvin Gaye's Let's Get It On (both SACD) sound utterly seductive thanks to the finesse with which the Denon orchestrates the haunting surround sound info.

Fuss-free and filmic

The DBP-2012UD hits a home run on both picture and sound performance and, with its luxurious build quality, you're certainly getting a lot of player for your money.

Yes, its feature list isn't in the same league as players costing much less (and the lack of wi-fi support is a pain), but the kind of people who value audio prowess and tank-like build might not be that fussed about accessing Flickr.