If you are in the market for a DVD player, you are going to have to make a decision. Do you get a standard DVD player? Or do you move up to Blu-ray? If you are not familiar with the two technologies, this decision can be a little frustrating.
Blu-ray (blue laser) enthusiasts will always fawn over its supposed superiority, but do you really need to spend the money? Keep reading to know what questions you need to ask yourself in making this decision.
Do you consider yourself a movie fanatic?
If so, then you might want to lean towards Blu-ray. The truth is those players can play both the blue laser discs and standard DVDs. The screen resolution is also high definition, so the pictures and images are several factors better than conventional DVD’s. If you love movies, you probably expect the best from your home theater.
Consider the television that you will be playing these movies on.
If it is a standard definition television, a regular DVD player might be a better choice to save you money. Unless your TV is high definition, 720 or 1080, then a blue laser player will not result in a better picture because the screen just cannot handle it.
Think about your future entertainment budget.
If you do go blue laser, you need to know that these discs do cost more than regular DVD’s. However, DVD’s are starting to fade out of preference, as more and more movies are released as Blu-ray/DVD packages instead of one or the other.
As you are probably starting to see, just how much does picture quality mean to you? If you just want some basic couch time and escapism, where you care more about story and acting, regular DVD’s should be fine. This is especially true of any small screens you are setting up for virtual white noise, like in your home office. Elaborate home theaters are what should have Blu-ray.
Consider your immediate budget for the hardware.
You can get a used regular DVD player from second hand retailers or thrift stores, even yard sales, for not many dollars. On the other hand, Blu-ray players are still a significant chunk of change. They are not as pricey as they used to be, but they are still not cheap electronics.
Think about how long you intend to use the player you are going to buy.
If you are hoping to get five or more years’ use out of it, then you need to go with a Blu-ray player. Regular DVD’s are already on the way out of the marketplace, although it will take many more years before they join VHS in history.
One last factor to have in mind is whether or not you can already play Blu-ray discs. Your home computer might have a Blu-ray player in it that you can enable to play movies cheaper than buying a standalone player. Certain gaming consoles also already have the necessary hardware for playing Blu-ray discs.
When you keep these criteria in mind, you are going to have a much easier time choosing between a Blu-ray player and a standard DVD player. Use all these questions and factors to make an informed decision!