Smart Blu-ray players offer a dual combination of disc playback and streaming. Models such as the Sony UBP-X700 or LG BP175 couple DVD and Blu-ray disc play with apps to services such as Disney+ and Spotify. They connect to television sets through HDMI, with ease of setup.
Most feature 4K upscaling, making older content virtually ultra-high-definition quality. Wi-Fi connectivity provides direct access to sites on the web, and USB ports allow external media playback. Priced between $80 and $150, smart Blu-ray players are ideal for families that play older discs and stream new features.
Gaming Consoles: Streaming Beyond Entertainment Game consoles, oftentimes underappreciated as smart TV options, pack a huge multimedia punch. The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X are case in point, being dual-function streaming machines as much as they are gaming machines. Each has access to apps like Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, and Twitch built in, streaming 4K HDR natively.
Strong hardware in both platforms provides instant loading and effortless multitasking performance. Optical drives in some versions add Blu-ray playback functionality. While being worth $400 or more, the appeal to them comes to consumers wanting a whole entertainment system contained in one product.
