Blu-ray players/recorders

The Bottom Line: The Oppo BDP-83 is an outstanding universal disc player with excellent performance on Blu-rays and DVDs and lightning-fast operational speed, but most home theater fans will balk at the high price.

Specs: Blu-Ray disc player, Tabletop, Remote control, DTS decoder, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS-HD Master Audio, DTS-HD High Resolution, Surround Sound, 11.2 lbs

The Bottom Line: The LG BD390's combination of excellent image quality, superfast loading times, and its currently unbeatable feature set make it our top choice among premium standalone Blu-ray players.

Specs: Blu-Ray disc player, Tabletop, Remote control, DTS decoder, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS-HD Master Audio, Surround Sound, Gloss black, 6 lbs

The Bottom Line: Samsung's BD-P4600 Blu-ray player is packed with features and its unique design makes it wall-mountable, but most buyers will be better off with the step-down BD-P3600.

Specs: Blu-Ray disc player, Tabletop, Universal remote control, Stereo, 4.2 lbs

The Bottom Line: The Sony BDP-S360 handles all the Blu-ray basics with ease, but it lacks the streaming Internet content found on competing models.

Specs: Blu-Ray disc player, Tabletop, Remote control, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, Stereo, 4.6 lbs

The Bottom Line: LG's entry-level Blu-ray player packs Netflix and YouTube at a reasonable price, but the BD370's image quality is a step below the best.

Specs: Blu-Ray disc player, Tabletop, Remote control, Dolby Digital, DTS decoder, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, Stereo, Gloss black, 6.6 lbs

The Bottom Line: The Samsung BD-P3600 is a huge leap ahead for standalone Blu-ray players, with blazing-fast operational speed, tons of features, and excellent image quality.

Specs: Blu-Ray disc player, Tabletop, Universal remote control, DTS decoder, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS-HD Master Audio, DTS-HD High Resolution, Surround Sound, 5.3 lbs

The Bottom Line: The Samsung BD-P1600 has a great mix of features and performance for a standalone Blu-ray player, with only its annoying design holding it back.

Specs: Blu-Ray disc player, Tabletop, Universal remote control, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby True-HD, DTS decoder, DTS-HD High Resolution, DTS-HD Master Audio, Stereo, 4.9 lbs

The Bottom Line: The Panasonic DMP-BD60 offers excellent image quality and reliable Blu-ray playback, but it doesn't have as many features as the competition.

Specs: Blu-Ray disc player, Tabletop, Universal remote control, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS HD, Stereo, Black, 5.7 lbs

The Bottom Line: The Samsung BD-P1500 offers generous Blu-ray functionality at a budget price, thanks to several firmware updates and aggressive retailer discounts.

Specs: Blu-Ray disc player, Tabletop, Universal remote control, DTS decoder, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Stereo, 8.6 lbs

The Bottom Line: The Insignia NS-2BRDVD is an underfeatured and slow-loading Blu-ray player, but it provides basic Blu-ray playback at a bargain.

Specs: Blu-Ray disc player, Tabletop, Remote control, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD decoder, Dolby Digital Plus, Stereo, 6.4 lbs