You'd be forgiven for making the jump from "LG's new Blu-ray player has a hard drive" to "LG's new Blu-ray player can rip and store your movies," but you'd definitely be wrong. Still, the BD590 has its charms.
LG's been taking networking in Blu-ray players seriously ever since introducing Netflix streaming with the BD300 in mid-2008, and basic connectivity has since become more or less an industry standard, with each generation of new players edging closer and closer to become generalized settop boxes, not just optical media players. So it makes sense, I guess, to throw some storage in there.
The BD590 touts its storage for music—it will rip CDs, at least—home/downloaded movies, and photos, all of which can be transfer either by USB or Ethernet port, though apparently not through its 802.11n Wi-Fi connection. On that note, wouldn't a NAS/Blu-ray/media center box be kind of amazing? Anyway.
DVD and Blu-ray archiving are sadly absent, though there are some pretty obvious technical and legal reasons behind that decision. (250GB isn't very much space when you're talking raw Blu-ray rips, and the only way to circumvent Blu-ray encryption is by full-on cracking it, which the MPAA could have issues with.)
The BD590's price and release date are TBD, but a $300+ price tag wouldn't be surprising, nor would a few month's wait. [LG]
Leading LG's 2010 portfolio of Network Blu-ray Disc Players is model BD590 – the only Blu-ray Disc player to feature an integrated hard drive, thereby creating a Media Library that delivers easy storage and instant playback of music, photos, personal videos and movies purchased from the VUDU service.
With its built-in 250GB hard drive, LG's BD590 enables consumers to consolidate their digital media files in a single device for exceptional high-resolution enjoyment. Consumers can quickly copy and archive their CD music collection onto the BD590 by making use of the product's MusicID® feature powered by Gracenote®.
For the first time in any home Blu-ray product, the BD590 will feature Gracenote's MusicID-Stream™, which allows consumers to hear a song playing in a movie or TV show by simply pressing a button on their remote control. Gracenote then returns rich information on the song, such as artist and genre, along with album cover art. Photos or personal videos that may have been scattered throughout the home on PCs or digital cameras can now be simply imported via the USB or Ethernet port to create a single organized library of personal memories.
Through LG's NetCast functionality, the BD590 also allows consumers to purchase movies from VUDU, with the option to stream or store movies directly on the hard drive. Consumers also will enjoy built-in Wi-Fi connectivity that allows consumers flexibility when installing a home entertainment system by connecting directly to any existing 802.11n wireless home network. Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) functionality expands entertainment options by enabling easier access to family videos and pictures stored on other DLNA-enabled systems, allowing consumers to enjoy their favorite memories on the big HDTV screen, rather than smaller computer monitors.

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