Tests find cheap, clear Blu-ray players

If you like to watch movies, the "in" way to do it is with a Blu-ray player. This holiday season, they are expected to be a top-selling electronic gift.

Blu-ray discs look like DVDs, but they store high-definition video and large amounts of data. They have almost six times more data storage than a DVD.

The name Blu-ray comes from the blue-violet laser used to read the disc. A standard DVD uses a red laser.

If you're thinking about getting with the program, now is a good time. Consumer Reports tests found you can get a really good player for a great price.

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Marina Borukhovich switched to Blu-ray. “The Blu-ray player is definitely a much clearer picture than the regular DVD player," she said.

Consumer Reports tested more than two dozen players, costing $130 to $700.

“Most of the players that we're seeing now have a new feature called BD-Live, which allows the player to connect to the Internet," Jim Willcox of Consumer Reports said.

“Some players with BD-Live are able to access ... streaming movies from services like Amazon Video On Demand, Netflix, and Vudu," he explained.

In most cases, you need to plug the player into an Ethernet connection, but some let you connect wirelessly.

Consumer Reports testers evaluated Blu-ray players for picture quality, assessing detail and color accuracy. They also assessed how easy it is to use a Blu-ray player.

If you want the BD-Live feature, testers rated a $230 Sony Blu-ray player “excellent.”

“The Sony is what's known as a BD-Live-ready player,” Wilcox said. “That means it can connect to the Internet, but you have to add memory for that feature to become active. It'll probably cost you about $10 to $15 to add the memory you need."

If you just want to play Blu-ray discs, for much less, consider the $130 Magnavox player. It also rated “excellent.”

"The good news is that all the players we tested had excellent picture quality, the feature that's probably most important," Wilcox said.

Keep an eye on store advertisements for Blu-ray players because it’s expected that prices will continue to drop, especially around Black Friday.

You'll likely be able to get a decent player for just $99.