getting a new tv - help me choose a new Blu-Ray player

In My Humble Opinion
1

I’ve just purchased a new tv - the Samsung 6030. Now my husband would like to upgrade our ancient DVD player to a new Blu-Ray player.

Some pertinent info:

[ul]
[li]The new TV is not a Smart TV, which was intentional. [/li][li]Is there any reason to stick with a Samsung player if I have a Samsung TV or can I combine components and not lose functionality? I ask because Consumer Reports rates LG players as better, so I might want to get one of them. The new TV is DLNA compatible and so are the LG players, so I assume that means any player I get no matter the manufacturer will work well with the TV. Am I correct? [/li][li]The room it is going in is a smaller one, so getting a whole home theater setup is not in the cards[/li][/ul]

If I’ve left out any info that would help you make a better recommendation let me know… much appreciated!

2

I don’t think it’s really going to matter what sort of player you get. However, I have a few thoughts:

  1. Get one that’s 3D-compatible. It’s not going to be an expensive add-on, but you have a 3D-capable TV, might as well be able to utilize it if you get the opportunity. It’s a gimmick, but it’s a gimmick that’s occassionally entertaining.

  2. Don’t worry about getting really good smart features. Most bluray players these days allow you Netflix and Pandora access, as well as maybe a few other apps. If you need them, get one. If not, don’t worry about it. Any upgrades to this isn’t going to be worth it - your money would be better spent on a Roku or Apple TV if you need to go that route.

3

Just so you know - the TV and Blu-ray both being DLNA compatible is meaningless in terms of their compatibility with each other. The Blu-ray will just have an HDMI connection to the TV, and use that to display it’s output.

What DLNA gets you is the ability to stream content (video, audio, photos) from a DLNA server elsewhere on your network - such as a PC. The TV or Blu-ray will need to be connected to your home network (wireless or wired), and the DLNA server will need to be configured to allow the TV or player to be an allowed client. If you’ve got a lot of your own videos or photos on your PC, this is a great feature - lets you watch them all on the big screen without having to connect the camcorder or camera to the TV at all.

4

**muldoonthief **, thanks for explaining the DLNA. Right now I don’t have much content on my computers but that may indeed change.

Seems like I can just get a good 3D blu-ray no matter who makes it. None of the smart functionality is important to us. I’ll start shopping around and keep monitoring this thread for more input. Gracias!