Digital Home Thoughts: Gizmodo Tries Out the LG BD390

"Nowadays, a test of a so-called Blu-ray player involves so much beyond just playing a damn Blu-ray movie that the name "Blu-ray player" is a bit ridiculous. Nowhere is that more true than in the BD390, which tonight got an upgrade so that in addition to the Netflix and YouTube it already serves up, it also distributes CinemaNow video, and sniffs out music and video on your network to play, too. The BD390 is a great disc-playing supplement to a frill-less cable-co DVR, though many of its streaming-video perks overlap with those from TiVo or Media Center PCs."

Gone are the days of a home theater setup with 50 different components. With all the horsepower behind a Blu-ray player, its no surprise that manufacturers are finding ways to make use of that processing power with added features. The LG BD390 is among one of these value-added Blu-ray players that handles Netflix, YouTube and various other streaming video services. It does this through an integrated 802.11n connection so there's no extra wires, antennas or other clutter coming out of the back of your home theater setup. It works great and there's only a few limitations, but it looks like it'd serve well enough to be your only connection to your TV aside from your cable box if you have one. I personally think media center PCs are more powerful, but those who want a simpler appliance to use, higher-end Blu-ray players like the BD390 might be more suited to you.