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Height 10: The best of Blu-ray

The Panasonic DMP-BD10 is your all-time option currently for a standalone Blu-ray player

The next-generation DVD format war rumbles no more. HD DVD has been axed thanks to Toshiba's announcement today. And then we've pulled together our top 10 Blu-ray products on the market, from players to disc drives and software. And we say how each scores points for, or against, Blu-ray in the format war.

Click on the product name to read the full review.

Standalone players

Samsung BDP-1000

After all the talk, Samsung was first to walk the walk with the marketplace's debut Blu-ray player. For that alone, the BDP-thou deserves credit. It's still ane of a very select few Blu-ray players around, and finally allowed us to see what all the fuss was about. Blu-ray verdict: Like nearly pioneers, it's pricey, buggy and slow. And it has no Ethernet port, which is a must for BD Alive compatibility

Panasonic DMP-BD10A

This is an updated version of Panasonic's debut Blu-ray offer and shows but how far Blu-ray players have come up in a short fourth dimension. Superb high-def picture and audio lead the way, and assistance to brand this the best standalone player around at nowadays. Blu-ray verdict: The best the format has to offer right at present, but Hard disk drive DVD nevertheless undercuts information technology on price. And no Ethernet port here either.

LG BH100

LG acts as peacemaker with the BH100 - the first dual player on the marketplace. Sounds similar a perfect solution, merely the idea is far better in theory than in practice. In the terminate, y'all'd be better ownership two carve up players than this inconsistent offering. Blu-ray verdict: Doesn't do any favours for either format, and also gives BD Alive the cold shoulder.

Accessories

TechLink Switch2 HD4110

This isn't a product designed exclusively for Blu-ray, only it'south good plenty to become a mention here anyhow. All that high-def kit needs HDMI to talk to each other, and manufacturers are strangely stingy with connections. The HD4110 is a stylish solution that works exceptionally well. Blu-ray verdict: An indicator of how both adjacent-gen formats tin can work out more expensive than you commencement imagined

Computer hardware

Sony Vaio VGN-AR30

Sony's latest high-end Vaio laptops all take Blu-ray drives included - and rewritable ones at that. In the realm of multimedia computing, Blu-ray seems naturally at abode, and the Ethernet port concerns all autumn away. Blu-ray verdict: The format works in this setting, and this may be the obvious manner forward until standalone players attain maturity

Dell XPS M1710

Dell is strongly behind Blu-ray in its boxing with HD DVD, then it'due south no surprise nosotros've started seeing Dell products featuring the technology. Information technology'due south not quite in the league of the Sony above, but the XPS M1710 does illustrate the growing partnership of next-gen disc formats and Windows Media Center. Its lack of an HDMI port is a curious omission, still. Blu-ray verdict:Certainly a step up from a normal DVD bulldoze, but some of the format'south strengths are wasted here

Acer TravelMate 8215WLMi

Perhaps cleverly, Acer has hedged its bets and has both Blu-ray and HD DVD-equipped laptops in its product range. The 8215WLMi itself is a capable multimedia offer, although despite its next-gen disc drive information technology has some ageing applied science inside. Blu-ray verdict: Proof that Blu-ray needs more than just a disc drive to do information technology justice

Pioneer BDR-101A

A Blu-ray optical reader/writer drive for the PC. Well, almost. It's pretty slow, very expensive and doesn't work with dual-layer discs. Pioneer is living up to its proper noun here, simply we'd advise waiting a while before taking the plunge. Blu-ray verdict: An Xbox 360 plus Hard disk drive DVD bulldoze costs less. Need we say more than?

Software

Roxio Copy and Catechumen 3

Copy and Catechumen 3 is worth a mention here if only for proving that not everything to practise with next-generation DVD is expensive. For just £twenty, this excellent parcel volition have care of all your disc-authoring needs, and can even rip from Blu-ray also. Blu-ray verdict: Given the loftier capacity of Blu-ray discs, software similar this may be invaluable to PC users

And finally...

Sony PlayStation 3

The best Blu-ray role player on the marketplace, i.e. it'southward the cheapest actor that'south future-proofed due to its Ethernet port. It'southward true that the PS3 has taken a chip of a hammering recently as a games console. Only Sony is throwing its total weight behind boosting its crusade with new games, lower prices and improved hardware and software. Blu-ray's own prospects can only benefit by extension, as this remains the all-time fashion to get into next-generation disc formats. Blu-ray verdict: Information technology may be going too far to say the unabridged format's success hinges on the PS3, but not by much

The TechRadar hive mind. The Megazord. The Voltron. When our powers combine, we become 'TECHRADAR STAFF'. You'll usually come across this author name when the entire team has collaborated on a project or an article, whether that'due south a run-downwards ranking of our favorite Marvel films, or a round-up of all the coolest things nosotros've collectively seen at annual tech shows like CES and MWC. We are one.