OTHER TECH

LG BD390 BLU-RAY DISC PLAYER

Blu-ray's first years as a format have been marked by a succession of sloth-like, slowloading, buggy players that often required a major firmware update right out of the box. The easiest way to make that happen is to connect the player to the Internet. And the easiest way to connect to the Internet is via your home's Wi- Fi connection - which is why I was glad to see Wi-Fi-enabled players like LG's BD390 ($350) finally arrive. The BD390's helpful, high-rez screen interface makes connecting to a wireless network a snap. And once that's done, you can take advantage of its wide array of streaming-media features. The killer app here is Vudu, which offers an extensive library of high-quality 1080p high-def movies. Beyond that, the LG can tap Netflix, CinemaNow, and YouTube to extend your viewing options. The main reason that you buy a Blu-ray Disc player, of course, is to play Blu-ray Discs and DVDs, and the BD390 does an excellent job with both. This DLNA-certified player is packed with other useful features, including a 7.1-channel analog audio output and 1 gigabyte of onboard memory for BD-Live applications. In summary: LG's BD390 is the closest thing I've seen to a sure bet in a standalone Blu-ray Disc player. - A.G.

us.lge.com

VUDU XL2 INTERNET MOVIE PLAYER

Streaming media represents the future that we all want - one where we can enjoy instant access to any content at any time and in any place. But moving the multiple gigs of information required to deliver 1080p-format high-def video is no simple task. For that reason, no one was more skeptical than I about Vudu's ability to actually deliver on its promise of "highest-quality HD downloads" and "instant high-definition viewing." But deliver it did! From the get-go, I was mega-impressed with Vudu's killer interface, which lets you browse and select films using an incredibly intuitive control scheme that also provides great options to help you fi nd other movies that might pique your interest. And it totally delivered on its promise of on-demand 1080p video that rivals Blu-ray Disc in terms of picture quality. (Audio is still limited to 5.1-channel Dolby Digital rather than Blu-ray's lossless sound, however.) While this award goes to the XL2 standalone movie player ($799) specifically, all Vudu players deliver the same performance, meaning that owners of Vuduenabled LG Blu-ray Disc players and LG and Mitsubishi TVs can enjoy the same experience without shelling out for additional hardware. Once you try it, Vudu will have you under its spell. - John Sciacca

vudu.com

SONY BDP-CX7000ES 400-DISC BLU-RAY CHANGER

With sales of both discs and players finally beginning to boom, Blu-ray has gained a foothold as the next-generation video format. But with a new format comes a new stack of discs to store and manage along with your existing pile of DVDs and CDs. The solution? Sony's new BDP-CX7000ES Blu-ray changer ($1,899). Just load this behemoth with all of your round media - okay, not DVD-Audio discs, SACDs, or those defunct HDDVDs - and the player accesses Gracenote's database to load cover art and metadata, sorting discs by type, title, and genre. This not only eliminates disc clutter but also makes browsing your collection far easier! Of course, it includes all the expected Blu-ray features like BD-Live and next-gen audio-format decoding, but you'll also enjoy reference-quality video. Upconversion of DVDs to 1080p was among the best I've seen, while Blu-ray Discs simply looked perfect. The CX7000ES is also a tweaker's delight, offering tons of video adjustments including multipoint gamma settings. Perhaps its most outstanding feature is Sony's Super Bit Mapping technology, which, by extracting 14 bits of information from the 8-bit signal on movie discs, can eliminate banding artifacts in pictures. Add in Sony's 5-year warranty, and this player is ready for the long haul. - J.S.

sonystyle.com

KALEIDESCAPE MINI SYSTEM MOVIE AND MUSIC SERVER

Every product category has its touchstone - a pinnacle that all others are judged against. For portable media players, it's the iPod. For cellphones, it's the iPhone. And for movie servers, it's Kaleidescape. Since inventing the category in 2004, Kaleidescape has continued to improve on its already best-in-class system while simultaneously lowering the price. Its latest offering is the Mini System ($8,590), which combines its 1080p Movie Player, a two-zone music player, and 2 terabytes of storage (enough for 225 DVDs or 2,475 CDs) into one gloss-white package. Beyond having the slickest interface in the whole industry, Kaleidescape includes terrific features like a full suite of parental control options, bookmarking of favorite scenes, automatic sorting of TV series by season and episode title, and an extremely cool feature that can reposition subtitles when the system is used with an anamorphic projection system. For added control, there is the outstanding Remotescape app for iPhone/iPod Touch users, which ports Kaleidescape's legendary interface into your palm. Beyond these bells, the real whistle is picture quality: The Mini System taps Sigma Designs' VXP processing to produce the best-looking DVD image I've ever seen. No, it doesn't do Blu-ray, but for managing your DVD and CD collection, there is no better option. - J.S.

kaleidescape.com