 So far, it's a winner. |
| Review Date: June 8, 2009 |
| Reviewer: SIBIE, |
And I mean, 'so far.' This is my third BD player, since my last two did not make it past one month. My first was a SONY BDP S350. After a month, it broke down (see my review on that player's Amazon page). I figured, it happens. I traded that player in for a Samsung P3600, based on rave reviews (including those of the Best Buy sales people). The Samsung did not last 24 hours! (again, see my review on that player's Amazon page). Now I started getting frustrated.
After spending enough (way too much) time on-line looking at reviews of several players on various sites, I decided to go for the LG BD390. Sadly, the Best Buy by me said it did not have this latest model. I was happily surprised to find out, when I got to the store to bring in my Samsung player, that they DID have the 390! I snatched the last box they had!
While this may all change in time (I sure hope not), based on my past BD experience, so far this player is AMAZING. Where do I start...
The owner's manual: the easiest to understand, best written I have seen in a long time.
The remote: flawless. The Sony one was too bulky. The Samsung one did not respond unless you pressed each button several times, completely directed at the player. The LG remote responds fast and is simple and to the point. It even responds when not aimed directly on the player's face!
Picture quality: No complaints either from the Sony, Samsung or LG. All were/are beautiful, using an HDMI cable on my 42 inch SONY WEGA. The LG makes connections and settings much easier to understand than the other two brands I mention. Of course, this being my third player, I can do the connections and settings almost in my sleep by now!
BD experience: So far the discs I have watched all played with no issues. Loading time is lightning speed. While I expect the other shoe to drop, based on people's reviews of just about every BD player out there, so far it has not. Considering my Samsung player died 24 hours after I bought it, I am happy that this player actually turns on still!
Sound: While the three are comparable, the LG's sound output is not only gorgeous, but it is also EASY to set up. I use a DTS/Dolby Surround 5.1 receiver and hook it up with an optical cable. Setting the player for it was easy. The Samsung, on the other hand, spoke a language of its own and I had to do some hit or miss until I got it to work with the receiver. LG gets the thumbs up.
The look of the player: flawless and smart. The player is a little large, so it has its own shelf on the entertainment module...but it almost deserves it. The buttons are on the front of the player (imagine that! Samsung's are useless ON THE TOP!), except for the ON/OFF and EJECT buttons, which are on the front/top. Still accessible from the front.
Network Connectivity: OK, so I may not be a lot of help here. The other two players were a nightmare to set up, and the Samsung's wireless was almost useless (see everyone's review on this). However, I use a wireless bridge anyway, so I simply hooked that up to the LG player's ethernet input port and, within a minute, had it all set up and running smoothly. The player was happy and so was I.
The LG player needed one update, but I do not see this as a bad thing (I wish the darn Samsung would have had several!)as updates can --usually, though not always--improve your player's performance. The Sony had 9 updates when I got it! (now THAT was not a good thing).
Netflix works great so far. Some people have complained that after an hour or so the movies will not stream any longer, or stop and then restart. This is, in my view, an internet set up issue, not the player, and LG even tells you that. They recommend a wired connection for streaming, so we can't blame them. I used to watch Netflix movies streamed wireless on my MACBOOK PRO and, every so often, that would happen. Wireless connectivity is not flawless. On the upside, Netflix let's you start the film from where you last stopped, or from the beginning. So, if the first stream should fail, try, try again! So far I have not had to. Only once, after streaming on Netflix, the player froze and I could not move around the Netflix menu. I had to force shut off the unit. The player reset itself and worked fine after that.
Netflix also keeps the movie on your queue until you manually delete it, which is great. It also saves the spot you were watching in case you have to stop the movie. Also, while not everyone likes it, I enjoy having control of my Netflix queue from my computer, not the player. I can then sit in front of my TV and have all the choices I have made earlier right there before me.
The LG does not offer PANDORA (as of yet, but I have a feeling it is coming), but it does offer YouTUBE and CinemaNow. The latter I find useless when one has Netflix. YouTube is a personal thing. I do not care for it (not to mention the YouTube video quality is usually awful on a computer screen, let alone on a 42 inch screen).
So, while I may be missing some other great things about this player, right now I am happy for one thing: IT WORKS! I may need to update this review at a later time but, for now, I can say this is the BEST BD player I have owned thus far. It works, it plays the discs, it streams Netflix and seems happy doing it all. I can also say that, if it should ever die on me, I will probably get another one of the same. I cannot say the same for the SONY or the SAMSUNG.
UPDATE:
A year later, the player is still flawless. A few updates were encountered in this time (one of the latest added VuDu). It has played EVERY disc (DVD, Blue Ray, DVD+R, DVD-R) with no issues at all. None. All played great. The Netflix streaming has also been great (and for the MAC users who have been complaining, I am a MAC user too, I just do not use Airport to connect). Considering what I put up with from the other two brands of BD Players, I would replace this one with another LG anytime! My ONLY pet peeve: the player will shut itself off after a few minutes of inactivity and there does not seem to be any way to bypass this. That's all. Not bad I'd say! A year and still going strong....
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!!Exceptional!!
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| Review Date: April 30, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Justin B. Bschleede, Madison, WI USA |
Bottom line, this is simply the best network Blu-ray player on the market. Blu-ray playback, flawless. Streaming Netflix via wireless internet connection, flawless. Any complaints are most likely user error or due to slow internet connection speed, so I have an important bit of advise to potential buyers. HD Netflix requires an internet data rate of ~8mbps. Entry level cable or DSL data rates are 5 and 3 mbps respectively. You will need to upgrade (usually costs $5-$10 per month) to stream HD Netflix. Cable users will be able to watch SD no problem at ~5mbps but SD requires about 3.5 mbps minimum, so entry level DSL users will have some problems streaming SD Netflix. Some DSL service is only 1.5mbps which is well, silly.
One more note: I am a Mac user and I can connect the BD390 to the internet and run all the available applications advertised just fine. The only thing you can't do is route iTunes directly from your computer to your TV via the BD390, which you don't really need if you use Netflix. Not a deal breaker. |
I was blown away with this Player!!!! OMG
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| Review Date: April 22, 2009 |
| Reviewer: K. Aglione, Johnston, RI United States |
This player is unbelievable. You can stream all of your Video, Music, and Pictures wireless from your PC with the included Nero software. The WiFi is built in no need for a wireless dongle - sorry Samsung - LOL.
The menus are easy to use and fun. It is like having a second computer in my living room. I love this player so much that I am going to buy the extended warranty today so that nothing happens to it. I am an electronics geek. I have had the samsung 1600, 3600, and LG BD370. This one takes the cake. I don't care that I paid full price. I would have paid another $150 for this unit. Trust me you WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED! I am in love with this unit. LG you blew me away with this player.
I have been having so much fun with this unit I can't explain. Do your selves a favor and buy this unit. You can respond to my review and I guarantee you will agree. |
Very, very nice
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| Review Date: May 2, 2009 |
| Reviewer: P. Carpenter, |
I bought this unit from a local retailer and had high hopes for it. So far, all my expectations have been met. Although I have a network connection at my TV, I decided to go the wireless route since I did not have a spare LAN cable handy. I entered in the SID of my wireless-N router (it is not broadcast), entered my WPA2 (AES) code, and the unit acquired an IP address without any issue. I then went to the Netflix setup on the BD390, where it provided me with a code to enter on the Netflix website. I entered that number via my laptop and bingo, I could watch any instant movies already in my Netflix queue. The YouTube was just as easy; I entered my account name and password, and my favorites showed up. On my Windows XP desktop, I ran the Nero MediaHome 4 CD that came with the BD390 and installed the UPnP server. It took forever to index 20 GB of music but now that is also available on the Home Media network icon on the BD390. One interesting thing is that the BD390 also found my DirecTV HD DVR. It could list all the shows I stored on that unit but unfortunately could not play them. So far, we have played regular DVDs and the picture on my Samsung LCD (1080p) has been fantastic. I used an HDMI connection to the Samsung TV and an optical connection to my Onkyo AVR. Sounds great. I have yet to try a Blu Ray disk but I just added Blu Ray to my Netflix subscription and look forward to that. Also, via the setup menu, you can check for firmware upgrades, which I did. All set there.
Pros: Easy menu. Easy to set up. Supports hidden WiFi SIDs (WEP, WPA, WPA2, AES and TKIP security options). Fast loading (faster than my Onkyo DVD player). Access to home media files on a PC. Netflix. YouTube. Can connect my 2 TB Western Digial Mirror drive via the USB.
Cons: No USB in the back. Ejected DVDs are really hot.
Wish list: Pandora music (maybe in a future firmware upgrade). Ability to browse instant Netflix titles and add to my queue.
As you can see, the pros greatly outweigh the cons. Get this one over the Samsung 3600 and you will not be disappointed. |
Great Buy!
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| Review Date: May 21, 2009 |
| Reviewer: J. Barker, North Carolina |
| First, let me state that I am not an expert. Just an average consumer. I just received this player about two weeks ago. It shipped quickly and was in perfect condition on arrival. Set up was easy and I had no problems. I was able to connect to my wireless network easily. I just entered my password and it connected. I have it connected to a SONY KDL-40S4100 40 inch LCD HD TV. The Blue-Ray discs load quickly (about the same amount of time it took for my regular DVD player to load). Image quality is incredible with the blue ray discs and my old DVDs look a lot better on this player. I have a slow DSL connection but I don't have any problem playing YouTube videos and Netflix movies. My connection is too slow for HD movies or cinema now movies. I will probably upgrade my DSL. I would highly recommend this player based on ease of use and quality of the images. |
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