Reddit reviews Samsung BD-F5100 Blu-ray Disc Player (2013 Model)
We found 4 Reddit comments about Samsung BD-F5100 Blu-ray Disc Player (2013 Model). Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Full HD 1080p Blu-ray Disc playbackAccess content from Netflix, Pandora, and YoutubeHDMI and Coaxial Digital Audio Outputs
They won't. You could look in to a blu-ray player. I got this one. It plays files from a flash drive or external hardrive and supports subtitle files. Really simple too. Literally, plug in and browse for the file you want to play. I primarily use mp4 and mkv files, and I'm a little disappointed it doesn't support avi.
I'm going to be the odd voice here and suggest a blu-ray player. This doesn't exactly fit OP's specifications because it doesn't do Hulu Plus, but maybe someone else will find this useful.
The good:
At $68 it is a little cheaper than a Roku.
Streams content from other devices on your network with DLNA.
(Serviio on Windows, MiniDLNA on Linux, Skifta on Android, haven't used Plex)
Streams Netflix just fine. Supports Pandora and Youtube too.
Plays Bluray.
Plays .MKV just fine over DLNA (which my Xbox360 used to just error out on).
The bad:
Navigating the UI with the remote is a little sluggish. There's a consistent and predictable delay of about a second between pressing a button and seeing an onscreen response. It was a little irritating at first but I don't even notice it anymore.
It doesn't seem to advertise itself on my network as a DLNA playback device. I have to browse media using the remote, I can't just fling a stream at it and have it play.
Overall, this little box serves me well and I don't regret the little I paid for it.
EDIT: Found the box for my unit, and the Walmart version has a different model number - BD-FM51. Still $68.
Pretty much any Blu-Ray player is going to have access to Netflix built in. For instance, here's a $35 Sony on Amazon that has Netflix built in.
You'll need to have ethernet to the player, or the Roku if you decide to go that route.
Some will have wireless built in but you really want to have it wired, especially if you want to watch HD content. Stringing ethernet isn't that difficult.
He'll have to spend an additional $100 to do so. He's better off buying a dedicated Blu-Ray player for about $70.