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  1. Member
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    Feb 2006
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    I'm tired of hooking up my laptop to watch Netflix on my tv. I am thinking about buying a Blu-ray player with wifi or wifi ready. What is the difference? I connect to the internet through a wireless router. (Linksys WRT54GS)

    If the player is wifi ready could I use a usb wireless adapter to connect to the wireless router?

    If it has built-in wifi will that automatically connect to the router?

    Does my PC have to be on and logged in to Netflix to view?

    Thanks for any feedback.
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  2. Wifi ready usually means that the manufacturer sells a proprietary WiFi adapter to make it work wirelessly. I have a Samsung BD1600 which is WiFi ready, I purchased the dongle on a deal a day site just by happenstance. Basically the player only has the necessary driver built in for one type of WiFi chipset.
    If the player supports Netflix viewing then you do not need to have the PC on to view your cue.

    --dES
    "You can observe a lot by watching." - Yogi Bera
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  3. Member edDV's Avatar
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    If possible go for a wired Ethernet connection to a Blu-Ray player for Netflix and DLNA. Much less troublesome.
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  4. Member yoda313's Avatar
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    Originally Posted by edDV View Post
    If possible go for a wired Ethernet connection to a Blu-Ray player for Netflix and DLNA. Much less troublesome.

    Also wired is stable whereas wireless can encounter interference. Unless it is wifi N for both the router and bluray player receiver you may not have a fast enough connection for hd video over wifi G. Yes I know the rating for G is 54mb with 108 for super G but those aren't sustained speeds.

    Wired is just so much more firm and reliable. Unless your wireless is going to be either:

    a - in the same room with a line of sight connection

    b - on the same floor with little to no walls between router and receiver

    c - multiple repeaters to keep signal strong and clear

    unless you have these conditions spotty reception is entirely possible and will make watching video less than ideal. Hence the suggestion for a WIRED connection.

    --------------

    Of course interference is specific to each user. You may never encounter intereferance on a home wireless system. You may be able to watch hd video over wireless between 2 floors without a repeater without dropouts. You may be able to stream perfectly without interference over G and not a N network in hd.

    But that doesn't mean you COULDN'T get those instances and ruin your viewing pleasure with buffering and stuttering issues due to interference.

    These are just warnings about what CAN happen if you insist on using wireless for watching video. It's not to say it can't be done or done well. Its just with wireless anything can happen. Interference and dropouts are generally nil on a wired connection assuming you have a stable connection to the internet on your source modem that is connected to your service provider.
    Donatello - The Shredder? Michelangelo - Maybe all that hardware is for making coleslaw?
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  5. Member
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    Thanks for the input. I bought a Samsung BD5700 player with built in wifi at BJ's for $150. It is almost a straight line from wireless router to the player. Everything seems to be working fine except for the fact that I have had to re-activate it with a new code a couple of times. I went on-line and read that this has been an ongoing problem with Samsung players not holding Netflix activation codes.
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  6. Originally Posted by Willy5157 View Post
    Thanks for the input. I bought a Samsung BD5700 player with built in wifi at BJ's for $150. It is almost a straight line from wireless router to the player. Everything seems to be working fine except for the fact that I have had to re-activate it with a new code a couple of times. I went on-line and read that this has been an ongoing problem with Samsung players not holding Netflix activation codes.
    I would look to see if there is a firmware update for your model. I have not had that problem with my BD1600. I have had the problem with the player forgetting the wireless access password to my network, that's a PIA, though the Mid-March update seems to have settled that down some.

    Enjoy the player!

    --dES
    "You can observe a lot by watching." - Yogi Bera
    http://www.areturningadultstudent.com
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  7. Banned
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    Consider buying a Roku box instead. The new ones are very tiny and they can stream from Netflix, Hulu, Amazon and other sources. Some "private channels" (you can search on that) may also be of interest to you. You can get the top of the line Roku box for about $100 and that's a lot less money than having to buy a new BluRay player that supports WiFi. The Roku can also function as a media player with some limitations when compared to a true streaming media player like the various Western Digital models.
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  8. or the wd live! media player, I have alos had good success with the wd livewire boxes, very tidy and removes wireless issues.
    PAL/NTSC problem solver.
    USED TO BE A UK Equipment owner., NOW FINISHED WITH VHS CONVERSIONS-THANKS
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