LG BD3000 or XBox

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Permalink Reply by jeldobar on November 22, 2008 at 9:45pm

i guess it really depends on if you want a game system also or not. otherwise the streaming is probably the same

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Permalink Reply by kotell on November 23, 2008 at 8:47am

dose the xbox have a monthly fee besides for my netflix account and with LG i only need a netflix subscription?

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Permalink Reply by Adrian on November 23, 2008 at 9:52am

If you want to buy a blu-ray player anyway, then you should choose between the LG BD300 and the Samsung. The Samsung also has Pandora internet music streaming, otherwise they are basically the same as the Roku player from a Netflix point of view.

The Xbox requires a "live gold" subscription that is an extra monthly cost. It has a much nicer looking user interface with the same basic functionality as the others. It also has HD (720p) streaming today, while the others will have it later this year. The Xbox doesn't play Blu-Ray.... I have an LG BD300, the last software update changed the user interface screens from SD to HD, so I'm expecting HD streaming on it soon.

The other issue is WiFi vs. Ethernet cable. If you can run a cable to your TV then the LG/Samsung are fine. If you want wireless then you will need a powerline repeater or something similar to connect them. The Roku comes with wireless, and the Xbox has it as an extra cost option.

Bottom line, if you want Blu-Ray and Netflix and Wireless, get a cheap Blu-Ray player and a Roku, or an LG/Samsung player and a powerline repeater.

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Permalink Reply by Guy on February 12, 2009 at 7:07pm

The Blu-Ray player will play in better quality vs the xbox 360. However, this depends heavily on whether or not your television supports 1080p or not. Blu-Ray will play it at best in 1080p and the Xbox 360 at best will play at 720p. So if you're HD-TV only supports 720p then the quality will only be as good as 720p thereby making no difference in quality. And if you do not have a HD-TV then there will be no difference in quality, obviously. =]

If you have a 1080p TV or plan on getting one, the Blu-Ray player will require the additional Blu-Ray fee on your Netflix. Which is cheaper than the Xbox Live Gold Subscription monthly fee which is 4.17 a month, but they only bill you annually (for 50 dollars/year). The Live subscription not only provides you the Netflix download and streaming videos (the download is free), but it also provides you the opportunity to download movie trailers, game demos, arcade games, etc. while some things cost money to download that may deter you away from the downloads or you may not be interested in games, then maybe the blu-ray is better for you.

Overall, I think the Xbox 360 offers more than the Blu-Ray player in terms of the general package. But I am also a gamer, so I prefer the Xbox 360 method, I also had the Gold Subscription before I got Netflix Subscription, so it was a pretty easy choice.

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Permalink Reply by Mark on February 13, 2009 at 10:47am

I use my xbox for streaming. If you would be at all interested in gaming its a no brainer. If not there is still a good amount of other media you can download over live (some free, some that costs money). Additionally a nice feature is if you want to connect your computer to your entertainment center. Being able to stream movies and music from your computer to the entertainment center through the xbox is a nice feature. And even if not a serious gamer there are fun little games like texas hold'em and UNO you can download and play online. But you will have to pay $50 a year for the subscription.

I know if I was deciding for myself I would probably opt for the cheaper blu ray + xbox or roku.

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