Group test: what's the best Blu-ray player?

5. Buffalo MediaStation BR3D-12U3

• Reviewed on: 17 January 12
• RRP: £200 inc VAT
• Rating:

The Buffalo MediaStation BR3D-12U3 performed well as a writer and a player, with a good turn of speed and low noise levels. For general video editing there’s better software out there than the bundled Cyberlink suite.

4. Lite-On IHES112-115

• Reviewed on: 23 October 12
• RRP: £50 inc VAT
• Rating:

The main problem with this drive is that it just isn’t very cheap. At £50 it’s too much to pay for a BD-ROM drive when you can have a full Blu-ray reader/writer for around £65-£70. But if you’re sure you’ll only ever be reading BD media, then this saves you a few pounds.

3. LG BP40NS20

• Reviewed on: 28 September 12
• RRP: £90 inc VAT
• Rating:

As media speeds push up to double figures, this drive will fall further behind its rivals. For the time being, though, it's a visually pleasing and assured drive that offers a little for everyone. It is available for a good range of prices, though, so try and hunt down a deal that gets you the drive for £90 or less.

2. Lite-On iHBS212

• Reviewed on: 19 January 12
• RRP: £94.02 inc VAT
• Rating:

The Lite-On iHBS212 may not be a huge step forwards in terms of raw speed, but it’s still the fastest Blu-ray drive we’ve seen yet. Given that it ticks the boxes in every other area, and will cost a fairly modest £80 for the OEM version (around £90 for the retail pack with LightScribe), that makes this Lite-On the best of the drives currently available.

 

 

1. LG BE12LU38.AUAE10B

• Reviewed on: 17 January 12
• RRP: £126 inc. VAT
• Rating:

Using four-speed TDK media we recorded 21GB of data in a very fast 15 mins 48 sec.