Shop for video players and recorders

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.7 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 88 reviews

The Bottom Line: With a smaller design, more energy-efficient operation, lower price tag, and built-in Blu-ray and multimedia capabilities, the PS3 Slim delivers a compelling package for an affordable price. Read review

Specs: Sony PlayStation 3 - Game console, BD-ROM, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, Cell Broadband Engine, 256 MB - Integrated, 1920 x 1080

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.8 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 36 reviews

The Bottom Line: The LG BD390's combination of excellent image quality, superfast loading times, and its currently unbeatable feature set make it our top choice among premium standalone Blu-ray players. Read review

Specs: Blu-Ray disc player, Tabletop, Remote control, DTS decoder, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS-HD Master Audio, Surround Sound, Gloss black, 6 lbs

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.2 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 2.0 stars out of 90 reviews

The Bottom Line: The Samsung BD-P3600 is a huge leap ahead for standalone Blu-ray players, with blazing-fast operational speed, tons of features, and excellent image quality. Read review

Specs: Blu-Ray disc player, Tabletop, Universal remote control, DTS decoder, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS-HD Master Audio, DTS-HD High Resolution, Surround Sound, 5.3 lbs

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good

  Overall score: 7.0 (3.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 2.5 stars out of 35 reviews

The Bottom Line: The Samsung BD-P1600 has a great mix of features and performance for a standalone Blu-ray player, with only its annoying design holding it back. Read review

Specs: Blu-Ray disc player, Tabletop, Universal remote control, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby True-HD, DTS decoder, DTS-HD High Resolution, DTS-HD Master Audio, Stereo, 4.9 lbs

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.5 stars Spectacular

  Overall score: 9.0 (4.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 20 reviews

The Bottom Line: The Oppo BDP-83 is an outstanding universal disc player with excellent performance on Blu-rays and DVDs and lightning-fast operational speed, but most home theater fans will balk at the high price. Read review

Specs: Blu-Ray disc player, Tabletop, Remote control, DTS decoder, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS-HD Master Audio, DTS-HD High Resolution, Surround Sound, 11.2 lbs

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.0 stars Good

  Overall score: 6.6 (3.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 18 reviews

The Bottom Line: The Panasonic DMP-BD60 offers excellent image quality and reliable Blu-ray playback, but it doesn't have as many features as the competition. Read review

Specs: Blu-Ray disc player, Tabletop, Universal remote control, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS HD, Stereo, Black, 5.7 lbs

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.5 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 165 reviews

The Bottom Line: While it's neither a must-have upgrade for existing 360 owners nor as feature-packed as the PS3, the Xbox 360 Elite's combination of top-notch gaming and digital media features make it the current game console of choice. Read review

Specs: Xbox 360 Elite System - Game console, DVD-ROM, 1 x IBM PowerPC 3 cores 3.2 GHz, 512 MB ( 512 MB ) GDDR3 SDRAM - Integrated, 1920 x 1080

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.7 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 1184 reviews

The Bottom Line: The high-end Sony PlayStation 3's larger hard drive and ability to play PS2 games makes it a worthwhile alternative to the cheaper model--so long as you're willing to wait several months for the more promising exclusive titles to hit store shelves. If backward compatibility is your top priority, this hard-to-find model may be worth the search. Read review

Specs: Sony PlayStation 3 - Game console, BD-ROM, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, IBM Cell 3.2 GHz, 256 MB XDR DRAM - Integrated, 1920 x 1080

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.0 stars Good

  Overall score: 6.2 (3.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 8 reviews

The Bottom Line: The Sony BDP-S360 handles all the Blu-ray basics with ease, but it lacks the streaming Internet content found on competing models. Read review

Specs: Blu-Ray disc player, Tabletop, Remote control, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, Stereo, 4.6 lbs

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good

  Overall score: 7.7 (3.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 142 reviews

The Bottom Line: The one-two punch of Amazon and Netflix makes the Roku Player an enticing choice for anyone looking for a simple, convenient, and affordable alternative to cable or satellite TV. Read review

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.5 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 1196 reviews

The Bottom Line: With its extensive digital media features, a superior online service, and an excellent game library, the Xbox 360 remains the game console to beat. Read review

Specs: Xbox 360 - Game console, DVD-ROM, 1 x IBM PowerPC 3 cores 3.2 GHz, 512 MB ( 512 MB ) GDDR3 SDRAM - Integrated, 1920 x 1080

• CNET Editor rating:
  Not yet rated
• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 13 reviews

Specs: Xbox 360 Arcade - Game console, DVD-ROM, 1 x IBM PowerPC 3 cores 3.2 GHz, 512 MB ( 512 MB ) GDDR3 SDRAM - Integrated, 1920 x 1080

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.7 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 132 reviews

The Bottom Line: Even though PS2 backward compatibility has been dropped from this version, the 80GB PS3 is still a superb Blu-ray player and high-definition game console. Read review

Specs: Sony PlayStation 3 - Game console, BD-ROM, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, Cell Broadband Engine, 256 MB - Integrated, 1920 x 1080

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.0 stars Good

  Overall score: 6.6 (3.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 7 reviews

The Bottom Line: LG's entry-level Blu-ray player packs Netflix and YouTube at a reasonable price, but the BD370's image quality is a step below the best. Read review

Specs: Blu-Ray disc player, Tabletop, Remote control, Dolby Digital, DTS decoder, Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, Stereo, Gloss black, 6.6 lbs

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.0 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 171 reviews

The Bottom Line: With its enhanced iTunes video offerings, PC-free operation, and a lower price tag, the updated Apple TV is a compelling Internet-enabled entertainment device for the living room. Read review

Specs: Digital multimedia receiver, Remote control

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.0 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 2.0 stars out of 10 reviews

The Bottom Line: Samsung's BD-P4600 Blu-ray player is packed with features and its unique design makes it wall-mountable, but most buyers will be better off with the step-down BD-P3600. Read review

Specs: Blu-Ray disc player, Tabletop, Universal remote control, Stereo, 4.2 lbs

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good

  Overall score: 7.3 (3.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 24 reviews

The Bottom Line: While it isn't infallible, the Western Digital WD TV HD Media Player plays back a wide array of audio, video, and image files on your TV without the need for a computer. Read review

• CNET Editor rating:
  Not yet rated
• Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 6 reviews

Manufacturer description: Elevate your HD experience with the BDP-S560 Blu-ray Disc player. Featuring Full HD 1080p video output, you can take full advantage of your HDTV and the unparalleled detail of Blu-ray ... Read more

Specs: Blu-Ray disc player, Tabletop, Remote control, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital plus, Dolby True HD, DTS decoder, Stereo, 5.1 lbs

• CNET Editor rating:
  Not yet rated
• Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 2 reviews

Manufacturer description: PHL Reference Chroma Processor Plus is a high quality image-processing technology developed by Panasonic to precisely process each pixel of the Blu-ray Disc video signal in the vertical direction. It ... Read more

Specs: Blu-Ray disc player, Tabletop, Universal remote control, DTS decoder, Dolby TrueHD, Dolby Digital, DTS-HD decoder, Dolby Digital Plus, Surround Sound, 5.7 lbs

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.5 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 57 reviews

The Bottom Line: Now that Blu-ray has become the pre-eminent high-definition standard for discs, the Xbox 360 has yet to support it, but it still remains an excellent game console with a superior game library and online experience. Read review

Specs: Xbox 360 Pro System - Game console, DVD-ROM, 1 x IBM PowerPC 3 cores 3.2 GHz, 512 MB ( 512 MB ) GDDR3 SDRAM - Integrated, 1920 x 1080

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.0 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 5 reviews

The Bottom Line: Outstanding recording quality and tons of features, like flexible recording speed and chasing playback, make the Panasonic DMR-EA18K an excellent all-purpose DVD recorder. Read review

Specs: DVD recorder, Tabletop, Remote control, Stereo, Black, 6.2 lbs

• CNET Editor rating:
  4.0 stars Excellent

  Overall score: 8.3 (4.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 56 reviews

The Bottom Line: While it's not compatible with your cable company's interactive and video-on-demand services, the TiVo HD's excellent onscreen interface and long list of network and Internet features puts it in a class above the generic high-def DVRs offered by most cable providers. Read review

Specs: DVR, 16.5 in x 12.6 in x 3.4 in, 190, 2, TiVo, Remote control

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good

  Overall score: 7.7 (3.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 7 reviews

The Bottom Line: Outstanding recording quality, tons of features, and a built-in digital TV tuner make the Panasonic DMR-EZ48VK an excellent all-purpose DVD and VHS recorder. Read review

Specs: Stereo

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.0 stars Good

  Overall score: 6.2 (3.0 stars)
• Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 38 reviews

The Bottom Line: The Panasonic DMP-BD35 represents the best value in standalone Blu-ray players, with excellent image quality, a comprehensive feature set, and a price that's significantly lower than the PS3. Read review

Specs: Blu-Ray disc player, Tabletop, Remote control, Dolby Digital, DTS decoder, Dolby True HD, Dolby Digital Plus, DTS-HD, Stereo, Black, 5.7 lbs

• CNET Editor rating:
  3.5 stars Very good

  Overall score: 7.7 (3.5 stars)
• Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 38 reviews

The Bottom Line: Vudu sets itself apart from similar Internet video-on-demand boxes such as Apple and Netflix by delivering movies at better quality--up to full 1080p HD resolution and 5.1 surround sound. Read review

Specs: Stereo, Remote control