CBS News
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.
CBS News
26-year-old Luigi Mangione arrested, charged with murder in shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO
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CBS News
Luigi Mangione, charged in UnitedHealthcare CEO’s shooting, awaits extradition to NYC. Here’s what happens next.
NEW YORK — Luigi Mangione, the suspect in United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s killing, is expected to be extradited to New York City to face murder charges.
He is currently being held without bail in Altoona, Pennsylvania, where authorities say the extradition process could take days, if not weeks. Investigators are now pouring through what they call a mountain of evidence, trying to fill in the gaps of his journey and determine if he acted alone.
The 26-year-old was caught five days after the shooting after a customer spotted him at a McDonald’s in Altoona, which is about 300 miles away from the shooting scene Midtown Manhattan.
The customer recognized Mangione from the wanted photos and told an employee, who called police. Officers responded and began asking Mangione if he had been in New York City recently.
“We didn’t think twice about it, we knew it was our guy,” Altoona Police Officer Tyler Frye said Monday.
“He became visibly nervous, kind of shaking at that question, and he didn’t really answer it directly,” said Altoona Deputy Chief Derick Swope.
When prompted for his ID, police said he gave a fake New Jersey drivers license, which investigators believe was the same one used to check into a Manhattan hostel 10 days before the shooting.
Police arrested Mangione on a forgery charge, and, once in custody, they searched his backpack, where they found a U.S. passport, clothes that matched the gunman’s description, a ghost gun with a suppressor that was consistent with the murder weapon, and a three-page handwritten note.
“We don’t think there’s any specific threats to others mentioned in that document, but it does seem he has some ill will toward corporate America,” NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said.
Piecing together Mangione’s time on the run
Police also said Mangione was carrying various electronic devices, which they believe he was using to evade detection.
“He was very careful with trying to stay low profile, avoid cameras,” said Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens.
Investigators said the most crucial clue in the investigation was a photo from the hostel where the suspect pulled down his mask.
The NYPD has been working around the clock to track his movements — from his arrival by bus to New York City, to his escape from the crime scene by bicycle to Central Park, and his taxi ride to an uptown bus terminal, where they believe he fled.
Police believe he left New York City immediately after the shooting and had been traveling around Pennsylvania in the days after. They believe he took a Greyhound bus to Philadelphia and spent some time there before going to Pittsburg and eventually Altoona.
“If you have any information regarding this suspect or his travels throughout Pennsylvania, please share those tips with us immediately,” Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said.
Who is Luigi Mangione?
CBS News has learned Mangione is from a prominent Maryland family that owns country clubs, healthcare facilities and real estate companies. He graduated valedictorian from a private high school, got his Masters in Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and also has ties to Stanford.
A former classmate and childhood friend told CBS News he was nice, smart and didn’t have any enemies during his time at school.
The Mangione family released a statement overnight saying they are devastated and shocked by the news.
“Unfortunately, we cannot comment on news reports regarding Luigi Mangione. We only know what we have read in the media. Our family is shocked and devastated by Luigi’s arrest,” the statement read. “We offer our prayers to the family of Brian Thompson and we ask people to pray for all involved. We are devastated by this news.”
According to his LinkedIn account, Mangione last worked as a data engineer at a vehicle buying website called True Car in 2023. In recent months, posts tagging him on social media imply he lost touch with friends, some asking where he was and what he was doing, wishing him the best and hoping that he was OK.
CBS News has also learned Mangione had been living at a coworking, co-living space called Surfbreak in Honolulu up until 2022 when a spokesperson for that community said he left due to a lifelong back injury that was exacerbated by surfing and hiking.
“I was roommates with him, friends. Hiked, went to yoga. He did his best to be athletic,” said R.J. Martin, a former roommate from Surfbreak. “Unfathomable knowing the kind of person that I saw and knew.”
The spokesperson said they believe he returned to Hawaii in 2023 and started a book club, which they said several members left due to “discomfort in book choices.”
Sources tell CBS News back pain was a major factor in his life and appeared to be a source of pain and frustration for him.
“Personally, I can make zero sense of it,” Martin said. “There is never a justification for violence.”
CBS News
Man fleeing Ukraine war with his kitten found alive in frigid Romania mountains: “Peach kept my heart warm”
A Ukrainian man who embarked on a perilous journey fleeing his war-torn country into Romania was rescued from a deep mountain ravine in subzero temperatures with an unlikely companion: his months-old kitten named Peach.
More than a dozen rescuers worked in a harsh blizzard to save Vladislav Duda, 28, who was found “soaked and frozen” and severely hypothermic in a 400-meter (437-yard) deep ravine in the northern Maramures region last week, according to the region’s mountain rescue service. Duda had fled Ukraine to avoid being drafted into his country’s armed forces fighting Russia.
“The cat was warm and was warming him … so he saved his life,” Dan Benga, the director of the Maramures mountain rescue service, told The Associated Press. “The only thing we saw he is caring about is the cat. He doesn’t care about himself.”
When the rescue team located and found the Ukrainian, they unzipped his jacket and discovered Peach snuggled up inside. Benga recalls asking Duda if he was OK, to which he replied: “I’m happy because my cat is alive. I got a chance from God for a new life. The happiest moment is because the cat is here with me,” Benga recalled Duda saying.
The auburn-colored kitten, a tomcat named “Peach” in Ukrainian, was experiencing the effects of malnutrition after they ran out of food four days earlier and melted snow helped to keep him alive.
“It’s like a dream, after all I have been through, I only hoped to be found and to survive,” Duda, who worked as a journalist in Ukraine, told the AP. “Peach kept my heart warm and he kept my faith alive.”
A helicopter retrieval was initially launched but was aborted due to dangerous weather that hampered visibility. Ground rescuers then embarked on a grueling mission through deep snow and temperatures as low as minus 10 degrees Celsius (14 degrees Fahrenheit) until they reached the pair.
During the complex ascent out of the ravine which took more than five hours, the Ukrainian would not let go of his kitten. He kept Peach clutched to his chest “from the bottom to the top … until we put him in the ambulance,” Benga said. “He said only ‘Please take care of the cat.'”
Close to getting frostbite, Duda is now receiving anti-inflammatory medication and blood circulation treatment, said Izabella Kiskasza, who runs a community center for Ukrainian refugees in Maramures and is assisting the duo. Peach received veterinary treatment in Baia Mare on Monday and is expected to fully recover.
Duda left his home in Ukraine’s war-ravaged Kharkiv region more than a week before getting stranded with his feline companion in the arching Carpathian Mountain range, which straddles northern Romania and southwest Ukraine.
While Peach is the first feline rescued from the mountainous Romanian region, Duda is just one of many Ukrainian men who have risked their lives traversing the harsh conditions of the mountains to avoid being drafted into their country’s grinding war with Russia.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, more than 160 Ukrainian men have been rescued from Romania’s Maramures region and the numbers have doubled each year since, Benga said. Another 16 have been found dead.
Two other Ukrainian draft-aged men were rescued by helicopter the same day as Duda, he said.
“There are a lot of people who are coming, but they have no medical problem … and they don’t call for help,” Benga said. “The people who are calling for help are in the last few hours of their life.”
Ukraine has taken steps to broaden its pool of draft-eligible men, but the efforts have only scratched the surface against a much larger Russian military. In April, Ukraine’s parliament passed a law lowering its draft-eligible age for men from 27 to 25.
Desertion is also starving the Ukrainian army of desperately needed manpower at a crucial time in its war with Russia. The U.S. has also urged Ukraine to draft more troops, and allow for the conscription of those as young as 18.
“What I remember is the fear of the unknown and the fear of not making it through the night alive,” Duda recalled on Monday. “My Peach kept me alive. When escaping we were afraid of everybody, not to be sent back to fight in a war that is not ours.”
According to the United Nations, there are nearly 4 million internally displaced people in Ukraine and 6.8 million refugees from Ukraine have been recorded globally as of November 2024.
According to the animal welfare group Four Paws, since the start of the war, thousands of pet dogs and cats have been lost or abandoned. In 2022, a German organization set up a shelter at the Ukraine-Poland border to help rescue stranded pets.