Move over DVD: your time is up. The winner of the fairly quiet format war fought over the past couple of years is Blu-Ray, and these discs are coming to a High Definition screen near you. Well, if you get your hands on a player that is.

This new generation of player uses a blue laser to read and write data on to discs. For pub quiz devotees, it’s because this colour laser uses a shorter wavelength so more data can be packed in.

In addition to stunning image quality and superb sound, the extra storage space allows special features such as interactive games, director’s commentary and unseen scenes.
Here’s our choice of six, for a visual feast!

Great Gaming – Sony PS3 – £299.99 from Comet
This next-generation gaming console offers truly amazing picture quality and exceptional audio to really immerse you in the action.

Packed with a decent Blu-Ray player, and the ability to improve the on-screen quality of regular DVD discs, this a very clever box.

And we didn’t even mention that it features WiFi and a whopping 80GB memory to store all kinds of data inside?

Budget Box – Samsung BDP1500 – £139.95

One here, perhaps, to suit the Blu-Ray sceptics’ budget or for those so entranced by their new-found footage they need a second machine.

Delivering an all-round impressive performance, the Samsung might have been around a little longer but certainly hasn’t gathered any dust.

Slim Fit – Panasonic DMP-BD35 – £249.99 from Comet

Since its arrival on the Blu-Ray scene this player has been applauded by the pundits for being both slimmer than its bulkier stablemates while retaining the impressive feature set.

It contains BD-Live, enabling you can connect to the internet and download data such as images, subtitles and bonus content linked to specific Blu-Ray discs. Even more for your money.

Portable Player – Sony Vaio VGN-FW35X – from £1035.94 at www.sonystyle.co.uk
It costs a wallet-weary amount in comparison to the other players on parade, but this 16.4 inch screen machine also boasts high spec computing prowess.

A 128GB flash memory means this all-rounder is ideal those on the move who take their entertainment seriously.

Picture Perfect – Denon DVD-2500BT – £599.95 from www.richersounds.com
Currently courted by some of the UK’s leading audio/visual experts, this Denon will make a serious dent in your finances. But rest assured, you will be investing in a serious bit of kit of near-off-the-scale superiority.

The look of this machine matches its price tag, giving you plenty of pleasure before you even turn on the TV. A wonderful assault on the senses.

Silly Money – Goldmund 20BD – £8000 from www.goldmund.com
For this eye-watering amount of money, you could have yourself a very respectable saloon car with change left over for a family break.

Still, then you would be missing out on super high tech features – like Magnetic Dampers and an AC-Curator power supply circuit – with no idea what to do with them.

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