My mission for the New Year is to upgrade my antiquated DVD player with a new Blu-Ray player, but not with just one of those typical stand-alone Blu-Ray players. I’ve had my eye on two particular Blu-Ray players that come equipped with internet services, specifically Netflix and Pandora Radio access. Hardware is no longer the singular prize for gadget heads these days. Nowadays every useful piece of hardware comes with some level of special ‘cloud services’. iPhones come with iTunes access, Canon cameras come with YouTube and Flickr access, why should my Blu-Ray player be any different?
One of the Blu-Ray players that I’ve been scoping out is the LG BD300. It was introduced back in November 2008 by LG as the world’s first Blu-Ray player that streams Netflix instantly into your living room. Through this networked device, users can now access up to 12,000 Netflix movies and TV episodes. In addition to the awesomeness of having access to 12,000 Netflix titles, the Blu-Ray player will play your favorite Blu-Ray movies in Full HD as well as play standard DVDs in near-HD upscaled to 1080p.
Check out the LG Blu-Ray site.
Check out this CNET review of the LG BD300 player:
The other Blu-Ray player that I’ve been tracking is the Samsung BD P2550 which not only supports full Netflix access like the LG BD300, but it also supports full Pandora radio streaming. The general industry consensus around this player is that the Blu-Ray image quality is excellent and that the player is well-featured. There are only some minor disc compatibility issues which shouldn’t cause too much concern amongst potential buyers. The Samsung BD P2550 is about $50 more expensive, but well worth it given it’s access to the Pandora radio streaming service.
Check out the Samsung BD P2550 player.
Check out this CNET review of the Samsung BD P2550 player:
