We remember a time when Toshiba was adamantly against entering the Blu-ray market. Thankfully, the company came to its senses, because otherwise we wouldn't have the four new players now showing at the 2013 International CES.
However, the company doesn't want you to call these beauties Blu-rays players, instead opting to create a whole new category known as the Media Box with Blu-ray Disc layer capabilities.
With this new title comes new features, such as built-in WiFi, as well as an open web browser and the option for Miracast. The latter basically means that users can display video between devices, all without cables or even a network connection. Of course, there are also apps -- plenty of them. The 2013 models will have out-of-the-box access to YouTube, Netflix, VUDU, CinemaNow, Hulu Plus and Pandora.
If all of that isn't enough, Toshiba is throwing in the perk of Cloud TV. This newly announced technology allows users to share photos and other content, play games, and more, all through the cloud, of course.
Of course, all four of the players will not have all of the above options. The BDX2400 is a basic Blu-ray player with server access, with the BDX3400 adding in built-in WiFi and the Miracast feature. The BDX5400 has all of the above features, but adds in 3D playback. And finally the BDX6400 has well... everything. This top-of-the-line model has the server access, the open browser, the built-in WiFi, the Miracast, the 3D playback and 4K upconversion.
At this point, Toshiba hasn't announced pricing for any of the new "media box" players. However, those players are expected to start popping up in stores sometime in March.
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