Q I see the latest Blu-ray players are touting Internet connections. Why do I need to connect my player to the Internet if I am playing movies on a disc?
ERIN MEYERS, HOUSTON
A Connecting your player is not mandatory, but there are two good reasons to do so: additional content and support.
Any player that supports BD-Live will have an Internet connection. Blu-ray discs with BD-Live provide additional online content such as movie trailers, games and group movie screenings as you text-chat with the director. BD-Live hasn't really caught on with consumers, but it is bound to get better with more development.
Some players with Internet connections have the ability to stream content from Netflix, YouTube and Cinemanow, among others. The picture and sound quality can range from horrible (homemade videos from YouTube) to not bad (HD movies from Netflix.) If you already have a Netflix subscription, it can be a convenient way to watch old TV programs or sample movies. The integrated streaming feature doesn't provide state-of-the-art picture or sound quality, but having it available is definitely a bonus.
If you connect your player to the Internet, it is likely to work better because you will get the best possible product support. Blu-ray players are essentially computers, and like computers, they need occasional updates and patches called firmware updates. If you do not have your player connected to the Internet, you must go to the manufacturer's website and download a file to a USB flash drive or burn it to a CD to update the player's firmware. If your player is connected to the Internet, the player will download and install these updates as soon as they are available.
Most new players have Ethernet connections. If you do not have an Ethernet port near your player, you can furnish one by using powerline adapters. One powerline adapter plugs into a wall socket near your router, the other near your player. Just connect the cables and go. You can also use a wireless bridge with an ethernet port to connect your player to your wireless network.
Some new Blu-ray players have built-in WiFi for the ultimate in connection simplicity. My favorite is the LG BD390, which typically sells for $399. The LG players are the fastest on the market, are reliable and well-supported, and the BD390 has multichannel analog outputs and onboard high-def audio decoding. The analog outputs and onboard decoding make it a perfect match with an older receiver lacking HDMI. The BD390 can stream content from Netflix, Pandora, YouTube and Cinemanow.
