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The best Blu-ray players in 2024 make it easy to catch up on your favorite shows
Physical media is far from dead. In fact, it’s a better time than ever to own your favorite TV series and movies, given that they often disappear from streaming services in the blink of an eye. So if you’re someone who collects Blu-ray discs for your home theater setup, you’re going to want to start with a great Blu-ray player first.
A great Blu-ray player can make all the difference when it comes to getting the most out of what you watch. With the advent of 4K and HDR, they’ve evolved to deliver crisp, crystal clear picture and sound quality. So no matter what you buy on Blu-ray, you can enjoy it to the fullest at home with the right player.
But which Blu-ray player should you bring home? Whether you’re a casual viewer or a dedicated film fan, we’ve rounded up some picks.
The best Blu-ray players in 2024
Best Blu-ray player: Panasonic DP-UB820
If you’re looking for the best Blu-ray player for most users, look no further than the Panasonic DMP-UB820. This player has a nice balance of features, performance and value. That makes it the best choice for just about everyone who needs a Blu-ray player.
It has full HDR support for vibrant colors, sharp textures and accurate black tones. Even when you play standard, non-4K Blu-ray or DVD discs, this player’s upscaling ability sharpens and enhances picture quality so it’s almost like seeing your favorites come to life in a new way. It also has Dolby Atmos support so it can fill your room with loud, clear sound.
Aside from connecting it directly to your TV or stereo system, it can use Wi-Fi for video streaming and even has a dedicated HDMI audio output for even higher-quality sound. That means it should mesh well with just about any setup you have going on in your living room with little muss or fuss.
Best premium Blu-ray player: Panasonic DP-UB9000
If you want the absolute best in home entertainment and have an elite home theater setup, the Panasonic DP-UB9000 is the ultimate 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray player. Yes, it’s pricey, and that’s because it’s for the most elite cinephile. That’s why everything about it says “luxury” in many ways.
The heavy metal build and premium design make it clear that this player is in a class of its own. It supports all the key HDR formats, including HDR10, HDR10+, HLG, and Dolby Vision. You can also count on it for fantastic audio quality. With high-quality DACs, two-channel and 7.1-channel analogue outputs as well as support for Hi-Res Audio, this player has you covered in terms of audio. To top it all off, the DP-UB9000 comes packed with plenty of smart features.
This level of performance doesn’t come cheap, so you’ll absolutely be paying a pretty penny. But if quality is of the utmost importance to you, this is the Blu-ray player of your dreams.
Best budget Blu-ray player: Sony UBP-X700
Don’t want to spend an entire paycheck on a Blu-ray player? You don’t need to. The Sony UBP-X700 is an affordable player offers an impressive array of features and performance that belies its budget-friendly price point.
Its exceptional picture quality may come as a surprise, given that this player is so afforable. But whether you’re watching the latest Hollywood blockbuster or a classic film, this Blu-ray player can offer a great-looking picture that you can be proud of, even if you’re watching only top-of-the-line 4K releases.
It supports multiple HDR formats, including Dolby Vision and HDR10, ensuring that you can enjoy the widest possible range of 4K content. While it doesn’t support HDR10+, this omission is hardly a dealbreaker considering the player’s affordable price point. Despite not being marketed as a hi-res audio player, the UBP-X700 can even play high-resolution audio files and supports various formats such as WAV and FLAC.
For less than $200, you really can’t do better than this Blu-ray player, so be sure to grab it if you want to have high quality at a low price.
Best Blu-ray player and console combo: PlayStation 5 Slim
If you need to play Blu-ray discs but want a multifunction player to handle it, you can’t go wrong with a PlayStation 5, namely the PS5 Slim, which means you can play movies as well as video games from the same device.
As a 4K Blu-ray player, the PS5 Slim is a great space-saving option for anyone who loves video games, movies and TV. It lets you enjoy your favorite movies and TV shows in high definition, then switch over to the latest and greatest games without having to get up and change the disc out given the PS5 Slim’s spacious hard drive.
You don’t need a remote since you can use the included DualSense controller, and given that there are tons of new games always releasing in tandem with films and TV, you can kill two birds with one stone with this device. Plus, you’ll have more space free, without having to have both gaming console and Blu-ray player.
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Jay-Z, Sean “Diddy” Combs accused of raping 13-year-old in civil suit
Rappers Jay-Z and Sean “Diddy” Combs have been accused in a civil lawsuit of raping a 13-year-old girl back in 2000.
The lawsuit, which was originally filed in October and re-filed Sunday in New York to add Jay-Z to the list of defendants, alleges that the victim, identified only as a woman now living in Alabama, was raped by both men at a Video Music Awards afterparty.
Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, referred to the allegations in a statement as a “blackmail attempt.” Combs’ attorney denied the allegations.
The lawsuit alleges the girl went to the VMAs in New York City without a ticket hoping to get inside, but was instead invited to an afterparty by a limo driver who claimed to work for Combs. The limo driver allegedly drove her to the party, where she was told to sign something that she believes was a non-disclosure agreement, the lawsuit claims.
While inside, the lawsuit alleges, “after attempting to talk to numerous celebrities, Plaintiff accepted a drink from one of the waitresses circulating the crowd.” The lawsuit claims she began to feel “woozy and lightheaded” after drinking “a portion of the drink” and went to find a place to lie down. She went into a room that had a bed in it and, shortly after lying down, Combs, Carter and an unnamed woman celebrity whom the alleged victim recognized entered the room, the lawsuit claims.
The lawsuit then alleges that Carter held her down and raped her while Combs and the woman celebrity watched. After, Combs also raped her while Carter and the woman watched, the suit claims. Combs then attempted to force the girl to perform oral sex on him, but she managed to punch him, grab her clothes, wrap them around her and run away, according to the lawsuit.
“Although there were other guests still at the party, no one appeared to take notice of Plaintiff’s distress or attempted to help her,” the lawsuit alleges.
According to the lawsuit, after leaving the house and putting her clothes back on, the girl managed to run back to a gas station she had seen on the way to the party, where a clerk “noticed her distress and allowed her to use the phone.” She then allegedly used the phone to call her father and have him pick her up.
The woman is seeking unspecified damages.
In response to the filing, Carter said in a statement, “My lawyer received a blackmail attempt, called a demand letter, from a ‘lawyer’ named Tony Buzbee. What he had calculated was the nature of these allegations and the public scrutiny would make me want to settle. No sir, it had the opposite effect! It made me want to expose you for the fraud you are in a VERY public fashion. So no, I will not give you ONE RED PENNY!!”
“Only your network of conspiracy theorists, fake physics, will believe the idiotic claims you have levied against me that, if not for the seriousness surrounding harm to kids, would be laughable,” the statement added.
Teny Geragos, an attorney representing Combs, said in a statement, “This amended complaint and the recent extortion lawsuit against Mr. Buzbee exposes his barrage of lawsuits against Mr. Combs for what they are: shameless publicity stunts, designed to extract payments from celebrities who fear having lies spread about them, just as lies have been spread about Mr. Combs. As his legal team has said before, Mr. Combs has full confidence in the facts and the integrity of the judicial process. In court, the truth will prevail: that Mr. Combs never sexually assaulted or trafficked anyone—man or woman, adult or minor.”
Buzbee was sued last month by an anonymous male celebrity, who alleges the lawyer tried to extort payments by threatening to file allegations of sexual assault, which the celebrity denies. Buzbee, in return, denies the extortion allegations.
Buzbee did not immediately respond to a CBS News request for comment. On Sunday night he posted on Instagram that there has been a “coordinated and aggressive effort” against him that has included “filing frivolous cases against me and my law firm, defaming me with outrageous assertions to anyone who will listen, and having mysterious people follow me and my family.”
“People will see through this effort to discredit me and my clients and the truth will be revealed. I also won’t allow anyone to scare my clients into silence,” Buzbee wrote.
Combs is currently in custody in New York as he awaits trial on federal sex trafficking charges. His attempts to secure bail have been denied several times.
Combs was arrested in September and charged with sex trafficking, racketeering conspiracy and transportation to engage in prostitution, with prosecutors accusing him of using his business empire to engage in repeated abuses over the years. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.