Blu-Ray Player - Internet???

I was looking a Blu-Ray players yesterday and the salesman told me that it is a must that the player be Internet (LAN) capable.. Was he blowing smoke as I thought the only thing they did was play Blu-Ray disks for a 1080p TV. Internet??? Why??? he couldn't answer that question for me other than I should not buy one that is not INET Capable..

You only need internet capabilities with BD players IF you want to access the BD-Live features that may be on a BD disc you watch.

I have been underwhelmed so far with BD-Live features so far, but hope one day they come up with good features for it. But if you never look at extras and only watch the movie then you do not need a BD-Live (Profile 2.0) player.

The salesperson was dead wrong. What they were probably referring to was the profile of the player. All profile 2.0 players must have an internet connection to take advantage of the extras that come with some discs. BD-Live is the common one. Me old profile one BD player has played every BD disc tossed it's way, it just won't play or perform some of the added functions. If you are buying a new player, it would be a good idea to go with a 2.0 if you have any interest in watching the add-ons (commentary, fluff,etc.). If you just watch the movie,,,profile one works just fine.

I would add that they no longer mfg profile 1.0 players (no PiP or BD-Live) and only make Profile 1.1 (has PiP, but no BD-Live) & 2.0 which does it all.

Do they even make players that aren't internet capable anymore?

But no, it's not necessary, but Blu Ray players are becoming much more than disc players. The Samsung I have allows me to stream Netflix, rent movies from Blockbuster, listen to Pandora radio, watch You Tube, access BD-live features and stream music & video from my PC. All via the internet connection.

It's also easier to keep the firmware updated if you've got an internet connection.