Cost: $179.95

What to Enjoy:
The Insignia NS-BRDVD3 has a built in WiFi connection, Dolby TrueHD decoder and low price tag that will provide Blu-ray capability to the masses.

Third-Party Features:
Insignia just added Netflix Instant to the model which makes it one of the least expensive Blu-ray’s on the market to have online streaming capability.

Product Reviews:
CNET Reviews: Insignia NS-BRDVD3 – Blu-Ray disc player

Cost: $225.95

What to Enjoy:
The Samsung BD-P1590 does not comes with a USB dongle, but it is Wi-Fi compatible. The USB dongle is sold separately but this fine machine has enough features to note, including on-board decoding for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, speedy load times and operational speed, and excellent image quality.

Third-Party Features:
Netflix, Blockbuster OnDemand, YouTube and Pandora are available for streaming through an Ethernet cable or Wi-Fi (via the USB Dongle).

Product Reviews:
CNET Reviews: Samsung BD-P1590 – Blu-Ray disc player

Buy: Samsung BD-P1590 1080p Blu-ray Disc Player with Bonus HDMI Cable

Cost: Between $315 – $400.

What to Enjoy:
The LG BD370 has on-board decoding for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio Essential and relatively quick load times. The image, though, is a definite step down from the LG BD370.

Third-Party Features:
The LG-BD390 streams Netflix, YouTube and CinemaNow through an Ethernet cable. Unfortunately, no Wi-Fi option is available.

News & Updates:
HDTVlounge.net: HDTVlounge.net review – Like most other companies, LG are updating their Blu-ray player offerings for 2009. Building on their popular BD300 blu-ray player, the first to offer netflix streaming via the Internet, LG have announced two “networked” blu-ray players, the LG BD370, the LG BD390. {Read more}

Product Reviews:
PC World (03/20/2009): PC World Review review – The LG BD370 is a great entry-level Blu-ray player that has excellent picture quality and DVD upscaling, as well as BD-Live support, USB playback and the ability to display YouTube videos. {Read more}

Latest Press Releases:
(1/07/2009): LG ELECTRONICS DEBUTS FULL LINE OF NETWORK BLU-RAY DISC PLAYERS AND HOME THEATER SYSTEMS – Building on the success of its BD300 Network Blu-ray Disc Player – the world’s first Blu-ray player to instantly stream Netflix – LG Electronics introduced two new Network Blu-ray Disc Players (BD370, BD390) and three Network Blu-ray Disc Home Theater Systems (LHB954, LHB977, LHB979) with expanded content options and wireless connectivity. {Read more}

Buy:
LG BD 370 Network Blu-ray Disc Player

Cost: $199.95 – $319.95.

What to Enjoy:
The Samsung BD-P1600 does not comes with a USB dongle but it is Wi-Fi compatible. The USB dongle is sold separately, but this fine machine has enough features to note, including on-board decoding for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, speedy load times and operational speed and excellent image quality.

Third-Party Features:
Both Netflix and Pandora are available for streaming through an Ethernet cable or Wi-Fi, if you purchase the USB Dongle.

Product Reviews:
CNET News (05/5/2009): Review: Does a cheaper PS3 make standalone Blu-ray players overpriced again? – “For most of Blu-ray’s existence, the PlayStation 3 has easily been the best value in home theater. Only recently have we reviewed Blu-ray players that come close to matching its performance, speed, and functionality, while costing about the same amount.” {Read more}

Cost: $307 – $379.99

What to Enjoy:
The Samsung BD-P3600 comes with a USB dongle that adds 802.11n Wi-Fi to a machine loaded with features, including DTS-HD Master Audio and Dolby TrueHD decoding, topside button placement, 1GB onboard memory and Samsung’s trademark “Touch of Color” accenting.

Third-Party Features:
Both Netflix and Pandora are available for streaming and the BD-P3600 also allows streaming media directly from a PC.

Product Reviews:
CNET News (05/5/2009): Review: Does a cheaper PS3 make standalone Blu-ray players overpriced again? – “For most of Blu-ray’s existence, the PlayStation 3 has easily been the best value in home theater. Only recently have we reviewed Blu-ray players that come close to matching its performance, speed, and functionality, while costing about the same amount.” {Read more}

Latest Press Releases:
(2/26/2009): SONY ADDS NEW BLU-RAY DISC PLAYERS WITH ADVANCED INTERACTIVITY – “Sony updated its Blu-ray Disc player line today with two new models that will be capable of accessing advanced interactive features such as BonusView and BD-Live. The BDP-S350 and BDP-S550 models both support BonusView (Picture-in-Picture) featured on some of the new Blu-ray Disc theatrical releases. The BDP-S350 model is BD-Live ready featuring an Ethernet port for an easy firmware update and access to Internet-based interactive content features.” {Read more}

Cost: $238 – $399

What to Enjoy:
The BDP-S550 offers excellent image quality, on-board decoding for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio and a 1GB USB drive.

Third-Party Features:
The lack of Wi-Fi is glowingly apparent in this model especially since its price is very similar to the Samsung BD-P2550, which offers Netflix and Pandora streaming.

Product Reviews:
CNET News (03/30/2009): Review: Sony BDP-S550 offers solid Blu-ray performance and 7.1 analog audio outputs – “Sony has made standalone Blu-ray players since the format’s inception, but they’ve always been overshadowed by the company’s game console, the PlayStation 3. In many ways, the Sony BDP-S550 is the company’s first standalone that might be a smarter buy than the PS3 for non-gamers.” {Read more}

Latest Press Releases:
Blu-ray Technology is Even Easier to Enjoy with Samsung’s Trio of Home Theater Systems. Samsung Electronics America, Inc., a market leader and award-winning innovator in consumer electronics, today debuts its new line of award-winning home theater offerings, including the HT-BD8200 Blu-ray Home Theater Sound Bar, HT-BD7200 Blu-ray 2.1 channel Home Theater System. {Read more}

Buy:
Sony BDP-S550 1080p Blu-ray Player

Cost: $249 – $443

What to Enjoy:
The Panasonic DMP-BD80 builds upon previous models mastering most of the basic Blu-ray functions, like BD-Live and high-resolution audio decoding. They offer a fast operational speed and disc loading as well as On-board Dolby TrueHD and DTS-Master Audio Essential decoding SD card slot and a USB input.

Third-Party Features:
Panasonic adds access to Viera Cast Internet content, including Amazon Video On Demand; the lack of Netflix Instant streaming is noticeable.

Product Reviews:
CNET News (01/8/2009): CNET editors’ take – Panasonic had a stand-out 2008 on the Blu-ray front, with the DMP-BD35 earning the first Editor’s Choice award for a standalone Blu-ray player. After mastering most of the basic Blu-ray functions, like BD-Live and high-resolution audio decoding, it looks like the two new players, the DMP-BD60 and DMP-BD80, are mostly incremental updates to the existing Blu-ray players, with the biggest new feature being Viera Cast support. {Read more}

Buy:
Panasonic DMP-BD80 High Clarity Audio Blu-ray Disc Player, Black

Cost: Price listing between $315 and $400.

What to Enjoy:
While Samsung boasts a Wi-Fi USB dongle, the LG-BD390 actually has an integrated 802.11n Wi-Fi built into the device. It’s picture also proves incredible with nboard decoding for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio; 7.1 analog outputs. Put that together with 1GB onboard memory and superfast loading times and you’ve got one of the leading Blu-Ray players on the market.

Third-Party Features:
The LG-BD390 streams Netflix, YouTube and CinemaNow as well as playing music, videos, and pictures off a connected USB drive or over network. Also if these movie experiences are not enough, LG just added VUDU through a free upgrade to the device, enabling this Blu-ray player to have the optimal selection in streaming movies.

News & Updates:
CNET News (05/27/2009): CNET Editors’ review – In 2009, it’s not enough for a Blu-ray player to just play Blu-ray movies. With the ubiquity of online media streaming services, such as Netflix and Amazon Video On Demand, consumers already expect Blu-ray players to offer up a wide variety of standard-definition, instant-gratification media options to complement their high-definition Blu-ray experience. LG was the first company to realize this trend with the BD300–the first Blu-ray player with Netflix streaming.
{Read more}

Latest Press Releases:
(1/07/2009): LG ELECTRONICS DEBUTS FULL LINE OF NETWORK BLU-RAY DISC PLAYERS AND HOME THEATER SYSTEMS – Building on the success of its BD300 Network Blu-ray Disc Player – the world’s first Blu-ray player to instantly stream Netflix – LG Electronics introduced two new Network Blu-ray Disc Players (BD370, BD390) and three Network Blu-ray Disc Home Theater Systems (LHB954, LHB977, LHB979) with expanded content options and wireless connectivity. {Read more}

Cost: $317 – $449.

What to Enjoy:
The BD-P4600 is the Ferrari of the Blu-Ray players with an impressive design (that’s even wall mountable) and the power to back it up. It comes with Wi-Fi USB dongle, onboard decoding for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio, and a full GB onboard memory. Operational speed and disc loading is also comparable to the Ferrari as they both are super fast. Also, did we mention that the design is awesome?

Third-Party Features:
Both Netflix and Pandora are available for streaming, and the BD-P4600 also offers streaming media directly from a PC.

News & Reviews:
CNET News (05/5/2009): Review: Samsung BD-P4600 looks like UFO, plays Blu-rays – “Samsung likes to say its ‘Touch of Color’ design scheme elevates products to ‘works of art,’ but really it comes down to three main principles: rounded corners, translucent red highlights, and a glossy black finish. The Samsung BD-P4600 is the epitome of that design philosophy. It looks like no other Blu-ray player we’ve tested–reminding us of nothing so much as a thin plate balanced on a stand. {Read more}

Latest Press Releases:
(2/26/2009): SAMSUNG’S Latest Award-Winning Blu-ray Players Open Up A New Multimedia Experience Portal – “Samsung Electronics America, Inc., a market leader and award-winning innovator in consumer electronics, today unveiled the world’s first wall-mountable Blu-ray player, the BD-P4600, as well as the new standard for Blu-ray performance and versatility, the BD-P3600. A 2009 CES “Best of Innovations” Award Winner, the BD-P4600 unites a plethora of multimedia features in a svelte, first-in-class package.” {Read more}

Cost: $299.99 (120GB)

What to enjoy:
Sony’s PlayStation 3 comes with a built-in Blu-ray player, which continues to play a major role in pushing Blu-ray sales (in the past, it helped defeat Toshiba’s HD-DVD). The PS3 also comes with access to the PlayStation Network, Sony’s online community, where you can purchase and rent movies and full-length TV shows via the PlayStation Store. Find content from Sony Pictures (a no-brainer there), MGM, Lionsgate, Warner Bros., Walt Disney Pictures, and Paramount Pictures.

Video purchases are directly downloaded, so there’s no need for Internet connection for playback. Purchases can be transfered from the PS3 over to your PSP (Sony PlayStation Portable), to watch movies on the go. There is a 14-day limit for rentals, and as soon as you hit “play,” you have 24-hrs to watch the full video.

Content is available in HD and SD: Here’s a list of titles available in HD.

Third-Party Features:
While Xbox seems to be the sole console with Netflix access (although not for long…), PS3 gives you access to YouTube via its built-in web browser. Simply, go to “www.youtube.com/tv” (this link won’t work on a Mac or PC browser), to access a specially designed page for optimal playback on the console.

For more information visit their website.

You can, however, get Netflix Instant, Hulu, and other content via a downloadable service called PlayOn (though it only works with PCs, sorry Mac and Linux users) — Read more here.

Video:

News & Updates:
NY Times (10/26/2009): Netflix Movies to Stream to Sony’s PlayStation 3 — “Next month, the nine million American owners of Sony’s PlayStation 3 game consoles will have another entertainment option available: streaming movies and TV shows from Netflix. The long-awaited announcement gives Netflix another distribution channel for its “Watch Instantly” service, which is already available via the Microsoft Xbox 360, a variety of Blu-ray players and HDTVs, TiVo and the Roku box.” {Read more}

Video Business (06/25/2009): Game consoles most popular Web-video player – “Videogame consoles will be the most popular electronic component used to play Web videos on television sets for at least the next four years as consumer spending on Web-to-television content surges, according to one report released this week.” {Read more}

Sales Info & Figures:
Digital Digest/DVDGuy (06/13/2009): Game Consoles – May 2009 NPD Sales Figure Analysis – Great overview of sales for all current game consoles, complete with charts. {Read more}

Latest Press Releases:
06/02/2009: PlayStation Network Expands Digital Offering with a Variety of Entertainment Sony Computer Entertainment America, Inc. (SCEA) announced today major enhancements to PlayStation®Network, expanding on SCEA’s commitment to give users a comprehensive entertainment experience. The video delivery service for the PSP® (PlayStation® Portable) system launches today in coordination with a new line-up of premier Hollywood, Anime and Sports partners. In addition, Media Go, a free application that makes it easier to manage digital content including games, photos, videos and music for the PSP system through a PC will also become available.{Read more}

Buy:
PlayStation 3 120 GB

Editor’s Assessment:
The Playstation 3 recently announced that they will be the first gaming platform to stream HD movies for purchase. This feature, plus Netflix Instant, makes the Playstation 3 quite an impressive entertainment platform.