Using your Blu-ray player to stream online video

You might think in these days of streaming video, your Blu-ray player is out of date - but Think again!

Consumer Reports tested 19 players that cost between $250 and $65.

Elias Arias of Consumer Reports says, "Most of the newest Blu-ray players offer lots of the same streaming services as you'll find on a dedicated streaming device."

Those can include Vudu, Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video, YouTube, and a host of others.

Many players have interfaces that are easy to use and built-in Wi-Fi, so you don't have to run a wire to connect with your home network.

But the real appeal - in addition to streaming, you can play discs, including DVDs, CDs, and Blu-ray discs.

Arias says, "Our tests show that Blu-ray discs provide simply the best possible HD picture quality you can get, without any of the buffering that you might get from Internet streaming services."

Consumer Reports says one Blu-ray player to consider is a $150 Samsung. It has a built-in Web browser and supports a USB keyboard and mouse - handy when you search for titles.

Another plus: it can "upscale" standard high-def movies to 4K resolution, a bonus if you have an ultra high-definition TV.

For far less, Consumer Reports recommends this LG player. It offers very good performance but no Web browser or 4K upscaling. At $85, it's a Consumer Reports Best Buy.

Another tip from Consumer Reports: Different Blu-ray players support different streaming services, so consider the content you want to stream and make sure you choose a Blu-ray player that can access that provider.