bluray

The Audiophiliac's Top 13 music Blu-ray discs

I wrote a Top 10 music Blu-ray list late last year, so it's time for an update.

Patricia Barber, "Modern Cool"

Sultry jazz singer Patricia Barber's "Modern Cool" album was a hit with the audiophile crowd soon after its release in 1998, so I was surprised to see it come out on Blu-ray with a new 5.1-channel DTS Master Audio mix. Even more surprised that the surround mix totally works. You're in the middle of the band, which I usually don't care for, but it clicks here. Barber wrote a lot … Read more

Top 15 movies not out on Blu-ray

A couple of years ago, we had 40 movies on this list. But as new releases have arrived, we've gradually pruned the list, and today we're down to a mere 15 top movies that aren't out yet on Blu-ray.

Yes, there are several other great movies that still haven't gotten the Blu-ray treatment. But like I say with the top 40 must-have Blu-rays list, feel free to express your opinions, and if you have a legitimate case, I'll update the list with new picks.

For the latest round we've dropped "The Sting" and "Chariots of Fire," and several other movies, including "Jaws," "Titanic," and the "Indiana Jones Trilogy," are due to come off the list in the coming months because they're already available for preorder, so stay tuned for a big revamp of the list this fall.

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Top movies not out on Blu-ray: 'Chariots of Fire' off the list

For the past few years, we've kept a running list of top titles not out on Blu-ray. It started out with 40 titles and has been whittled down to 15 in more recent months.

"Chariots of Fire," which won an Academy Award for Best Picture in 1981 and hit stores yesterday (just in time for the Olympics), is the latest flick to be removed from the list, which is a good thing.

Warner Bros. has done an impressive job bringing the movie to Blu-ray, with an excellent video transfer (the audio's also quite good, but when … Read more

Panasonic DMP-BDT220 review: 2012's best Blu-ray value

If I had to recommend just one Blu-ray player for 2012, it would be Panasonic's DMP-BDT220 ($130 street price). It's in the sweet spot of Panasonic's Blu-ray lineup, with built-in Wi-Fi and an excellent set of streaming-media services, including Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant, Vudu, MLB.TV, and Pandora.

And while competing players from Samsung and Sony offer just as many streaming apps, they're hamstrung by awkward user interfaces.… Read more

Where to find 3D movies to watch at home

Here's a happy fact: 3D-capable HDTVs now cost little more than their non-3D counterparts.

Here's another happy fact: 3D-capable Blu-ray players now cost little more than their non-3D counterparts.

And, finally, a sad fact: You can't rent 3D movies from Netflix. Or your local Redbox kiosk. Nor can you stream or download them from Amazon, Netflix, or iTunes.

So now what? What good is the gear if there's no content? Turns out there are a few sources that can deliver 3D goodness to your home, either through the mail or over the Interwebs. Here are your … Read more

New this week on Blu-ray: 'Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol'

You can call it "Mission: Impossible 4" or Tom Cruise's comeback flick after a career that suddenly hit the skids. But whatever it's called, Paramount's done another stellar job with the video transfer and the Blu-ray version offers impressive fine detail along with an equally dynamic soundtrack to back up the picture quality.

As for the movie, well, it's also pretty good, so this one might very well be worth a purchase rather than a rental.

I know, I know, a lot of you don't buy discs anymore, you just stream everything or … Read more

LG BP620 review: 3D Blu-ray player with everything but Amazon Instant

The BP620 is LG's "flagship" Blu-ray player for 2012, but you couldn't tell by its $130 street price or ordinary feature set. It includes all the important features that manufacturers are charging for this year, such as 3D compatibility, built-in Wi-Fi, and a suite of streaming-media services.

The big catch, especially if you were familiar with LG's platform last year, is that Amazon Instant will not be included on 2012 players, which could be a deal breaker for cord cutters. However, LG continues to have one of the best-designed streaming-content portals, with a dead-simple user … Read more

'The Adventures of Tintin' Blu-ray delivers stellar video

A few weeks ago Paramount released the Blu-ray for "Hugo," which has a nearly flawless video transfer and offers incredibly sharp video and great sound. The studio returns today with the Blu-ray release of Steven Spielberg's "The Adventures of Tintin," which famously combines performance capture with digital computer animation to create a unique hybrid look.

Whether you love that look or not (some people find it funky), the Blu-ray delivers stunning video that's both vivid and impressively detailed. The DTS-HD MA 7.1 lossless soundtrack is also highly detailed and will give your home … Read more

PowerDVD wants to control all your media

PowerDVD version 12 Ultra is here, and it brings with it increased 3D support and improved playback controls. At the same time, it changes its game a bit by offering tools for organizing and managing all of your media across devices. Now you can use your desktop PC as a server for all of your content, and with PowerDVD Mobile, you can browse and play that content from anywhere.

PowerDVD's bread and butter has always been its movie playback capabilities, and with version 12 that hasn't changed. The program can still play DVDs, Blu-ray discs, and an impressive … Read more