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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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Aftershock concerns after 7.0 magnitude earthquake shakes California; Pressure mounts on South Korea’s president ahead of tomorrow’s impeachment vote.

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Trump says support for Hegseth’s nomination is “strong and deep”

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Pete Hegseth, President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to be defense secretary, on Friday morning received a vote of confidence from Trump, who said he’s winning more support than media reports indicate.

“Pete Hegseth is doing very well. His support is strong and deep, much more so than the Fake News would have you believe,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “He was a great student – Princeton/Harvard educated – with a Military state of mind. He will be a fantastic, high energy, Secretary of Defense Defense, one who leads with charisma and skill. Pete is a WINNER, and there is nothing that can be done to change that!!!”

Hegseth has been meeting with Republican senators, fighting for his nomination amid allegations of alcohol abuse, sexual misconduct and mismanagement of two veterans’ organizations he ran. Among the senators who aren’t ready to express outright support for him is Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst, who told Fox News she had a “frank and thorough” conversation with him and said there needed to be “a very thorough vetting process.” 

Soon, Hegseth will be submitting forms for an FBI background check, according to his attorney, Tim Parlatore. He received an SF-86 form from the FBI earlier this week, formally kicking off the background check process. Parlatore told reporters Hegseth was eager to initiate the process and will fully cooperate. 

Later Friday morning, Vice President-elect JD Vance, who has been accompanying Hegseth on his Capitol visits with GOP senators, echoed Trump’s support.

“Led by President Trump, we’re fighting for Pete Hegseth,” he wrote on X. “And we’re doing so because Pete Hegseth will fight for our troops. For too long, the Pentagon has been led by people who lose wars. Pete Hegseth is a man who fought in those wars. We’ve got his back.”

Still, earlier this week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Ernst emerged as potential back-up candidates for the top defense post. Despite the acrimony between DeSantis and Trump during the primary campaign, the Florida governor is interested in the job, two sources familiar with DeSantis’ thinking said. 

DeSantis will be spending some time with Trump next Saturday, when the two attend the Army-Navy football game, a source familiar with the governor’s schedule confirmed. Although serving as defense secretary would pose some political risk, DeSantis believes it would position him well for a presidential run in 2028, a source said. Fox News first reported that DeSantis and Trump would attend the game together. 

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Alternative healer from California gets 10 years in U.K. prison for death of woman at “slapping therapy” workshop

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An alternative healer who advocated “slapping therapy” to treat a range of maladies was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison for the death of a 71-year-old diabetic woman who stopped taking insulin during one of his workshops.

Hongchi Xiao, 61, was convicted of manslaughter by gross negligence for failing to get medical help for Danielle Carr-Gomm as she howled in pain and frothed at the mouth during the fourth day of a workshop in October 2016.

Xiao, of Cloudbreak, California, promoted paida lajin therapy, getting patients to slap themselves repeatedly to release “poisonous waste” from the body. The technique has its roots in Chinese medicine but critics say it has no scientific basis and patients often end up with bruises, bleeding – or worse.

Carr-Gomm was one of two of Xiao’s patients who died.

He was extradited from Australia, where he had been convicted of manslaughter after a 6-year-old boy died when his parents withdrew his insulin medication after attending one of his workshops in Sydney.

“I consider you dangerous even though you do not share the characteristics of most other dangerous offenders,” Justice Robert Bright said during sentencing at Winchester Crown Court.

“You knew from late in the afternoon of day one of the fact that Danielle Carr-Gomm had stopped taking her insulin,” the judge said. “Furthermore, you made it clear to her you supported this.”

Britain Slapping Therapy Death
This photo issued by Wiltshire Police on Friday, Dec. 6, 2024 shows Danielle Carr-Gomm who died when an alternative healer who advocated “slapping therapy” to treat a range of maladies failed to get her medical help, during the fourth day of a workshop in October 2016. 

/ AP


Bright said Xiao only made a “token effort” to get Carr-Gomm to take her insulin once it was too late and had shown no sign of remorse as he continued to promote paida lajin in prison.

Carr-Gomm was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in 1999 and was desperate to find a cure that didn’t involve injecting herself with needles, her son, Matthew, said.

“She always maintained a healthy lifestyle and was adamant that nothing would stop her from living a full life,” Matthew said, according to the BBC.

She sought out alternative treatments and had attended a previous workshop by Xiao in Bulgaria a few months before her death in which she also became seriously ill after ceasing her medication.

However, she recorded a video testimonial, calling Xiao a “messenger sent by God” who was “starting a revolution to put the power back in the hands of the people to cure themselves and to change the whole system of healthcare.”

xiao.jpg
Hongchi Xiao

Wiltshire Police


The court heard that Xiao said “well done” to Carr-Gomm after she told the participants that she had stopped taking her insulin at the week-long retreat, the BBC reported.

By day three, Carr-Gomm was “vomiting, tired and weak, and by the evening she was howling in pain and unable to respond to questions,” prosecutor Duncan Atkinson said.

A chef who wanted to call an ambulance said she deferred to those with holistic healing experience.

“Those who had received and accepted the defendant’s teachings misinterpreted Mrs. Carr-Gomm’s condition as a healing crisis,” Atkinson said.

The BBC reported that while sentencing Xiao on Friday, Bright said: “You congratulated her [Danielle] when you found out she had stopped taking insulin. You failed to summon emergency medical care when you of all people knew she was likely to die without insulin. I believe you will continue to practice it. There is a risk you will actively or tacitly encourage followers to reduce their medication.”



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