Connect with us

CBS News

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

Avatar

Published

on


Best Blu-ray Players

Amazon


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

Amazon


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

Amazon


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

Amazon


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

Amazon


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. 




Read the original article

Leave your vote

Continue Reading

CBS News

NYC hostel at center of United Healthcare CEO shooting investigation: “The most significant clue to date”

Avatar

Published

on


Photos from NYC hostel at center of United Healthcare CEO murder investigation


Photos from NYC hostel at center of United Healthcare CEO murder investigation

03:11

NEW YORK — A New York City hostel is now the focal point of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s murder investigation

That’s where the NYPD obtained photos of a person of interest, who let his guard — and his mask — down as he talked to a woman working at the front desk. 

A high-ranking sources tell CBS News New York police interviewed the woman, and she told officers she asked to “see his pretty smile.” 

“They were having a flirtatious moment and he pulls it down and he gives a big smile and that one informal moment between two human beings remains at this moment the most significant clue to date in this whole case,” former NYPD Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence and Counterterrorism John Miller said. 

Sources say the man used a fake New Jersey ID with a phony name to check into the hostel at 891 Amsterdam Ave on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. Detectives sealed off the room where he was staying and questioned other guests.

“We are fully cooperating with the NYPD and, as this is an active investigation, cannot comment at this time,” said a spokesperson for Hi New York Hostel.

Investigators believe the man may have arrived in New York City by bus as many as 10 days before the shooting.

Timeline of UnitedHealthcare CEO shooter’s movements

ceoshootingtimeline-1.png
This map shows a timeline of the deadly shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on Dec. 4, 2024 in New York City. 

CBS News


Police are still piecing together a timeline of the gunman’s steps. Video shows him walking out of a Midtown subway station at 6:15 a.m. Wednesday, half an hour before the shooting. 

Minutes later, he shows up at a nearby Starbucks, two blocks from the Hilton hotel. 

Sources tell CBS News police believe the suspect bought a drink and a protein bar, paying in cash. The NYPD is now running forensic tests on a discarded coffee cup. 

Then around 6:30 a.m., surveillance video obtained by The New York Times shows the suspect talking on a cellphone while walking toward the hotel.

Sixteen minutes later, Thompson was killed.

“Delay” and “deny” written on bullets

fan-430am-pkg-unitedhea-wcbscc8r-hi-res-still-00-01-2928.jpg
Shell casings with the words “Delay” and “Deny” written on them were found at the scene of the deadly shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on Wednesday.

CBS News New York


NYPD sources say the gunman used a B&T STATION SIX gun equipped with a silencer. 

“In all of my years of law enforcement, I have never seen a silencer before. So that was really something that was shocking to us all,” New York City Mayor Eric Adams said. 

Investigators still have not found two of the most important pieces of evidence — the gun and the backpack. 

Detectives are investigating whether the words “delay” and “deny,” found written in Sharpie on shell casings, shed light on a motive, possibly referencing a book called “Delay, Deny, Defend” that is critical of tactics allegedly used by insurers.  

Investigators are searching Central Park, where they believe the suspect may have dumped his backpack. They’re also visiting gun dealers in Connecticut, trying to trace where the murder weapon was purchased, and running photos of the person of interest into facial recognition technologies. 

“You can run it against their employee databases, there are databases for criminals, there are military databases, there are many places there are pictures,” CBS News law enforcement contributor Rich Esposito said. 

The NYPD is offering a $10,000 reward in the case. Police ask the public to call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or 1-888-57-PISTA (74782) for Spanish. You can also submit a tip via their website. All calls are kept confidential.



Read the original article

Leave your vote

Continue Reading

CBS News

Don’t wait for the Geminid meteor shower peak. How and why you should watch early this year.

Avatar

Published

on


The Geminid meteor shower peak is more than a week away, but this year it might be a good idea to keep an eye out early, according to NASA.

The shower will peak from Friday Dec. 13 into early Saturday Dec. 14 — when the moon is nearly full, according to NASA. Illumination from the moon could make spotting the cosmic show a challenge during the peak, but bright meteors can be spotted the week before the peak. 

Here’s what you should know about the Geminids meteor shower, including how to watch:

Where you can see the Geminids

Meteors from the Geminids will be visible throughout the sky and across the globe, according to NASA. They’re best viewed in an area far away from city and street lights. 

Viewers — who should prepare for frigid temperatures — should lie flat on their backs with their feet facing south. Give your eyes a half hour to adjust to the dark. 

The shower usually starts around 9 or 10 p.m. local time, with the meteors best viewed at night or in the pre-dawn hours. 

EarthSky, an astronomy website published by experts in the field, suggests finding a way to block out the moon when watching for the Geminids.

“So with moonlit skies in 2024, you might only catch the brightest meteors,” according to EarthSky. “Luckily, many of the Geminids are bright meteors. Try blocking out the moon when watching for meteors.”

What are the Geminids? 

Most meteor showers originate from comets, but the Geminids come from 3200 Phaethon, an asteroid. The Geminids first appeared in the mid-1800s. At the time, there were 10 to 20 meteors an hour, but the shower has grown bigger and meteors are now visible at a rate of 120 meteors an hour under perfect conditions. 

While most meteors appear to be colorless or white, NASA scientists say the Geminids are bright, fast and usually yellow in color. They streak through the sky at a speed of 22 miles per second.

Meteors are space rocks that enter Earth’s atmosphere and heat up as they fall toward Earth, according to NASA. The streak of light is actually glowing, hot air.



Read the original article

Leave your vote

Continue Reading

CBS News

What to know about Billy Long, the ex-congressman and auctioneer Trump wants to head the IRS

Avatar

Published

on


IRS announce new 2025 tax brackets. Here’s what changed


IRS announce new 2025 tax brackets. Here’s what changed

00:56

President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday said he wants ex-congressman Billy Long, a Republican from Missouri and a former auctioneer, to run the IRS. As a lawmaker, Long co-sponsored legislation that aimed to wipe out much of the tax code.

In making the announcement, Trump praised Long’s “32 years of experience running his own businesses in Real Estate and, as one of the premier Auctioneers in the Country.” He also noted that since leaving Congress in 2023, Long has worked as a business and tax adviser.

While Trump didn’t mention the current IRS Commissioner, Danny Werfel, in his announcement, the decision signals the president-elect is likely to replace him with Long after taking office in January, Lindsay Owens, executive director of the Groundwork Collaborative, a progressive economic think tank, told CBS MoneyWatch.

Naming Long as the next IRS chief drew both support from conservatives as well as criticism from the left, with Rep. Don Beyer, a Democrat from Virginia who serves on the House Ways and Means Tax subcommittee calling it a “terrible mistake,” while Idaho Republican Senator Mike Crapo issued a statement saying he’s looking forward to hearing Long’s ideas for the tax agency. The fiscally conservative National Taxpayers Union Foundation praised Trump’s choice, saying Long could help reform the IRS.

Long has recently served as a tax adviser to businesses seeking to employ a controversial tax credit, but, unlike prior IRS commissioners, his background is largely outside of the tax industry, experts noted. 

“This guy is an auctioneer — that’s his expertise,” Owens noted. “This is an incredibly unserious choice.”

Werfel, who was appointed by President Biden, stepped into the role in 2023, with his term set to expire in 2027. Typically, presidents allow IRS commissioners to serve out their term, as Mr. Biden allowed Trump’s former IRS appointee, Charles Rettig, to do before naming Werfel to the role. 

If the Senate approves his appointment to the IRS, Long would oversee an agency with 85,000 employees and an annual budget exceeding $12 billion.

A spokesperson for the Trump campaign declined to comment.

Here’s what to know about Long and the IRS. 

Who is Billy Long? 

Long, who attended the University of Missouri but didn’t graduate, described himself on a website for his congressional run as a “fourth-generation native of Southwest Missouri.” He touted his skills as an auctioneer, noting that he had been named the “best auctioneer in the Ozarks for seven years in a row.”

Long also worked in real estate and in talk radio, hosting a show on a Missouri AM radio station.

He shuttered his auction firm, Billy Long Auctions, before he was sworn into Congress in 2011, according to a local publication.

What professional experience does Long have with taxes? 

As a congressman, Long co-sponsored some tax-related bills, including several efforts to eliminate the estate tax as well as a measure called the Tax Code Termination Act. 

That legislation would have wiped out much of the current tax code, replacing it with what the bill called a “simple and fair system” that would have applied “a low rate to all Americans.” Such flat taxes are considered regressive by many experts because low- and middle-income taxpayers would end up paying a larger share of their incomes than would wealthy Americans.

“As a business owner, Billy knows first-hand how government regulation and heavy taxes can affect the small businesses that serve as the economic engine of our country,” his campaign site noted. 

While Long isn’t an accountant or CPA, he has been involved in tax advising since leaving Congress. In a 2023 podcast, for example, he touted his work helping businesses use the Employee Retention Tax Credit, a credit that the IRS has flagged for its high rate of fraud. 

In the podcast, Long also said that when he served as a congressman, he helped make the ERTC easier for businesses to claim, noting that the credit was difficult to qualify for during its first iteration. 

“We went from having to say COVID adversely affected your business definitely, to taking that away, and you don’t have to prove that you had any downturn,” he said. “We’re doing recoveries for folks that had their best two years ever during COVID.”  

The IRS says the ERTC is aimed at employers who paid wages to workers between March 12, 2020, and January 1, 2022, and that were either suspended by government order during the pandemic or experienced a “required decline in gross receipts during 2020 or the first three calendar quarters of 2021.” The credit is also available to startups that began at the end of 2021 and had less than $1 million in revenue.

How does Long’s experience compare with prior IRS commissioners? 

Long’s lack of tax industry experience sets him apart from other recent IRS commissioners. 

Werfel, the current IRS chief, has an undergraduate degree from Cornell University and a master’s degree in public policy from Duke University as well as a law degree from University of North Carolina. He’s also held a number of government jobs involved in operations and the IRS, including serving as acting commissioner of the IRS from May to December 2013, according to his biography. 

Werfel’s predecessor, Charles Rettig, who was appointed by President-elect Trump, also held several degrees, including a master’s in taxation. Before joining the IRS, Rettig worked as a tax attorney for more than three decades and served as the chairman of the IRS Advisory Council. 

What is happening with the IRS now?

Under Werfel, the IRS has expanded audits of wealthy taxpayers and big corporations, clawing back billions in unpaid taxes, efforts that were funded by the Inflation Reduction Act. 

The tax agency has also reduced the amount of time it takes for consumers to connect with an IRS employee, while also rolling out a free tax filing system called Direct File.

Some Republican lawmakers have pushed back against the expanded IRS funding, claiming the agency would use the money to hire thousands of new agents to increase audits on middle-class taxpayers. 

The Treasury had said that funding could help the IRS add nearly 87,000 full-time workers over 10 years, but the agency didn’t specify whether those new workers would be auditors, customer service workers or other types of employees. That figure also represented the total number of employees that could be hired, without calculating the impact of the number of IRS workers who are expected to retire or leave the department over the next several years.

Some Democratic lawmakers are expressing concern that, if appointed, Long could disrupt the progress that the IRS has made under Werfel. 

Werfel “has done an excellent job rebuilding the IRS, boosting customer service and enhancing enforcement aimed at wealthy tax evaders,” Rep. Beyer said in a statement. “Removing him will clearly signal Trump’s intention to make the agency less responsive to the American people, while giving a green light to wealthy tax cheats to evade their fair share of the tax burden.”

Still, Republican lawmakers expressed support for the pick, such as Senator Crapo, who highlighted “privacy and security” issues at the IRS and “inefficient use of resources.” He added, “I look forward to learning more about Mr. Long’s vision for the agency.”



Read the original article

Leave your vote

Continue Reading

Copyright © 2024 Breaking MN

Log In

Forgot password?

Forgot password?

Enter your account data and we will send you a link to reset your password.

Your password reset link appears to be invalid or expired.

Log in

Privacy Policy

Add to Collection

No Collections

Here you'll find all collections you've created before.