Just when you thought your Blu-rays were safe…

Like it's rival, the LG BD300, the BD-P2500 is no simple Blu-ray player.

It has the ability to stream content directly from Netflix.

While this may seem odd, it adds a level of functionality that is surely the future of entertainment.

I reviewed the BD-P2500 at the same time as the LG BD300, so be sure to check out that review as well as I'm going to try my best not to repeat myself too much. It is, however, inevitable.

What you get with the BD-P2500 is access, via your current Netflix account, to 12,000 movies and TV episodes kept on servers at the Netflix compound in, well, honestly I have no idea where it is.

The result is instant gratification by being able to watch movies and TV shows mere seconds after you think of them.

For example, say you want to watch the episode of Heroes that was on last night that your DVR decided not to record yet again. Yes, you could go to NBC's website and watch it on your tiny computer screen. Or you could log onto the Netflix web page, select it there, and be watching it on your big TV in HD.

Now think about doing that with other movies and TV shows. I wish I could say "any movie or TV show you can think of" but at the moment that's just not the case. I found about half of the titles I could think of, but it's rather random what's available for watching instantly, so your mileage will vary.

You're allowed to have up to four Netflix-enabled boxes on your account, though how many streams you can watch at a time varies depending on what level of account you have.

Oddly, there is only one que per account, with no way to separate amung the different boxes. So if you have one box and your kids another, plan on scrolling through countless Sponge Bob and Dragon Ball Z titles before you find what you're looking for.

Perhaps the best feature with multiple boxes is that the main Netflix server remembers where you left off. So you can start watching the movie in the living room, head to the bedroom and pick up right where you left off.

Compared to the LG, the Samsung responds a little slower, both in accepting inputs from the remote and navigating the interface. Navigation itself is also little more difficult. Buttons that you would assume would work, like "Return" and "Menu" are inexplicably disabled when watching Netflix content.

While the difference in speed was noticeable using the players back to back, the speed is just a little slow even not compared to something else. It's not a dealbreaker, mind you.

Then again, the LG requires a USB thumb drive while the Samsung doesn't, so I'll give them credit there. Then again (again), the Samsung is $50 more expensive and you can get a 2 GB thumb drive for pocket change.

Where the Samsung has a distinct advantage is in DVD playback. With standard DVDs, the BD-P2500 pulls out just a little more detail. It also does better with diagonal lines (fewer jagged edges), something that LG had an issue with.

The Samsung also deinterlaces 1080i correctly, and correctly picks up the 3:2 in a 1080i signal, neither of which the LG could do. This isn't a huge deal as most discs are 1080p, but it's nice to have.

It loads Pirates of the Caribbean on Blu-ray in about a minute, which is pretty good and only slightly slower than the LG.

The Netflix streaming service is a great addition to a home device. It lets you watch, essentially for free, movies and TV shows that you may have not wanted to spend money or waste a Netflix rental slot on. It is also nearly instant, and offers some HD content as well (I wax ecstatic on this more in the LG review, which I'll link to one more time here.)

When it comes down to it, the BD-P2500 is $50 more than the LG BD300. For that $50 you don’t have the inelegant thumb drive hanging off the front, plus you get better performance with DVDs and the occasional 1080i BD.

Conversely, it is a slightly harder (and slower) to use. So to me it's pretty much a wash, though depending on what you'll be using it more for, the final judgement is up to you.

Regardless, I'm a convert on the whole Netflix streaming thing, and hope they add more (HD!) content.

PRICE: $399
CONTACT: Samsung.com, Netflix.com (direct link to streaming)