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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.
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Suspect in UnitedHealthcare CEO murder has outburst outside court
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GM to stop funding troubled Cruise autonomous vehicle unit, abandoning robotaxis
General Motors says it will move away from the robotaxi business and cease funding its money-losing Cruise autonomous vehicle division.
According to a press release issued Tuesday and subsequent conference call that included GM Chair and CEO Mary Barra, the Detroit automaker will instead focus on development of partially automated driver-assist systems like its Super Cruise, which allows drivers to take their hands off the steering wheel.
GM said it would get out of robotaxis “given the considerable time and resources that would be needed to scale the business, along with an increasingly competitive robotaxi market.”
The company said it will combine Cruise’s technical team with its own to work on advanced systems to assist drivers.
“The Cruise Board of Directors and the Cruise leadership team are collaborating closely with GM on next steps,” Cruise CEO Marc Whitten told CBS News.
GM bought then San Francisco-based start-up Cruise Automation in 2016 for at least $1 billion with high hopes of developing a profitable fleet of robotaxis. At the time, Cruise Automation, along with Google, was among the few companies with permits from the state of California to test the cars.
Over the years GM invested billions in the subsidiary and eventually bought 90% of the company from investors.
GM even announced plans for Cruise to generate $1 billion in annual revenue by 2025, but it scaled back spending on the company after one of its autonomous Chevrolet Bolts dragged a pedestrian on a San Francisco street who was hit by another vehicle in 2023.
The California Public Utilities Commission alleged the company covered up details of the crash and suspended Cruise’s driverless testing permit. Soon afterwards, Cruise pulled all its driverless cars off the road nationwide.
The incident sparked widespread criticism of the company and its autonomous vehicles. Cruise had already been under fire for a number of collisions that led the company to cut its operating robotaxi fleet in during the summer of 2023.
The problems triggered a purge of its leadership — in addition to layoffs that jettisoned about a quarter of its workforce.
In January of this year, the company offered to pay $75,000 to settle the investigation by California state regulators into Cruise’s failure to disclose details regarding the collision.
Despite its troubles, Cruise was still attempting to return to viability. In June, General Motors named Marc Whitten — one of the key engineers behind the Xbox video game console — as the division’s new chief executive. In August, Cruise announced its robotaxis would join Uber’s ride-hailing service in 2025 as part of a multiyear partnership bringing together two companies that once appeared poised to compete for passengers.
However, more recent Cruise developments have been costly for GM. In September, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration officials announced the division would pay a $1.5 million penalty as part of a consent order. Last month, Cruise agreed to an additional $500,000 fine after admitting to filing a false report following the San Francisco pedestrian crash.
According to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s office of the Northern District of California, the San Francisco-based company entered into a deferred prosecution agreement in which Cruise admits and accepts responsibility.
“Companies with self-driving cars that seek to share our roads and crosswalks must be fully truthful in their reports to their regulators,” said Martha Boersch, Chief of the Office of the U.S. Attorney’s Criminal Division, said in a statement.
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UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting spawns range of online merchandise
Shirts, mugs and stickers bearing the words “Deny Defend Depose” are appearing for sale on e-commerce websites just days after UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot to death in New York City.
Those words were scrawled on three shell casings found at the scene of the Dec. 4 shooting in Manhattan, according to law enforcement sources, and loosely echo the title of a book about why insurance companies deny patient claims. The title — “Delay Deny Defend: Why Insurance Companies Don’t Pay Claims and What You Can Do About It,” by Jay Feinman — is described on Amazon as “an exposé of insurance injustice and a plan for consumers and lawmakers to fight back.”
Feinman has declined to comment on the recent events, including on the words police say were written on the shell casings.
Sellers on online marketplace Etsy list over 800 items bearing “Deny Defend Depose,” including stickers, candles and apparel, while eBay is selling stickers, clothing, lawn signs and cell phone cases with the phrase.
In a statement to CBS MoneyWatch, eBay said the sale of items with the words does not violate its policies. But the company added that “items that glorify or incite violence, including those that celebrate the recent murder of UHC CEO Brian Thompson, are prohibited.”
Amazon said in a statement to CBS MoneyWatch that it had removed similar merchandise from its platform, saying that the products violated the company’s guidelines.
Merchants often race to market wares related to dramatic current events, even when they involve violence. After President-elect Donald Trump was struck in the ear by a bullet in an assassination attempt over the summer, for example, sellers quickly started hawking merchandise with images of Trump at the rally. Many products also were sold online and in stores immediately after the 9/11 attacks.