Michael Patrick Brady

My article on the best bets for Blu-ray disc players ran today at Forbes.com. The market seems to be separating into three camps: budget, streaming-capable, and home theater component.

The budget camp is being led by Vizio’s sub-$200 BD player, as they seek to dominate yet another vertical with their bargain-basement prices and clever retail placement. Mid-range runs from $299 to $399 and is starting to include fun features like Internet streaming from Netflix and Wi-Fi capabilities. The high-end ($400+) is geared toward audiophiles and videophiles looking for a fancy piece of equipment (like the Samsung BD-P4600 or Oppo BDP-83, seen above) to complement their surround sound, home theater setup.