Berlin  - There's no denying it - with a Blu-ray disc player, the picture is crisp and the sound incredible. Yet, for all its benefits, Blu-ray has yet to replace the DVD player in the hearts of most consumers.

Until now, people might have not been willing to part with the couple of extra hundred more a Blu-ray would cost than a standard DVD player. But a series of new devices presented at the IFA technology show in Berlin in September show that the technology is close to going mainstream.

The new devices hold so much promise because they turn televisions into multimedia entertainment devices, able to play any video format or display pictures and play music thanks to a USB connection. It can also connect film buffs from around the world with a wireless internet connection.

Sony's Playstation 3 has set an industry standard for years. The new, fourth generation players don't quite supplant it, but they are turning the Blu-ray player ever more into a multimedia device, says Andreas Stumptner of Video HomeVision, a German trade publication.

And they are catching up. Almost all newer models allow online access to BD-Live, an industry website where fans can, for example, Twitter or leave Facebook comments on the screen as they watch their favourite movies.

Another function lets users see a map of the world showing who else in the world is watching that movie at that moment and then trade opinions with that other viewer. Another push of a button brings up a database where viewers can see in what other films the star has appeared. Yet another click brings up an audio director's commentary on the film.

Any of those functions are available on Generation 2.0 Blu-ray devices that have access to BD Live. Yet it remains unclear who, exactly, will use these functions.

Industry spokesmen wave those questions aside and say the player's image quality is reason enough to invest. It's true, watching a Blu-ray disc on a television with built-in HD capacity means getting resolution five times better than that of a regular DVD. Just watching it on an HD-ready television provides an image with a resolution two-and-a-half times better.

That's what will likely turn Blu-ray into a mass-market trend. In Germany for example, 2 million Blu-ray discs were sold in the first six months of 2009 - four times as many as in the same period in 2008. On top of that, half of all sales on Blu-rays are usually made in the final quarter of any year.

Stumptner sees Blu-ray devices making their breakthrough at Christmastime, since the devices and movies keep getting cheaper.

Additionally, owners of fully HD-capable televisions will soon be able to watch television in high-definition, as they could for the recent track and field World Championships.

And once you've invested in a high-definition television, you might as well get a Blu-ray player so you can watch your movies in the same quality. Says Stumptner: "Anyone who gets used to high-definition won't want to watch anything else."

That doesn't mean the end of the DVD. After all, many consumers only invested in one a few years ago and only a fraction of the films available on DVD are also out as Blu-ray discs.

Industry officials say that in Germany there are about 1,500 films available as Blu-ray discs, with more than 100 being released monthly. The average price is about 20 euros (29 dollars), only a few euros more than a standard DVD.

Nonetheless, it might be wise to wait a little on buying that Blu-ray player. After all, the next big thing is just around the corner: Full-HD 3D. One of those devices was also on display at the IFA show.

Manufacturers like Samsung and LG say they want to gauge customer reaction before diving into that business. But the lines of people waiting to see the 3D device indicate that the interest might already be there. (dpa)