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Samsung intros 3D Blu-ray player with Wi-Fi, apps

LAS VEGAS--As we predicted, 3D is coming to Blu-ray and Samsung has announced its first 3D Blu-ray player, the BD-C6900. Details on the player are scarce, but here's what Samsung has announced so far:

Key features of the Samsung BD-C6900:

3D Blu-ray player Slim design with a transparent cover Supports Internet@TV/Samsung Apps, which will provide content from Netflix, Pandora, Vudu, Blockbuster, Picasa, and Twitter 15 second disc load; 15 second boot up Built-in Wi-Fi No release date or pricing announced

3D is obviously a big story at CES 2010 and the BD-C6900 will be part of … Read more

LG's new Blu-ray players get Picasa, better Netflix interface

LAS VEGAS--LG's Blu-ray line-up has decided to skip 3D, opting for more evolutionary updates. Along with the flagship BD590, LG also announced two standard Blu-ray players, the BD550 and BD570, which are largely similar to the company's Blu-ray offerings from 2009.

Key features of the LG BD550

Onboard decoding for Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio USB port capable of playing photos, movies, and music LG's NetCast suite of streaming media services, including Netflix, Vudu, CinemaNow, YouTube, Pandora, Picasa, and AccuWeather Ethernet port No release date or pricing announced

Key step-up features of the LG BD570

Built-in … Read more

LG's flagship Blu-ray player skips 3D, rips CDs

LAS VEGAS--All the focus is on 3D in the home theater space, but LG appears content to take a wait-and-see approach to the new 3D Blu-ray format. Instead of getting on the bandwagon, LG has gone in a different direction with its new flagship Blu-ray player, the BD590, which includes all the features that made the BD390 a hit, plus a 250GB hard drive that can be used to rip your music collection and store photos. Let's take a quick look at its feature set.

Key features of the LG BD590:

250GB built-in hard drive, capable of storing music, … Read more

Amazon.com has the LG BD 370 Blu-Ray Disc Player for $169.95, after $80 savings.

Save $80 on the LG BD 370 Blu-Ray Disc Player from Amazon.com >> Regular price is $249.95 >> Sale price is $169.95 >> Savings $80 (32.01%) >> Click here for deal

Get a Sony Blu-ray player for $99.99 shipped

I hope this goes without saying by now, but under no circumstances should you spend more than $100 on a Blu-ray player.

I mean, for months we've seen no-frills and lame-brand models selling for $99 or less. And now you can pick up a Sony BDP-S360 with BD-Live for $99.99 shipped (plus sales tax in most states).

(Note: The $99.99 price will appear once you get to the checkout. First commenter to tell me the product page shows $119.99 gets a virtual noogie.)

It's a refurb, meaning the warranty expires after 90 days. If that … Read more

Why are the CNET user opinions on Samsung Blu-ray players so low?

If you're looking closely at the Blu-ray player reviews on CNET, there's a frustrating trend that complicates buying decisions--Samsung Blu-ray players get solid editorial reviews from CNET, but user opinions are consistently poor. While there are always differences between CNET reviews and user opinions, the differences with Samsung Blu-ray players stand out as being consistent and large.

Ratings have been standardized to a 100-point scale to make comparisons easier.

User opinions from Amazon and Newegg are also included to give some perspective. Their ratings are consistently more positive than CNET user opinions, although we're not sure why.

There are some factors inherent in CNET's review process that can explain why editorial opinion and user opinions are different, and they're worth pointing out.

CNET relies on review samples from manufacturers. CNET gets review samples directly from manufacturers rather than buying them off the shelf like a regular buyer. It's completely possible that manufacturers handpick review samples for us; if there's a problem with a certain "batch," a company can make sure we get the good batch. As much as CNET editors might like to purchase all our review samples, we don't have the budget for it.

CNET's review periods are relatively short. To review as many products as we do, we obviously can't test every product as long as a standard buyer would. If a product has quality control issues that cause it to break down after a couple of months, that's not something we're going to catch. That's why user opinions are so important.… Read more

Digital City Podcast 57: Hands on with PS3 Netflix; luxury laptops; and Modern Warfare 2 drops early

This week on the Digital City, Joey tests the new Netflix/PS3 BD Live disc, with mixed results; we talk about all the cool new luxury laptops you'll never buy, including Sony's Vaio X, Dell's Adamo XPS, and HP's Envy.

We also show off Nokia's new Booklet 3G Netbook, and debate the relative merits of games sequels, from Bioshock 2 to God of War 3. We also note how everyone in New York seems to have gotten their hands on a copy of Modern Warfare 2 early, giving the holiday season's biggest game an … Read more

Hands-on: Netflix streaming on the PS3

The PS3 has picked up a lot of momentum as of late (thanks to price cuts, PS3 Slim, Uncharted 2), and the addition of Netflix streaming is the most recent blow in the feature-war against the Xbox 360. While Netflix streaming is nearly identical on most devices that support it, there are some significant differences with the PS3 that make it worth testing.

Unlike Netflix streaming on other devices, the PS3 requires the Netflix Streaming Disc for PS3. That means you'll need to request a disc from Netflix and it will come in the mail like a standard Netflix movie. It doesn't count against your allotment of movies allowed out and you never need to return the disc. The disc uses Blu-ray's BD-Live functionality to enable streaming, and this is by far the best use of BD-Live we've seen so far.

Once you insert the Netflix Streaming Disc, it shows up in the XMB in the video section. Select Netflix from the XMB and the experience is largely identical to streaming Netflix on other devices, with a few new features.

The main interface shows you the cover art of the movies in your instant queue, arranged horizontally. If you select a movie, it will show a screen with more detailed information, a summary of the plot, and a star rating. You're also able to scroll horizontally within the more detailed view, without having to return to the main screen. If you stop watching a movie, you're able to resume where you left off or start again from the beginning.

The step-up over standard streaming Netflix devices are the tabs at the top of the interface. With other devices, like the Roku Digital Video Player, you're only able to access movies that you've added to your Instant Queue using a PC. On the PS3, you're given some additional tabs that allow you to browse new arrivals, movies Netflix thinks you'll like, and categories you use often. That's not quite as good as the Xbox 360's Netflix interface, which allows you to add new titles to your instant queue without using a PC, but it's a welcome addition to the basic Netflix streaming available on other devices.

While we've seen some reports that the image quality of streaming Netflix isn't quite as good as it is on the Xbox 360, we didn't notice any significant quality drop-offs in our testing. In our experience, the image quality of streaming Netflix movies is basically identical across devices.… Read more

The 404 454: Where this is not really an Asian podcast

Kenley Bradstreet and Mark Licea join the show today because Justin Yu is still battling with SARS. We wish him a speedy recovery, but in the mean time, we welcome the presence of two beautiful people. Plus, it's just fun to watch Kenley rock out to today's Audio Draft pick.

On today's show, we recant what we said about Sony yesterday. The company managed to botch up a feature that would have leveled the playing field with the Xbox 360. For those of you who didn't listen, Sony and Netflix announced the arrival of streaming on the console. Sounds great? Not so fast. Apparently, you'll need to plug in a BD-Live disc every time you want to watch Netflix. We know it's only temporary, but come on! It's accessible from the dashboard on the Xbox 360, and you don't need no stinkin' disc.

It's Jeff's pick today for the Audio Draft, and while traditionally we usually pick smaller bands or unknown acts, Jeff has decided to go the other way and picked Rancid. They've been around for a while, and released a couple of albums. According to Mr. Bakalar, their latest is turning heads. We play "The Bravest Kids" and "L.A. River" from their latest album. Stay tuned for the last Audio Draft pick of the month on Friday from Wilson! It won't be country music this time.

To round out the show, we talk talk a little bit about Droid from Verizon, the company's first Google Android phone. Wilson still thinks the phone is a pretty ugly design, but that it may change the market around considering it's the first non-BlackBerry-Storm smartphone on the network. Still, Apple seems to be the one still innovating in the smart phone market.

In other news today, Kenley tells us that it's the 15th anniversary of the birth of Internet advertising. That's right on October 27th, 1994, Hot Wired ran the world's first banner ad, and surprisingly, it was pretty effective! Mark gets excited about the Tekken 6, while Wilson can't really tell the difference between Tekken 5 or Tekken 6. Jeff adds snidely, "Tekken 4." Think it's hot that Kenley likes to watch guys play videogames? Well send her a message as usual through voice mail at 1-866-404-CNET (2638).

EPISODE 454 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video

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