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
White House announces nearly $1 billion more in military assistance to Ukraine
The U.S. on Saturday announced a new $988 million military assistance package for Ukraine in its war with Russia as Washington races to provide aid to Kyiv before President-elect Donald Trump takes office.
Trump’s victory in the November election has cast doubt on the future of U.S. aid for Ukraine, providing a limited window for billions of dollars in already authorized assistance to be provided before he is sworn in next month.
The package features drones, ammunition for precision HIMARS rocket launchers, and equipment and spare parts for artillery systems, tanks and armored vehicles, the Pentagon said in a statement.
The aid will be funded via the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, under which military equipment is procured from the defense industry or partners rather than drawn from American stocks, meaning it will not immediately arrive on the battlefield.
It follows a $725 million package announced on Monday that included a second tranche of landmines as well as anti-air and anti-armor weapons.
The outgoing Biden administration is working to get as much aid as possible to Ukraine before Trump — who has repeatedly criticized U.S. assistance for Kyiv — begins his second White House term in January.
It also comes on the same day that Trump held a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and French President Emmanuel Macron after he traveled to Paris to attend the reopening of the Notre Dame Cathedral following its extensive renovation from the 2019 fire.
Details of what transpired in the meeting were not immediately known.
Trump’s comments have triggered fears in Kyiv and Europe about the future of U.S. aid and Ukraine’s ability to withstand Russian attacks in the absence of further American support.
The U.S. has spearheaded the push for international support for Ukraine, quickly forging a coalition to back Kyiv after Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022 and coordinating aid from dozens of countries.
Ukraine’s international supporters have since then provided tens of billions of dollars in weapons, ammunition, training and other security aid that has been key to helping Kyiv resist Russian forces.
Last month, President Biden lifted restrictions that allow Ukraine to use U.S.-provided long-range weapons to strike deep into Russian territory, marking a significant U.S. policy shift in the war.
The Biden administration in November also began the process of supplying Ukraine with controversial anti-personnel mines that are designed to be used against people, not vehicles.
CBS News
Tyler Perry Studios president dies when plane he was piloting crashes in Florida
The president of Atlanta-based Tyler Perry Studios died Friday night when the small plane he was piloting crashed on Florida’s Gulf Coast.
The studio confirmed on Saturday that Steve Mensch, its 62-year-old president and general manager, had died.
“We are incredibly saddened by the passing of our dear friend Steve Mensch,” the studio said in a statement. “Steve was a cherished member of our team for more than eight years and well-beloved in the community of Atlanta. It’s hard to imagine not seeing him smiling throughout the halls. We will miss him dearly. Our heart goes out to his family as we all send them our prayers.”
The crash happened in Homosassa, about 60 miles north of Tampa. Photos from the scene show the plane having come to rest upside down on a road. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.
The single-engine Vans RV-12IS was registered to Mensch at his home address in the Atlanta suburb of Fayetteville, according to FAA records.
Mensch helped advocate for and maintain Georgia’s film tax credit of more than $1 billion a year. Those lavish subsidies have made Georgia one of the most active places in the United States for film and television production.
Mensch got into the movie business when he started working for Feature Systems, which provides equipment for the movie industry. He was hired by Atlanta-based Turner Broadcasting to run its studio operations, later becoming director of strategic production partnerships. It was there that he began to lobby state government for more aid to movie and television production.
Ric Reitz, an actor who also helped create the tax credits, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Mensch helped market the state before the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta and helped launch the Georgia Production Partnership, an entertainment industry lobbying group.
“He was trying to formulate the vision for the marketplace before the Olympics and wanted a think tank of people in the community to make Georgia competitive,” Reitz said. “He was an important figure in the our growth to become a strong film and TV market.”
After a year helping plan and build a giant studio in China and brief stint helping to open Third Rail Studios in suburban Atlanta. Perry hired Mensch to help create and run his namesake studio in 2016. The studio sprawls across 330 acres of a former Army base in southern Atlanta that Perry acquired in 2015.
Mensch died on the same day that Perry released “The Six Triple Eight,” a war drama about a mostly Black and all-female World War II battalion. The film was shot at the Atlanta studio.
Mensch is survived by his wife, Danila, and three children.
CBS News
WWE sexual abuse lawsuit naming Trump education secretary pick Linda McMahon is paused
A lawsuit accusing former WWE CEO Linda McMahon, President-elect Trump’s pick for secretary of education, of turning a blind eye to child sexual abuse by a former ringside announcer at the wrestling company has been paused, according to court documents filed this week in the U.S. District Court in Maryland.
The lawsuit, which was filed on behalf of five unnamed men, targets the McMahons and the WWE under a new change in Maryland law that eliminates the state’s statute of limitations for claims of child sex abuse. Vince McMahon left the company in January following allegations of sexual misconduct. Linda McMahon left the company in 2009 to run for a U.S. Senate seat in Connecticut.
The lawsuit alleges Melvin Phillips for years hired — and later assaulted — “ring boys” as young as 13. A fixture in the WWE, Phillips assaulted boys in arena facilities, such as dressing and locker rooms, as well as hotels, the lawsuit alleges.
Phillips died in 2012.
An attorney for Linda McMahon told CBS News in late November that the Cabinet nominee would “vigorously defend against this baseless lawsuit and without doubt ultimately succeed.”
The motion filed by their attorney states that because the incidents happened in the 1980s and were filed under the law’s recent change, the case couldn’t move forward until the question of whether the law was constitutional was resolved.
Court documents said the case was stayed pending a ruling by the Supreme Court of Maryland on consolidated appeals on the constitutionality of the Maryland Child Victims Act of 2023.
The parties needed to file a status report every 60 days from the date of the order and within 15 days of any opinion issued by the Supreme Court of Maryland in the consolidated appeal, court documents said.
Linda McMahon and Vince McMahon co-founded the WWE and led it for decades. The couple have been friends of Trump for over 20 years and are among his most prolific donors.
Linda McMahon led the Small Business Administration during Trump’s first term, stepping down in 2019 to help with his 2020 reelection campaign. She is currently a co-chair of Trump’s transition team.
contributed to this report.