Julie: Hi, I'm Julie.

Steve: And I'm Steve. In this video we'll explain the basics of Blu-ray Disc.

Julie: We'll also give you tips on what to look for when you start shopping for a Blu-ray Disc player.

What makes Blu-ray look and sound great

Steve: So we all know that standard DVDs look pretty good, but they're not high definition, and they can't take full advantage of today's HDTVs. That's why the big deal about Blu-ray is superior picture quality.

Julie: Exactly. These discs use 1080p picture resolution, which is six times the resolution of standard DVDs, for much greater clarity and detail. That makes Blu-ray Disc the main source of true 1080p video for today's 1080p HDTVs. So, if standard DVDs look like this, Blu-ray movies look like this.

Steve: Of course, you don't have to have a 1080p HDTV to watch Blu-ray.

Julie: That's right. You can set a Blu-ray player to send the right signal to a 720p or 1080i HDTV too.

Steve: Blu-ray discs also offer much better sound quality than standard DVDs. Along with the usual Dolby Digital and DTS options, some Blu-ray discs have up to 7.1 channels of sound with Dolby Digital Plus and DTS HD. Some also offer lossless surround sound that duplicates the film studio's master tape. These lossless formats are known as Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD Master Audio.

Three features to look for

Julie: So, how do you decide between the different players? Well, there are a number of things you might look for.

Steve: For example, if you have a large collection of standard DVDs, you may want to look for a player with exceptional upconversion technology, so your discs look their best.

Julie: And if you make a lot of mix CDs, check that the player can handle whatever recordable format you're using. For example, if you've burned a lot of MP3s to CD-R, check to be sure that the player can handle both MP3s and CD-Rs.

Steve: You may also end up making your decision based on whether you want to listen to the studio-quality audio available on many Blu-ray discs. If so, look for a player that can support some or all of the audio formats we mentioned earlier.

Pairing your player with your receiver

Julie: What type of receiver you have can also influence your decision. If yours is a newer model that can decode all these formats, great.

Steve: Yup, then all you need is an HDMI cable.

Julie: However, if your current receiver can handle HDMI connections, but lacks decoding for those high-end formats, you may want to look for a player with built-in decoders. It'll convert the audio to a form your receiver can handle, called PCM, and send that along via HDMI.

Steve: Or, if your home theater receiver doesn't have HDMI, but does have multichannel analog audio inputs, you should look for a player that can both decode those high-quality formats and send them along an analog connection.

Future-ready players

Julie: Next, if you're wondering about your player becoming obsolete, don't worry. There are multiple options for updating your player's operating software. You can put in a disc that you either receive from the manufacturer or burn yourself from info online. But if you choose a player with an Ethernet port, you can connect it to your home network and download any updates directly to the player, no disc needed.

Steve: Finally, there's one tweaky little tidbit we want to pass on. All the players out there will play Blu-ray movies — there's no problem there. But players that were first released after November 1, 2007, will all support Profile 1.1, meaning they'll offer picture-in-picture for watching commentaries and extras with compatible discs.

Julie: And a few players, those known as Profile 2.0 or BD-Live players, will also be able to download extra content and offer interactive features with some discs. So, if you're interested in having the very latest versions of the technology, look for players tagged as Profile 1.1 or Profile 2.0.

Steve: Of course, this is just an overview. If you want more info, check out crutchfield.com/blu-ray

Julie: And if you have questions, ask our experts at 1-888-955-6000.