By now you've probably heard of Blu-ray discs, the high-definition successor to DVDs. They may look just like the familiar 12-centimetre DVD movie you've been using for a decade (or a music CD for that matter) but these discs require a Blu-ray disc player which typically ranges in price from $200 to $500, depending on the features.

Many of those who upgraded their television to a gorgeous HDTV are opting for a Blu-ray disc player (or a PlayStation 3, which can also play Blu-ray discs) as the video quality is outstanding -- not to mention other bells and whistles.

Here we look at all the advantages to Blu-ray disc players over a regular DVD player.

Great-looking video

After watching a movie on Blu-ray disc, it's difficult to go back to DVD. When connected to a compatible high-definition television, Blu-ray disc players are capable of delivering Full HD (1080p) visuals. In plain English, this means it offers about five times more detail and clarity than a DVD player (HDTVs deliver up to 1,080 lines of resolution and the "p" for "progressive" refers to how the lines are drawn, which is better than "i" for "interlaced").

Better audio

As long as you've got an audio-video receiver and surround sound speakers, movies on Blu-ray offer better-sounding audio than DVDs, too, so it's even more like a movie theatre that places you in the middle of the action. Examples of newer audio technologies on many Blu-ray discs include Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master Audio and DTS HD Master Lossless Audio (some of these support 7.1 surround sound, delivering audio to two additional rear speakers to the back of the room.)

More extras

Because a Blu-ray disc can store about 10 times more information than a DVD (read by a blue laser instead of a red one), movie studios can squeeze a lot more goodies on the disc. This includes more behind-the-scenes supplemental material, such as making-of documentaries, featurettes, interviews, feature-length commentary, games, trailers, photo galleries and more. A Blu-ray disc can also hold more language tracks and audio options (see above).

BonusView

BonusView is a feature found on a handful of Blu-ray movies today that allow for picture-in-picture functionality, such as having a small window with video commentary while watching the feature film at the same time. If you prefer, you can only hear audio while watching the film (of, say, the director and cast members chatting about a scene) but now you can also see them, too, in the corner of the screen. This can be a real treat for fans of a particular film, actor or director.

BD-Live

The latest batch of Blu-ray players introduce Internet connectivity via an Ethernet port in the back of the unit (or wirelessly, if the machine supports it). Why do you want your movie machine to be online, you ask? Called BD-Live, this fun feature -- should the movie support it -- opens up the user to content not stored locally on the disc. It could mean streaming high-definition trailers to current theatrical releases, downloading additional language tracks to film, chatting with others in real-time, downloading ringtones for your phone, playing multiplayer games, and much more.

Up-convert existing DVDs

While DVD players can't read Blu-ray discs, a Blu-ray player can read DVDs. Not only does this mean your existing collection of DVDs isn't obsolete (whew!), but a Blu-ray disc player can really make your DVDs look great. This is because it can "up-convert" the video quality from 480 lines of resolution to 1,080 lines, adding more detail to the film on a HDTV, when you use a cable such as the popular HDMI option.