LG BD 370 Network Blu-ray Disc Player by LG
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List Price: Our Price: $75.22 You Save: $174.73 (70%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Home Theater See more digital camera details and other models |
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Digital camera reviews of LG BD 370 Network Blu-ray Disc Player
Digital camera Review: A Blu-Ray player that feels complete.
Summary: 5 Stars
There may be better Blu-Ray players out there, but the trick is finding the one with the features that you're looking for, at the price you want, and for me, the BD370 just couldn't be beat.
The player design, for the most part, is extremely sleek. The drive is hidden behind an automatic door, and several controls are hidden behind a flip-down panel on the right. The Open/Eject and Play controls are located on the corners of the center panel, which also includes the Power Button (I honestly didn't even notice the buttons in the middle at first aside from Power, and I was only using my remote to open/close the tray). The one potential downside is that they placed the USB port (required for BD-Live content), behind the flip-down panel. If you're like me, and you couldn't care less for BD-Live content, it's not a big deal. However, if you are interested, then having to keep that door down could be a tad annoying (and it does hurt the overall look).
The BD370 is Profile 2.0 compatible, and it has onboard decoding for the new audio formats, including Dolby Digital+, Dolby TrueHD, and DTS-HD (should be noted that it supports DTS-HD Master Audio Essential so it doesn't decode several older DTS formats found on some DVDs). Set-up is a breeze, and the interface is simple and easy to use (did an on-line update within minutes). And not only is the player quick to start-up, but it is also extremely quiet.
Blu-Ray discs load within seconds, and they look and sound great. DVDs look great as well. I'm definitely not an extreme videophile, but as far as I'm concerned, there's not much to hate as far as video quality is concerned.
One of the main reasons I bought this player was for Netflix Instant streaming, and it definitely doesn't disappoint. I'm on a 3Mbps connection, and while the quality isn't quite up to DVD standard for the most part (my resolution is set at 1080i), it is close, and some movies actually do look as good as a DVD. Youtube works fine, and the quality is just ok, as you'd expect, but I didn't see an option to view videos in HD (some other minor options were missing as well). Hopefully it's something that could be fixed with a software update. CinemaNow access is supposed to be coming soon as well.
While there may be some quibbles with the BD370, I'd have to say that they are very, very minor. Unlike other Blu-Ray players I've tried, this one doesn't feel like a beta-product. It actually "feels" complete. I am extremely content with my purchase and I'd gladly recommend it to someone who wants a great Blu-Ray/Netflix player at a great price.
UPDATE: CinemaNow access was indeed added, however I haven't tried it myself. There have been several firmware updates since I received my player which addressed a couple of bugs, and as far as I can tell, it's pretty flawless now (no more bugs that I notice anyway). I also upgraded my DSL connection (7Mbps) and I can now view the HD content available on Netflix. HD content looks better than DVD quality, and is very clean, although there are only a few hundred titles currently available (both movies and tv shows). The one downside is that all content (SD/HD) currently offered by Netflix is presented in stereo. Not a huge drawback, but it is worth noting.
Also, as discussed below, the American version of this player doesn't support playback of video files via the USB port (audio and images only).
Digital camera Review: A Slim Fast Blu-ray Player for under $220?? Yep!
Summary: 5 Stars
I'd been waiting on the Blu-ray sidelines for a while now, watching it evolve, go through higher iterations of specifications, and did the back and forth between PS3 or Player. And could I get a decent one for less than $300?
This one deserves all the great reviews its garnered here (thank you all) and my choice of this version was justly rewarded. BD-Live, Netflix Streaming, You-Tube streaming and even CinemaNow (pay per view-Rent/Buy Movies & TV Shows/Seasons).
Set-up was a snap. Did not even need to open up the quick guide. Ethernet cable from my Powerline extension ensures that my streaming was not interrupted like what a wireless connection would (so save your money on the wireless capable BD 390 unless you have a close, rock solid wireless access point in the same room). The HDMI cable went to my TV and finally the power cable. Easy Peasy.
Powering up to ready-to-play is mercifully quick. The sleek looking informative front panel avoids the clutter of other players. (Love the blue circle power indicator glowing red when it is on)
The menuing system was really nicely laid out and simplified. The Netflix streaming has been good to excellent. And the You-Tube Streaming (Standard def only) was good and entertaining. Activation of both the Netflix and CinemaNow was simple and quick, although you need to pay CinemaNow for TV series' that you can stream for free on Hulu.
I am a newbie at the upscaling from Blu-ray so I don't have any reference but my Battlestar Galactica DVDs looked very good (maybe a bit grainy but better than soft & blurred). The one Blu-ray disk I did have had a deliberate grainy look to the production so did not help me guage how good the picture looks.
The slim and light remote (1 AAA battery included) is nicely laid out with TV controls hidden beneath a slide back panel.
Look: for a price of $[...] delivered, this represents a great value for a first time Blu-ray buyer. I would recommend this player with no reservations.
Digital camera Review: A great buy!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is my first Blu-ray player. I did tons of research on all different brands and ended up going with the LG BD 370. The Netflix and Movie options are great. Its definitely an excellent purchase for the price. I would definitely recommend this product.
Cons: The remote could definitely use some work. No wireless. I had to buy adaptors that you connect your ethernet wire into right from your modem or wireless hub then you plug it into any wall outlet (wont work plugged into a power strip) and it turns your electrical signal into a internet bridge. Then you plug another ethernet wire into you LG BD and the other end into the second adapter. Then plug the adapter into the wall and now your up and running internet to your blu-ray.
Digital camera Review: A great player for Netflix
Summary: 5 Stars
We just bought this unit on sale yesterday for $200. Our primary purpose was to have something we could use to watch Netflix on our TV as well as to replace an aging DVD player. So far it's been great. We were able to get connected to Netflix immediately - from the player you receive direction to go to the Netflix activation page. You get an activation code from the player and enter it in on the website, and that's it! The player picks up the movies in your "watch instantly" queue. Mine needed some cleanup - sometimes you add movies into your main queue and they get picked up in the "watch instantly" queue, and sometimes they don't. It looks like the player uses the same Netflix player which is better although fast-forwarding and rewinding don't work as well as they do on a DVR. For the firmware update, it took two attempts to get that working - we got hung up on the "getting the update" page. After powering off and on the update worked fine. Ironically we haven't played a Blu-Ray disk yet - I don't anticipate owning a lot of those given Netflix's service, but I did add Blu-Ray to Netflix for $4/month.
Also, the player did come with component cables, so you don't need to buy them. No HDMI cable included though. The remote is simple - only one AAA battery needed! I was able to replicate this remote with my Logitech Harmony 720 programmable remote with some customization needed. I didn't see any issues with the DVD tray. I think the styling looks great - the circle in the middle lights up "red" just for regular disks and online movies I think, supposed to be blue for Blu-Ray? I like that LG put a 800 number for service right on the unit - I would anticipate that they would be very helpful given that they're that proactive. (We had LG service done on our Plasma and they were great.) We played a regular DVD and didn't find any issues with playback, but we're not audiophiles. We figured with a Cnet editor's choice award we couldn't go wrong, and so far that's the case.
Digital camera Review: A great step up from the BD300, my favorite Blu Ray on the market right now.
Summary: 5 Stars
Of the new model year '2009' Blu Ray players, we own the LG BD370, Samsung BD-P1600, and a PS3. By far, the BD370 is the nicest for Blu Ray content. Loading is FAST and the drive is completely silent (this is not the case on the BD-P1600 by Samsung). Piano Black finish on the face is plastic, and looks good. We have found that it does not scratch easily too! The rest of the case is black-ish metal and sturdy.
One of the great things about the LG BD370 is you can customize the look of the interface on your TV. There are 4 themes and all are in high-definition. The remote on the BD370 changed from the BD300, and I feel it was a step down. It's got a faux-leather finish on it - why? No idea. The one improvement is buttons that don't get used much are hidden behind a panel on the remote.
Netflix 'Watch Instantly' is very cool and the setup is literally 30-40 seconds if you already have an account. Just after we got ours, it alerted us that a firmware update was available! It added CinemaNow - we hadn't used CinemaNow before, but a quick registration on their site and connecting was just as easy as Netflix. Rented a couple movies to try it out - VERY cool. YouTube is also available on the player and it's AWESOME. I'd easily compare it with an AppleTV, though believe it or not, the BD370 is a bit faster at searching and playing YouTube videos - it also does them in Full Screen, no problem.
One odd thing we've noticed... with Netflix and CinemaNow and YouTube we have only watched 3 or 4 movies on Blu Ray. So much other content available that this player is really a STEAL - it's a fantastic Blu Ray player (audio and video as good as you imagine it would be), but WOW is it awesome to have a player that does so much other stuff.
No wireless on this player, nor does it have built-in memory for using BD-Live. Neither of these items should be cause for concern - I haven't seen a BD-Live feature YET that has been worth while... all the good stuff is usually already on the Blu Ray disk itself.
The thing that makes it just a bit better than our Samsung BD-P1600 is the front display. The circular button assembly on the front glows a soft blue when playing Blu Ray, soft red when playing DVD, and purple on certain Netflix, YouTube, and CinemaNow video. The main display is also helpful, showing 'NETFLX', etc and most importantly, you can SEE the display (the Samsung player's display is so dim you wouldn't believe it).
For the price and feature set, I don't think there's another player I'd even consider after having used them all!