They’re the cornerstones of our home theatres – and there’s always an ungodly number of them at CES. We scrutinised this year’s more intriguing 3D Blu-ray players and found the one that looks like the king of the hill.
Samsung BD-D7000 This slot-loading Blu-ray disc drive is tiny. Like, external DVD drive tiny. But don’t let that fool you. The BD-D7000 comes with some mighty loud bells and whistles, including faster disc load times, built-in Wi-Fi, and some passable 2D-to-3D up-conversion, too. You’ll also get access to all the streaming media mainstays (Netflix, Vudu, YouTube, Pandora, Blockbuster and Twitter) and something Samsung calls Smart Hub – basically the company’s answer to Google TV. Hopefully, it’ll work better.
Runners Up
LG BD690 The BD690 is a networked 3D Blu-ray player and comes loaded with a little something extra: a 250-GB internal hard drive for media storage and playback. You’ll also get an enviable list of streaming services, including Netflix, Vudu and Hulu Plus.[imgclear]
Panasonic DMP-BDT310 This Blu-ray player lets you make Skype video calls, comes with built-in Wi-Fi and even gives you control over certain 3D effects, like adjusting the picture’s depth and “leaping effect”. Use your iPhone to control it all.
Honourable Mention
Sony BDP-S780
Samsung BD-D7000
LG BP650