It wasn’t that many years ago that having a Blu-ray player for your Home Theater was a “Must Have” and those who didn’t have one wanted one. Times are continuing to evolve and while we don’t necessarily advise tossing out your current Blu-ray player at your city’s next electronics recycling day, there are some new alternatives to consider. Instead of taking up valuable AV real estate, many home theater owners are ditching the disc for alternative entertainment methods.  Some of which we have listed here – 

Media Servers

Media servers come in all shapes and sizes, with all sorts of price tags. However, the ones we’re talking about here are full-on media servers like the ones from Kaleidescape, VidaBox, Dune HD, and Fusion Research. There’s even the Sony 4K Ultra HD Media Player (FMP-X1), which can deliver a slew of streaming 4K options. Unlike NAS devices, these products can serve up Blu-ray-quality movies from a disc or purchases made through the web.

DVR 

Why have another component in the mix when your DVR can do so many things? Chances are, you are paying a monthly fee to have this box, so you may as well maximize its potential. Many DVRs can stream video-on-demand selections, in full HD. However, DISH Network’s Hopper can also do Facebook and Pandora, while TiVo offers Amazon Instant Video, Netflix, Hulu Plus, and tons of other apps, so you never have to fumble with another disc. Both are also working with home control companies to make the DVR better than even the most immersive Blu-ray experience.

Game Consoles 

Like the DVR, having a game console eliminates the need for another component. That’s because these devices actually have Blu-ray players built-in. Remember when fans were frothing to the PlayStation 3 because it had a Blu-ray player? That was almost eight years ago. The new PS4 also has a Blu-ray player (with a one-time activation), but without the option for 3D. That said, it does deliver all sorts of streaming entertainment through the PlayStation Store and Sony’s Music Unlimited and Video Unlimited services. Also, Xbox finally got on the Blu-ray bandwagon with the Xbox One, which has a built-in player as well as a variety of digital entertainment options via OneGuide, Xbox Live, and more.

At BRAVAS Atlanta we pride ourselves on being among the cutting-edge home entertainment specialists in Atlanta. Whether you are just beginning on the journey or are looking to upgrade an existing Home Theater are your one-stop design and installation source. Call us at 770-844-5800 or use the convenient “Contact” feature on our website. Image courtesy of Supertrooper / FreeDigitalPhotos.net