5. Samsung BD-P3600 Blu-ray Player

• BD-P3600 Blu-Ray Disc...
• • OneCall.com
  • $249.00
• • Crutchfield.com
  • $219.99
• • Buydig.com
  • $215.00
• • Abe's of Maine
  • $279.99
• • Vanns.com
  • $219.99

$399.99

Everybody knows that the Sony PlayStation 3 makes a fine Blu-ray player and comes packed with lots of great features. But what if dad isn’t a gamer, and truly cares about a top-notch audio-visual movie-watching experience? The Samsung BD-3600 is the same price as the PS3, but contains a few more features that might be important to dad. For starters, this Blu-ray player will work with a universal remote, while the PS3 does not. The PS3 is waiting on a Netflix streaming feature (great for on-demand movie and TV watching at home), but the BD-3600 already has it. And while the PS3 can handle the audio streams necessary to create a 7.1 surround sound experience via HDMI, this Blu-ray player can do it for analog systems—such as older receivers, or very high-end receivers. If dad has a 7.1 setup, consider throwing in one of these new Blu-ray releases that include 7.1 audio (not many do): Star Trek: The Original Series—Season 1, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation –Season 1, or My Bloody Valentine 3D if dad is a horror buff.

Both this player and the PS3 contain Wi-Fi and Ethernet connectivity, but videophiles say this player’s up-scaling hardware processing power may be even greater than the PS3’s. If these features top’s dad’s wish list, and he has no need for a gaming system in his home, the BD-P3600 is the most attractive way to get him what he wants.