DVD/Blu-Ray player with Netflix

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We regularly stream Netflix through our Xbox 360 and it works great. I do not, however, like the fact that to do so I have to have an Xbox Live Gold subscription which now costs around $45/year.

I don't use the subscription for anything other than access to the Netflix application, so I'm starting to wonder if I should instead put the money towards a DVD/Blu-Ray player with Netflix built in to it. Does anyone know of any good deals or have a recommendation on what I should get?

I also use the Xbox as Windows Media Center "extender". It connects to my Windows 7 PC which has a 2x TV-tuner card in it and serves as my DVR. I'd love a single device that lets me "extend" Media Center and stream Netflix, but I think the Xbox is the the only Windows Media Center "extender" device available these days. It really is the perfect device for my needs/use, except for the yearly subscription fee I have to pay just to have access to the Netflix application.
 
Pretty sure sony has a protocol where you can install the sony media server (not what its called) on your PC then access your PCs videos across your local network.

They also make gadgets like this one but what's a blue ray player now $60 or 70? Get all the streaming stuff and an optical drive too.
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Our DVD player is a Sony unit we bought at Walmart for like $80. It connects to the Internet and plays a bunch of stuff including Netflix and Hulu. It works fine.
 
Originally Posted By: kschachn
Our DVD player is a Sony unit we bought at Walmart for like $80. It connects to the Internet and plays a bunch of stuff including Netflix and Hulu. It works fine.


What model Sony Blu-Ray DVD player do you have? I have a new Sony Blu-Ray player from WalMart and it can't complete the connection to NETFLIX. Sony tech support has been no help and says it is a NETFLIX issue; however, streaming NETFLIX works fine through my Panasonic Blu-Ray player. There are a lot of postings on various A/V forums that indicate Sony's WiFi protocol on their DVD players is not compatible with NETFLIX streaming due to the continuous variable streaming that NETFLIX now uses.
 
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It's a BDP-S185. But it is the wired version, not WiFi. I have all our "fixed" Internet appliances on the wired network, like the desktops and gaming consoles, etc. So this may make a difference. IDK it really makes any difference but I leave the WiFi free for our laptops, phones and portable devices. There is a similar model with WiFi.

Amazon has the BDP-S185 for $70 including free shipping. Mind you, this is a basic, bare-bones Blu-Ray DVD player with Internet access and all that. Models and features go up from here. Depending on what you're looking for you may wish to spend a bit more money and get something better or with more features, IDK. But for what we use it for it works fine.

Your model probably has a jack on the back for a wired network, have you ever tried that instead of the WiFi?

As an aside I prefer the Netflix interface for the Wii better than the DVD player. The Wii won't stream in HD however.
 
The cheap Blu-ray players are a gamble. At random they will refuse to play newer discs even with firmware updates. My parents got burned by this, and I had friends with the same problem. Ended up throwing it out since nothing they did could fix it.

My advice is that if you are serious about movie watching, get a better one like an Oppo or Denon. Or better yet, a used PS3.
 
Originally Posted By: kschachn
Our DVD player is a Sony unit we bought at Walmart for like $80. It connects to the Internet and plays a bunch of stuff including Netflix and Hulu. It works fine.
I also bought a Sony dvd/bluray but from a Goodwill store.Hooked it up to the router and gets everything.It also did something updating on its own.I only use it for Netflix.
 
I suspect there is a problem with your player, not Netflix. Our Sony BluRay dvd player (model no. ends in 580) connects to Netflix and we are using the worst wifi internet provider there is, AT & T. However, most of the time, we have to try it multiple times to get it to work but once connected it works fine. I believe Netflix costs about $8 a month.
 
I have a couple of 2-yr-old Samsung Blu-Ray players that do Netflix, Pandora, and YouTube via a wireless internet connection. The Netflix feature must work OK because the 18-yr old watches movies all the time on the Sammy's. She pays $8/month for her subscription.
 
We have two Sony BDP-S590 for Blu-ray and video streaming. The price has come down a bit since we purchased the two units this summer. A quick search on Amazon shows it for under $100.

We use the units for Netflix and Amazon Instant Video streaming. It works very well over wi-fi. My only complaint is that it takes a little over a minute from player start up to playing a Netflix/Amazon video. Sony offers a Blu-ray player with a dual-core processor that speeds things up a bit. I believe that model is the BDP-S790.
 
Go with Panazonic blu ray player somewhere middle of the model line up.
My old BD65 (Has Netflix) is still an amazing blue ray player for the money. It even beat a blue ray player costing about $2000 at some point for PQ in a test. (i got mine for $70 I think)

Smasung BR players have spotty reliability and Sony is..eww.
 
Originally Posted By: Donald
Originally Posted By: jdeare
I'd get a Roku box instead.


+1 if all you want to do is stream.

I almost forgot about the Roku! I really just plan on using it to stream Netflix. I was just thinking that a Blu-Ray w/ Netflix would give me the Blu-Ray too, which is something I don't currently have, though I don't really know how often I'd use it. So maybe the Roku 2 XD (i.e. the one that's capable of playing 1080p) would be a good choice?
 
I've got a new Roku. It's pretty good. My internet is 27mbps and it starts out with a fuzzy picture every time. But after a minute or two, it's fairly clear. But not as good as my Blu-Ray.

One problem. The Roku does not have a Toslink audio out. My Yamaha receiver does not have HDMI. So I am stuck with TV audio.
 
Originally Posted By: barlowc
We regularly stream Netflix through our Xbox 360 and it works great. I do not, however, like the fact that to do so I have to have an Xbox Live Gold subscription which now costs around $45/year.

I don't use the subscription for anything other than access to the Netflix application, so I'm starting to wonder if I should instead put the money towards a DVD/Blu-Ray player with Netflix built in to it. Does anyone know of any good deals or have a recommendation on what I should get?

I also use the Xbox as Windows Media Center "extender". It connects to my Windows 7 PC which has a 2x TV-tuner card in it and serves as my DVR. I'd love a single device that lets me "extend" Media Center and stream Netflix, but I think the Xbox is the the only Windows Media Center "extender" device available these days. It really is the perfect device for my needs/use, except for the yearly subscription fee I have to pay just to have access to the Netflix application.


If your going to be buying a new TV within the next year, i'd stick with Xbox Gold. It is the cheapest option. And almost all new TV's are coming with wifi/netflix integration built in. . . .

If not, the Roku or Apple TV would be a good choice. . .
 
That fuzzy picture thing is specific to Netflix on Roku, I believe.

I got the XS specifically for the USB port. I've used that exactly once. If I were buying now I'd get the HD, but my internet is too slow for the highest HD-quality streams.
 
Originally Posted By: Cujet
it starts out with a fuzzy picture every time. But after a minute or two, it's fairly clear.

I experience the same thing when streaming Netflix through my Xbox 360, so I wonder if that it a Netflix thing and not specific to the streaming device.
 
We have an Apple TV too (I'm primarily a Mac guy) but the Apple TV is best suited to watching stuff from iTunes, although it streams Netflix and Hulu and others as well. Don't get me wrong, I like it a lot but I tend to think the Roku is better if you aren't hooking up with iTunes.

Plus I think it still can't stream Fox News, right? That drives my wife nuts.

IMO though, despite posting about this I really don't watch too much TV. We dropped cable a year or more ago and only use broadcast and whatever we can stream.

Originally Posted By: rg200amp

If not, the Roku or Apple TV would be a good choice. . .
 
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