Most sub-$100 Blu-ray players have zero frills. This one has a big one: Netflix streaming!
(Credit: Best Buy)The holidays must be drawing near, because suddenly the Blu-ray deals are heating up.
For example, what's better: a refurbished low-end Blu-ray player for $79.99 (sold out, I'm afraid) or a new Blu-ray player with BD-Live and Netflix support for $99.99?
The latter deal is happening now at Best Buy, which charges a reasonable $7 for shipping--a charge you can avoid by opting for in-store pickup. (Either way, you'll have to pay sales tax.)
The Insignia (Best Buy's house brand) NS-BRDVD3 offers the usual 1080p output goodness, including upconversion of regular DVDs, along with Dolby TrueHD decoding, Blu-ray Profile 2.0 (which allows for BD-Live features, among other things), and support for Netflix streaming (for subscribers only, natch).
You'll need a wired Ethernet connection to take advantage of the Internet features (and get a required firmware update), so plan your "deployment" of the player accordingly.
I haven't found any reviews of this particular model, other than the handful of user reviews on Best Buy's site--most of which are very positive.
I will say that between this and the $80 refurb from the other day, I'd definitely drop an extra $20 on this. Netflix streaming is just plain awesome, and a one-year warranty is always preferable to 90 days.
This does get me wondering what kind of Blu-ray deals we'll see as we get closer to the holidays, and particularly on Black Friday. Could a player get as low as $50? Food for thought. In the meantime, this is about as good as it gets, price and performance-wise.
The last time I found a Blu-ray player with BD-Live support in this price range, it was a refurbished Sony model that sold out in about 10 minutes.
Right now, Amazon has an even better deal: a new Panasonic DMP-BD60 Blu-ray player for $128.23 shipped. Regular price: $250.
This player not only supports Profile 2.0 (meaning it can play the BD-Live features found on some discs), but also performs such nifty tricks as streaming Amazon On Demand and YouTube video, accessing your PicasaWeb photos, and fetching weather and stock reports.
You'll need a wired Ethernet connection to take advantage of these goodies; the DMP-BD60 has no Wi-Fi capabilities.
You'll want to read CNET's review of the player (and/or watch the above video), which is mostly positive but concludes with a mere three-star rating.
Apparently users don't agree with the criticisms, having rated it four stars out of five on average. And on Amazon's product page, the DMP-BD60 averaged 4.5 stars.
In other words, this high-end Blu-ray player rocks. And it's unheard-of to find so many advanced features for just $128. If it supported Netflix streaming, I'd call it a must-buy. As it stands, it's a must-consider.
Update: Sorry, sorry! Looks like this is already out of stock. Try checking back later, but in the meantime I'll try to find you another deal for today!
Update #2: If you're still on the prowl for an inexpensive, BD-Live-friendly Sony Blu-ray player, here's an option for $199.99. Yep, it's the Sony PlayStation 3 slim deal from a couple weeks ago. Not quite $130, but you are getting a kick-ass game console as part of the bargain.
We've seen a few Blu-ray players for under $100, but most of those were low-end models from lower-tier manufacturers.
At the SonyStyle store, which has been cranking out some serious deals of late, you can grab a refurbished Sony BDP-S350 Blu-ray player for $129.99 shipped.
(The product page shows $249.99, but you'll see the lower price when you add it to your cart. Also, it's backordered right now, but you can still place an order if you don't mind waiting.)
What's the big deal about the BDP-S350? For starters, it's a lot more compact than most Blu-ray players, measuring just under 9 inches deep.
It also has an Ethernet port for firmware updates--and there's an update available immediately that'll enable BD-Live!
That much-ballyhooed feature lets you download/stream bonus content. I don't consider it a big deal, as I'm not all that into extras, but any serious videophile will insist on it.
Other perks include a quick-start mode (six seconds from power-on to operation), a built-in Dolby TrueHD decoder, and "very good DVD upscaling," according to CNET's review.
The one and only downside here is the warranty: a refurb-standard 90 days. Even so, I can't recall ever seeing a BD-Live-ready Blu-ray player for under $200, let alone for $130. If I was in the market for one, I'd hop on this like Kanye hops onstage at an awards show.
(Credit:
Hercules)
For this week's installment of the weekly Crave giveaway, we're offering up the Hercules ePlug 200 Duo. The product is an Ethernet-to-powerline adapter set, and it's ideal for anyone who wants to extend a home network into another room of the house without running extra wires or setting up complicated wireless bridges. Just plug one of the ePlug units into the electrical socket near your router, and put the other one near the destination device (a game console, DVR, set-top box, or any other networked product), and you should be good to go.
Normally, this package would cost around $150, but you have the chance to get the whole thing gratis.
So, how do you try to win a free Hercules ePlug 200 Duo package? Let me enumerate the basic rules. Please read them carefully; there will be a test.
- Register as a CNET user. Go to the top of this page and hit the "Join CNET" link to start the registration process. If you're already registered, no need to register again.
- Leave a comment below. You can leave whatever comment you want. If it's funny or insightful it won't help you win, but we're trying to have fun here, so anything entertaining is appreciated.
- Leave only one comment. You may enter this specific giveaway only once. If you enter more than one comment, you will be automatically disqualified.
- The winner will be chosen randomly. The winner will receive one (1) Hercules ePlug 200 Duo (which consists of separate source and destination modules). Approximate retail value is $150.
- If you are chosen, you will be notified via e-mail. Winners must respond within three days of the end of the contest. If you do not respond within that period, another winner will be chosen.
- Entries can be submitted until Monday, August 31, at noon EDT.
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. MUST BE LEGAL RESIDENT OF ONE OF THE 50 UNITED STATES OR D.C., 18 YEARS OF AGE OR OLDER AT DATE OF ENTRY INTO SWEEPSTAKES. VOID IN PUERTO RICO, ALL U.S. TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS AND WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. Sweepstakes ends at 12 PM EDT on August 31, 2009. See official rules for details.
Good luck.
(Credit:
CNET)
We recently tested the network media capabilities of Sony's KDL-46Z4100 flat-panel LCD, and frankly there's not much to look at save for a slide show of colorful photography. Unlike other media-rich televisions we've covered in the past, such as the Pioneer's PDP-5020FD and the Samsung LN46A750, the Sony only supports the streaming of JPEG photos, not music or video, over an Ethernet connection. ... Read the full post at CNET's CES 2010 blog
Doesn't this sound familiar? Denon is selling an "ultra premium" $500 Ethernet cable (the AK-DL1), for the audio sucker, I mean, enthusiast, reminding us all of Pear Audio's $7,250 cable from not long ago. Officially, the AK-DL1 is a Denon Link cable--a proprietary audio connection used between Denon products--but any Cat6 Ethernet cable will do. So why should I drop $500 on a Cat6 cable with "high purity copper?"
You shouldn't. Copper is copper, and like with any digital connection (HDMI or Ethernet), you either have a high-quality connection or you don't. Think of it like a on or off light switch. This isn't like the ol' analog days, where high-end cable may have meant something.
Be sure to check out CNET's Quick Guide to HDMI Cables for a further explanation. Looking at Monoprice.com, the same "high quality" Ethernet cables run for 22 cents a foot vs $100 for Denon's cable. Take your cash and put into a better television or AV receiver, unless you're the guy who has money to burn and already has the Pear Audio cable.
Source: PC Pro via Pocket-lint
(Credit:
Buy.com)
Remember the Brother HL-2170W from last month? It's a small-footprint, small-office laser printer that offers both Ethernet and Wi-Fi network connectivity. (USB, too.) Now it's 10 bucks cheaper, selling for just $89.99 shipped from Buy.com. It's a new unit, not a refurb, and you don't have to deal with any rebates.
My original post has all the deets you need on this printer, which remains a favorite in the Cheapskate household. It's rare enough to find an Ethernet-equipped laser in this price range, but one with Wi-Fi as well? The HL-2170W stands alone.
(Credit:
Linksys)
It's a little ironic, don't you think, that with all the push for wireless this and wireless that, we're suddenly awash in PowerLine Ethernet adapters? One of Linksys' announcements at CES yesterday was for the HomePlug AV-compliant PowerLine AV Ethernet Kit (PLK200), which includes two Linksys PowerLine AV Ethernet Adapters (PLE200).
Setting up a PowerLine Ethernet network is one of the simplest ways to create a network capable of throughput fast enough to transfer high-definition data--such as video--smoothly. Simply plug in your first adapter to your router via an Ethernet cable and then plug it into an electrical outlet. The second adapter plugs into a different power outlet, and you can connect a PC or any other networkable device to the second adapter, also via Ethernet. The two adapters communicate and send data via the electrical network in your house. As with other PowerLine Ethernet adapters we've checked out (such as those from Netgear and Zyxel), the Linksys PowerLine Ethernet network can support up to 16 devices.
We've really liked the ones we've seen, and with the 802.11n spec still not finalized, we think PowerLine networks are the quickest and easiest way for consumers to get a high-def-friendly network up and running. Linksys' PowerLine AV Ethernet offerings are available immediately. The two-adapter kit costs $180, and each additional adapter costs $120.
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