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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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Netherlands building explosion kills at least 6 as authorities look for driver who sped away from scene

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The death toll from an explosion and fire that destroyed an apartment block in The Netherlands climbed to six on Monday, officials said, revealing that a teenage girl was among the victims.

Rescue workers pulled a sixth body from the rubble in the early hours of Monday in The Hague, with fears they could discover more victims of the blast that took place at dawn on Saturday.

“At around 02:30 a.m., a sixth body was found and recovered from the cellar of the collapsed building,” the local fire service said.

“The search for possible victims in the basement of the collapsed building is still ongoing, with a USAR dog still being deployed,” the service later said.

Aftermath of an explosion in a residential area, in The Hague
Emergency personnel work at the scene of an explosion in a residential area in The Hague, Netherlands, December 7, 2024.

Yves Herman / REUTERS


Police identified four of the dead as two men aged 45 and 31, a 41-year-old woman, and a 17-year-old girl. Four other people are in hospital, two in a serious condition.

Authorities do not know how many people were in the building at the time of the blast, so it remains unclear how many bodies could still potentially be found in the debris.

The fire was so intense that identification has only been possible via DNA tests, further complicating the process.

Police are still uncertain as to what caused the explosion but the head of the public prosecutor’s office told reporters on Sunday there were unspecified indications it was a criminal act.

They are especially keen to speak to the driver of a car seen speeding away from the scene at 6:15 a.m. on Saturday.

A detailed hunt for clues as to what caused the explosion can only begin when the search through the debris for victims is complete, authorities have said.

Dutch authorities deployed a specialized urban search and rescue team to the scene, with four dogs trained to find victims. The team was previously used during the devastating earthquake in Turkey in 2023.

Soon after the explosion, a line of ambulances could be seen waiting nearby in anticipation of more victims. The spokesperson for the local hospital said that they were on standby to deal with injuries.

The mayor called it “an extremely heavy day.”

“I had expected a different Saturday,″ van Zanen told a news conference.

Prime Minister Dick Schoof said in a statement he was shocked by the images of the disaster. “My thoughts go out to the victims, all other people involved and the emergency services who are now working on the scene,” he said.

The Dutch royal family expressed similar sentiments. “Our thoughts are with those affected in The Hague after the explosion and fire this morning,″ including those “who are afraid of the fate of their loved ones,” King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima said in a statement.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.



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Watch Live: 2025 Golden Globes nominees announced by Mindy Kaling and Morris Chestnut

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Mindy Kaling and Morris Chestnut are giving us a preview of awards season on Monday as they announce the 2025 Golden Globes nominees for each of the 27 award categories — with 10 of the nominations exclusively revealed on “CBS Mornings.”

It’s another big year for TV and film, filled with gripping seasons, popular sequels and record-breaking achievements. Over the summer, “Inside Out 2” topped “Frozen 2” to become the highest-grossing animated film ever. Meanwhile, Disney’s “Moana 2” just set a Thanksgiving box office record while “Wicked” and “Gladiator II” battled for ticket sales. 

In 2024, “Barbie” and “Succession” were the big names — each tied with nine nominations, followed by “Oppenheimer” scoring eight.

Nikki Glaser will be the ifirst woman to solo host the Golden Globes, which will air live on CBS on Sunday, Jan. 5 at 8 p.m. ET and stream on Paramount+. Glaser called the opportunity “scary” but “thrilling” but said she was up to the challenge.

“I’m extremely appreciative of this role I play. It’s the pinnacle of my career so far. I’ve reached my Everest in getting to host the Globes! I hope it’s something I get to do again,” Glaser told GoldenGlobes.com.

2025 Golden Globes nominees

Watch the nominations live in the video player above, beginning at 8:15 a.m. ET. Check back for a full list of the 2025 Golden Globes nominees after they are announced.



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12-year-old boy dead, 11-year-old girl in critical condition after falling through ice in Albany, New York

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A 12-year-old boy is dead and an 11-year-old girl is in critical condition after both children fell through ice at a park in Albany, New York, authorities said Sunday.

Albany Police said they responded late Saturday afternoon to Washington Park Lake for reports of two children who had fallen through the ice. Officers found an 11-year-old girl who was treated at the scene and taken to Albany Medical Center Hospital in critical condition.

Later, members of the New York State Police underwater recovery team searched the lake, and at around 7:25 p.m., the body of the boy was recovered from the lake.

Investigators believe that the boy tried to walk north across the lake towards the lake house and fell through the ice, and the girl who witnessed him fall tried to help. She apparently “followed the same path of travel across the lake, where she also fell through the ice,” police said.

Both children are students of the North Albany Middle School, the district confirmed in a social media post.

“Our hearts go out to the families of these students at this incredibly difficult time,” Superintendent Joseph Hochreiter said in a statement. “This is a terrible tragedy and we are grieving as a school community.”

According to New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation, Washington Park Lake covers over 5 acres and has an average depth of 6.6 feet and a maximum depth of 11 feet.

Erica Sheer, who didn’t know the children, told CBS affiliate WRGB-TV that she came to the lake Sunday to honor them.

“Well, I decided that I would take a walk over here just to pay my respects to the spot where this happened and pray for the young boy and the young girl who were in the accident yesterday and their families and to wish them well,” Sheer told the station.





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