Blu-ray has continued to advance since its release. Early players were buggy and slow, but as the technology advanced, so did the usability. Most early players cannot be upgraded to newer profiles, as there are often hardware updates needed to go with the new profiles. Current players are Profile 2.0, which has all the advancements of the earlier profiles. There is a separate Profile 3.0, which is specifically for audio-only players. To date, little has been done with Profile 3.0.

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Profile 2.0 "BD-Live"
Blu-ray Profile 2.0 is a major move forward in Blu-ray technology that includes the ability to play many content-rich features via BD-live. Games and supplements are only the start of what Profile 2.0 can do for Blu-ray players. Much of the potential of Blu-ray profile 2.0 is to be realized by movie studios, as they develop more and more feature-rich discs. The trouble is that not all early Blu-ray players will play these feature-packed discs without a firmware update and not all consumers are savvy enough to update their own firmware. Most dealers and retailers will do the upgrade at little or no cost.

Profile 2.0 of Blu-ray has the following specs:
Built-in persistent memory 64 KB
Local storage capability 1 GB
Picture in Picture (PIP) Mandatory
Secondary audio decoder Mandatory
Virtual file system Mandatory
Internet connection capability Mandatory

Profile 1.1 "Bonus View"
Blu-ray Profile 1.1 was the first update to the Blu-ray format, with most players being able to upgrade via firmware updates. These updates were ripped onto DVD discs via a PC and played in the disc drawer of the Blu-ray player. Not all upgrades went smoothly. Some companies had to send out new players to help get early clients' units back up and working after failed firmware updates. Today's Blu-ray firmware updates are far more stable.

Profile 1.1 of Blu-ray has the following specs:
Built-in persistent memory 64 KB
Local storage capability 256 MB
Picture in Picture (PIP) Mandatory
Secondary audio decoder Mandatory
Virtual file system Mandatory
Internet connection capability No

Profile 1.0 "Grace Period"
Blu-ray Profile 1.0 was the first specification of the powerful and interactive Blu-ray disc format. The Blu-ray Association knew that, via software, hardware and firmware updates, they would be able to improve and update the performance of players over time.

Profile 1.0 of Blu-ray has the following specs:
Built-in persistent memory 64 KB
Local storage capability Up to Manufacturer
Picture in Picture (PIP) Up to Manufacturer
Secondary audio decoder Up to Manufacturer
Virtual file system Up to Manufacturer
Internet connection capability No

Notable Blu-ray Profile 1.0 players included the Sony Playstation 3 (PS3) and Samsung BDP-1000.