Sony wises up, unveils new networked Blu-ray player with Netflix, Slacker support

It was just a couple of days ago I was complaining about Sony's decision to introduce a Blu-ray player with built-in Wi-Fi into the marketplace without offering any of the Internet services that other connected home theater devices are already offering. Now Sony appears to be sipping from the streaming-media Kool-Aid with the launch of its BDP-N460 Blu-ray player, which not only has a network connection, but also will offer services via its Bravia Internet Video platform.

In particular, the BDP-N460 will stream videos from YouTube and personalized Internet radio from Slacker. Sony also says that Netflix's on-demand streaming service for subscribers will be available for the player later this fall; since the BDP-N460 isn't due until October, that shouldn't be a lengthy wait. The device will be competitively priced at $250, but one other difference with the BDP-S560 is that it only comes with an Ethernet port, instead of Wi-Fi. The BDP-N460 offers special software that helps it work with the Linksys by Cisco Wireless-N Ethernet Bridge with Dual-Band, though that's another $90 you'd need to spend.

The bottom line: The BDP-N460 sounds like a better deal than its pricier, Wi-Fi-enabled sibling, but if it would have had built-in 802.11n for $250, it would be the type of slam dunk that Sony has been searching for these days.