WalMart's much ballyhooed Black Friday ad, which reveals a Blu-ray Player for $78 seems like a bargain on the surface, but is it really a good deal? Not if you want to take advantage of all that Blu-ray has to offer, namely internet connectivity via the BD-Live feature.
The Magnavox NB500MG1F does offer 1080p output and upconversion of standard DVDs to 1080p, but it lacks a network port, which means it cannot take advantage of the BD-Live features that are becoming more common on Blu-ray Discs. BD-Live is more than just trailers and ring tones. Disney is including games and interactive chat on its BD-Live portal, and Sony Pictures is allowing movie viewers to get updated real-time movie and actor information that is scene-specific via their MovieIQ feature of BD-Live, all at the click of a buton on your remote.
$78 for a Blu-ray player seems like a great deal... until you read the fine print.
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Also, without a network port, it's impossible for the Magnavox player to take advantage of any internet streaming features such as those offered by Netflix, Amazon, YouTube and VUDU. You're limited to playback of movies and TV shows on shiny silver discs.
If you're still not convinced about the importance of internet connectivity, consider the fact that firmware upgrades are made available by the major manufacturers for their players multiple times a year. These little fixes are sometimes released to add compatibility for new features or even, as was the case with Panasonic recently, to make their players 25% faster to load. While firmware upgrades can also sometimes be downloaded from a manufacturer's web site to a disc, this is a far more cumbersome and error-prone process when compared to an automatic update that happens just by having your player plugged into the internet.
So instead of bringing home a limited function Blu-ray Player for $78, spend a few dollars more to take home one that will really make someone happy. Best Buy will have (online and in stores) an Insignia player for $99 on Thanksgiving and Black Friday (with a free Blu-ray movie). This has not just BD-Live, but also Netflix streaming, making it the least expensive player to offer this feature. Or you can spend a few dollars more to take home a name brand player from LG, Panasonic or Samsung which offers both internet connectivity and high quality DVD upconversion.
You can find out top Blu-ray Player choices in our Blu-ray Buyer's Guide or check out our detailed Blu-ray Player Reviews. Gift the gift that keeps on giving - a Blu-ray player with BD-Live.
