Today, Blu-ray is the newcomer on the home entertainment scene. Does this mean that DVD players are on their way out? Are DVD players worth buying or should you hold out until Blu-rays come down in price? In order to make an informed decision, you need the facts about DVD players and their latest rivals. Our DVD Players Buying Guide gives you the facts.

DVD Players: The Basics

If you ask many people what DVD stands for, they will tell you, "Digital Video Disc." That's close enough, but it actually is an acronym for "Digital Versatile Disc." The "versatile" thing about it at the time was that DVDs were able to store and play back both audio and visual, as opposed to CDs (Compact Discs), which had already overtaken the music market.

It wasn't long after their introduction that the advantages of DVD players over video tapes became obvious. There was no long waiting period while the tape rewound or if you wanted to fast forward. The picture and sound quality was better. They took up less space on the shelf. And the list went on. All it took was a drop in the price of DVD players before video tapes became relics of the past.

DVD players continued to drop in price over the years as manufacturers scrambled to compete. They have also undergone significant improvements. You can now buy better, more versatile DVD players than ever before, without paying more for them.

What to Look For in DVD Players

Even the cheapest DVD players today usually come with many multi-media features. They will play a variety of DVD and CD disc formats, so you can play recordable DVDs, music CDs and MP3s and view photos stored on CDs. If you like karaoke, you can find this feature even on many cheaper models, but be sure to look for it. You can find all of these features on DVD players in the $75-80RRP price range and even find them on sale for less.

Video Upscaling

For just under a hundred dollars, you can find DVD players with even more valuable features. One in particular that you should look for is "1080 progressive scan." Many cheaper models boast progressive scan, but "1080" is the number to look for. This will allow you to get a near HD quality picture out of your DVD player. This feature is usually listed as "1080p Video Upscaling." It is well worth the few extra dollars, because HD (High Definition) is becoming the norm rather than the exception today.

PAL versus NTSC

Have you ever been frustrated after ordering a DVD online or being sent one from overseas and finding that it wouldn't play back on your machine? This is probably because you purchased a DVD in the American NTSC colour format. Australia, many parts of Asia and Europe use the PAL system. PAL/NTSC compatible DVD players used to be very hard to find, but they are common now in DVD players and you don't have to pay much of a premium for them.

Why Buy DVD Players?

With the increasing availability of Blu-ray players, it is a fair question to ask whether or not you should buy DVD players. Blu-ray players are designed to give you the full High Definition (HD) home theatre experience and even have 3-D capabilities. However, if you still have a cathode ray TV or an LCD TV that is a few years old, you will not gain anything from investing in a Blu-ray player because it will need a TV that is capable of displaying HD and 3D. These players cost at least twice as much as DVD players and will probably continue to cost more for some time.

Most households have more than one television set and you probably also have an extensive collection of DVDs and CDs. For these reasons alone, you will still get years of use out of your DVD player. Since they are so reasonably priced, they are still worth the money and are not likely to be replaced as rapidly as VCRs were when DVDs were introduced onto the market. In our opinion, there will still be a place for DVD players in the average home for years to come. If you have an LCD TV or plan to buy one soon, pay a few extra dollars for a DVD player with 1080p Video Upscaling and you will notice a significant difference in picture quality.