Best Blu-ray players with Wi-Fi for less than $250
Matthew Moskovciak
Associate editor August 2, 2010
Last year, if you wanted a Blu-ray player with built-in Wi-Fi, you had to pay quite a bit for it, with players such as the LG BD390 going for nearly $400. This year, the big price premium is gone and Blu-ray players with Wi-Fi are typically less than $250. That's good news for anyone without Ethernet access in the living room who still wants to take advantage of streaming-media services like Netflix. We've rounded up the best players we've tested thus far.
The Sony BDP-S570 and the Samsung BD-C6500 are standout options. The Sony is the only model on this list that supports 3D Blu-ray (with the most recent firmware update), and it also has the fastest operational speed of any Blu-ray player we've tested this year. Our major concern with the Sony is that we found its streaming-video performance to be inconsistent using the Wi-Fi connection in our testing environment. The Samsung BD-C6500 may lack 3D, but otherwise it's the most fully featured Blu-ray player we've tested at this price level. It features Samsung Apps, which means developers can continue to add functionality, and it has several bonus features that other manufacturers dropped, such as 1GB of onboard storage and 7.1 analog audio outputs.
The LG BD570 is close behind the other two players. Though it may not hit quite as many features check boxes, it's a solid all-around player, with no streaming-video problems, relatively fast playback, and a nice suite of streaming-media services including Netflix, Vudu, Pandora, and YouTube. If you find some of the caveats on the other players worrisome, the BD570 is a good middle-of-the-road pick.
Rounding out the list are the Vizio VBR200W, the Panasonic DMP-BD85K, and the Toshiba BDX2700. The Vizio is worth looking into if you're on a budget (it's currently $158 at Wal-Mart), although its video playback is relatively slow and we ran into occasional operational hiccups. There's nothing necessarily wrong with the Panasonic DMP-BD85K, but we found it hard to justify at this price, as its user interface feels out-of-date, it's relatively slow, and it lacks DLNA-compatibility. The same goes for the Toshiba BDX2700; it's a decent option if you can get it at a discount, but its slow playback and limited streaming-media suite keep it from being a top pick in its price range.
| Product name | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Check Prices | $115.00 | $399.99 | $69.99 | Check Prices | $199.99 |
| CNET editors' rating | ||||||
| Average user rating | ||||||
| Release date | March 15, 2010 | March 15, 2010 | March 15, 2010 | July 01, 2010 | March 01, 2010 | February 22, 2010 |
| The Bottom Line | Samsung's BD-C6500 Blu-ray player has excellent image quality, outstanding features for the price, and a slick design--we just wish it were a little faster. | The Vizio VBR200W Blu-ray player is rough around the edges and a little slow, but you do get a lot of bang for your buck. | Panasonic's DMP-BD85K has great image quality and its 7.1 analog outputs are a nice plus, but it's slow and less featured than competing models. | The Toshiba BDX2700 is currently a little cheaper than other midrange Blu-ray players and includes 7.1 analog outputs, but otherwise there's little reason to favor it over faster models with better features. | The Sony BDP-S570 has all the features of other midrange Blu-ray players, plus future 3D support and best-in-class operational speed, but its streaming-video performance over Wi-Fi is spotty. | As long as you don't need 3D compatibility, the LG BD570 offers the same mix of solid Blu-ray playback and media streaming that made its predecessor a hit. |
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| Features | ||||||
| Internet Streaming Services | Netflix Flickr Blockbuster YouTube Pandora | Vudu Picasa Pandora Netflix Flickr | Picasa YouTube | Blockbuster Netflix Pandora Vudu | Netflix YouTube Pandora BRAVIA Internet Video Slacker Personal Radio | YouTube |
| Product Description | Samsung BD-C6500 - Blu-ray player | VIZIO VBR200W - Blu-ray player | Panasonic DMP-BD85K - Blu-ray player | Toshiba Blu-ray Disc Player BDX2700 - Blu-ray player | Sony BDP-S570 - Blu-ray player | LG BD570 - Blu-ray player |
| Product Type | Blu-ray player | Blu-ray player | Blu-ray player | Blu-ray player | Blu-ray player | Blu-ray player |
| Weight | 4 lbs | 6.8 lbs | 5.7 lbs | 3.7 lbs | 4.4 lbs | 4.4 lbs |
| Network Connection | Ethernet Wi-Fi | Ethernet Wi-Fi | Ethernet Wi-Fi | Ethernet Wi-Fi | Ethernet Wi-Fi | Ethernet Wi-Fi |
| Sound Output Mode | Surround Sound | Stereo | Surround Sound | Surround Sound | 7.1 channel surround | Surround Sound |
| Dimensions (WxDxH) | 16.9 in x 8.8 in x 1.7 in | 16.9 in x 10.9 in x 2.4 in | 16.9 in x 9.8 in x 2.2 in | 16.9 in x 8.3 in x 2.5 in | 16.9 in x 8.1 in x 1.8 in | 16.9 in x 8 in x 1.7 in |
| Remote Control | Universal remote control - Infrared | Remote control - Infrared | Remote control - Infrared | Remote control - Infrared | Remote control - Infrared | Remote control |
| Built-in Audio Decoders | DTS-HD decoder Dolby Digital Dolby Digital Plus Dolby TrueHD DSD decoder | Dolby Digital Dolby Digital Plus Dolby TrueHD DTS-HD DTS Digital Surround | DTS decoder Dolby TrueHD DTS-HD decoder Dolby Digital Plus | DTS-HD decoder Dolby Digital Dolby Digital Plus DTS decoder Dolby TrueHD | Dolby TrueHD DTS HD | Dolby Digital DTS decoder Dolby TrueHD Dolby Digital Plus DTS-HD Master Audio |
| Media Type | DVD+R BD-ROM BD-R BD-RE CD-R DVD CD DVD+RW DVD-R DVD-RW CD-RW | DVD+R BD-ROM CD-R DVD CD DVD+RW DVD-R DVD-RW CD-RW | DVD-RAM DVD-R DL BD-ROM BD-R BD-RE CD-R DVD CD DVD-R CD-RW DVD-RW | BD-ROM BD-R BD-RE CD-R DVD CD CDR-DA DVD-R DVD-RW CD-RW | Blu-ray 3D Blu-ray BD-ROM DVD-ROM DVD+R DVD+RW DVD-R DVD-RW JPEG | DVD+R BD-ROM BD-R BD-RE CD-R DVD CD DVD+RW DVD-R CD-RW DVD-RW |
| Form Factor | Tabletop | Tabletop | Tabletop | Tabletop | Tabletop | Tabletop |
| Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications | Full specifications |
| Buying choices | | | | |||
3 comments
Join the conversation! Add your comment (Log in or register)- These are all great options for affordable Blu-ray players with built-in WiFi. Their ability to get connected to the internet wirelessly is really a big help, plus it gives an additional device that can connect to your wireless network powered by your wireless router. And speaking of wireless routers, if you're looking for a good one, I recommend you check out the Netgear Wireless Router for Video and Gaming. You can use this device to connect computers, gaming consoles, notebooks, or wireless printers, and also your networked home theater devices. You can also use this to stream video and music from a USB drive to media players and DLNA TV's, even without using a computer. Not that's one powerful wireless router for you. For more information about Netgear's Wireless Router for Video and Gaming, check out this site: http://******/bByST7. Enjoy!
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- These are all great options for affordable Blu-ray players with built-in WiFi. Their ability to get connected to the internet wirelessly is really a big help, plus it gives an additional device that can connect to your wireless network powered by your wireless router. And speaking of wireless routers, if you're looking for a good one, I recommend you check out the Netgear Wireless Router for Video and Gaming. You can use this device to connect computers, gaming consoles, notebooks, or wireless printers, and also your networked home theater devices. You can also use this to stream video and music from a USB drive to media players and DLNA TV's, even without using a computer. Not that's one powerful wireless router for you. For more information about Netgear's Wireless Router for Video and Gaming, check out this site: http://******/bByST7. Enjoy!
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- Funny nobody mentioned a problem with range using the wireless option. I tried units from two different companies, neither would connect from a distance of 30 feet. I was told not to expect much beyond 10 feet, how do you call that wireless?
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