Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Bluray Players with Wifi

tkidBOSTON

tkidBOSTON

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Aug 14, 2005
829
0
The Hub of the Universe
So I'm finally going to jump in and buy a bluray player. My only problem is I'm in a wireless only apartment without the ability to run an ethernet cable to my livingroom (without a mess).

Is my only option for a 2.0 player the PS3?
Are there any players being released in the near future (read: no more than 6 weeks out) being released with wifi?
Can I add a wifi dongle to a bluray player to make it wireless?

Thoughts? Opinions? Advice?
 
There are wireless bridges to bring wired ethernet devices into wireless networks, so it is possible to go wireless without resorting to a PS3.

Not sure if the current Airport Express will do, haven't really studied it, but the convenient bridges I've seen is around that price point anyway.
 
tkidBOSTON said:
Because its much more expensive than most of the bluray players out there and it doesnt have a IR port which means I won't be able to use it with my universal remote.
Click to expand...

Yeah, it's a bit more expensive than the most recent crop of stand-alone players (you can get PS3 40Gb for close to $300 with little luck). But it's completely upgradeable (read future-proof), and it does so much more than a stand-alone BD player. Heck, I run Ubuntu on mine, even if you're not into gaming.

Also, when the time comes to sell it - I guarantee you will get most of your money back for PS3, unlike cheapo Korean players you save few bucks on upfront.

Lack of IR is easily rectified, as the poster before me just explained.

It's your money! ;)
 
themanfromvlad said:
Nyko Blu-Wave, bought for $9.99 at Best Buy, works like a charm with my Harmony remote.
Click to expand...

Will it turn the PS3 on/off? The most common complaint I've seen is that it can't turn it on/off. Is it true?

hitekalex said:
Question is why wouldn't you go with a PS3? It's the best and most versatile BD player by far.
Click to expand...

...and by far the most power consuming. In addition, region coding can be a problem with the PS3 depending on where you live.
 
itickings said:
Will it turn the PS3 on/off? The most common complaint I've seen is that it can't turn it on/off. Is it true?
Click to expand...

No you can't turn PS3 on with a remote, but I am not bothered about it as the player turns on automatically upon insertion of a disk. You can turn it off with a remote via on-screen menu.
 
Hmm... I always discounted the PS3 since I need something that will work with my Harmony One but if this dongle will work, that might just be the solution I was looking for.

An off topic PS3 question now- I used to game back in the PS2 days (I don't anymore- another reason why I never seriously considered the PS3) but is there a version of the PS3 out that is backwards compatible with PS2 games? I believe there used to be but they removed that feature. Is that true? Is there anywhere I'd be able to find the old version?
 
hitekalex said:
Question is why wouldn't you go with a PS3? It's the best and most versatile BD player by far.
Click to expand...


Because the build quality of the PS3 is laughable and frankly Sony is one hell of a bad joke. Not a company a bad joke. All still pissed off about BETA.


I would say a WiFi bridge is a good option. Also if you have say a Mac Mini in your theater setup you could simply share the Mini's network over ethernet.
 
hitekalex said:
No you can't turn PS3 on with a remote, but I am not bothered about it as the player turns on automatically upon insertion of a disk. You can turn it off with a remote via on-screen menu.
Click to expand...

The Sony PS3 remote can turn on and off the PS3.
I do it all the time just press the PS button and it turns on
 
hitekalex said:
Question is why wouldn't you go with a PS3? It's the best and most versatile BD player by far.
Click to expand...

PS3: Double the price of some good units, uses much more power than any BD player, doesn't exactly hide itself well, no IR port, who DIDN'T have problem with a PS2 DVD player?

The days are over when the PS3 is the best option for a BD player. Prices finally dropped on the standalones to the point where the extra for the PS3 doesn't do it if you don't want the games. It has advantages, but not as many as before.

tkidBOSTON said:
Hmm... I always discounted the PS3 since I need something that will work with my Harmony One but if this dongle will work, that might just be the solution I was looking for.

An off topic PS3 question now- I used to game back in the PS2 days (I don't anymore- another reason why I never seriously considered the PS3) but is there a version of the PS3 out that is backwards compatible with PS2 games? I believe there used to be but they removed that feature. Is that true? Is there anywhere I'd be able to find the old version?
Click to expand...

There was a more-expensive PS3 that was backward compatible. I think it was $500. Pretty crummy that Sony chose THAT to reduce the price.

As far as BD players with WiFi, I don't believe there are any yet. That's pretty much the last thing (unless you count built-in mass storage) left to go on the units. I'd just buy a good BD-Live ready unit (preferably from Samsung) and get a wireless bridge. AirPort Express should work, but there may be cheaper options.

You might check out the Samsung and LG players that stream Netflix if you are a Flixian.
 
Michael CM1 said:
As far as BD players with WiFi, I don't believe there are any yet. That's pretty much the last thing (unless you count built-in mass storage) left to go on the units. I'd just buy a good BD-Live ready unit (preferably from Samsung) and get a wireless bridge. AirPort Express should work, but there may be cheaper options.

You might check out the Samsung and LG players that stream Netflix if you are a Flixian.
Click to expand...

My only requirements are:

1. Profile 2.0 (bc who really wants anything less)
2. Wireless (bc I don't have access to wires in my livingroom)
3. Relatively inexpensive (bc I don't need the top of the line)

I'm not really after the Netflix streaming as I have AppleTV already with Boxee (Netflix might be coming to that) and with a bluray player in my setup with everything else, I don't think netflix streaming is a must. My problem has been with the wireless requirement. I'm hesitant to get the PS3 because its more expensive but if I'm going to have to purchase an add-on for a standalone player anyway, it might make sense, especially since I know I can get it to work with a universal remote now too.

Anyway, I think the options are down to
1. Buy a PS3 w/ IR receiver.
2. Buy standalone player w/ wireless bridge.
3. Wait 6+ months for standalones to have Wifi.

Anyone have any other suggestions/ recommendations?
 
Michael CM1 said:
Prices finally dropped on the standalones to the point where the extra for the PS3 doesn't do it if you don't want the games. It has advantages, but not as many as before.
Click to expand...

It's not just the games. PS3 can be used as a full blown media streamer, you can rent movies online, it can be used as a "networked" BluRay reader for your computer, it can run Linux, etc. It will also maintain better resale value than stand-alone players, which makes it a better investment in my opinion.
 
hitekalex said:
It's not just the games. PS3 can be used as a full blown media streamer, you can rent movies online, it can be used as a "networked" BluRay reader for your computer, it can run Linux, etc. It will also maintain better resale value than stand-alone players, which makes it a better investment in my opinion.
Click to expand...

I'm just not confident with any advanced features in a PS system after my headaches with the PS2. I bought one of the original PS2s, which stopped playing DVDs after about 6 months. It then stopped playing games just as the slim PS2s with a built-in network port hit the market. Coincidence?

From a game standpoint, I never appreciated spending $20 on an 8MB memory card -- that's if I bought a 2-pack. Half of that would be used on a football game save, meaning I ended up with 3 or 4 memory cards. I also didn't appreciate that Sony never made one of their controllers wireless until the PS3. When I bought a GameCube later on, I was impressed with the WaveBird and still use it with my Wii for old games. Sony's game controller had a good feel, especially the analog sticks, and I didn't want to spend $40 on something that might not work.

I have heard that the PS3 is a great machine, but I'm just still a little jaded from the PS2. That doesn't mean I wouldn't recommend their BD player models.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back