The player also features the REGZA link so owners of Toshiba televisions will also be able to control multiple Toshiba devices from the same remote control.

Of course, the Toshiba also able to decode Dolby Digital and DTS sound so you can enjoy the full home cinema audio experience, and with its ability to be able to upscale standard DVDs to 1080p, you’ll get a high video experience too.

Like most recent Sony products the HT-SS100 comes with the Bravia Sync so you get an easy to use integrated control with other devices in their range, and the looks of the system will also match well too. The SS100 has been specifically designed to go with the Sony BDP-S360, BDP-S560 and BDP-S760 Blu-ray players, but would go equally well with other players too.

The JVC TH-G60 actually has quite a lot going for it, the front speakers are full height which makes positioning them at the optimum listening height and position a great deal easier. The wide centre channel speaker and smaller surround sound speakers will be equally easy to position, and if you need to, all 5 speakers are wall mountable. The simple square subwoofer is not too large to be awkward to position, but big enough to house a 16cm driver inside to add some bass depth to your movies. All speakers are very simple in design but yet remain quite classy looking, and the full height front speakers especially looking like serious pieces of home cinema kit. The rest of the speakers are equally good looking, with the front grille being completely cloth covered.

The main unit again looks quite serious with five backlit control buttons and volume dial on the front fascia. The JVC TH-G60 has a single HDMI output, but also a component video output if you need it – it will also upconvert to 1080p to help you get the most from your DVD collection. There is also a digital optical input so you can plug in a games console and enjoy surround sound from your gaming too, and a USB input so you can enjoy MP3/WMA/JPEG files as well as DivX/XviD.

The HT762 does just that, it adds in an additional 2 ‘tallboy’ speakers the same design as the fronts, and an all important front centre speaker to concentrate on the voices. The HT762 also adds a 10.1 virtual surround sound option with its ‘VSM’ feature. The system overall is an improvement on the HT462 with the extra speakers providing much more of an impact, and at 700W in total it can really blast out the sound when it wants to. The 10.1 virtual surround sound option is surprisingly good and sounds slightly more involving than the 5.1 system.

The DVD player is capable of 1080p upscaling and performs very well with pretty much every disc you can throw at it. The HDMI connection on rear of the player provides the digital connection to your television, and with its DIVX capable player, USB port and RDS radio on board, the HT762 can become pretty much the hub of your system.

The BD50 is a very smart looking Blu-ray player, with clean lines and an uncluttered front panel with only the power and eject buttons protruding from the glossy black finish to the front of the player. As would be expected from Panasonic, it is well built, and the instructions are reasonably good. The remote doesn’t disappoint either and is well weighted and has every button within easy reach. The BD-50 comes with the latest BD-LIVE Blu-ray profile, which means you will be able to benefit from extra content available online for certain discs.

Operationally, the Panasonic performs well. Disc load times are reasonably quick, certainly some of the quickest we’ve seen on a dedicated Blu-ray player so far. The important aspect, of course, is the picture playback, and it doesn’t disappoint. It is so very, very close to being as good as the Sony BDP-S500, but apart from that it is the best performance we’ve seen on a Blu-ray player to date, and better than both the Samsung BDP-1500 and the Sony Playstation 3. Normal DVD playback was a bit disappointing, and actually worse than what we’ve come to expect from even fairly reasonably priced DVD players these days. The sound is top notch though, and owners of the latest HD decoding amps will be pleased that the BD50 can output undecoded bitstream so the amp can do the decoding part.

Overall, we really like the Panasonic DMP-BD50 Blu-ray player, and it is nice to see the first quite serious player enter the market in these more settled times in the life of High Definition players. We’re still bothered by the price a little, it seems alot to pay for something that is not that much better than some of the other less expensive offerings. But if you want the best Blu-ray player available at this time, then the BD50 is probably the one.

What to consider before you buy the Panasonic DMP-BD50 Blu-ray Player

The only real downside to the player is the price. At around £400 it is more expensive than both the Playstation 3 and almost twice the price of the Samsung BDP-1500, which although only Blu-ray profile 1.1, makes the Panasonic look very expensive. The BD-50 is better than both these players, but not by much, so we’re not sure where the extra money is going. Standard DVD playback is also disappointing, so we’d recommend keeping your existing DVD player for now.

Why you should buy the Panasonic DMP-BD50 Blu-ray Player

The Panasonic DMP-BD50 is a great looking, well built player, that performs well at most things. It has the latest Blu-ray profile so there is fairly future proof, and has good picture and sound quality. Rating: 4/5

Finished in piano black the Panasonic DMP-BD55 has an improved look over the BD50 – in a funny way it looks a bit more established as a Blu-ray player, with its more DVD like appearance. Build quality certainly seems to be there again, and in general Panasonic products do last well so this should be a safe buy.

Blu-ray playback is of course fantastic and picture quality is everything you would expect it to be. But importantly, DVD playback is good too this time around with standard definition films looking just as good as they always did, making this player a credible replacement, rather than addition to your DVD player. Both the BD35 and BD55 have an SD card slot and support full 1080p over HDMI, but the BD55 scores over the BD35 with the addition of 7 channel audio outputs and a better audio system, it also outputs bitstream HD sound which is useful if you have a newer HD capable amp such as the Onkyo 606.

What to consider before you buy the Panasonic DMP-BD55

It is significantly more expensive than the BD35 so consider if you really need the audio enhancements of the BD55.

Why you should buy the Panasonic DMP-BD55

We really like the Panasonic DMP-BD55 Blu-ray player, especially because it is the first realistic replacement for our DVD players as well, and at this price point it make a very good buy.
Rating: 4.5/5

Moving from DVD to Blu-ray is always going to show a noticeable improvement, and if you choose a film that takes full benefit of the extra definition, it will be an amazing improvement. The BD35 is, perhaps unsurprisingly, a very capable Blu-ray player. But importantly is also very good at playing standard definition DVD, which is as been an important factor for many buyers who don’t want an additional player, they want one that will replace their DVD player as well.

The BD35 is a good looking machine, and as we noted with the BD55 it has a more conventional DVD player look about it which should fit in better with existing equipment. It comes with an SD Card clot allowing you to view digital camera pictures through it.

The price is very keen indeed – at around £300 this player is going to sell well – and because of this, competition from retailers is likely to be fierce so expect prices to come down further, giving an even better deal. If you amp is HD capable, then you’ll pleased to know that it has bitstream output allowing your amp to do the processing of the DTS-HD Master or Dolby True HD signal. The BD35 does everything you would expect from a top brand Blu-ray player with the addition of also playing normal DVDs well.

What to consider before you buy the Panasonic DMP-BD35 Blu-ray Player

The player lacks a couple of features which could be vital for you – there are no 7.1 surround sound connections on the rear of the machine so you need to connect to a separate home cinema receiver via HDMI if you want surround sound. It also lacks some of the higher end audio processing capabilities of its bigger brother the BD55, which may not be a problem..

Why you should buy the Panasonic DMP-BD35 Blu-ray Player

At around £100 to £150 cheaper than its older brother, the DMP-BD55 we think the DMP-BD35 represents better value for money, and is a fantastic buy at the price point. If you need the audio capabilities you will have to opt for the BD55, but otherwise this is your best option at the moment. Rating: 4.5/5

What to consider before you buy Sony BDP-S350

There is a good chance that your player will only be Blu-ray profile 1.1 when you receive it, and not the latest profile 2.0. You will be able to upgrade the firmware via the built in ethernet port so it’s not the end of the world. Also it won’t decode DTS-HD Master Audio, but it will output HD audio in bitstream to a compatible AV Receiver like the Onkyo 607. The player is also missing 5.1 analogue inputs.

Who you should buy Sony BDP-S350

For the price, it’s a great player that does all the right things – sound and picture are fabulous of course, but even the remote and menu system are a joy to use. It has all the inputs you need, including ethernet (for updates and BD-Live) and a USB port. We knew that Blu-ray players were on the verge of getting everything just right, and with BDP-350 they have, and whole lot more affordable too.