This page contains information on all of the previous U.S. model Blu-ray A/V players. Use the Terms/Specs link above to view a detailed explanation of what all of the player specs mean.
Older Players:
Profile 1.1 Players
These players are compatible with BonusView (Picture-in-picture) features, but not BD-Live (internet) features.
LG BH200 (MSRP: $999) -- Firmware updates: Link
LG continues its trend of releasing dual-format players, with the announcement of the BH200 player which they claim will fully support both BD Profile 1.1 and HD DVD HDi programming. Also, they are promising BD-Live support next spring with a firmware update. Also, unlike the first-generation dual-format player, the BH200 will support both 1080p60 and 1080p24 output.
| Specs | Internal Decoding | ||
| Generation | 3 | Dolby TrueHD | Yes |
| BD Profile | 1.1 (BonusView) | DTS-HD HR | Yes |
| 1080p24 Output | Yes | DTS-HD MA | No |
| Analog Outputs | 2 channel | Bitstream Output | |
| Dolby TrueHD | Yes | ||
| Special Features | DTS-HD HR | Yes | |
| Plays HD DVDs | DTS-HD MA | Yes |
Samsung Duo BD-UP5000 (MSRP: $799) -- Firmware updates: Link
Samsung enters the dual-format player market this winter with an "HD Duo" player that plays back both Blu-ray and HD DVD discs. Unlike LG's player, Samsung says their player fully supports both BD-J and HDi on Blu-ray and HD DVD discs respectively.
| Specs | Internal Decoding | ||
| Generation | 3 | Dolby TrueHD | Yes |
| BD Profile | 1.1 (BonusView) | DTS-HD HR | Yes |
| 1080p24 Output | Yes | DTS-HD MA | No |
| Analog Outputs | 5.1 channel | Bitstream Output | |
| Dolby TrueHD | Yes | ||
| Special Features | DTS-HD HR | Yes | |
| Plays HD DVDs | Realta Processing | DTS-HD MA | Yes |
Profile 1.0 Players
These players are not compatible with either BD-Live (internet) features or BonusView (Picture in picture) features.
Sony BDP-S300 (MSRP: $399) -- Firmware Updates: Link
Quite possibly the player many have been waiting for, Sony's second-gen Blu-ray player builds on the feature-set of their earlier BDP-S1 player at half the price! The new unit retains all of the major features of its predecessor, including 1080p24 support, while adding CD playback and Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD audio decoding into the mix.
| Specs | Internal Decoding | ||
| Generation | 2 | Dolby TrueHD | No |
| BD Profile | 1.0 | DTS-HD HR | No |
| 1080p24 Output | Yes | DTS-HD MA | No |
| Analog Outputs | 5.1 channel | Bitstream Output | |
| Dolby TrueHD | No | ||
| Special Features | DTS-HD HR | No | |
| None | DTS-HD MA | No |
Pioneer Elite BDP-95HD (MSRP: $999) -- Firmware Updates: Link
Pioneer's BDP-95HD is essentially the same as their existing BDP-94HD model, only with HDMI 1.3 features such as high definition audio bitstream output.
| Specs | Internal Decoding | ||
| Generation | 2 | Dolby TrueHD | Yes |
| BD Profile | 1.0 | DTS-HD HR | No |
| 1080p24 Output | Yes | DTS-HD MA | No |
| Analog Outputs | 5.1 channel | Bitstream Output | |
| Dolby TrueHD | Yes | ||
| Special Features | DTS-HD HR | Yes | |
| Network Media | Playback | DTS-HD MA | Yes |
Samsung BD-P1000 (Original MSRP: $999; later dropped to $799) -- Firmware Updates: Link
The first Blu-ray player to hit the market. Though it stumbled out of the gate with a firmware problem that caused images to appear soft, the latest revisions have brought it up to snuff with the rest of the pack.
| Specs | Internal Decoding | ||
| Generation | 1 | Dolby TrueHD | No |
| BD Profile | 1.0 | DTS-HD HR | No |
| 1080p24 Output | No | DTS-HD MA | No |
| Analog Outputs | 5.1 channel | Bitstream Output | |
| Dolby TrueHD | No | ||
| Special Features | DTS-HD HR | No | |
| None | DTS-HD MA | No |
Pioneer Elite BDP-HD1 (MSRP: $1499) -- Firmware Updates: Link
Only available from select up-market retailers, Pioneer's initial entry into the high-end Blu-ray market costs more than competing players and lacks CD playback, but the video quality in superb.
| Specs | Internal Decoding | ||
| Generation | 1 | Dolby TrueHD | Yes |
| BD Profile | 1.0 | DTS-HD HR | No |
| 1080p24 Output | Yes | DTS-HD MA | No |
| Analog Outputs | 5.1 channel | Bitstream Output | |
| Dolby TrueHD | No | ||
| Special Features | DTS-HD HR | No | |
| Network Media | Playback | DTS-HD MA | No |
Sony BDP-S1 (Original MSRP: $999; now $799) -- Firmware Updates: Link
Sony's first standalone Blu-ray player is an excellent machine in terms of build quality and video quality. Oddly, the unit cannot play back CDs, just Blu-ray and DVD discs. The design is based on the Pioneer Elite BDP-HD1 model, and retains most of its specs.
| Specs | Internal Decoding | ||
| Generation | 1 | Dolby TrueHD | Yes |
| BD Profile | 1.0 | DTS-HD HR | No |
| 1080p24 Output | Yes | DTS-HD MA | No |
| Analog Outputs | 5.1 channel | Bitstream Output | |
| Dolby TrueHD | No | ||
| Special Features | DTS-HD HR | No | |
| None | DTS-HD MA | No |
Samsung BD-P1200 (MSRP: $799) -- Firmware Updates (when available): Link
Samsung's Second-gen Blu-ray player is a great improvement on their original, with excellent DVD upscaling quality and HDMI 1.3. The Silicon Optix Realta video processing chip provides some of the best video quality out there.
| Specs | Internal Decoding | ||
| Generation | 1 | Dolby TrueHD | No |
| BD Profile | 1.0 | DTS-HD HR | No |
| 1080p24 Output | Yes | DTS-HD MA | No |
| Analog Outputs | 5.1 channel | Bitstream Output | |
| Dolby TrueHD | No | ||
| Special Features | DTS-HD HR | No | |
| Realta Processing | DTS-HD MA | No |
Philips BDP9000 (Original MSRP: $999; now $799) -- Firmware Updates: Link
Philips makes an interesting offering into the "budget" Blu-ray realm to give Samsung a run for its money. Includes a card-reader to play mp3 and jpeg files.
| Specs | Internal Decoding | ||
| Generation | 1 | Dolby TrueHD | No |
| BD Profile | 1.0 | DTS-HD HR | No |
| 1080p24 Output | No | DTS-HD MA | No |
| Analog Outputs | 5.1 channel | Bitstream Output | |
| Dolby TrueHD | No | ||
| Special Features | DTS-HD HR | No | |
| None | DTS-HD MA | No |
Pioneer Elite BDP-94HD (MSRP: $999) -- Firmware Updates: Link
Pioneer's second-gen player is expected to maintain all of the features of its HD1 predecessor, including the innovative Home Media Gallery feature and 1080p24 video playback, while adding CD playback, Dolby TrueHD decoding, and HDMI Consumer Electronics Control features.
| Specs | Internal Decoding | ||
| Generation | 2 | Dolby TrueHD | Yes |
| BD Profile | 1.0 | DTS-HD HR | No |
| 1080p24 Output | Yes | DTS-HD MA | No |
| Analog Outputs | 5.1 channel | Bitstream Output | |
| Dolby TrueHD | No | ||
| Special Features | DTS-HD HR | No | |
| Network Media | Playback | DTS-HD MA | No |
Panasonic DMP-BD10 and DMP-BD10A (Original MSRP: $1299; now $599 with release of BD10A) -- Firmware Updates: Link
Panasonic's high-end Blu-ray entry is considered the player to beat by many, with an excellent feature set and wide disc-type compatibility. The latest firmware (version 2.0) adds Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD audio support. Panasonic is advertising the new BD10A revision as its "second-gen" model, however it is essentially the original model with the new firmware to support HD audio formats, and is being made available at half the original price.
| Specs | Internal Decoding | ||
| Generation | 1/2 | Dolby TrueHD | Yes |
| BD Profile | 1.0 | DTS-HD HR | Yes |
| 1080p24 Output | No | DTS-HD MA | No |
| Analog Outputs | 7.1 channel | Bitstream Output | |
| Dolby TrueHD | No | ||
| Special Features | DTS-HD HR | No | |
| None | DTS-HD MA | No |
LG BH100 (MSRP: $1299) -- Firmware Updates (when available): Link
LG enters the arena with an interesting Blu-ray and HD DVD combo player, but the lack of full HD DVD compatibility (no support for HDi) and a high price may turn off potential buyers. This player also will only upscale DVDs to 720p or 1080i and doesn't support 1080p60 output.
| Specs | Internal Decoding | ||
| Generation | 1 | Dolby TrueHD | Yes |
| BD Profile | 1.0 | DTS-HD HR | Yes |
| 1080p24 Output | Yes | DTS-HD MA | No |
| Analog Outputs | 5.1 channel | Bitstream Output | |
| Dolby TrueHD | No | ||
| Special Features | DTS-HD HR | No | |
| Plays HD DVDs | DTS-HD MA | No |
Samsung BD- P1400 (MSRP: $399) -- Firmware Updates : Link
Staying ahead of the Blu-ray pack, Samsung gets fall going with the BD-P1400 player... a sort of generation 2.5 player. Although it lacks support for BD Profile 1.1 or BD-Live, the features otherwise are excellent, especially for the price.
| Specs | Internal Decoding | ||
| Generation | 2 | Dolby TrueHD | Yes |
| BD Profile | 1.0 | DTS-HD HR | Yes |
| 1080p24 Output | Yes | DTS-HD MA | No |
| Analog Outputs | 5.1 channel | Bitstream Output | |
| Dolby TrueHD | Yes | ||
| Special Features | DTS-HD HR | Yes | |
| None | DTS-HD MA | Yes |
Latest Update: 9/7/08
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