Best Buy Packs Netflix into Store-Brand Blu-ray Players

Best Buy's two latest store-brand Insignia Blu-ray players pack a new feature: instant movie streaming from Netflix.

Mega retailer Best Buy has been touting its own house brands alongside major consumer electronics makers like Sony, LG, Samsung, and Sharp…and now the company is looking to compete with some of the big players on features as well as price. Best Buy has just announced two new Blu-ray players in its Insignia house brand—the Insignia Advanced Series Blu-ray Player and the Insignia Connected Blu-ray Player—and they both support instant streaming of movies from Netflix.

“Best Buy customers appreciate dependable performance at reasonable prices,” said Best Buy Exclusive Brands CTO Nigel Waites, in a statement. “The ability to instantly watch movies streaming from Netflix via the Insignia line of Blu-ray Disc Players will appeal to Best Buy shoppers who seek unsurpassed convenience, selection and value in a Blu-ray disc player.”

As with other devices with Netflix streaming capability, the Netflix feature only works for Netflix subscribers who connect the players up to their existing home broadband Internet connections. For folks who abhor wiring, the Insignia Advanced Series Blu-ray Player uses Wi-Fi to latch onto a home network, while the Insignia Connected Blu-ray Player uses a standard Ethernet connection. Both players feature Dolby TrueHD audio, upconvert standard DVDs to 1080p resolution, and are Energy Star compliant so they don’t jack up electric bills when they’re plugged in and doing nothing.

The WiFi-enabled Insignia Advanced Series Blu-ray Player carries a $249.99 price, while the Insignia Connected Blu-ray Player goes for $179.99; both are available now.