, and it works fine for playing dvds or blu-ray disks. Additionally, it has a few apps, like Netflix, to play videos over the internet. Unfortunately, using this blu-ray player to watch anything on the internet is *not* a good experience.- It is very hard to search for a movie, because there isn't a keyboard. You have to use the remote and direction arrows to type in a movie title.
- Just opening the app for Netflix or Youtube is very slow (much slower than on my computer that uses the same internet connection).
- You cannot view an arbitrary website. You can only view videos from a few specific sources.
- For Netflix, there isn't a way to turn on subtitles. This feature is available on my computer and tablet.
Because of this poor experience, I wanted to buy a cable to connect my laptop to my television. After a bit of research, I eventually decided to forego wires and go for a Google Chromecast
. So far the experience has been great. Also, every issue I had with the "Smart" blu-ray player was solved with the Chromecast. - Searching for movies is simple, because I use my computer to browse.
- Opening apps is fast, because I use my computer.
- As long as you can open a video from a browser, you can "Cast" it to the television. So, you don't have to wait for a new app to be supported.
- For Netflix, you can turn on subtitles.
Another benefit of using a Google Chromecast is that you can cast movies from any device. It works from my Macbook Air, my wife's Windows laptop, my Android phone and tablet.
*Update* I have had mixed results watching videos through the browser. Perhaps the download rate isn't good enough, but sometimes the video is laggy and jumpy. For apps, the video quality is consistently very good.
*Update* One disadvantage of using Chromecast is that you need some wi-fi infrastructure. So, if all you have is a movie on a computer without wifi, you wouldn't be able to cast it to a television. In a more common scenario, if you are in a hotel, the wifi restrictions may prevent you from casting videos, but I haven't verified this.
*Update* I have had mixed results watching videos through the browser. Perhaps the download rate isn't good enough, but sometimes the video is laggy and jumpy. For apps, the video quality is consistently very good.
*Update* One disadvantage of using Chromecast is that you need some wi-fi infrastructure. So, if all you have is a movie on a computer without wifi, you wouldn't be able to cast it to a television. In a more common scenario, if you are in a hotel, the wifi restrictions may prevent you from casting videos, but I haven't verified this.
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