Friday, April 30, 2010

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I like home theater. I just don't have the money to dabble very much and when I do spend money I expect value in the form of performance. This unit has exceeded all my high expectations.

We have a 60" display and a very capable Onkyo AV receiver that can fully utilize the highest audio output capabilities of this unit. The unit is capable of outputting Dolby TrueHD, Digital Plus and DTS-HD Mater Audio, depending on the source material. As for the video quality it was absolutely stunning. The finest details are quite clear and it does make one want to upgrade old DVD's into Blu-Ray's when the wallet allows that to occur. However, the video upscaling of old DVD's is also exceptional and I say that after having had an Oppo upscaling DVD player which has now been sold to someone else.

I do have a word of caution. For the very best audio capacity to be realized the owner must have a suitable AV receiver to realize that capability and that means HDMI. If you don't have a receiver which will input and output HDMI you can use Component video and either digital coax or digital optical outputs to get very nice DTS or Dolby Digital sound, but you will not get the top quality that this unit offers.

We upgraded our home theater and added this unit and an upgraded AV receiver at the same time and the results were stunning and that is part of the message I am sending. For this unit to deliver its best result it must be paired with a fully capable receiver.

The unit is also capable of streaming Netflix and Cinema Now, neither of which I currently subscribe to. It also will stream You Tube. For this capability the unit will need to be hooked to your home computer network via either it's onboard wireless capability or eathernet cable. I am using ethernet. One more thing. If you do indeed hook this unit up to you home network that will allow the unit to easily obtain upgrades to its firmware as they are released. That process is very simple if the unit is part of the home network.

In closing I reiterate the WOW! review and also say that the unit has passed the famous wife test.Get more detail about LG BD 390 Network Blu-ray Disc Player.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

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The LG BD-390 is a very good Blu-ray DVD player and much more. Overall I am very pleased with this player, with most of my complaints are a result of the remote.

Network setup for a wired network was quick and painless, pretty much plug and play. When you first hook it up and power it on it gets an IP from your router and is aware of the world around it. The software update process is straight forward and should be done frequently.

DVD and Blu-ray playback have thus far been flawless. I am using the component (YPbPr) out into a 42" 1080i plasma and I cannot say enough about picture quality, it is great. It gives me none of those annoying split second pauses during playback that I used to get on my old DVD player. After the third time in for repair the manufacturer gave up on it and scrapped it out.

As others have stated the tray feels a little flimsy, but the effects of that fact remain to be seen. If it causes a problem I will make appropriate revisions.

The built-in NetFlix user interface is without peer, the 'watch instantly' list is easy to navigate and includes cover art. It does take a bit of time to load with 90+ entries, but is tolerable. The episodes of TV seasons show up in folders and will play in order if properly named.

A really nice feature of the of the 'My Media' video function is that it will play episodes in order based on the file names. The convention I had been using for file names was 'Series Name S??E?? Episode Name' as in 'Sanctuary S01E01 Pilot'. It understands the format and will play episodes in order for me. Playback of HD content over a wired network is flawless, I cannot speak to wireless though.

There is a limitation of 2000 files and directories on the 'My Media' music feature, this is buried fairly deeply in the manual and I wasted quite a bit of time fighting this 'feature'. If you limit the number of files the BD-390 can 'see' on the server it works well, complete with cover art.

TV Power button on the remote is very limited, it can only be programmed with 9 different codes, for LG, Zenith, GoldStar, Samsung, Sony and Hitachi TVs. Rather a disappointment. The cover for the numeric area on the remote is VERY difficult to open.Get more detail about LG BD 390 Network Blu-ray Disc Player.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

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I've been waiting for a blu-ray player that has Netflix capability with wi-fi, and this one delivers. It's relatively easy to set up, and quite straight-forward to use. The video quality on a 1080p screen is spectacular, and the ability to stream content from Netflix, without the hassle of running cables is what got me to buy this now, rather than wait for the inevitable price drops.
If, like me, you're not tremendously tech-capable, allow a few hours to sort out all the set up. I had trouble getting the wi-fi to connect, but it all worked as advertised.Get more detail about LG BD 390 Network Blu-ray Disc Player.

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

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I purchased this unit for Amazon and could not be happier. It is a top quality product and works as advertised. I am seriously impressed with the Netflix streaming video feature. For once I feel my Netflix membership is worth the money. I am using the unit wirelessly and it works flawlessly for me. Of course an HDMI hookup is the only way to go. PS: The HDMI cable is not included so you'll have to buy one.

Edited after a couple of months of usage: I am still glad I purchased this unit and really enjoy the streaming Netflix feature. I do have an issue with the unit not being able to locate and connect to my wireless router at times. I find this unusal as it sits 25 feet away??? I'm not sure if it's the player or my router but it is a pain.Get more detail about LG BD 390 Network Blu-ray Disc Player.

Monday, April 26, 2010

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I received this player as a gift for fathers day(I'm Sara's dad). I am very satisfied with it, except for one area. The picture quality is great. Set up was easy and straight forward. Connecting it to my home theater system was simple. The remote is easy to use. However...the wireless internet connection does not work. I have fiber optic internet service, and use a D Link gaming router. The house is large, but anyone's laptop will work anywhere in the house. The dvd player will not recognize the internet signal. This wireless capability was one of the reasons this player was selected. So I would have to say that I am not satisfied with this feature.
Get more detail about LG BD 390 Network Blu-ray Disc Player.

Sunday, April 25, 2010

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I purchased based on the "network" connectivity and supposed USB functionality.

I wanted a Blu Ray device that could handle MKV and other Blu Ray encoded file types.

The "network" connectivity only gives you access to something called BD-Live, netflix and some new Cinema thingy - none of which I would ever use.

Other than that the "internet" capabilities of this device are non-existent.

The USB port allows you to view pictures, listen to music or play supplemental material downloaded for some discs ONLY.

You cannot load video files onto the USB and play them - I confirmed this with LG.

Basically this is a generic BluRay **DISC** player with a few marginal features thrown in but worded to make it sound like it is some sort of media device - it most definitely is not...
Get more detail about LG BD 390 Network Blu-ray Disc Player.

Saturday, April 24, 2010

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I started off researching at Amazon, buy.com and CNET. CNET's review was highly influential. I bought it because in addition to blu-ray and having built in wireless it replaces two other devices I had in my stereo cabinet, a Roku player and a D-link media streamer. My only concern buying it was that I would have to install the Nero software on my PC. I like using windows media server which the D-link could use so I can use my playlists. After the initial setup I went into My Media it found my windows server and it works great - no nero! The only slight issue I had was that it didn't play well with my Trendnet wireless-g router. It connected fine, but had a bottle neck and the Netflix quality wasn't as good as it should have been. Fixed that with a Belkin Wireless N+ 802.11n Router (Black). Last minor complaint is the remote does have to be pointed directly at the unit. I do need to try using a quality battery instead of the cheap one that ships with it, but so far no complaints about the range.

The boot time is fine and is a lot faster than my brother's old sony. I really like the up conversion on regular DVDs; didn't think it would make that much of a difference, but it does. It closing it is a great looking unit, very user friendly, intuitive and worth every penny. [...]Get more detail about LG BD 390 Network Blu-ray Disc Player.

Friday, April 23, 2010

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After reading a lot of reviews good and bad on different sites I decided to get this player. Have had it for about 2 weeks and like its functionality. Plays bluray discs fine and the PQ is excellent even with regular DVD's. I also like the wireless network function. Had no problems connecting to my network. Loaded the Nero software but also have Playon on my computer. Saw both server software's. Joined Netflix and have been streaming movies and shows without a hitch and the picture looks very good on my plasma. Also like the you tube feature. Watch a lot of concerts on it and with the picture kept small it looks good and sounds good on most videos. If you go full screen the quality may suffer. With any product at some point there will be an issues but so far so good with this player.Get more detail about LG BD 390 Network Blu-ray Disc Player.

Thursday, April 22, 2010

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I've only had this for a week, but one reason I bought it was because I'd seen online somewhere that this thing would play an ipod nano w/out a dock. This is NOT the case. When I plug the ipod into the front usb port, it shows around 15 folders of my Ipod mp3 files under the Music section (I have 5G total of files on my ipod) and those files it shows do play OK through the BD390. However, it never showed the rest of the folders/files. The Ipod said "Do not disconnect" and stayed that way for several hours until I finally gave up and disconnected it anyway.

I contacted LG after this experience and they confirmed that the ipod software doesn't work with the BD390. Guess I have to buy a dock... Just an FYI for those who may have read what I did about ipod compatibility with this device. If you plug in a simple flash drive with music, that should work fine, but again, the Ipod didn't, at least for me.

FWIW, I tried the Netflix and Youtube functionality over the wireless, and they were flawless.Get more detail about LG BD 390 Network Blu-ray Disc Player.

Wednesday, April 21, 2010

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The reviews were right. So far, I have just used the basic DVD functions without any issues. It has been a nice upgrade to the home theater system; I see the Youtube menu, but haven't had time to play. The 4 titles I bought to replace my "standard" DVDs all look great. Set up was easy.

When I start taxing the beast, I'll decide if it's a 5 star. Get more detail about LG BD 390 Network Blu-ray Disc Player.

Tuesday, April 20, 2010

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Everything that I read about this device turned out to be absolutely correct. It's a wonderfully sleek and well designed Blu-ray player, with plenty of outputs, nice interface, and a seamless wi-fi connection. I've ended up using the Netflix service more than the Blu-ray player, and I've been able to hook it up to my computer and play all sorts of computer files.

The only, slight complaint I can levy against it is the CinemaVision/Youtube components. I don't find either of them very useful, especially since its so hard to find anything watchable on Youtube anymore, and the 'rental' prices of CinemaVision are a little high.

Otherwise, this is a great product.Get more detail about LG BD 390 Network Blu-ray Disc Player.

Monday, April 19, 2010

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This DVD Player is great and for details on how good it is, look at the other reviews on Amazon. The purpose of my review is to help people who purchase this player and own a DLink DIR655 router. Most likely, you will find that you can't run Netflix or YouTube videos over the wireless connection. I was very frustrated trying to get the wireless interent to work on this DVD Player. I kept thinking the signal was weak. After wasting a day trying to get it to work, I went online looking for a solution. After checking everything I could find, I discovered what needed to be done. My router had firmware version 1.21. The LG BD390 won't work with the DLink DIR655 via wireless if your router has this version or older of firmware. You will have to upgrade to version 1.31. (Warning: Once you upgrade to 1.31, you can't go back down to 1.21 and some people have claimed it has problems. But I've only seen an improvement in my router). Follow DLink's instructions on upgrading your firmware. You'll have to reset your modem and then put your settings back like you had them. After upgrading to v1.31, a new feature will be added called "SecureSpot". You'll have to log into your router and in the menu under "Advanced", disable "SecureSpot", then save your settings. After doing this on my router, I retried connecting to Netflix and it worked flawlessly. So did YouTube. I noticed too, that the signal strength indicator on the LG menu, now showed full strength instead of only half, as it had previously. So yes, the LG BD390 will work with the DLink DIR655 but you may have to do a little work if the firmware is outdated. Hope this helps all the frustrated DLink DIR655 users!Get more detail about LG BD 390 Network Blu-ray Disc Player.

Sunday, April 18, 2010

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I purchased the LG BD 390 Blu-ray Disc Player in early June, 2009. After researching the various brands and models of Blu-ray players available, I decided on the LG BD 390. My decision was based primarily on reviews I read on Amazon, and other online reviews sites I visited. I ordered this unit from Amazon, and it was received without a hitch, as has been my experience with other items I have purchased from Amazon over the years.
I have utilized this player only for viewing Blu-ray and standard DVD discs. I have not activated any of the online options, such as Netflix, at this time. The quality of the Blu-ray video and audio experience on this player, is, in a word, superb. Standard DVD discs also play very well. I use an HDMI cable to connect the LG player to an Onkyo AV Receiver, which allows me to receive DTS audio and, of course, 1080p video on a plasma flat screen TV. The technology we have today, is very impressive in terms of the entire viewing and listening experience, and thus far, I am very pleased with the performance of the LG BD 390 disc player in my system. Get more detail about LG BD 390 Network Blu-ray Disc Player.

Saturday, April 17, 2010

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Like others, I had a problem with sound synchronization on some (not all) blu-ray discs. There was no such problem when I played the same discs in my PS3. On some discs, I had to try several times to get them to load - no problem with the PS3. I bought the 390 because of its ability to bitstream 7.1 Dolby and DTS-HD to my Onkyo receiver (PS3 can only send 7.1 PCM DTS-HD). I wanted to give the decoding circuitry in the receiver a chance to do its thing (although theoretically, there shouldn't be much of a difference in sound quality). The 390 does indeed bitstream both codecs. The built in wireless is a very neat feature - it's fun to be able to listen to music or view photos that are on my big computer upstairs. Online Netflix movies sounds like a good idea but the current poor quality of the picture and sound (on any streaming device) make this feature valueless to me. Bottom line: the occasional sound sync and loading problems make this machine a 'don't buy now.'Get more detail about LG BD 390 Network Blu-ray Disc Player.

Friday, April 16, 2010

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This player does not work with Mac products, including Airport. I called LG customer service six times, and finally I talked to someone who said it is not Mac compatible, but their engineers are working on a patch and she will call me back. This was 2 weeks ago; still waiting. I am returning the player to Amazon.Get more detail about LG BD 390 Network Blu-ray Disc Player.

Thursday, April 15, 2010

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I am going to skip over the review of the BD and DVD playback features (which are both excellent, by the way) and get to the point right away. So here it goes:

NetFlix Streaming
This is where this player shines. Yes, its not perfect; selections are still limited; audio is still two channel; movies can't be added to your queue on the fly; rewinding and ff is still a bit awkward...but boy you certainly get the feeling that you are witnessing the end of the DVD era. Picture quality in my opinion is at least as good as DVDs if not better. And most importantly, there is no so called "Netflix guilt" involved (you know what I am talking about - you watch "Step Brothers" which just came in today while "kite runner" sits on the shelf for a month unwatched). No such problems here. Fifteen minutes into a movie you realize its not your thing, you move on. There is always something else.

YouTube
This was the big feature which made me trade my Panasonic BD player for this one. But unfortunately once the novelty of watching YouTube on big screen wore off (in about 15 minutes), it was just not worth the effort to "search" for new and fun things to watch. The search metaphor robs you of the most common entry into the YouTube world - a link. Without a link to click on, the instant gratification part of YouTube is gone. Awkwardly searching YouTube using a virtual keyboard with a remote feels like work. Obviously some kind of voice enabled search technology (possibly with a tiny microphone integrated with the remote itself) is what will make this work. Hey, wait a minute - did I just give LG the next big user interface idea?

myMedia
Alright, this one is a great idea really gone bad. If you have ever played with Apple TV, Windows Media Extenders (XBox 360 is one), or Sonos, you know this implementation is a non-starter. The strict folder based browsing of pictures or music is tiresome. No playlist support; no alternate browsing by album or rating or genre; no ability to search for new music - thanks, but no thanks. LG, please go back and try again (or look at Sonos for inspiration).

Don't get me wrong. This is a great machine - just needs a bit more polish.
Get more detail about LG BD 390 Network Blu-ray Disc Player.

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

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Solid Blu Ray performance. Netflix streaming in minutes. Easy setup and great quality. solid performer. Get more detail about LG BD 390 Network Blu-ray Disc Player.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

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This is my first blu-ray player and I couldn't be more pleased. I am not at all technically adept but set up was very simple and straight forward. I had to get a new router and upgrade my ISP to take better advantage of Netflix and YouTube. With my faster router and more bandwidth, the picture quality for instant downloads from Netflix is very good as is YouTube. They also offer a pay per view service called CinemaNow which I don't use since I have Netflix. Discs load quickly and play very well, blu-ray disks, of course, are most clear and crisp. Amazon shipped very quickly.Get more detail about LG BD 390 Network Blu-ray Disc Player.

Monday, April 12, 2010

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Out of the box this player gave the message NO DISK with Blu Ray and DVDs. It also recognised my network once and then never again (despite resetting router etc). Customer support was worse than useless: the telephone support gave up after telling me to unplug it. The online support recommended cleaning the disks and connecting directly to the TV. I pointed out that the NO DISK message was obviously obtained with or without the TV and that, as I had already noted, I had tried 8 different Blu Rays and DVDs, most of which were fresh out of their packaging. Did they really think that all 8 were so dirty that they would not play? To add insult to injury the only redress offered by support was to send the player to LG for diagnosis! And then wait to hear from them. Thank heavens for Amazon, this piece of junk goes back tomorrow.Get more detail about LG BD 390 Network Blu-ray Disc Player.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

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Amazing blu ray player. My waiting and research paid off. You can't go wrong with this player. The connection was easy to my 50" Panasonic Viera Plasma and the wireless connection considering I am just a novice. My LG BD390 output were all 1080p resolutions on my Blu Ray disk, regular DVD disk and my Netflix streaming video.
All my regular DVD's resolutions output were excellent almost close to blu ray disk quality. In addition, the resolutions of my Netflix streaming video even bested by regular DVD resoulutions. LG BD390 automatically adjust to its highest resolution when watching the Netflix streaming video which is a plus. Trust me, you can't go wrong with this player. Nobody does it better, you will just feel sad for the rest of other blu ray players. I don't have any issues and I highly recommend to own it.




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Saturday, April 10, 2010

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I wasn't sure about buying this product but the wireless capabilities make it easy to watch movies on-line without worrying about long cables. LG makes great products. If you're buying a Blu-ray player, this is the one to buy especially if you have a home wireless network. It's worth the price.Get more detail about LG BD 390 Network Blu-ray Disc Player.

Friday, April 9, 2010

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I really wasn't even looking for a Blu-ray player, but I needed a DVD player and didn't see the logic in paying money for outmoded technology when for more, quite a bit more though, I could get Blu-ray and Netflix streaming. I'm very glad I made the decision to spend the extra money.

It came down to two players for me, the Samsung BD-P1600 or the LG. I decided to go with the LG BD 390 because, unlike the Samsung, it has built in wireless b/g/n and 1GB of memory. On the Samsung you have to buy a wireless dongle and a flash USB drive for memory.

The LG is very nicely styled with only 6 buttons on the front of the unit, the playback controls that light up in blue and power and tray open/close buttons on the top edge. The display on the front of the player is very bright and fairly large. It's very easy to see. I also like the fact that when you press a button on the remote a little indicator lights up in the display to let you know. This way you don't wonder whether the player didn't get the command or if it's something you cannot do in the current mode. The remote is a decent size and has a logical button layout (see photo).

Picture quality on my 32" 720p LCD TV is great. Blu-ray discs and regular DVDs look flawless. Additionally, when you take out a disc you haven't finished watching and put it back in later, even if you've turned the player off, it will start up where you left off, nice. Netflix streams in very high quality (up to 720p HD) over my cable high-speed network. The Netflix activation process is very simple as well. My wireless router is an Apple AirPort Extreme with WPA security and the LG wirelessly linked up with it easily. You can also access YouTube, CinemaNow, and a local media server with the LG. Of these, I've only tried the YouTube player and found it worked well. Finally, updates for the player's software can be easily downloaded over the wireless network through the set-up menu.

The connections on the rear are very comprehensive and included HDMI, Component and Composite video, Digital and Optical audio, and 7.1 surround sound outputs. There is also an Ethernet port if you prefer to use the player on a wired network.

The only negative I have about the LG is that the remote is quite cheesy in construction and does not feel up to the caliber of a player of this cost. Also the player itself sounds a little strained when the drawer opens and closes. I'm hoping that this is not a sign of bad things to come.

All in all...Blu-ray, plus a seamless Netflix experience, all wrapped up in a stylish box.

Note to Apple AirPort Extreme users: Someone read my review and contacted me saying that they were not able to get the LG to wirlessly connected to their AirPort, what was I doing differently? Well after some playing around with the AirPort Extreme's settings I came to the conclusion that the LG will only connect to the AirPort when the wireless mode is either 802.11n only (2.4GHz), 802.11n (802.11b/g compatible), or 802.11n (a compatible). The 802.11n only (5GHz) setting WILL NOT WORK with the LG. I've included a photo of said setting.

08/28/2009 Update: If you have the LG hooked up to your network it will automatically tell you when a software update is available. Nice touch.Get more detail about LG BD 390 Network Blu-ray Disc Player.

Thursday, April 8, 2010

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The BD390 does not work with the Apple Airport router. So no ability to stream Netflix. Worse, the company has no plans to offer a solution to the customers who have already bought the BD390 thinking they can stream Netflix. Poor support.Get more detail about LG BD 390 Network Blu-ray Disc Player.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

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This is a great unit. I bought it in spite of the fact that several people here said that it does not play nice with Apple routers. I have two routers at home, one for an 802.11b/g network and an Airport Extreme for my 802.11n network. Sure enough, when I set up the BD390 it could "see" my Verizon FiOS Actiontec router but not my Airport. I emailed and called LG. Both times I was told that the unit did not support Apple products. Then I saw a review here by Anthony Pantliano who said his unit connected to his Airport out of the box. So I emailed him. Together we discovered that the BD390 will connect to the AirPort but only when the wireless mode is either 802.11n only (2.4GHz), 802.11n (802.11b/g compatible), or 802.11n (a compatible). The 802.11n only (5GHz) setting WILL NOT WORK with the LG. So, problem solved. So far I'm very happy with the unit. NetFlix streaming is much better than I expected. The picture is outstanding on my 56" Samsung DLP. Get more detail about LG BD 390 Network Blu-ray Disc Player.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

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As soon as I received this Lg player I put in a blu-ray in and the picture was grainy to me and I have a Panasonic at home and the picture is amazing and so I continued and put a standard dvd in and what a mess the lg was very poor picture and the other player upscaled much better. So I was not to impressed and returned the same day I got in the mail. Though the Netflix was nice to have which panasonic does not have.Get more detail about LG BD 390 Network Blu-ray Disc Player.

Monday, April 5, 2010

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Used it for a couple of weeks. A bit slower to load than I like, but minor. The menu's are good, sound and picture are phenom. If you must buy a bluray player, you should really consider this one Get more detail about LG BD 390 Network Blu-ray Disc Player.

Sunday, April 4, 2010

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This LG BD 390 Network Blu-ray disc player does what it says with excellent picture quality and streaming of Net Flix. I found it was very easy to set up and get connected to my wireless connection. From time to time it will stop the Net Flix movie to adjust to the networks connection speed to optimize performance however that is not too distracting as it takes less than a minute and does not happen too often. Other than that I have enjoyed it.Get more detail about LG BD 390 Network Blu-ray Disc Player.

Saturday, April 3, 2010

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Based on several weeks of reading online reviews from multiple sources I settled on the LG BD390. My major requirements were finding a player that streamed Netflix, has top-notch image quality, and loaded Blu-Ray discs quickly. Found it!

In less than 10 minutes I turned on the player and configured it on my network. It found the network and I entered the WEP Key - bingo - online. I then downloaded the latest software update. It took about 15 minutes to download, but completed and installed successfully.

After updating the software I went to Netflix in the menu and it gave me an activation code which I then entered on the Netflix website. 10 seconds later, activation was complete. I put Die Hard in my Watch Instantly queue, ran back to the TV, and like magic, Die Hard appeared in my Netflix movie list. Hit play and it started streaming within 15 seconds. Couldn't ask for this to be any easier!

Next I loaded Pirates of the Carribean on Blu-Ray and within 20 seconds the video playback began - completely tolerable (and better than I expected!). Picture quality is solid, sound is great (pushing it thru a Denon 7.1 receiver), and the menu system is slick and easy to use. I haven't even opened the manual.

Easy, fast, high-quality video, and a great Amazon price. VERY pleased!Get more detail about LG BD 390 Network Blu-ray Disc Player.

Friday, April 2, 2010

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2009 has been a great year for Blue Ray players. Finally Blue ray players have come down substantiality in price and more importantly to me, have finally gotten fast. There was no way I was gonna get a player that took 1-4 minutes to play a blue ray disk. Fast play times and solid picture quality, were my priorities, and IMO there are four solid choices this year. The Lg BD390, Samsung BD-P3600, JVC XVBP1 and Oppo BDP-83 are all great fast players and all worthy of consideration.
All of these players are fast, generally within seconds of each other speed wise, and all offer great picture quality for both standard DVD's and Blue ray.
I choose the 390 in part due to good reviews and the fact the I got an LG TV. The 390, looks nice, and features some great menus that are color and easy to use. The player is fast and will play a standard DVD in about 10 seconds or less, and an average blue ray in 20 seconds or less. This is also the only blue ray player with a built in wifi tuner and the only one to use the wireless N standard, versus the slower G. You can also hook it up directly through an ethernet cable, which is how I did it.
You can plug your flash drive into the usb port, for vids, pics and mp3s. Pictures and music worked fine, but I've yet to be able to play any vids, and that's one of the knocks I have against this player. This other is not including a second usb port in back, to allow the flash drive to remain plugged in, like the Samsung and Oppo player do.
The biggest flaw of this unit is the remote, which is one of the worst I've seen for any product. It's adequate for just using the 390, but completely sucks otherwise. Too many of the buttons are small, and there is no backlighting. Worst of all is the bottom part that slides down, with difficultly, to review a bunch of tiny TV buttons that are way too small and cramped together to use. You would not want to use this remote for your TV.
Flaws aside, this is one of the fastest players, has good picture quality, good easy to use color menus, sports an ethernet and usb port, a built in wifi tuner, and features Netflix, Cinemnow and Youtube.
My first choice though was actually the 3600. It can be had for about $50 cheaper then the 390 and I like the slim profile and sleek glossy black look better then the other 3 players. The Samsung also features two usb ports, one in front and in back. The back one is useful for either plugging in the wifi dongle or a flash drive, for pics, vids, and mp3s. The Samsung also features, Netflix and Pandora. Unfortunately Samsung has a history of problems every year with its Blue Ray players, and there are a number of complaints about problems connecting wirelessly and disk compatibility issues.
The XVBP1 is a good player, and very similar to the LG without the wireless, and the Netflix, Cinemanow, Youtube. This player actually looks quite similar to the 390 and even features similar menus, though not as good. The XVP1 is about 200 cheaper and if you don't care about wireless and Netflix, this is a solid fast player and a great buy.
The Oppo is of course the videophiles player, and the best player for both Blue Ray and standard DVD's, with it's Anchor Bay processing. It plays the most formats, and also features 2 usb ports like the Samsung. It doesn't however include wireless, or features like Netflix and it costs about 200 more.

UPDATE 9/5/2009- I have yet to be able to play videos of any format from my flash drive using the USB port. Despite menus indicating it will play videos, the feature either doesn't work as advertised or is extremely limited in function. Pictures and mp3s still work fine.
The remote is so frustrating I would drop this review to 4 stars, especially since the Samsung and Oppo units have far superior ergonomic remotes. The Oppo remote is also backlit. I haven't seen JVC's remote.
So far the 390 has only glitched once on a disc, by not letting me choose between the different episodes. The problem quickly corrected itself.
None of the players I mentioned have a built in TV tuner, and I'm not sure any Blue Ray players do; which is a little disappointing cause my old DVD and VHS players both had them.
The 390 for some reason does not always hold it's place when you stop or pause the DVD. I'm not sure why, but you will have to start over half the time. The unit automatically turns off after a short time, if you aren't watching anything. The simpulink function is nice if you have an LG TV, as it will automatically switch inputs for you. However, this can also be a little bit of an annoyance if you wanted to put in the DVD, but not watch it immediately.
I updated the firmware with a wired connection. Still haven't tried the wireless connection and in hindsite probably won't have need for it. Youtube is a little clunkly to use with the remote, and gets boring pretty quick. Since I probably won't use Netflix and Cinemanow either, (I don't like monthly subscriptions), I should have probably either saved a few bucks and gotten the very similar and cheaper XVBP1, or sprung for the Oppo which has the extra USB port in back, (which would probably play my USB videos) has slightly better video processing, is slightly faster and has a far superior remote.
Overall though, I am happy with the 390. It's a very fast player and has excellent video quality.
Get more detail about LG BD 390 Network Blu-ray Disc Player.

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Purchase LG BD 390 Network Blu-ray Disc Player


The BD 390 works more like a computer than an appliance. It forces you to interact with it constantly, like a computer, with error messages and occasional bugs. The video/audio was good, but I ended up returning it. I replaced it with a Samsung BD-P1600, which is $50 less, and works much better. I should note that I don't use wireless, which would require a separate dongle on the BD-P1600, because I ran an Ethernet to my A/V stack (in part to troubleshoot the problems with the BD 390 below).

As other people have noted the BD 390 networking features don't work well. I've set up both wireless and wired, and in both cases the unit initially connects to your router without any problems, but then the connection goes dead for no apparent reason. It will connect long enough to pop up a notice that there is a firmware update, but then the connection will time out trying to download it. I tried several times and finally the update installed. The Netflix streaming function will download your list of movies, but then choke when you try to play them. For a unit that costs this much that is unacceptable bugginess. If the problem is that the servers are overwhelmed then they should have dedicated servers for their high-end products.

The BD 390 does not allow you to disable BD-Live. I want the movies to load as soon as possible, so I set the BD Live connection to "disallow". The BD 390 treats that option like it's an error. Every time I pop in a BD-Live disk I get a message telling me to allow the BD-Live connection (and it's not a disk menu message, it's a message from the BD 390). So my only option was to re-enable BD-Live but to unplug the network connection (which wasn't a big loss since it didn't work anyway). To offer a service is one thing but to force users to use it is unacceptable.

If you're watching a movie and you go into the DVD setup menu (for whatever reason) and then hit the "return" key, you would think it would return to the movie. Instead, it leaves you with a blank screen, like a computer desktop. You have to hit the Play button to keep watching your movie.

On a couple of occasions it popped up a message that a disk wasn't readable. On both occasions I popped out the disks to check that they were clean and seated in the tray properly but it still wouldn't read them. I had to turn the unit off/on and then it read the disk, suggesting it wasn't a disk problem it was a software problem. Essentially I had to "reboot" it.

I understand that technologically the box is a computer, but for this amount of money computer-like interaction should not be necessary. The options and services should certainly be available in the setup menu, but once you set your preferences it should work like an appliance.

The customer support is useless. Obviously some cube-farm of low-paid contract support staff who have no personal knowledge of the unit, searching through the same thin reference material you could find on the web site.

All that being said, the sound and video is good. If you have a receiver that can handle the uncompressed HD audio it's a noticeable improvement from old DVDs. (And if you have an older 1080i plasma, like I do, the picture still looks great.) So the core A/V technology of the BD 390 is nice, but getting to the point of enjoying it is a frustrating experience.Get more detail about LG BD 390 Network Blu-ray Disc Player.