The Basics...
I recently bought a Sony Blu Ray BDP-S370 player with internet capabilities. I really bought the model to be able to access LoveFilm via the internet direct to my TV.

Today, i went out and on the spur of the moment bought this Wireless LAN. It wasn't cheap, it cost me almost £70.

Basically, you open the box and plug it directly into the player. You can also plug it in to a Sony TV if you have an internet enabled TV.

It operates via your broadband, so you have to have broadband.

Just plug the little gadget in your USB port on the TV or Blu Ray player. Make sure the unit is turned off when you plug it in, just as you would any USB you plugged into your computer - the principles are the same.

The setup instructions on the player take you through the setup. The instruction book for the Blu Ray and the Wireless LAN are a bit pants, to be honest. I did have to use a bit of common sense and guess work to get the right point. So that would be a criticism.



Some words of caution...
Now then, i use SKY for my broadband service. I have a Netgear rooter. This has caused me hours of problems this afternoon. The security setup for SKY broadband is apparently different to most others. Unfortunately Sky told me i would have to buy a Netgear dongle (which is what the wireless LAN is!) - this is utter nonsense. In fact, if i had bought a Netgear Dongle, it wouldn't work with the Sony player - so don't take notice of that.

I was also told i would have to upgrade my package to get the right connection. This is also rubbish.

The truth is that you do need a certain speed for the Dongle to work, but check. Mine is 8 - i have no idea what that means, but 8 is enough. Check with the Sony website to check what speed you need.

I contacted Sony Customer Services. They told me it was the security settings on my rooter, so i basically had to contact SKY and change my rooter security to WEP. Which the lovely Sky Tech man talked me through in about 3 minutes. Once i'd done this, everything worked brilliantly. Just be aware that if you have problems with setup, check your rooter's security setup.


Facilities available...
In terms of service, you can access BBCi via your blu ray. There's also LoveFilm, Sony TV and a variety of other chanels you can watch direct.

I've just watched Love in the Time of Cholera, direct from LoveFilm for free - ideal. Just hit play and it streams live. The choice isn't endless in terms of films, however, it is increasing rapidly and i think before long there will be loads of options - certainly much cheaper than Sky Movie packages overall.

With iPlayer you can watch all the programmes available on repeat from the BBC - including repeats of Eastenders, Radio 1, CBeebies, BBC2, 3 &4. The BBCi Player is very neat and easy to navigate.

Now i have this, i would even consider giving up my Sky+, although i love my Sky+ box, so it may take a bit of time!


Other bits...
This is a gadget. If you're into technology, love the latest gadet, then this is it. I had our local electronic store contacting their support centre to find out what i'm talking about. I had Sky Tech support asking me what i was talking about, so this is new. Thankfully Sony Customer Services did know what i was on about and were able to help me solve my difficulties.

So basically, a handy little, smart gadget making internet based programmes available directly to your TV with no wires needed. Not cheap, but worth the investment if you like watching films and programmes on the BBC. I am very confident that this technology will grow rapidly and i suspect there will be loads more content available very soon.


Get more info...
The Lovefilm website actually has a really good explanation of how this all works, so head there. This facility isn't available on all TVs/Blu Rays, so check your model.


In the box...
The box comes with a rather useless instruction manual and an extension cable for the Dongle. The only other thing is the Dongle itself.