The best Blu-ray players let you watch your favorite movies from home in the highest possible quality, whether that’s 4K or standard Blu-ray. They make a great addition to the best home theater systems, and can be paired with your favorite soundbar to really amp up the cinematic experience from your couch.
TL;DR – The Best Blu-ray Players
If you’re a physical media collector, it’s worth investing in the best Blu-ray player to do your 4K and standard Blu-ray discs justice. Whether you’re on a budget, unsure of what features you want, or simply want the ultimate home entertainment device, we’re here to help.
1. Panasonic DP-UB9000
Best Overall Blu-ray Player
Panasonic DP-UB9000
6
If you’re ready to splurge for the overall best 4K Blu-ray player money can buy, you won’t be disappointed by the Panasonic DP-UB9000, which supports all major HDR formats, including HDR10, HDR10+, HLG, and Dolby Vision. Not only does it deliver on excellent image quality, but it also produces some seriously good audio thanks to its DAC, 7.1 audio channel, and two-channel outputs.
The obvious downside of this player is that it is very expensive. What you get at that price is maximized video quality, but the upgrade over some of the cheaper options on this list isn’t quite the massive jump you’d expect. If you can afford the very best, go with this option. If you can’t, save some money for building your 4K movie collection with something more affordable.
2. Sony UBP-X700M
Best 4K Blu-ray Player
Sony UBP-X700
6
The Sony UBP-X700M offers a more affordable way into the world of Blu-ray while maintaining decent specs and features, including 4K and premium audio quality. You aren’t sacrificing an awful lot; it doesn’t come with HDR10+ support but there’s still HDR10, and the player can handle 24bit/192kHz files and multiple formats. Throw in some smart features and dual HDMI outputs, and you’ve got yourself a winner.
3. PlayStation 5
Best Game Console with Blu-ray Player
PlayStation 5 (Slim)
0
Connectivity
Bluetooth, USB, Ethernet, HDM
Doubles up as a game console
Atmos and DTS:X passthrough
May be overkill for a Blu-Ray player
If you’ve decided you’re going to use your game console as a 4K Blu-ray player, the only real conundrum you’ll have is choosing between the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. We lean toward the PS5. While it doesn’t support Dolby Vision over HDR like the Xbox Series X, it can pass Dolby Atmos via your TV and deliver outstanding picture quality. The PlayStation 5 upscales HD Blu-ray discs naturally and offers clean, sharp images when playing movies and TV shows.
If you pick up one in person, make sure you aren’t buying a Digital Edition Console since it doesn’t come with a drive to insert discs. This is also true of the newer PS5 Pro, which requires you to purchase the disc drive separately.
4. Xbox Series X
Best Alternative for Home Entertainment
Xbox Series X
2
Connectivity
Bluetooth, USB, Ethernet, HDMI
Though the PlayStation 5’s image quality slightly tips the scales in its favor, the Xbox Series X supports Dolby Vision HDR from streaming services. That along with Dolby Atmos audio nets an entire home entertainment system. (Plus, you can get access to a huge library of games to play with Xbox Game Pass.) You may have to suffer a small dip in 4K image quality and HD upscaling compared to the PlayStation 5, but unless you’re literally comparing them side-by-side, you probably won’t notice the difference.
Similar to the PS5, not all Xbox Series X consoles include a disc drive. If you’re looking to purchase one for that reason specifically, make sure you don’t get the all-digital edition. It’s also worth noting that Microsoft recently raised prices on these consoles, so don’t expect discounts any time soon.
5. Sony BDP-BX370
Best Budget Blu-ray Player
Sony BDP-BX370
1
Sometimes all you need is a Blu-ray player that simply plays your discs with good enough image and audio quality. That’s exactly what the Sony BDP-BX370 does. It’s limited to 1080p, but in full HD. If you have older DVDs lying around, it also upscales DVDs to near-HD quality.
With support for screen mirroring from your phone, this Blu-ray player offers more than you might expect. It’s incredibly easy to set up, too, with the included HDMI cable and super quick start mode. If you are looking for an affordable and effective Blu-ray player, Sony’s BDP-BX370 model is the one to get.
That being said, if you’re specifically looking to play 4K discs, this isn’t the option for you. The Sony UBP-X700M is the next step up to get access to 4K, but it’s over $100 more.
Blu-ray content regions, explained
Similar to DVDs, Blu-ray discs have something called region coding. There are three Blu-ray region codes:
- Region A: North America, South America, U.S. Territories, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and other areas of Southeast Asia.
- Region B: Europe, Africa, Middle East, Australia, and New Zealand.
- Region C: Asia (except for Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and other areas of Southeast Asia).
If a Blu-ray disc shows “ABC,” then it will play across all regions. If, however, you purchase a Region A Blu-ray disc and try to play it on a Region B Blu-ray player, it will not work. Some Blu-ray players are region free, meaning you can play all region coded Blu-ray discs without issue.
Blu-ray Player FAQ
Are Blu-ray players still worth buying?
Blu-ray players may have been invented back in 2005 (and released in 2006) to take over the DVD format, but BDs are still a great investment. While it’s easy to stream movies and TV directly from services like Netflix, streaming services don’t offer the same level of image and audio quality as you do from a high-end Blu-ray player, even if you are paying for 4K support. Plus, you never know when your favorite TV show or movie might become unavailable to stream; even series original to a particular servics aren’t safe.
What’s the difference between 4K and Blu-ray discs?
While most 4K discs are also Blu-rays, not all Blu-rays include 4K. Put simply, 4K refers to the resolution at which your chosen content will be displayed. While Blu-rays typically offer an admirable 1920×1080 or 1080p resolution, 4K Blu-rays offer a much higher 3840×2160 or 2160p resolution. As such, a 4K Blu-Ray will offer sharper and clearer content.
Can you play Blu-ray discs on a normal DVD player?
Blu-ray discs only work on Blu-ray players. Blu-Ray discs will not work on DVD or CD players. The formats are different and require specific drives to play. Most newer DVD players are actually Blu-ray players, but make sure you read the product details before you buy to make sure a device can play the newer disc formats.
Kegan is an avid gamer who has been playing games since his Atari days. From a young age Kegan was tinkering with PCs and now has a passion for building custom gaming computers.
