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The best Blu-ray players in 2024 make it easy to catch up on your favorite shows

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Best Blu-ray Players

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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 

Panasonic DP-UB820

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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

Panasonic DP-UB9000

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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

Sony UBP-X700

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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

PlayStation 5 Slim

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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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Syrians elated but anxious as they pore over ousted Assad’s palace

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Damascus – Syria’s capital city was on auto-pilot Tuesday, with no new government in place in the wake of the dramatic rebel offensive that toppled longtime dictator Bashar al-Assad on Sunday. But as the former al-Qaeda offshoot that led that charge put some of its senior figures in charge of a self-declared transitional administration, many Syrians appeared determined to try to get on with business as usual. 

Some institutions, including Syria’s central bank, asked employees to show up for work, and many people appeared to be hoping that just sticking to daily routines would prove the safest option in the face of complete uncertainty over the country’s future.

Some efforts are being made to quell concern. Mohamed al-Bashir, a politican who previously led local government in the parts of northwestern Syria and Idlib ruled by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, before its extraordinary 12-day lightening offensive, has been named a transitional prime minister for the next three months.

syria-palace-steps.jpg
Members of the public pose for a photograph as they climb the steps of the former President Bashar al-Assad’s abandoned presidential palace on Dec. 9, 2024. 

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And while there remains lingering anxiety, there was still an excited buzz, especially in the capital Damascus, which until Sunday was the seat of the Assad family’s brutal grip on power for half a century. On Monday, crowds came to sightsee around one of the former dictator’s houses and to get to know the Islamist fighters who swept into their city on Sunday.

Those rebel forces, while patrolling the streets, were on their best behavior -— even allowing members of the public to hold their weapons for smiling photo opportunities. 

“It’s a celebration for all of us, for all the Syrians: here and all over the world,” said Lina Zacchar, one of the many Syrians who came to take a look at the former president’s family home. “My mum is Christian, so she is afraid. But we are telling her… we hope for a new Syria. We are all brothers, we are all sisters, we are all one! We are Syrians.”

At another symbol of the regime, the presidential palace, members of the public walked the vast ceremonial rooms where the Assads once welcomed dignitaries.

The idea of getting anywhere near the palace would have once been unimaginable for the general population. Now, its doors are wide open. CBS News found the palace patrolled by a rebel soldier named Ahmed who had nearly been killed opposing Assad’s forces nine years ago.

“I was personally targeted and I was wounded in a strike in 2015 on our home. My relatives are detained and I don’t know their destiny,” Ahmed told CBS News on Monday. “They might be in the regime prisons and I hope we can release them from it.”

Ahmed – like all of the other rebel fighters – is waiting for new orders. There remains a huge question mark over HTS’s efforts to gain political legitimacy, tarnished by a questioned human rights records in the areas of Syria in which it has governed, and lingering doubts about the faction’s ability to heal the country’s religious divides. 

Parts of the country also remains ravaged by war as Turkey-backed opposition fighters battle U.S.-allied Kurdish forces in the north, and the Islamic State group and its extremist ideology remains active in pockets of the country.

As Syria undergoes a seismic transition, the country is in a historic, but still dangerous, moment.   



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Australian warship test-fires Tomahawk missile off U.S. coast: “Major milestone”

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An Australian warship has test-fired a U.S. Tomahawk cruise missile, officials said Tuesday, hailing a “major milestone” in the country’s decade-long plan to beef up its fleet in the face of an Asia-Pacific arms race.

HMAS Brisbane fired the Tomahawk on December 3 off the West Coast of the United States, Australia’s government said in a statement, making it one of only three countries alongside the US and Britain to acquire and fire the missile.

“The Royal Australian Navy has achieved a major milestone in realising an enhanced and lethal surface combatant fleet,” it said.

With an extended range of up to 1,550 miles, the Tomahawk allows maritime platforms to perform long-range precision strikes against land targets. The missile “significantly” enhances the Australian military’s ability to deter against any potential threat, it said.

The navy released a video of HMAS Brisbane test-firing multiple missiles, including the Tomahawk.

tomahawk-screenshot-2024-12-10-105046.jpg
 An Australian warship has test-fired a U.S. Tomahawk cruise missile, officials said Tuesday.

Royal Australian Navy


Defense Minister Richard Marles said enhancing Australia’s defense capabilities and working with partners would “change the calculus for any potential aggressor.”

The test-firing is in line with Australia’s plan, announced earlier this year, to spend $7 billion to expand the navy to 26 major surface combatant ships — up from 11 today.

Pat Conroy, Australia’s minister for defense industry and capability delivery, called the test-firing a “game-changer.”

“The Tomahawk is the jewel in the crown and a step change in our firepower, deterrence and ability to strike land-based targets at ranges never before available to the Royal Australian Navy,” Conroy said.

Australia plans to buy more than 200 Tomahawk missiles to arm some of its warships.

The naval expansion plan comes as China and other powers in the Asia-Pacific and beyond build up their firepower.

Last year, President Biden formally announced that Australia would purchase nuclear-powered attack submarines from the U.S. A partnership between the U.S., U.K. and Australia, announced in 2021, enabled Australia to access nuclear-powered submarines, which are stealthier and more capable than conventionally powered vessels, as a counterweight to China’s military buildup.

While the Virginia-class submarines will be nuclear-powered, they will not be armed with atomic weapons and are instead expected to carry long-range cruise missiles.



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Christian Slater, Patrick Gibson on “Dexter” prequel series

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Christian Slater, Patrick Gibson on “Dexter” prequel series – CBS News


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Actors Christian Slater and Patrick Gibson join “CBS Mornings” to talk about starring in the highly-anticipated prequel “Dexter: Original Sin.” The series takes place 15 years before audiences first met Dexter from the original award-winning series starring Michael C. Hall. It follows young Dexter, played by Gibson, as he evolves from college student to serial killing vigilante. Slater stars as Dexter’s father, a homicide detective who teaches his son an ethical code for killing.

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