Blu-ray options abound these days

Q I just purchased a 42-inch Panasonic plasma TV and would like to upgrade from DVD to Blu-ray. You have written favorably about Oppo products before but have not mentioned its Blu-ray player. Do you think it would be a good fit for me? It will be connected to the TV with a Wii video game and cable box, but no sound system or anything else.

ADAM P., Minneapolis

A The $499 Oppo BDP-83 Blu-ray player is regarded by many as the finest on the market. What primarily sets it apart is its performance with regular DVDs. Any Blu-ray player will provide astounding image quality with Blu-ray discs, but DVD picture quality varies widely and is usually mediocre to bad. The Oppo has some of the best DVD image processing available at any price and will make your DVDs look as good as they can. The BDP-83 also plays Super Audio CD and DVD-Audio high resolution audio formats and has high-def audio decoding and multichannel analog outputs.

But the Oppo might not be your best bet because of the price. Most people do not spend nearly as much on their Blu-ray player as they did on their television. If you wanted to squeeze the best possible picture out of a huge DVD collection, if you had a separate sound system, or if you had a much bigger, more expensive TV, it would make more sense.

Consider these alternatives:

Panasonic player: Since you have a Panasonic plasma, a Panasonic Blu-ray player makes the most sense. The TV and Blu-ray player remotes will be compatible, for one. Panasonic is also one of the few brands that provide top-notch image quality with regular DVDs -- even if it's not as good as the Oppo's. The Panasonic DMP-BD60 sells for under $170 and you can get the DMP-BD70 Blu-ray/VHS combo player for under $250. Either of these would make more sense in your system.

PlayStation 3: Since you apparently like video games, the Sony PlayStation 3 also belongs on your shopping list. It is one of the fastest, most reliable Blu-ray players available, plays high-def video games, connects wirelessly to your network to stream media to your television or sound system, plays most computer audio/video files, and can stream Netflix if you have a Netflix account. It sells for $299 (plus $25 for a Blu-ray disc remote).

Low-priced players: For those looking to get into Blu-ray at the lowest possible price, some recent bargains include Best Buy's new Wi-Fi-enabled, Netflix-streaming Insignia NS-WBRDVD for $129 and the LG BD370, a Netflix-streaming player known for fast performance, for $129 at Amazon.com.

Not only have Blu-ray player prices come down, but Blu-ray movie prices have dropped dramatically, too. If you have an HDTV, this year is the time to upgrade that DVD player to Blu-ray.

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