LG BD550

Pros: Superb quality, 1080/60p resolution just blew me away. Absolutely satisfying by any standards.

Cons: This is interesting. I was going to say no wireless connection, and no built-in memory. However, I don't want to say that anymore. The wireless connection for instant streaming (Netflix) at DVD resolution of 720p at this point is a joke.

Summary: Highest performance-price ratio, wonderful 1080/60p resolution, you won't regret that you bought this one. You don't need to spend money on extra wireless connection, or 250 GB of memory. If you want to see streaming with a DVD player, go with a wire connection, no matter how long the wire is. I just bought a 75 ft CAT5e Ethernet cable. It cost me only $9 online. If you want wireless LG Blue-ray, add $100 to this unit. Which way do you prefer? To me, I would just use the cable. I don't mind to set it up every time when I watch Netflix DVD streaming.

Updated on May 11, 2010

After receiving my 75-ft Ethernet cable in the mail, I immediately hooked it up. Clicking on NetCast, Wow, you will see Netflix (equivalent to Blockbuster but with online streaming at lower price), Vudu (HD video that you can buy or rent), Picasa (free site with tons of beautiful pictures including your own if uploaded), Pandora (an online HiFi music site), YouTube, CinemaNow (similar to Vudu except loaded with new movies still in the movie theaters) and AccuWeather. I tried each of these except for Pandora (I am not into just music; I am more of a video-audio combo fan). The quality of these blew me away. I had to say this because I tried using Wii to view online streaming and not satisfied with that. The default Wii video cable is composite cables and resolution is not enough for washing movies. I ordered a component cable for Wii online for only $4.92, and it has yet to come from Hong Kong. When I get it I'll do an update. Wii can see Netflix and Weather. The sound is only stereo.

Updated on May 13, 2010

I'd like to describe my Wii experience before I compare it to my LG BD550.
Finally got my Wii component cables. For those that didn't know, component cable comes in 5 connectors, red and white for audio, and green, blue and red for video. Replaced the original composite cables. Significant improvements can be noticed, although may not be that drastic, considering the source resolution is still 480i. The improvements are more noticeable on larger screen TVs or when watching movies. You will be happier watching a Netflix movie streaming using Wii with a component cable than a composite cable. However, the video quality is definitely inferior to DVD, but acceptable. Watching a streaming with Wii using a composite cable is unacceptable to me. Your best bet is still watching it with LG BD550, where the video quality is equivalent to DVD; the sound is still stereo (I wish I could tell you it's digital), although the sound is almost just as good, except there is no surround sound.